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Adventures in the Capital Region

Photo of Mika Torkkola by Stephanie Landry

AS THE SAYING GOES, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” While some of our suggestions in the following pages might be best suited for adrenaline junkies, others can take place in a downtown bar or even in the comfort of your own kitchen. But they all provide the opportunity to try something new and unique in a city that increasingly has more exciting things to do than can fill the pages of this magazine each month.

Get out there. Try something new. Make memories.

Stories by Mark Clements, Benjamin Leger and Matthew Sigur


Go the distance—on your bike

We have all made the drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans countless times. But have you ever thought about riding your bike between the two hubs?

River Road is a favorite route for cyclists, skirting along the winding Mississippi River for miles, away from the traffic of bigger roads. While the idea of trekking the entire stretch might seem difficult, plenty have done it.

Photo by Collin Richie
Photo by Collin Richie

Mika Torkkola, who works for an LED lighting company and volunteers with Bike Baton Rouge, has made the journey several times, adjusting his route each time for a smoother ride and to avoid dense industrial areas. Just past the Bonnet Carré Spillway, he hops on the levee path for an easy 24 miles into New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood. The trip usually takes him about six or seven hours one way.

His tips: “First is to reach out to people who have done it before. There are a lot of people here who have experience doing this kind of stuff,” he says. “Second, a lot of people tend to over-think it. Really, you are just going for a bike ride, although to some extent, you need to prepare and be physically able to handle the long ride.” And of course, make sure you have the proper safety gear and understand the rules of the road.

If the ride seems too grueling for you, Torkkola’s favorite nearby route takes him from Baton Rouge to Fontainebleau State Park via the much shadier, tree-lined roads east of the city. It takes him about five or six hours one way. Just make sure you have a GPS handy. Find resources and tips at bikebr.org.

—B.L.

Editor’s note: Mika Torkkola has lived in Baton Rouge since 2007 and is an active member of Bike Baton Rouge. He teaches bike safety, showing people how to operate their bikes in an urban environment. It’s come in handy for Torkkola: Just a few days after being photographed for this issue, he and two friends were hit by a motorist on Nicholson Drive while they were riding their bikes. One of his friends, Justin Weber, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but is improving. The motorist fled the scene and, as of press time, hasn’t come forward. Many thanks to Torkkola for working with us during this tough time.



Photo by Collin Richie
Photo by Collin Richie

Get lessons in drag racing

Anyone feeling the need for speed can make a pit stop off Highway 190 to State Capitol Raceway (11436 Highway 190 in Port Allen), where racers of all experience levels are welcome to test their rides in one of the five longest-running drag race courses in the country.

The track hosts races nearly every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, ranging from amateurs competing for the first time to competitive veterans that show up weekly.

Want to show off your ride on the racetrack? General manager Gary Carter says the process is as simple as pulling in, taking a short inspection and getting on the track.

“If you have a driver’s license, you are technically legal to participate in drag racing out here,” Carter said. “You can drive in off the highway out there, you do a basic safety inspection on the vehicle and then you can go make some runs on the track.”

The Raceway also hosts junior leagues for aspiring racers ages 8-17. The younger racers compete in miniature cars and are divided into different age groups for the competition. statecapitolraceway.com; 627-4574

—M.C.



Members of the Pelican Yacht Club offer sailing lessons on False River. Image courtesy of the club
Members of the Pelican Yacht Club offer sailing lessons on False River. Image courtesy of the club

Learn how to sail

So you want to get sailing lessons, but don’t want to deal with the fuss of a yacht club that makes you wear blue blazers and ascots? Well, you’re in luck.

Take a drive 40 miles northwest to False River and check out the Pelican Yacht Club. Established in 1962, this unpretentious club gives free sailing lessons a few times a year to those interested. All you have to do is call former commodore and 30-year club member Terry Teekell.

