Hi Ags! As a proud graduate of Louisiana State University and a resident of Texas (born here) i figured i would put together a guide for those of you who will be making the Trek to Baton Rouge.
Unfortunately for all parties, you will not get to experience a night game in Death Valley, but there will be plenty of time for that now that you are in the SEC! I travel to many away games and have been all over the SEC, and I always have the same questions.Where should I go eat? What is typical activity the night before game day? for this reason I have split it up into Friday and Saturday for both college students and the older crowd.
I hope this helps and that you all enjoy the trip to the Red Stick!
For those of you who do not want to read the whole ting, here is the ideal evening in Baton Rouge:
College Students: Check into your hotel around 4. Go straight to The Chimes and order alligator, pitchers of the Barney. Ask for the check by 6:45PM. Leave Chimes and drive to Freds Bar & Grill, park in the lot out front (Bring $10 cash for cover). Stay at Freds from 7 to 9 for free drinks (top shelf, whatever you want, as many as you want, totally free after cover), they will have a live band Scott Van Matre playing. At 9, either stay at Freds, Walk to Bogies down the street and round out the night with Pluckers at 2AM, or leave freds, head downtown, park for $5 in a garage and find a bar on 3rd street.
Older Ags: Check into the hotel around 4. Head to the Tin Roof Brewery tour on Nicholson at 5, drink some great beer, then head to Jubans restaurant at 6:30 for a bite to eat. Leave Jubans around 8:30 and head to The Bulldog on perkins. Sit on the patio, enjoy the sights and sounds. If you are still feeling rowdy, head to Walk Ons, otherwise call it a night and get sleep for gameday.
FRIDAY NIGHT
COLLEGE STUDENTS
If you are visiting and you are a student, chances are that you are staying with some buddies or in a cheap hotel somewhere off of college or corporate. Not to worry, there is plenty to do and it is easy to get around the night before a game!
Where to eat before you go out to the bars
- Chimes: This is the "LSU" restaurant that you will be directed to. It is on the Northgate of campus and has a great selection of beers. You must get the blackened alligator and boudin balls. Order a pitcher of "The Barney" for good measure.
- Reginelis: Great pizza and there is enough brew on tap to keep you happy. This is on Chimes street which is also in Northgate (next to chimes). This is an option if you just need a quick bite.
- Pluckers: Buffalo wings, and damn good ones at that. This is located on Nicholson across from Tiger Land. Keep in mind the audience of this section.
- Walk Ons: This one will repeat for adults. It is a hooters, with 10x more TV's, a view of Tiger Stadium, hotter college girls, great food, and a huge liquor selection. It was voted the #1 sports bar in America by ESPN and will normally have live bands and a stage set up in the parking lot.
WHERE TO GO OUT
- Freds: Hold onto your overalls, this is the place to be if you are looking for a party, but make sure you show up early. From 7-9 on Friday’s Freds hosts “Frinks”, also known as “Free Drinks”. You must be 21, but $10 gets you in the door. After that, it is a 2 hour **** show with unlimited refills of anything you could imagine. Grey Goose, Crown, Makers, or any beer, you just name it. All free… seriously. You can park right outside the bar and shouldn't get too much **** from LSU fans (they all know you are there to party).
- Bogies: This is the LSU greek bar. If you are looking for some beautiful women, loud music, cheap drinks this is the place to go. It is right down the street from Tigerland and in close proximity to Pluckers and Walk Ons. (19 years +)
- The rest of Tigerland (18 years +): If you want the “LSU college experience” this is your place to go. Crappy bars, but they are cheap, fun and have lots of beautiful women.
- Radio Bar: This is off Government and not near campus or downtown, but has a great vibe, speakeasy feel to it. You can also vote for music on your iPhone and there is always a good young crowd on weekends.
- Downtown Baton Rouge (Mostly 21+): This is where you should really end up after Freds. 3rd street is packed with great bars and you can park in the garages or “central parking” on Florida and Lafayette st. for $5. You can also walk around with drinks and no one will say anything. Here is a breakdown of some bars: City Bar (if you are with girls who want to dance, go upstairs), Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s (Chill, live music most of the time, cheap drinks), The office (better be with some fine ladies, otherwise you aren’t getting in. Great view of the river on the patio), Happy’s (irish drinking pub), The Roux House (good vibe, normally have brass band playing on Friday’s). Walk up and down the street, and be sure to grab late night pizza slices from “Schlitz and Giggles”.
