Burden Museum & Gardens offers spring events

BATON ROUGE — An unusually cold winter in Baton Rouge deserves to be followed by a warm spring. And Burden Museum & Gardens offers many activities to help people enjoy the changing season.
Events
On Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present the Ione E. Burden Symposium featuring “Vernacular Architecture, Building Without Architects.” The program will explore the meaning of vernacular architecture, how it evolved and how it still exists today. Speakers will include Henry H. Glassie III, a folklorist and emeritus professor of folklore at Indiana University, Bloomington; Florian Nepravishta, professor and director of the Department of Archi-tecture at Polytechnic University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania; John Stubbs, director of preservation studies in the Tulane School of Architecture; and Jay Edwards, who is retired from the LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology.
On March 3, April 7 and May 5, children ages 3 to 8 can enjoy StoryTime in the Garden from 9 a.m. to noon in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The morning will feature storybook readings and imagination-themed activities every half hour. The last reading begins at 11:30. StoryTime is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Admission is free.
On March 14, the Brush with Burden 2018 Art Exhibition will open at 10 a.m. in the Ione Burden Conference Center and Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The exhibition will continue through Thursday, March 22. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 18. The juried multimedia exhibition features art inspired by Louisiana’s natural beauty, flora and fauna. All artwork will be offered for sale; no admission will be charged.
On March 17, from 9 a.m. to noon, Don Taylor will present his seminar “Luminous Underpainting and Watercolor/Ink Journ-aling” in the Ione Burden Conference Center in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. Registration is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Seating is limited.
On March 17, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Brush with Burden 2018 Art Exhibition will host a reception in the Ione Burden Conference Center and Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens.
On March 24, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners will conduct an annual spring plant sale. Funds raised support activities such as plant health clinics, school gardens and educational classes for the community and various children’s programs.
On March 25, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., LSU Rural Life Museum will hold an Old-fashioned Easter Celebration. Children ages 2 to 8 participate egg-dying, egg pacquing, egg races and, of course, an Easter egg hunt. Admission is $5 per person with children under 2 admitted at no charge.

On Saturday, April 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present Healthy Families Day. Targeted to families with children 3 to 8 years old, events will include StoryTime in the Garden, family yoga, a tour of the new children’s pollinator garden, a nature hike featuring pollinator trees, kid-friendly recipes featuring honey and demonstrations by the Capital Area Beekeepers Association.
On Saturday, April 14, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., Zapp’s International Beerfest at the LSU Rural Life Museum will feature more than 200 foreign, domestic and home-brewed beers and ales available for tasting. Limited to visitors 21 years of age and older, proper photo identification will be required to purchase tickets and enter the event. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available. General admission tickets are $35 each, and designated driver tickets are $20 each. Tickets at $100 for early entry at 2:30 p.m. includes specialty beers and food from local restaurants. Tickets are available for purchase at the Rural Life Museum gift shop from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. For more information, call 225-765-2437.
On Thursday, April 19, from 6 to 9 p.m., the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present Gourmet in the Garden. The evening will include food creations from local restaurants prepared with locally grown products along with samplings of beverages from Louisiana distilleries and local mixologists and culminate with presentations of the People’s Choice and Juried Cocktail awards. The event is presented by the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and the Louisiana Culinary Institute Foundation and sponsored in part by Republic National Distributing Company. Tickets include samplings of food and cocktails along with live music. The cost is $50 per person before Feb. 15, $60 per person between Feb. 16 and March 31 and $70 thereafter. Tickets are available after Feb. 1 online at http://bit.ly/2Euneum. If space is available, tickets will be available at the door for $75.
On Friday, April 27, from 6:30 to 10 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present An Evening at Windrush. This elegant Southern supper will capture the spirit of days gone by at Windrush.
Guests will enjoy cocktails at the Burden home, a seated supper and desserts and coffee on the museum grounds. Tickets are $150 per person, and reservations are required. Reservations and information are available by contacting Molly Sanchez at 225-765-2437.
On April 28, from 9 to 11 a.m., the Children’s Garden Series at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present “Creepy Crawley, Good and Bad — Having Fun with Insects.” Millions of insects are invading our gardens. But don’t panic. Some are good; some are bad. Children will be able to investigate the insects in their own yards and gardens. Children ages 6 to 12 can participate in fun, interactive activities and learn about gardening. An adult must accompany each child. Children will receive snacks and garden take-home crafts. Attendance limited, and reservations are required in advance by contacting Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. Admission is $15 per child.
On May 12, at 7:30 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will host an outdoor concert by the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. The program will feature former American Idol star LaKisha Jones, Broadway phenom and member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Rob Evans, and Disney/Hollywood Records solo artist Chloe Lowery. The three will light up the night with favorite hits from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Queen. Ticket information is available from the Baton Rouge Symphony Box Office at 225-383-0500, ext. 100 or online at www.brso.org.
On May 19, from 9 to 11 a.m., the Children’s Garden Series at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present “The World of Butterflies. They flutter; they flitter. Some even look like glitter.” Children will learn how to attract butterflies to their own yards and gardens. Children ages 6 to 12 can participate in fun, interactive activities and learn about gardening. An adult must accompany each child. Children will receive snacks and garden take-home crafts. Attendance is limited, and reservations are required in advance by contacting Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. Admission is $15 per child.
About Burden Museum & Gardens
Located at 4560 Essen Lane, just off Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge, Burden Museum & Gardens is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes the LSU Rural Life Museum, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and Windrush Gardens.
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is an expansive collection of specialty gardens, woodlands, wetlands and arboreta. Trees and Trails offers three miles of serene walking paths through the Burden Woods. The Rose Garden, Children’s Garden and All-America Selections Display Garden showcase the beauty of plants and flowers and provide educational experiences for gardeners of all ages. No admission is required to tour the gardens.
The LSU Rural Life Museum focuses on the ways of life of rural Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum also provides educational and research resources that advance an understanding of the material and cultural heritage of the region.
Adjacent to the Rural Life Museum, the historic Windrush Gardens comprises five acres of semiformal gardens of the Burden family.
Admission to the Botanic Gardens and Trees and Trails is free of charge and open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61 and $9 for seniors and children 6 to 11. Admission to Windrush Gardens is $3 per person. Both are free for kids under 6. The LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens are open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except major holidays.
Continuing activities include
Trees and Trails, a 3-mile system of pedestrian, recreational and educational trails in the Burden Woods, provides opportunities for hiking and interpretive and educational activities for youth and adults. The Mosaic Boardwalk at Black Swamp guides visitors through a hardwood swamp more than 200 years old. The trail system is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
The Children’s Garden offers a place to learn about gardening and nutrition. This model garden also provides a location for youth-related organizations and individual families to experience the outdoors, focusing on vegetable, herb and butterfly garden plantings.
The Rose Garden is a member of the American Garden Rose Selections program, a nationwide network of approved public gardens, and the American Rose Trials for Sustainability program, maintaining an inventory of 1,100 plants representing 150 varieties. Starting each April, the Rose Garden offers an exclusive preview of the coming year’s outstanding new varieties.
Windrush Gardens comprises majestic live oaks and ancient crape myrtles to create a shady canopy over azaleas and camellias, evoking a sense of tranquility and peace. Steele Burden, who was influenced by the gardens of Europe and the surviving gardens of 19th century Louisiana plantations, designed Windrush. The winding paths are ideal for strolling and enjoying the 25 acres of landscaped spaces.