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Baton Rouge

Situated about 75 miles (121km) northwest of New Orleans along Louisiana's winding 'Great River Road', Baton Rouge, the state capital, is in the middle of plantation country. Surrounded by sugar cane fields and grand plantation homes, haunted southern mansions and beautiful gardens along the banks of the mighty Mississippi, the city is filled with historic buildings and a vibrant nightlife.

Baton Rouge was named by French explorer D'Iberville about 300 years ago when he found a red stick on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi. Today the one-time swampland settlement is the fifth largest port city in America, known for its riverboat casinos where high-stakes gambling, stage shows and Cajun cuisine reign supreme. The city has an academic side too, being home to Louisiana State University and Southern University, the largest historically African-American university in the nation. There are museums aplenty, art galleries, a planetarium and active theatre and ballet companies to complete the scene in this dynamic and diverse city. Incidentally, Baton Rouge also has the tallest Capitol building in the United States: an art deco building dating from 1932 standing 34 storeys high.

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Climate

Warm and wet are the essential characteristics of the climate of Baton Rouge, which experiences rain showers all year round, high temperatures and humidity during summer, and generally warm, sunny winter weather. There is an element of unpredictability in the climate of Baton Rouge, however, and cold spells have been experienced in winter, even the odd unexpected snowfall. The best time to travel to Baton Rouge is between February and April, when the weather is usually fine and the heat and humidity not at peak levels.