- The Bulldog (21+): New Orleans style bar off of Perkins. Not around campus or anything in particular, but normally has a decent crowd. You won’t see the college students as much, but the crowd is normally aged 20-30.
- L’auberge Casino – This is down river road and is the best Casino in Baton Rouge. They have a sports bar, steakhouse and large casino floor. If you want to stay close to campus, go to either the Belle or Hollywood downtown. Both are about 10 minutes from campus and you can get free shuttles if you are staying downtown.
FRIDAY NIGHT
OLDER AGS
If you fall in this category, you probably had some more cash to spare and are staying downtown or in the nicer hotels off of corporate.
Where to eat before you go out to the bars
Jubans – Great Cajun restaurant, but call ahead and get some reservations. Probably the best food in Baton rouge http://www.jubans.com/
Galatoires – Echo’s the same about Jubans and is a staple in Louisiana. http://www.galatoiresbistro.com/home)
Tsunami – Sushi restaurant downtown on the top floor of the LSU museum of art. Breathtaking views of the river and the bridge, with a large outdoor patio. Great place to get drinks or to eat. http://www.servingsushi.com/
Chimes – This is on the college crowd section as well, but is truly an LSU staple that you can’t go wrong with.
Byronz Bistro – This is a hidden gem on corporate that offers a New Orleans flare with great food and drink menus. String lights, old wood, tiled walls and home-made sazeracs set the mood and you will absolutely love this place. http://www.bistrobyronz.com/locations/baton-rouge/
Restaurant IPO- This is downtown and is a great place to grab a bite. They offer small plates and a wide array of drinks and local beers. The curried mussels are incredible. http://www.restaurantipo.com/
Little Village – Not many people would think Italian in Baton Rouge, but this place is the bomb and is located downtown. You will not be disappointed. http://www.littlevillagebr.com/
George’s – Blink and you will miss it. http://www.georgesbr.com/ORIGINAL/ This place is tucked away under the interstate and you will have to park under the overpass. There is one door and when you get inside, you will see why people love it.
Where to go out.
Tin Roof Brewery – If you are in town early, stop by tin roof on Friday from 5-7 for the “brewery tour”. This brewery was initially set to be the official brewery of LSU. When it fell through, they maintained the theme and you can find purple and gold cans, voodoo Bengal ale, and the incredible coffee ground porter called “The Parade Grounds”
The Bulldog – Great selection of beer, a little too far off the path to be overwhelmed by college students yet still a fun place. This is one of the top 3 for you to try.
Chelsea’s – Also located on perkins under the interstate, very cool vibe and a great place to grab some brews
Walk Ons – Right off campus, they normally have a band set up and there will be plenty of people watching. This is the best place to go to get the feel of the LSU pre game hype. Probably the top pick.
The Cove – Over 450 beers, 250 scotches and that hasn’t even touched the wine and other liquors. This bar is a fun place where you won’t be overrun with college students. http://portroyalcove.com/indexC.html
Pelican House - Very similar to the cove, just newer. http://www.thepelicanbar.com/
Downtown – You really can’t go wrong downtown. The bars will get busy late, and you will find a party.
[u]Other Activities [/u]
If you get in town early, or you aren’t a drinker, there is plenty to go see in Baton Rouge. Start off on campus and walk around the Stadium, stop by Mike The Tiger’s cage (yes it is a live tiger) and walk by the tailgaters getting set up. Drive or walk by sorority row (the houses are gorgeous) or take a casual stroll around the lakes (do so before it gets dark though please). There is also a golf course on campus and there are bound to be tiger fans who will start drinking at 8pm with this stupid 2:30 start.
GAMEDAY
This section is combined. No matter what you have heard about LSU fans, throw it out the window and come with an open mind. Every fan base has its *******s, but you will find LSU fans to be very hospitable, especially with y’all making your first trip back in years. You WILL be “Tiger-baited”, but if you can shrug it off and laugh, you will be met with mounds of boudin, shrimp and grits, alligator sauce piquant, cochon de lait, jambalaya, gumbo and multiple cold beers or whiskeys on the rocks. People from Louisiana love to show out of Staters a good time, so take the ribbing and then eat our food. Please.
