Explore Baton Rouge: Things to Do at Rural Life Museum

Events


The LSU Rural Life Museum is proud to present its 2026 theme, Community: The Fabric of our Nation. "Building Community, Building Louisiana: The People of the Rural Life Museum." As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation, we honor the everyday people who built Louisiana by highlighting the communities represented at the LSU Rural Life Museum. Through families' historical accounts and objects in the collection, this year's exhibit will focus on the people who called the museum's historic structures home. Programming will include performances, author talks, exhibitions, and hands-on demonstrations. The exhibition will be on display from February through October 2026. Included with museum admission.

2026 Theme Banner

The LSU Rural Life Museum is proud to present its 2026 theme, Community: The Fabric of our Nation.
"Building Community, Building Louisiana: The People of the Rural Life Museum."

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation, we honor the everyday people who built Louisiana by highlighting the communities represented at the LSU Rural Life Museum. Through families' historical accounts and objects in the collection, this year's exhibit will focus on the people who called the museum's historic structures home.

Programming will include performances, author talks, exhibitions, and hands-on demonstrations.

The exhibition will be on display from February through October 2026.

Included with museum admission.


Blacksmithing Demostration Days Presented by the Gulf Coast Blacksmith Association Watch talented and introductory blacksmiths demonstrate forging techniques inside our historic blacksmith shop and on a portable forge, see unique creations up close, and discover the history and artistry behind this centuries-old craft. 9am-4pm Saturday, August 22nd Saturday, September 26th Included with general museum admission, free for museum members.


	Fall Speaker Series Dr. Frances Kolb Turnbell Wednesday, September 2nd 6:00-7:00pm Join us for a virtual evening session with Dr. Frances Kolb Turnbell on her enlightening book, Spanish Louisiana: Contest for Borderlands, 1763 – 1803. Her talk will focus on Louisiana during the American Revolutionary War, exploring how the Lower Mississippi became a strategic frontier where Spain, Britain, American revolutionaries, Native nations, and enslaved people influenced the course of history. Frances Kolb Turnbell is a historian of Early America with a specialization in the eighteenth-century Lower Mississippi Valley.  She earned her BA in history at Texas A&M University and her MA and PhD at Vanderbilt University.  She is the author of Spanish Louisiana: Contest for Borderlands, 1763-1803 (LSU Press, 2024). She has also contributed to The American Revolutionary War in the West (St. Louis, MO: THGC Publishing, 2020) and Atlantic Environments and the American South (2020).  She is the editor of the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and teaches at the University of North Alabama. Email rlm@lsu.edu or visit our Facebook to receive the virtual meeting link. Raymond Berthelot Monday, October 19th 12pm-1pm Pack your lunch and join us for a lunch & learn with Raymond Berthelot as he explores the enduring influence of Spanish history and culture on the state of Louisiana. Berthelot will examine how Spanish traditions are reflected in our state’s food, music, architecture, place names, and most importantly, its people. Discover how Spanish heritage has become woven into Louisiana’s unique identity and how families and communities have preserved these traditions across generations, weaving Louisiana’s rich past into the fabric of everyday life. Raymond Berthelot is the Parks Administrator for the Louisiana Office of State Parks.  He previously served as the District Manager over the Parks Historic Sites system, and as the Chief of Interpretative Services.  He has taught Louisiana History at Baton Rouge Community College, as an adjunct faculty member for several years.  Mr. Berthelot is an accomplished poet, with multiple chapbooks and individual works in print. Sharon Louque Monday, November 16th 12:00-1:00pm Pack your lunch and join us for a lunch & learn with Sharon Louque, a longtime docent for the LSU Rural Life Museum. Sharon is a retired school nurse who now spends her time sharing her passion for history; specifically River Road Plantation history. She is apart of the fourth and last Keller generation to have known, loved, and spent time in the Welham Plantation house. Welham was bought by her great grandfather, Leonce Keller, and Poche in 1904. Her grandfather, Milton, and her dad, Ray, were both born and raised in the house. Sharon remembers many happy times spent there for holidays, summers, and Sunday afternoons with her grandparents and forty one cousins. Many of Welham Plantation's outbuildings are now historic structures here at the museum. She currently resides in St. James Parish, where she works part time at Felicity Plantation and the St. James Parish Tourist Welcome Center. She also enjoys spending time with her three children and eight grandchildren.


