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BATON ROUGE — Winter in the South doesn’t mean staying indoors. Burden Museum & Gardens offers many activities for the holidays and beyond.
Special holiday and winter dates to remember
On Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present Christmas in the Garden and annual Poinsettia Sale. Family-centered activities will include a pancake breakfast, making reindeer food, pictures with Santa Claus and StoryTime with Mrs. Claus.
Admission is $30 per person and includes food, activities and a picture with Santa. Children 1 year old and younger are admitted at no charge. Tickets may be purchased online at http://bit.ly/2W czyWH. Admission to the poinsettia show and sale is free and includes more than 1,000 poinsettias that will be on display and for sale with proceeds benefiting the research at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens.
On Dec. 8, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can ring in the Christmas season at A Rural Life Christmas, a 19th century Louisiana celebration at the LSU Rural Life Museum. Musical groups, demonstrating artisans, storytellers and costumed reenactors will be present to set the holiday mood. The event will conclude with a bonfire and a visit from Papa Noel.
Admission is $10 per person with children 10 years old and younger admitted at no charge.
On Jan. 18, Arbor Day will be celebrated at Burden from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will offer visitors the opportunity to plant a tree and get a GPS location so they can return to see their trees grow. Other activities will include a scavenger hunt, StoryTime, children’s harnessed tree climbing and more.
Admission is free, and concessions will be available for purchase.
On Jan. 18 and Feb. 15, children ages 3 to 8 can enjoy StoryTime in the Garden from 9 a.m. to noon at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The morning will feature storybook readings and tree-themed activities beginning every half hour. The last reading begins at 11:30 a.m. StoryTime is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge.
Admission is free.
On Feb. 8, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and on Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Baton Rouge Camellia Society will conduct their annual Camellia Show at the LSU Rural Life Museum. It features a juried camellia show with many plants for sale from the expansive camellia collection in the Botanic Gardens.
The show is free and open to the public. Visitors may also tour the blooming camellia collections in gardens.
Feb. 10-14, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Botanic Gardens will sponsor the Byzantine Icon Workshop. This meditative five-day retreat focuses on traditional painting techniques that date back 2,000 years. No previous artistic skill or experience is required.
The cost of the workshop is $350 and includes all materials and lunch for five days. Reservations may be made by email to dianawells1548@gmail.com. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Gardens to further the Botanic Gardens Master Plan.
On Feb. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present Afternoon Tea, Fashion and Fancies featuring a special English-style tea menu with multiple courses of assorted sandwiches and pastries. The program will include a presentation designed for enjoyment by friends and family of all generations.
Contact the LSU Rural Life Museum for fees and reservations.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 29, the Herb Society of America Baton Rouge Unit will present Herb Day. The event will feature a herb “petting zoo” and other children’s activities. Herb classes will start at 9:30 a.m. and continue every hour.
The event is free and open to the public.
On Feb. 29, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present the Ione E. Burden Symposium. Highlighting the museum’s 50th anniversary, the symposium will recount the history and personal remembrances of the Burden family members who lived at Windrush and ensured its educational and research legacy.
A country lunch will be served, and a fee will be charged. Contact the LSU Rural Life Museum for fees and reservations.
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 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.
The LSU Rural Life Museum is featuring the rebuilding of the grist mill and the continuing fall exhibit Good Mourning. In addition, artisans occasionally are on hand to practice their crafts.
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 I-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 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 5 p.m. Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61 and $9 for seniors and $8 for 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.
For information, visit www.discoverburden.com or call 225-763-3990.