Get out early. This game is at 2:30 which means that parking will start to suck around 9AM. You can park for free in the “Hayfield” lot which is at the corner of River Road and Skip Bertman Drive. If you are coming from downtown, you can take a shuttle from the Indigo hotel for $1!! It drops you off right near the stadium.
Once you have parked, make your way to the heart of it all. Go to Chimes and get yourself a double Bloody Mary to go. You can also buy a handle of whiskey from the gas stations to carry around (yes, it is freaking awesome). There are no open container laws on gameday, so don’t be ashamed to strut around with your alcohol. Start at the visitors center on the corner of Highland and Dalyrmple, and walk down Dalrymple drive. You will be tiger baited, fed, drank, repeated all the way to the stadium and you will love it. After walking down past the stadium, take a left onto Nicholson if you dare and walk through the “collegiate” and “t-shirt” fan tailgating sections. You will get a ribbing, might have to take an octabong of beer, or might get pulled into a game of flip cup, but you will love it. (A&M Students, start at Nicholson and Nicholson Extension and walk around that area. You will get your keg stands, shot-ski’s, and beer pong).
If you get hungry, and you haven’t been fed by a large Cajun man, you can grab chipotle, five guys, subway or Buffalo wild wings at northgate. There is also food served in front of the Stadium by vendors.
Watch the band march down the hill (will probably be around 12:30), ask an LSU fan and they will point you in the right direction. Also be in the stadium for pre-game. It might be slightly disappointing as this is not a night game and we have 3 losses, but it is still a great experience.
After the game is over, make your way back to northgate for post-game activities. Serrano’s always has a great cover band playing with cheap margaritas and beers. You can also go to the bars on “chimes street” which tend to have a good crowd after gameday (same can’t be said on Friday or during the week).
I hope this helps and I hope that all of you Aggies who are coming to Baton Rouge have a great trip! Should you have any questions about this list, I will do my best to respond. Safe travels on I-10 (watch out for cops in Lake Charles) and we will see you in the Red Stick. Geaux Tigers!
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:21a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:23a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:25a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:28a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:31a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:32a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:33a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 3:11p).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 11:50p).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/22/2013 11:38a).]
Unfortunately for all parties, you will not get to experience a night game in Death Valley, but there will be plenty of time for that now that you are in the SEC! I travel to many away games and have been all over the SEC, and I always have the same questions.Where should I go eat? What is typical activity the night before game day? for this reason I have split it up into Friday and Saturday for both college students and the older crowd.
I hope this helps and that you all enjoy the trip to the Red Stick!
For those of you who do not want to read the whole ting, here is the ideal evening in Baton Rouge:
College Students: Check into your hotel around 4. Go straight to The Chimes and order alligator, pitchers of the Barney. Ask for the check by 6:45PM. Leave Chimes and drive to Freds Bar & Grill, park in the lot out front (Bring $10 cash for cover). Stay at Freds from 7 to 9 for free drinks (top shelf, whatever you want, as many as you want, totally free after cover), they will have a live band Scott Van Matre playing. At 9, either stay at Freds, Walk to Bogies down the street and round out the night with Pluckers at 2AM, or leave freds, head downtown, park for $5 in a garage and find a bar on 3rd street.
Older Ags: Check into the hotel around 4. Head to the Tin Roof Brewery tour on Nicholson at 5, drink some great beer, then head to Jubans restaurant at 6:30 for a bite to eat. Leave Jubans around 8:30 and head to The Bulldog on perkins. Sit on the patio, enjoy the sights and sounds. If you are still feeling rowdy, head to Walk Ons, otherwise call it a night and get sleep for gameday.
FRIDAY NIGHT
COLLEGE STUDENTS
If you are visiting and you are a student, chances are that you are staying with some buddies or in a cheap hotel somewhere off of college or corporate. Not to worry, there is plenty to do and it is easy to get around the night before a game!
Where to eat before you go out to the bars
- Chimes: This is the "LSU" restaurant that you will be directed to. It is on the Northgate of campus and has a great selection of beers. You must get the blackened alligator and boudin balls. Order a pitcher of "The Barney" for good measure.
- Reginelis: Great pizza and there is enough brew on tap to keep you happy. This is on Chimes street which is also in Northgate (next to chimes). This is an option if you just need a quick bite.