The classes are split into two parts and are an all-day affair. First, you’ll learn about water safety, tying knots and how to tell the starboard from the bow. Then, you’ll get out in the water (if conditions are favorable) and try it out in different styles of sailboats.

“We’re going to teach them everything they need to know,” Teekell says.

What’s great about sailing False River is that it’s perfect for beginners, says member Rob Parker. “It’s one of the best places for learning because if you get into trouble, you can bail out and dock at so many places,” Parker says.

After lessons, if you decide to become a member, you don’t even have to own a boat—there is no charge for using the club’s sailboats. Call Teekell at 272-1323 or find out more information at pelicanyachtclub.org.

—M.S.



Trick out your party

There’s nothing better than the VIP treatment, and if you’ve got the cash to spend, you can plan a local fête to remember. It’s your party; go all out if you want to.

L'Auberge rooftop pool
Courtesy David Zaitz

Rent the pool:
Invite your friends poolside at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel and rent out one of the VIP cabanas, which can hold up to 12 guests and includes a private sunbathing area, flat-screen TV, bottled waters, a fruit tray and more for around $200-$250. If you’re really feeling spendy, the entire rooftop pool and terrace can be rented out for special events, with some of the best views of the Mississippi River at your disposal. Contact the special events staff for pricing. lbatonrouge.com

Manship Theater
Photo by Stephanie Landry

Rent the movie theater:
At the Manship Theatre’s annual gala earlier this year, guests could bid on a private movie night at the theater. But according to Manship’s Melanie Couvillon, it isn’t out of the ordinary for the facility to rent out for private screenings throughout the year. Rental starts at $1,000-$1,250 and the Manship takes care of the technical needs. You pick the movie—new release, classic, documentary—and can request the main bar as a cash bar for guests. The rental fee is flat, so invite a few close friends or as many guests as seating allows. Then sit back and relax in the theater knowing you get to pick your movie-watching neighbors. manshiptheatre.org

LSU3943 Mike the Tiger_lsu sports info
Courtesy Jim Zietz/LSU University Relations

Rent Mike the Tiger (and the Spirit Squad, too):
First thing’s first: You can’t rent the actual, live tiger. But you can have the costumed mascot, cheerleaders and the Tiger Girls appear at your event. Pauline Zernott, LSU Spirit director and coach, says they get about 35 requests each year to appear at birthday parties and weddings. Obviously, their busy schedule doesn’t allow them to make every appearance, but at $350 an hour for Mike and $250 an hour for the cheerleaders or Tiger Girls, you can have the ultimate LSU-themed party. One caveat: Your event must be within 20 miles of LSU. lsusports.net

—B.L.



THE FANTASTIC FOUR
Fantastic Four. Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox

Be an extra in a big-budget movie

Age doesn’t matter for this one. Casting directors on locally shot movies are always looking for a diverse crowd of extras to populate the background.

Locals Susan Fontenot, Laura Guzman and Sue Johnston—all in their early 60s—are good examples of that. They have been paid background extras in several films shot in Baton Rouge and nearby, including the Fantastic Four reboot, Hot Pursuit with Reese Witherspoon, Pitch Perfect 2, and the Sundance series Hap and Leonard with James Purefoy.

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Hot Pursuit with Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon. Courtesy Warner Bros.
Laura Guzman on the set of Hot Pursuit
Laura Guzman on the set of Hot Pursuit. Courtesy of Guzman

And they’ve all gotten to know each other through the process. They say background extras become like family, tip each other off on upcoming productions and even carpool to the set. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet a whole other group of friends through this,” Fontenot says.

Fontenot has credits as an extra going back to the late ’70s and has made recent trips to New Orleans for shoots on FX’s American Horror Story and the upcoming Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling film The Big Short.

She says period films are her favorite to work on. “Anything period is nice to do because the costumers are absolutely wonderful.”

