Old State Capitol

Louisiana


The Gothic Revival, pink fairy-tale castle is… well, it's a pink castle. Which should tell you something about how eccentric the government of its resident state can be. Today the structure houses exhibits about the colorful political history of Louisiana.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Louisiana attractions

1. Louisiana Art & Science Museum

0.08 MILES

This multifaceted museum has exhibitions on everything from space and ancient Egypt to dinosaurs and photography. It's a good spot to take the kids, or…

2. LSU Museum of Art

0.09 MILES

The physical space that this museum inhabits – the clean, geometric lines of the Shaw Center – is as impressive as the on-site galleries, which include a…

3. Louisiana State Capitol

0.72 MILES

The art-deco skyscraper looming over town was built at the height of the Great Depression to the tune of $5 million, and remains the most visible leftover…

4. Rural Life Museum

5.8 MILES

This outdoor museum promises a trip into the architecture, occupations and folkways of rural Louisiana. Numerous rough-hewn buildings are scattered over…

6. Mary Ann Brown Preserve

26.13 MILES

Operated by the Nature Conservancy, the 110-acre Mary Ann Brown Preserve takes in some of the beech woodlands, dark wetlands and low, clay-soil hill…

7. Rosedown Plantation Historic Site

26.51 MILES

Get your cameras out for the corridor of live oaks fronting this attractive plantation home. Commissioned by Daniel and Martha Turnbull, the 1835 cypress…

8. River Road African American Museum

26.61 MILES

Learn about the region’s African American history, including the truth about slave ships, the vicious toils of slavery, slave revolts, the Underground…