- Pluckers: Buffalo wings, and damn good ones at that. This is located on Nicholson across from Tiger Land. Keep in mind the audience of this section.
- Walk Ons: This one will repeat for adults. It is a hooters, with 10x more TV's, a view of Tiger Stadium, hotter college girls, great food, and a huge liquor selection. It was voted the #1 sports bar in America by ESPN and will normally have live bands and a stage set up in the parking lot.
WHERE TO GO OUT
- Freds: Hold onto your overalls, this is the place to be if you are looking for a party, but make sure you show up early. From 7-9 on Friday’s Freds hosts “Frinks”, also known as “Free Drinks”. You must be 21, but $10 gets you in the door. After that, it is a 2 hour **** show with unlimited refills of anything you could imagine. Grey Goose, Crown, Makers, or any beer, you just name it. All free… seriously. You can park right outside the bar and shouldn't get too much **** from LSU fans (they all know you are there to party).
- Bogies: This is the LSU greek bar. If you are looking for some beautiful women, loud music, cheap drinks this is the place to go. It is right down the street from Tigerland and in close proximity to Pluckers and Walk Ons. (19 years +)
- The rest of Tigerland (18 years +): If you want the “LSU college experience” this is your place to go. Crappy bars, but they are cheap, fun and have lots of beautiful women.
- Radio Bar: This is off Government and not near campus or downtown, but has a great vibe, speakeasy feel to it. You can also vote for music on your iPhone and there is always a good young crowd on weekends.
- Downtown Baton Rouge (Mostly 21+): This is where you should really end up after Freds. 3rd street is packed with great bars and you can park in the garages or “central parking” on Florida and Lafayette st. for $5. You can also walk around with drinks and no one will say anything. Here is a breakdown of some bars: City Bar (if you are with girls who want to dance, go upstairs), Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s (Chill, live music most of the time, cheap drinks), The office (better be with some fine ladies, otherwise you aren’t getting in. Great view of the river on the patio), Happy’s (irish drinking pub), The Roux House (good vibe, normally have brass band playing on Friday’s). Walk up and down the street, and be sure to grab late night pizza slices from “Schlitz and Giggles”.
- The Bulldog (21+): New Orleans style bar off of Perkins. Not around campus or anything in particular, but normally has a decent crowd. You won’t see the college students as much, but the crowd is normally aged 20-30.
- L’auberge Casino – This is down river road and is the best Casino in Baton Rouge. They have a sports bar, steakhouse and large casino floor. If you want to stay close to campus, go to either the Belle or Hollywood downtown. Both are about 10 minutes from campus and you can get free shuttles if you are staying downtown.
FRIDAY NIGHT
OLDER AGS
If you fall in this category, you probably had some more cash to spare and are staying downtown or in the nicer hotels off of corporate.
Where to eat before you go out to the bars
Jubans – Great Cajun restaurant, but call ahead and get some reservations. Probably the best food in Baton rouge http://www.jubans.com/
Galatoires – Echo’s the same about Jubans and is a staple in Louisiana. http://www.galatoiresbistro.com/home)
Tsunami – Sushi restaurant downtown on the top floor of the LSU museum of art. Breathtaking views of the river and the bridge, with a large outdoor patio. Great place to get drinks or to eat. http://www.servingsushi.com/
Chimes – This is on the college crowd section as well, but is truly an LSU staple that you can’t go wrong with.
Byronz Bistro – This is a hidden gem on corporate that offers a New Orleans flare with great food and drink menus. String lights, old wood, tiled walls and home-made sazeracs set the mood and you will absolutely love this place. http://www.bistrobyronz.com/locations/baton-rouge/
Restaurant IPO- This is downtown and is a great place to grab a bite. They offer small plates and a wide array of drinks and local beers. The curried mussels are incredible. http://www.restaurantipo.com/
Little Village – Not many people would think Italian in Baton Rouge, but this place is the bomb and is located downtown. You will not be disappointed. http://www.littlevillagebr.com/
George’s – Blink and you will miss it. http://www.georgesbr.com/ORIGINAL/ This place is tucked away under the interstate and you will have to park under the overpass. There is one door and when you get inside, you will see why people love it.
Where to go out.