Guzman says older folks shouldn’t be discouraged from working as an extra. “They need all ages,” she says, even movies geared for younger generations. She and Johnston, for instance, worked together on a scene in Fantastic Four set at a high school science fair. Johnston played a science fair judge and Guzman played a teacher.

“It’s always fun,” Johnston says. “You just have to wait around a lot, but everybody is so nice and takes care of us.”

—B.L.

Tips on being an extra:

• Sign up with a casting agency, like Central Casting (centralcasting.com). These services are free and you should be wary of any service that charges you a fee to sign up.

• You don’t need professional photos—those are often discouraged. Have a friend take a basic headshot of you. No selfies!

• Don’t approach the main actors on set. Pretend like they aren’t even there (unless instructed to do so in the scene, of course). Keep a low profile.

• Resist the urge to document your experience on social media. Photos and online posts from the set are a no-no and could get you booted from the set and potentially from future productions.



Hot air balloons during a media event before the Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival. Photo by Lawles Bourque
Hot air balloons during a media event before the Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival. Photo by Lawles Bourque

Take flight in a hot air balloon

Every September, you can watch dozens of hot air balloons take to the sky at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center. But in the off-season, you can hop aboard one of those balloons yourself.

Robert Ambeau, hot air balloon pilot, and his crew, photographed at Lamar-Dixon. Photo by Lawles Bourque
Robert Ambeau, hot air balloon pilot, and his crew, photographed at Lamar-Dixon. Photo by Lawles Bourque

Robert Ambeau, operations manager for the Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival, also pilots hot air balloon rides for guests throughout the year. He’ll take you up at sunrise or sunset for a few hours floating above the trees or higher. “There are certain types of things you can do in a hot air balloon that you can’t in a plane,” Ambeau says. “It’s like floating on a cloud.”

Ambeau has piloted for many marriage proposals and even a wedding. He brought former Gov. Buddy Roemer and his son up in the clouds for the young Roemer’s birthday, and he piloted for the late actor Paul Newman when he was in Louisiana shooting the movie Blaze in the late 1980s.

You’ll definitely be in good hands—Ambeau is the 18-time state champion in balloon races. And after 28 years of flying, he still loves it. “It’s like a new adventure every time you take off,” he says. balloonridesbyrobert.com

—B.L



Put in some sweat equity

There are few things as satisfying as using your hands to build something. Even more satisfying: seeing someone make use of it after you’re done. With the summer months comes the desire to get out and do something worthwhile.

During an Albemarle Youth Build, Rachael Sollie (left) and homeowner-partner Jasmine Henderson work on a home. Image courtesy Habitat for Humanity
During an Albemarle Youth Build, Rachael Sollie (left) and homeowner-partner Jasmine Henderson work on a home. Image courtesy Habitat for Humanity

Volunteering with groups like Habitat for Humanity, which has renovated and built more than 300 homes in the Baton Rouge area, lets you be active while also working with a team to provide a better home for a low-income family. No experience is needed and you can learn from expert builders at build sites on Wednesdays and Saturdays. habitatbr.org

Volunteers construct a playground at Bernard Terrace Elementary. Photo courtesy of Cindy Morris
Volunteers construct a playground at Bernard Terrace Elementary. Image courtesy of Cindy Morris

LSU’s Community Playground Project has built 30 playgrounds at local schools—such as Bernard Terrace Elementary earlier this year—and public spaces thanks to LSU biological engineering professor Marybeth Lima, her students and a variety of community groups and individual volunteers. All of the playground builds have been guided by the input of children who use them.

Lima says they usually put a call out for participants via volunteerlouisiana.gov, but you can also get on an email list by contacting Kristen Galloway at [email protected].

—B.L.



Chef Matt Reed. Photo by Stephanie Landry
Chef Matt Reed. Photo by Stephanie Landry

Host dinner classes

Chef Matt Reed doesn’t want to just give you a recipe card and tell you how to cook something. When he hosts a cooking class, he’s methodical.

