(04/10/18) BATON ROUGE, La. — As the calendar turns to summer, Burden Museum & Gardens offers many activities to help people enjoy the changing seasons.

Special summertime events

On Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, children ages 3 to 8 can enjoy StoryTime in the Garden in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden. The morning will feature storybook readings and imagination-themed activities every half hour. The last reading begins at 11:30 a.m. StoryTime is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Admission is free.

On Friday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to noon, the Botanic Gardens at Burden will celebrate National Public Gardens Day, showcasing the new Pollinator Garden. Activities for all ages will be themed around pollination and its importance to our environment. Local organizations will provide information on pollinators and pollinator plants, and City Gelato will be selling a customized gelato made with Burden honey. The event is free and open to the public with a free pollinator plant to take home. National Public Gardens Day is a program supported by American Public Gardens Association.

On Saturday, May 19, from 9 to 11 a.m., the Children's Garden Series at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden will present “The World of Butterflies.” Children 6 to 12 will learn how to attract butterflies to their own yards and gardens through fun, interactive activities. An adult must accompany each child. Children will receive snacks and garden take-home crafts. Attendance is limited, and reservations are required in advance by contacting Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. Admission is $15 per child.

On Monday through Friday, June 4 to 8, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day, the LSU Rural Life Museum will conduct the Rural Life Apprentice Program. During the weeklong summer camp, Louisiana artisans and junior docents will introduce children to 19th century traditional crafts, such as blacksmithing, open-hearth cooking, tintype photography and early textile processes as well as everyday domestic skills. Each day, the apprentices will be able to create and bring home what they personally made. Open to children entering the fourth through eighth grades.Advance registration is required. Camp fee is $100 per child. More information is available from Steve Ramke at 225-765-2437 ext. 204 or sramke@lsu.edu.

On Saturday, June 16, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden will present Garden Fest. Garden Fest focuses on locally grown and produced foods and beverages. Visitors will be able to tour various gardens and take a hayride to vegetable trial plots to taste new vegetable varieties. Complementary food and beverages will include omelets from the Louisiana Egg Commission and bloody marys from Mason’s Grill while other foods will be on sale from local food trucks. Information sessions about gardening, nature and environmental programs will run from 9 to 11 a.m. Children’s activities will include water slides (bring your swimsuits) and the opportunity to see old farm tractors. Admission is $5 per person. Children ages 3 and under will be admitted at no charge.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15, the Botanic Gardens at Burden will host the Baton Rouge Orchid Society Show. Orchids will be on display and for sale in the Ione Burden Conference Center from vendors across the Gulf Coast. Regional orchid growers and collectors will create works of art with the orchids on display. Orchid supplies will also be sold. Orchid Society members will be available to offer growing and maintenance advice and demonstrate potting techniques. The event is open and free to the public.

On Monday through Friday, July 30 to August 3, the Botanic Gardens at Burden will host a Byzantine Icon Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Participants will learn how to create an icon using gold leaf and paint. Classes are held in the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie. No art experience is required. All materials are included in the fee. Registration is $350 per person. Call 225-763-3990 to reserve your spot. Enrollment is limited.

About Burden Museum & Gardens

Located at 4560 Essen Lane, just off Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge, Burden Museum & Gardens is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes the LSU Rural Life Museum, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and Windrush Gardens.

The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is an expansive collection of specialty gardens, woodlands, wetlands and arboreta. Trees and Trails offers 3 miles of serene walking paths through the Burden Woods. The Rose Garden, Children’s Garden and All-America Selections Display Garden showcase the beauty of plants and flowers and provide educational experiences for gardeners of all ages. No admission is required to tour the gardens.

The LSU Rural Life Museum focuses on the ways of life of rural Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum also provides educational and research resources that advance an understanding of the material and cultural heritage of the region.

Adjacent to the Rural Life Museum, the historic Windrush Gardens comprises 5 acres of semiformal gardens of the Burden family.

Admission to the Botanic Gardens and Trees and Trails is free of charge and open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61 and $9 for seniors and children 6 to 11. Admission to Windrush Gardens is $3 per person. Both are free for kids under 6. The LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens are open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except major holidays.

Continuing activities include

Trees and Trails, a 3-mile system of pedestrian, recreational and educational trails in the Burden Woods, provides opportunities for hiking and interpretive and educational activities for youth and adults. The Mosaic Boardwalk at Black Swamp guides visitors through a hardwood swamp more than 200 years old. The trail system is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

The Children’s Garden offers a place to learn about gardening and nutrition. This model garden also provides a location for youth-related organizations and individual families to experience the outdoors, focusing on vegetable, herb and butterfly garden plantings.

The Rose Garden is a member of the American Garden Rose Selections program, a nationwide network of approved public gardens, and the American Rose Trials for Sustainability program, maintaining an inventory of 1,100 plants representing 150 varieties. Starting each April, the Rose Garden offers an exclusive preview of the coming year’s outstanding new varieties.

Windrush Gardens comprises majestic live oaks and ancient crape myrtles to create a shady canopy over azaleas and camellias, evoking a sense of tranquility and peace. Steele Burden, who was influenced by the gardens of Europe and the surviving gardens of 19th century Louisiana plantations, designed Windrush. The winding paths are ideal for strolling and enjoying the 25 acres of landscaped spaces.