225BatonRouge.com

BEST SPOT FOR PEOPLE-WATCHING

LSU Sporting Events 37.7%

lsusports.net • Louisiana State University Campus

Only at an LSU sporting event can you find thousands of people who dress up like purple-and-gold superheroes, or festoon themselves in purple-and-gold clothing and accessories without shame. You might console yourself in the fact that most of these rabid fans probably didn’t even attend the university.

Staying cool at BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo.

BEST PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS OUTDOORS

BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo 31.3%

3601 Thomas Rd. • 775-3877

BREC may get a lot of ribbing for some of its old, rusty parks, but the BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo remains a favorite for children and adults. Lions? Got ‘em. Tigers? Got ‘em. Frisky monkeys? Sure. There’s even a barnyard animal exhibit where kids can pet them, and an aquarium that brings the swamps to you.

BEST PARADE

St. Patrick’s Day Parade 46.3%

It’s not that New Orleans has the market cornered on Mardi Gras. It’s simply that no parade can compare to the irreverent behemoth of fun that is St. Pat’s. Lads and lassies hit the streets early, steeling their energy with green pancakes and green beers, and they stay out late, bedecked in green beads. They seek shelter under the overpass at Ivar’s, Zee Zee Gardens and Duvic’s. It’s a family affair—tykes and old nuns come to see Pat Shingleton’s resurrected “Wearin’ of the Green” meander down Perkins Road.

Watching a film at the Planetarium.

BEST PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS INDOORS

Louisiana Art and Science Museum 39.3%

100 South River Rd. • 344-5272

An historic railroad depot on the Mississippi River holds the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. The museum features fine art exhibitions, rotating art and science exhibits for kids and a full-scale planetarium and theatre. For adults, its best amenity might be air conditioning during hot summer day trips.