“I’m very particular about the way I teach a class,” he says. “I want to know the motivations behind why we are doing things a certain way. It makes me think about cooking. I don’t want to read the recipe back to you. There’s no discovery in it that way.”

The caterer, cake-maker and reigning Fête Rouge and CrawFête winner hosts weekly Sip & Sauté events at Acadian House Kitchen + Bath. Those interested in learning a thing or two from the well-traveled chef can host private classes or dinners with Reed at the helm.

He says the best way to host a class or dinner is to get a group of friends together, then he can start customizing a menu for the party. Typically, Jesse Casciaro of Alexander’s Highland Market will help to provide wine, bourbon, beer or specialty cocktails for the party.

“It’s a collaboration,” he says. “I want to create a menu from the ground up. I want to do something with a different twist, something you wouldn’t see from another catering company. That’s the fun in it for me.” reedscakesandcatering.com

—M.S.



Whiskey

Reach for the top shelf

For the wine enthusiast
The extensive wine menu at Galatoire’s Bistro has a few bottles with prices to make your heart stop. For starters, there are several wines from Burgundy, France, such as the Romanée Saint-Vivant, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, that run from $1,500 to about $2,800 depending on the year. Bartender Brett Foster says they might keep only one or two bottles on hand, and well-heeled patrons will often reserve such bottles in advance for a classy wine and dine.

Among the Napa Valley cabernet sauvignons, some bottles price as high as $570. But bartender Benjamin Phillips says a splurge doesn’t always mean you are getting the biggest flavor. “Some of our $40 to $50 wines blow them out of the water,” he says.

The wine menu is different from the New Orleans Galatoire’s Restaurant, Phillips says, because it’s catered to more traditional Baton Rouge patrons who like dependable French and California wines. Though, they do offer a peppery and bright pinot noir in the $90 range from the Bergström label out of Oregon.

That’s a splurge for some of us, at least. galatoiresbistro.com

For the scotch and whiskey connoisseur
The cavernous bar at The Cove has long been heralded as a place for serious, contemplative pours of scotch and whiskey. This is the type of bar where “top shelf” should be taken seriously—the shelves are arranged like a library of liquors complete with its own rolling ladder. The bar even provides tasting notes for its array of liquors to help you choose.

On our visit, cocktail bar manager Joey Goar scoured a shelf marked “Unaffordable Scotches” for a Linkwood 1939 single malt from Speyside, Scotland. The tasting notes called it “smoky, resinous, super fruity and very beautiful,” and Goar says older single malts from Speyside tend to have a lighter body, which helps them hold up to extensive aging. This one will run you about $445 an ounce.

If that’s not steep enough for you, there’s a pre-Prohibition Old Forester bourbon, distilled in 1916 and bottled in 1933, that hasn’t even been opened yet. The price? $1,000 an ounce.

For some somewhat less pricy pours that are a bit more familiar, The Cove has a great selection of Laphroaig whiskies, Pappy Van Winkle and Hirsch Kentucky straight bourbons around $80-$90 a pour. portroyalcove.com

For the rum aficionado
You might be familiar with wine flights or even beer flights, but rum flights? The Rum House has got you covered. The kitschy bar at this island-themed restaurant comes with boat captain chairs instead of barstools, so even if the rums might be top-tier, the atmosphere is casual.

The Rum House offers several flights for different budgets, with the priciest—The Rare Bird—set at about $150. That gives you three pours of the finest rums in house, brought to you in classy brandy snifters.

One of the rums available: Black Tot Last Consignment, part of the last remaining rum stocks of the British Royal Navy. Sweet and peppery with notes of smoke, a bottle ranges from $800-$1,000, and an individual pour is about $100, according to bartender Steve Bond.

With some of these well-aged dark rums, expect a stark difference from what you’d likely mix in a tropical rum drink. The deep flavors vary, Bond says, and can take on the taste of scotch or whiskey. therumhouse.com

—B.L.