Tin Roof Brewery – If you are in town early, stop by tin roof on Friday from 5-7 for the “brewery tour”. This brewery was initially set to be the official brewery of LSU. When it fell through, they maintained the theme and you can find purple and gold cans, voodoo Bengal ale, and the incredible coffee ground porter called “The Parade Grounds”
The Bulldog – Great selection of beer, a little too far off the path to be overwhelmed by college students yet still a fun place. This is one of the top 3 for you to try.
Chelsea’s – Also located on perkins under the interstate, very cool vibe and a great place to grab some brews
Walk Ons – Right off campus, they normally have a band set up and there will be plenty of people watching. This is the best place to go to get the feel of the LSU pre game hype. Probably the top pick.
The Cove – Over 450 beers, 250 scotches and that hasn’t even touched the wine and other liquors. This bar is a fun place where you won’t be overrun with college students. http://portroyalcove.com/indexC.html
Pelican House - Very similar to the cove, just newer. http://www.thepelicanbar.com/
Downtown – You really can’t go wrong downtown. The bars will get busy late, and you will find a party.
[u]Other Activities [/u]
If you get in town early, or you aren’t a drinker, there is plenty to go see in Baton Rouge. Start off on campus and walk around the Stadium, stop by Mike The Tiger’s cage (yes it is a live tiger) and walk by the tailgaters getting set up. Drive or walk by sorority row (the houses are gorgeous) or take a casual stroll around the lakes (do so before it gets dark though please). There is also a golf course on campus and there are bound to be tiger fans who will start drinking at 8pm with this stupid 2:30 start.
GAMEDAY
This section is combined. No matter what you have heard about LSU fans, throw it out the window and come with an open mind. Every fan base has its *******s, but you will find LSU fans to be very hospitable, especially with y’all making your first trip back in years. You WILL be “Tiger-baited”, but if you can shrug it off and laugh, you will be met with mounds of boudin, shrimp and grits, alligator sauce piquant, cochon de lait, jambalaya, gumbo and multiple cold beers or whiskeys on the rocks. People from Louisiana love to show out of Staters a good time, so take the ribbing and then eat our food. Please.
Get out early. This game is at 2:30 which means that parking will start to suck around 9AM. You can park for free in the “Hayfield” lot which is at the corner of River Road and Skip Bertman Drive. If you are coming from downtown, you can take a shuttle from the Indigo hotel for $1!! It drops you off right near the stadium.
Once you have parked, make your way to the heart of it all. Go to Chimes and get yourself a double Bloody Mary to go. You can also buy a handle of whiskey from the gas stations to carry around (yes, it is freaking awesome). There are no open container laws on gameday, so don’t be ashamed to strut around with your alcohol. Start at the visitors center on the corner of Highland and Dalyrmple, and walk down Dalrymple drive. You will be tiger baited, fed, drank, repeated all the way to the stadium and you will love it. After walking down past the stadium, take a left onto Nicholson if you dare and walk through the “collegiate” and “t-shirt” fan tailgating sections. You will get a ribbing, might have to take an octabong of beer, or might get pulled into a game of flip cup, but you will love it. (A&M Students, start at Nicholson and Nicholson Extension and walk around that area. You will get your keg stands, shot-ski’s, and beer pong).
If you get hungry, and you haven’t been fed by a large Cajun man, you can grab chipotle, five guys, subway or Buffalo wild wings at northgate. There is also food served in front of the Stadium by vendors.
Watch the band march down the hill (will probably be around 12:30), ask an LSU fan and they will point you in the right direction. Also be in the stadium for pre-game. It might be slightly disappointing as this is not a night game and we have 3 losses, but it is still a great experience.
After the game is over, make your way back to northgate for post-game activities. Serrano’s always has a great cover band playing with cheap margaritas and beers. You can also go to the bars on “chimes street” which tend to have a good crowd after gameday (same can’t be said on Friday or during the week).
I hope this helps and I hope that all of you Aggies who are coming to Baton Rouge have a great trip! Should you have any questions about this list, I will do my best to respond. Safe travels on I-10 (watch out for cops in Lake Charles) and we will see you in the Red Stick. Geaux Tigers!
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:21a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:23a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:25a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:28a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:31a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:32a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 12:33a).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 3:11p).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/19/2013 11:50p).]
[This message has been edited by LSUTexasTiger (edited 11/22/2013 11:38a).]