Siege of Fort New Richmond Reenactment Presented in Partnership with the Waldeck 3rd Regiment Saturday, September 19th & Sunday, September 20th Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the American Revolution! Step back in time at the inaugural 247th Anniversary Siege of Fort New Richmond, a living history event commemorating Bernardo de Galvez’s capture of British-held Baton Rouge in 1779. Explore 18th-century encampments and civilian life with interactive demonstrations, performances, and reenactments on both days. Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy: Military drill demonstrations and battle reenactments Revolutionary-era music and dance Open-hearth cooking Colonial games and pastimes Living history demonstrations, including candle making, butter making, laundry washing, and more A fascinating look at the daily lives of civilians and soldiers during the American Revolution Whether you’re a history enthusiast, family, educator, or simply looking for a unique weekend, the Siege of Fort New Richmond offers an unforgettable opportunity to witness the people, traditions, and events that helped shape Louisiana’s role in the American Revolution. Included with general museum admission, free for museum members.


	2026 Harvest Days Saturday, October 3rd & Sunday, October 4th 9:00am- 4:30pm Step back into the 19th century during Harvest Days, one of the LSU Rural Life Museum’s beloved annual events. Spend the weekend exploring the museum’s historic village as skilled artisans, musicians, and living history interpreters bring the past to life through hands-on demonstrations and engaging performances. Watch traditional trades in action, including blacksmithing, open-hearth cooking, woodworking, spinning, soap making, quill pen writing, and other crafts that sustained rural Louisiana for generations. Stroll the grounds while enjoying live folk music and dancing, challenge friends and family to historic games, and experience everyday life as it was once lived. Take a tractor ride through the museum grounds, browse artisan demonstrations, and savor delicious food available throughout the weekend. Don’t forget to sample the homemade cracklins, cane syrup, and kettle corn made on-site. Ticket Prices: Ages 0-3 Free Ages 4-11 $10 Ages 12+ $12 Purchase Tickets Here


Red Rooster Bash Sponsored by the Friends of the LSU Rural Life Museum Thursday, October 15th 6:00-9:00pm The rooster's crowing, the still's tapped, and it's time to Raise the Roost! Join us at the LSU Rural Life Museum’s Red Rooster Bash when the museum comes alive after dark for home-brewed craft beer tastings, cocktails, live music, line dancing, and Southern food good enough to cheat on your diet for. What started as an old-fashioned barn-raising fundraiser still does exactly what it always did: bring people together to build community and make memories. Pull on your boots and come raise a glass for Louisiana's rural history! Check back for tickets soon.


	Haints, Haunts, & Halloween Sunday, October 25th 2:00-4:30pm Celebrate Halloween the old-fashioned way at the LSU Rural Life Museum! Gather the family and experience the charm of a historic country fair. Stroll through the museum grounds and enjoy storytelling, cake walks, traditional games, and plenty of trick-or treating. Dress up and get decked out in your favorite Halloween costume! Whether your little one is a pirate, princess, superhero, or friendly ghost, costumes are encouraged for kids and grown-ups alike. Ticket Prices Ages 0-3 Free Ages 4-11 $6 Ages 12+ $12 Purchase Tickets Here

The LSU Rural Life Museum is proud to present its 2026 theme, Community: The Fabric of our Nation."Building Community, Building Louisiana: The People of the Rural Life Museum."

Blacksmithing Demostration Days

Fall Speaker Series

Dr. Frances Kolb Turnbell

Raymond Berthelot

Sharon Louque

Siege of Fort New Richmond Reenactment

2026 Harvest Days

Red Rooster Bash

Haints, Haunts, & Halloween

The LSU Rural Life Museum is proud to present its 2026 theme, Community: The Fabric of our Nation.
"Building Community, Building Louisiana: The People of the Rural Life Museum."