(09/21/20) BATON ROUGE, La. — Burden Museum & Gardens in Baton Rouge is a great place to spend some time outdoors during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to special events, the gardens offer opportunities for quiet walks in multiple gardens, including Trees & Trails and StoryWalk, in addition to the LSU Rural Life Museum.

You can also take advantage of several special events. And during these times, social distancing guidelines apply.

Special events for fall

Wine & Roses: A Remote Raffle Affair for the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens from Sept. 14 to Nov. 23. Celebrate the riches of the Botanic Gardens during social distancing by participating in a raffle of 20 gorgeously curated baskets full of one of a kind artwork, gifts, décor, memorabilia and experiences. Each basket also comes with a bottle of wine, two wine glasses and a custom-designed floral bouquet. Tickets are one for $25, five for $100, 15 for $200 and 30 for $300 and are available exclusively online at https://rafflecreator.com/pages/40661/wine-&-roses-a-remote-raffle-affair. All proceeds support the Friends of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens.

50th Anniversary Exhibition Series — A Yardman's Art: the Inspiration of Steele Burden at the LSU Rural Life Museum will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Sept. 18 through Nov. 20. This exhibition will explore Steele Burden's sculpture, paintings and use of art to enhance the themes of the LSU Rural Life Museum. Regular museum admission applies.

Rural Life Alive! at the LSU Rural Life Museum will feature living history and artisan demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, Oct. 2 through Nov. 20. Interactive artisans will be demonstrating our Louisiana ancestors' craft of blacksmithing, candle making, hunting and trapping, tatting, rug making, corn shelling and grinding, and other lifeways. This new educational program is focused mainly for kids and a great low-tech outdoor activity for days when online school is not in session. Scheduled activities are shown online at https://www.lsu.edu/rurallife/events/rurallifealive.php. Regular museum admission applies.

Harvest Days at the LSU Rural Life Museum on Oct 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature living history demonstrations will interpret activities that took place on Louisiana farms and plantations during harvesttime in the 1800s. Louisiana artisans will focus on many types of agricultural and household activities. Demonstrations will include blacksmithing, soap making, basket weaving, wood working and open hearth cooking. Regular museum admission applies.

Corn Maze at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Visitors will wander through the corn maze and partake in a number of family-friendly activities. Tickets are available for two-hour scheduled experiences. Advanced tickets are required and are available at BonTempsTix.com. Admission is $15 per person and free for children 3 and under. Friends of the Gardens family memberships receive 4 free admissions to two different sessions

Haints, Haunts & Halloween at the LSU Rural Life Museum on Oct. 25 from 3 to 6 p.m. Storytelling, cake walks, games, and trick or treating are some of the events kids will be able to participate in while on the museum's grounds. Recommended for children 2 to 9 years old. Admission is $5 per person. Children 2 and under free. Halloween costumes are encouraged.

Continuing activities include

The Birding at Burden trail system consists of six loops that wind through Burden’s formal and informal gardens, grasslands, croplands, wetlands and forest. The loops are designed for both beginners and advanced bird enthusiast. Kiosks about the birding loops can be found at the Rural Life Museum Visitors Center and the Ione Burden Conference Center.

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 part 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.

The LSU Rural Life Museum is featuring the rebuilding of the grist mill and the continuing fall exhibit Good Mourning. In addition, artisans occasionally are on hand to practice their crafts.

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.

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 charged 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 $8 for 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.

For more information, visit www.discoverburden.com or call 225-763-3990.