Burden Museum & Gardens tells of summer activities
BATON ROUGE — Burden Museum & Gardens have scheduled fun summer activities for the whole family.
Whether it’s vegetable gardening, birding, painting or growing orchids, these activities will provide educational opportunities and fun throughout the summer.
Public Vegetable
Field Day
Home vegetable growers are invited to learn all about LSU AgCenter vegetable research that’s being conducted at Burden on Wednesday, June 14, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The researchers will review trial varieties of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and summer squash.
Speakers on the program will include AgCenter employees Kiki Fontenot, Keith Lewis, Joe LeBlanc and Alessandro Holzapfel.
The field day is free and open to the public.
Birding at Burden
The Birding at Burden monthly guided birding tour will be led by one of three local birding specialists on one Saturday of each month this summer.
The tours will be held on June 17, July 15 and Aug. 19 from 7 to 9 a.m. at Burden Museum & Gardens.
After an initial meeting at the Rural Life Museum, participants will spend two hours scouting birds on a few of the six birding loops at Burden.
Participants might want to bring binoculars, a cellphone, birding apps or field guides, sunscreen, insect repellant, appropriate outdoor footwear, weather-appropriate clothing and water to stay hydrated. The capacity for each excursion is 15 guests.
Admission is $10 per person and tickets are available at https://bit.ly/BirdingBurden2023. Pre-registration is required, and a 48-hour cancellation notice is required.
Baton Rouge Orchid Society Orchid Show and Sale
The Baton Rouge Orchid Society’s annual show and sale will be held July 8 and 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., respectively, at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens.
This event will offer stunning visual displays from multiple orchid societies across the Gulf Coast, affordable plants for sale from local vendors, expert growing advice and even the chance to win one of several raffle plants.
This event is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
For more information, contact the society at https://batonrougeorchidsociety.com.
Icon Painting Workshop
The Icon Painting Workshop coming up on Aug. 20-25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. offers a thoughtful and meditative five-day retreat that focuses on traditional painting techniques that date back 2,000 years.
If you have a desire for a peaceful, contemplative setting, join the iconographers and create an individual piece of meaningful art. The focus of the workshop will be the Holy Family.
No previous artistic skill or experience is required. The cost of the workshop is $375 and includes all materials and lunches for five days.
Registration is required. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Gardens in furthering the Botanic Garden at Burden’s master plan.
Reservations may be made by email to dianawells1548@gmail.com.
Continuing
activities
The Birding at Burden trail system consists of six loops that wind through Burden’s formal and informal gardens, grasslands, croplands, wetlands and forest. The loops are designed for both beginners and advanced bird enthusiast.
Kiosks about the birding loops can be found at the Rural Life Museum Visitors Center and the Ione Burden Conference Center.
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 4:30 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 part 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.
About Burden Museum & Gardens
Located at 4560 Essen Lane just off I10 in Baton Rouge, Burden Museum & Gardens is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 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 offer 3 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 charged 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 5 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 4:30 p.m.
Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61, $9 for seniors and $8 for children 6 to 11. Admission to Windrush Gardens is $3 per person. Both are free for children under 6. The LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens are open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on major holidays.