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Friday, June 1, 2007
So you’re a Baton Rouge teenager in 2007, growing up in this tantalizing age of digital reality and instant communication, yet you keep finding yourself at the mall on Saturday night?
Or maybe you’re a parent tired of hearing your teenage kids and their friends gripe about how there’s nothing to do around here.
Either way, this list is for you.
We asked teens, parents and 225batonrouge.com readers for their best ideas—failsafe, go-to plans for fun when there’s just nothing else to do.
Here are the eight best ideas we heard. What are you waiting for?
1. Planetarium shows at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum
It doesn’t matter how big your friend’s parents’ plasma screen is—this is the heaviest movie screen in town, and two regular shows will literally take you away.
SonicVision is a one-of-a-kind digitally animated visual experience set to music by Radiohead, U2, David Bowie, Coldplay, Queens of the Stone Age, Prodigy, The Flaming Lips, Audioslave, Stereolab, Goldfrapp and more. And, if you were a big fan of the Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon show that recently closed at the planetarium, then Cosmic Rock Hall of Fame is a great alternative and even features music by the English psychedelic rockers, as well as Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Metallica. Both shows are Saturday nights only—Cosmic Rock Hall of Fame at 7 p.m., and SonicVision at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 and include admission to the museum’s galleries.
2. Freshhhh Heat open-mic poetry lounge for teens
Hear the best and brightest young voices in the Capital City as well as some internationally acclaimed spoken word poets. Teens from all over the parish are invited to perform their own poetry, or kick back and listen to your peers give voice to your teen angst. Carpe diem! Turntablist DJ Dre spins on the ones and twos, and non-alcoholic refreshments are available.
Teen open-mic nights are monthly 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Paula Manship YMCA Teen Center. Admission is a suggested donation of $2.
3. Midnight bowling
Sure, rented clown shoes and polyester shirts aren’t really your thing, but midnight bowling is not your daddy’s bowling league. Go
with a group (foursomes are best so you don’t get separated on different lanes), and enjoy the dark side. You can bowl until the wee hours of the morning under lasers and black light while a DJ spins your favorite tunes, and even takes requests.
Galactic Bowling at Circle Bowl is every Friday from 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., and Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. They recommend calling the morning before you plan on playing to reserve your lanes. Special summer hours are in the works. Admission is $12 and includes the clown shoes.
Lightning Strikes at Don Carter is every Friday from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Don Carter allows six bowlers per lane for $25 an hour, which breaks down to less than $5 a piece. Shoes are an extra $3.50, and there is a cover at the door.
Reservations are recommended.
4. Tiki Tubing
Much of South Louisiana is only accessible by water, and there aren’t many better ways to experience it than floating down a river in an inner tube just minutes from Baton Rouge. Tiki Tubing in Denham Springs takes tubers down the scenic Amite River. Basic tubing packages start at $15, but for $20 you can cruise the river in style in one of “Bubba’s Yachts.” Tiki Tubing also rents out kayaks, ice chest floats and volleyball nets. Buses carrying tubers to the drop-off point run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
5. The LSU Museum of Art
That’s right, a museum. It’s where you’ll stumble upon some of the coolest stuff you’ve ever seen—like the current exhibit, Invasion: Japanese Robots from the Collection of Warren Schwartz. It features more than 200 Japanese robots produced from 1972 to 1982 at the peak of robot popularity. The collection includes models from the Japanese television and cartoon series Astro Mu, Captain Ultra, Fang of the Sun Dougram and many others.
Portions of Schwartz’s collection have been featured in publications like Super7, a magazine for Japanese animation enthusiasts, and the book Super #1 Robot. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $4 for anyone under 17 and $8 for 18 and up. The exhibit is on display now through Oct. 7.
6. Outdoor festivals
They’re free, they’re outdoors, there’s usually good food and refreshments, and everyone’s in a good mood—what’s not to like? Live After Five weekly shows are the hottest ones, attracting thousands downtown each season. Sunday in the Park, a 225 creation (thank you, thank you very much) was a big hit this spring. And there are standing classics: FestForAll, the balloon festival and the LSU fall favorite Battle of the Bands. Keep your eyes and ears open for great outdoor festivals; they’re everywhere and happen year round.
7. Blue Bayou summer concert series
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and settle down for an outdoor live music experience with some of the hottest major-label recording artists touring South Louisiana. Concerts are at 7 p.m. Saturdays.
Tickets are $34.95 and include admission to both Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin’ theme parks. Or, for $64.95, you can buy a season pass, which basically rounds out to about $6.50 per concert. Who said math class wouldn’t do you any good in the real world!
2007 Blue Bayou summer concerts
June 2 Josh Turner (country)
June 9 Blake Shelton (country)
June 16 Craig Morgan (country)
June 23 Teddy Geiger (pop/rock)
June 30 Jason Aldean (country)
July 7 Heartland (country)
July 14 Jonas Brothers & Jump Five (pop/rock)
July 21 Aly & AJ (pop/rock)
July 28 Benjy Davis Project (pop/rock)
Aug. 4 Mario Vazquez (R&B)
8. The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe at Perks Coffee and Tea
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll snort coffee through your nose, all while learning coffee shop etiquette. The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe is a Friday night staple at Perks Coffee and Tea on Perkins Road.
These improvisational comics are masters at making it up as they go along and provide a great start to any weekend. It’s so much fun with a big group of friends. Admission is $5 plus the cost of your impossibly elaborate non-fat, sugar-free, no foam vanilla latte.
Shows start at 9 p.m.
Got a better idea? Share your ideas for teens looking for fun things to do in Baton Rouge below.
Comments
Posted by twstdndmntd on June 5, 2007 at 10:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was amazed and a little disappointed in this article, with respect to the things that were suggested to do for teenagers. You forgot so many things that there are to do here. Granted BR is not a city with alot to do but there are more things to do than what you mentioned. For starters you forgot a few things downtown. Things like the USS Kidd and Museum, The Old State Capital, The Old Governors Mansion are all great things that were left off the list. Even a trip to the current Capital building during a legislative session could be a fun, learning experience that would show our teens how our governement works or in some cases how it doesn't work. To move away from downtown, how about the LSU Rural Life Museum or even the Baton Rouge Zoo. Don't forget we have the the LSU Lakes that does have a "beach". We even have a "swamp" here, whatever they do there I have no clue but it's something we could check into. How about encouraging our young people to get involved with the Arts? Maybe we should suggest going see some of the plays that the Baton Rouge Little Theatre puts on or some that the LSU students put on on campus. I'm sure if we all get involved we could come up with some pretty "cool" and interesting things to do around the city. Course I am all in favor of creating some kind of Arts District that we ALL can enjoy as singles and as a family.
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