LSU Rural Life Museum

LSU Rural Life Museum and Burden Museum & Gardens
Years in Business: 54 years

The LSU Rural Life Museum was founded in 1970 with a purpose “to increase the appreciation of our heritage and the way of life of our ancestors, their hardships, toils, vision, inspiration, and determination by preserving something of the architecture and artifacts from our rural past.”
The museum contains over 35 historic structures and more than 15,000 artifacts that tell the rich history of the people and culture of rural Louisiana from the eighteenth through the early twentieth century. A part of Burden Museum and Gardens, the museum also includes admission to Windrush Gardens, a 25-acre semi-formal garden that began over a century ago.

Services Provided
Harvest Days
Haints, Haunts & Halloween A Rural Life Christmas
Old Fashioned Easter Apprentice Program

How do you make it a point to put families first? Most of our programming is created with multi-generational family groups in mind. Even visiting on a non-event day fosters exploration in children and the opportunity for parents, extended family, and caregivers to interact while learning about Louisiana’s rural past. When paired with a visit to the surrounding trails and gardens, there is sure to be something for every member of the family.

What do you enjoy the most about having the museum in our area? Baton Rouge has a fantastic museum community, and that is because of the dedicated supporters and visitors we have in the region. At the LSU Rural Life Museum and Burden Museum & Gardens more broadly, we are a one-stop destination for those interested in history, the artifacts and objects from our past, art, vernacular architecture, nature, gardens, crafts and artisans and so much more. We’re right in the middle of Baton Rouge, but when you enter the property it is like you’re traveling through the countryside and back in time.

What’s next for the museum? The LSU Rural Life Museum and LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens (collectively Burden Museum & Gardens) are launching Louisiana Lights: Where the Holidays Shine. This new, immersive holiday experience will premier in late fall 2024 and is sure to quickly become a holiday tradition for families in Louisiana and beyond.