Big River Regional in 2014. Photo by Nicholas Martino
Big River Regional in 2014. Photo by Nicholas Martino

Run, paddle and dodge

The routine, 30-minute jog on the treadmill can be become a monotonous and uninspiring way to stay in shape. Luckily, Baton Rouge offers several unique race experiences coming up that can help make staying fit a little more fun.

Zoo Zoom 5K
It’s not quite the running of the bulls, but this race offers competitors of all ages a chance to mark off their miles while catching all the sights and sounds of BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo. With a 5K and a half-mile fun run, a portion of the registration supports the Zoo’s conservation program for threatened and endangered animals. Aug. 22. brzoo.org

Big River Regional
Racers can take their talents to the water with the third annual Big River Regional, a 13-mile stand-up paddle and kayak race that takes place on the Mississippi River. The race begins downtown and ends at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge. Aug. 29. bigriverregional.com

Escape From Run
If racing down the mighty Mississippi still doesn’t satisfy the ultimate thrill seeker, maybe the Escape From Run will do the trick.

The nighttime 5K features a full post-apocalyptic experience for runners in downtown Baton Rouge as the city is transformed into a “danger zone.” The scene is set with bright lights searching for survivors, sirens and alarms going off, fake dead bodies flooding the streets, quarantine stations and explosions.

After, a special Survivor’s After-Party is held downtown, featuring a  DJ, food and drinks. Sept. 18. escapefromrun.com

The Warrior Dash gets down and dirty. Courtesy Gameface Media
The Warrior Dash gets down and dirty. Courtesy Gameface Media

Warrior Dash
For those looking to get down and dirty with their exercising, this might be just the thing. The reinvented 5K is not just a race but a full-on obstacle course.

Competitors must get through 12 obstacles along the 3.24-mile course in St. Francisville, including mud mounds, trenches and giant rope bridges, among many others. Oct. 3. warriordash.com

Baton Rouge Beach Marathon
Ready to move on to an even bigger challenge? The Baton Rouge Beach Marathon runs at Milford Wampold Memorial Park on the lakes near LSU’s campus. Two races—a full marathon and a half marathon—start at the same time, and the course is a certified Boston Marathon Qualifier. Dec. 5. brbeachmarathon.com

—M.C.



225 contributing photographer Stephanie Landry and John Gibby belt out a tune at Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s live band karaoke. Photo by Collin Richie
225 contributing photographer Stephanie Landry and John Gibby belt out a tune at Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s live band karaoke. Photo by Collin Richie

Rock out with the band

Have you ever wanted to sing your favorite Foo Fighters or Journey song but the usual karaoke night just won’t cut it?

No, you want to know what it feels like to be on stage with a band backing you up as you belt out “Any Way You Want It,” rather than warbling over a backing track. Well, it’s possible in downtown Baton Rouge.

Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s hosts free live band karaoke every Wednesday, starting around 10 p.m. A list of songs is refreshed every week to give patrons a selection of different genres, ranging from ’80s to ’90s hits, as well as some deeper cuts and requests.

The bar’s events and marketing coordinator Glynna Mayers says it’s the only place in town with such an event, and she’s seen people of all ages get up to the mic to lead the band.

“It’s more fun having that experience with a live band,” Mayers says. “It makes you really feel like you’re a rock star.” bandtlive.com

—M.S.



Activities abound at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park. Courtesy Sky Zone
Activities abound at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park. Courtesy Sky Zone

Lagniappe: Jump around

The new recreational trend that will have you screaming “Where has this been all my life?!” is the trampoline park. Baton Rouge now has two of them. At these parks, you can play dodgeball or a ridiculously fun game of basketball called sky slam, take part in fitness classes or just do what you loved as a kid—jump up and down for an extended period of time.

Area 51 Extreme Air Sports just opened at 10111 The Grove Ave. area51.us

Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park is set to open this month at the corner of Siegen Lane and Industriplex Boulevard. skyzone.com/batonrouge