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It took 12 hours to get to my new doorstep in Baton Rouge. After two crowded flights in tiny commuter jets, a three-hour layover in Houston, and maneuvering through the crammed traffic on I-10, I have arrived.

But now what? As newcomers to the area, my parents have spent the last few weekends fumbling in and out of various neighborhoods searching for unique places to take the family during the holidays. And where do they take me on Day Two in Baton Rouge? The Mall of Louisiana.

I don’t like malls. I don’t enjoy navigating the crowds (especially during the holidays) or browsing a sea of merchandise that looks exactly like the stuff I can find in Ohio. And although the people watching can be entertaining (for a minute), if I’m going to do this culture submersion thing right, I need uniqueness. I need novelty. I need adventure!

So here’s the deal: I need some suggestions. Where are the places essential to the Baton Rouge experience? What are the things that I just have to do in order to get a feel of the place? As much as I appreciate my parents’ enthusiasm and good intentions, when it comes down to it, they’re almost as clueless as I am. So I’m relying on locals to hook me up with the fundamental Baton Rouge To Do List.

For the next five weeks, I will be wandering the capital armed with a notebook and a map. Luckily I have a copy of 225’s July “Best Of” issue, so I have a few places to get me started. But I don’t know the city or the roads. I don’t know downtown from uptown or campus from the ‘burbs. And I don’t know anyone (except for good ol’ Mom and Dad).

I’m excited to get started because I can tell things are different down here. It became apparent immediately that this is a culture quite unlike the mid-west. There’s an openness that I’m not used to, but am certainly enjoying. My Dad is from the South and always complained that people in the Midwest gave him strange, bothered looks when he extended a jovial “how y’all doin’?” But here, it’s usually met with a grin and a “just fine, how ‘bout ‘chu?” Never underestimate the power of a simple friendly greeting. However, I hear Baton Rougeans don’t necessarily consider themselves southerners…per se. Is it more of a southwestern kind of outlook? Or a blended Deep South/French Creole kind of thing? All I know is that whichever label the region prefers, I could get used to the casual, gracious intonation of the Louisianan drawl and hearty laughter.

The trip may have been long, and the first impression may not be formed yet, but I’m optimistic that Baton Rouge provides a breadth of opportunities for new experiences. So start sending in those ideas! What shouldn’t I miss?