Burden Museum & Gardens offers fall events

By Myra Miller on Wednesday, August 2, 2017

By Rick Bogren at rbogren@agcenter.lsu.edu
BATON ROUGE — The cooling temperatures of fall create an ideal time to visit Burden Museum & Gardens, located at 4560 Essen Lane, just off Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge.
Special events for fall
The Children’s Garden Series at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Sept. 30 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Children will hear about bees and plants that attract pollinators to their yards. Children ages 6-12 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 to 20-30 participants, and reservations are required in advance by contacting Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. Admission is $15 per child.
Harvest Days at the LSU Rural Life Museum on Oct. 7-8 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. Living history demonstrations will interpret activities that took place on Louisiana farms and plantations during harvest time in the 1800s. Activities will include open-hearth cooking, soap making, boat building, hands-on activities for the kids and wagon rides. Regular admission.
Corn Maze Festival at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visitors will wander through the corn maze, visit a farm animal petting zoo, paint a pumpkin, climb a hay mountain, travel a kids zip line, take a hayride and shoot a giant slingshot. With plenty of concessions to enjoy, visitors may purchase hamburgers, popcorn, snow cones and drinks from Burden Horticulture Society volunteers. Admission is $10 per person; children 3 and under are admitted free. Pumpkins for painting will be on sale for $5.
Wine and Roses in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Oct. 12. Enjoy an elegant evening of dining under the stars and among 2,000 roses. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music on the great lawn. Dinner catered by Heirloom Cuisine will follow at 7 p.m. in the Rose Garden. The evening will culminate with a special fashion show of flowers presented through a collaboration of horticulture students from Mendel University in the Czech Republic and the LSU School of Apparel and Design. Admission is $125 per person for dinner and fashion show or $35 for dessert and fashion show. Reservations may be made by calling 225-763-3990, option 6.
The Corn Maze at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens continues each Saturday on Oct. 14 and 21 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and culminates with the Night Maze on Oct. 28 until 9 p.m. Activities include the corn maze, a farm animal petting zoo, a hay mountain, a kids zip line, a hayride and a giant slingshot. Concessions for purchase include hamburgers, popcorn, snow cones and drinks from Burden Horticulture Society volunteers. Admission is $10 per person; children 3 and under are admitted free. The Night Maze is a family fun Halloween-themed evening. Children and adults are encouraged to costume and enjoy live music while roasting s’mores at the bonfire.
Haints, Haunts & Halloween at the LSU Rural Life Museum on Oct. 29 from 3:30-6 p.m. Enjoy the sights, sounds and activities of an old-fashioned country fair. While on the museum grounds, children can enjoy and participate in storytelling, cake walks, pumpkin decorating, games and trick-or-treating. Recommended for children 2 to 9 years old. Admission is $5 per person. Children 2 and under free. Halloween costumes are optional.
The Children’s Garden Series at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Children will hear how to raise backyard chickens and how they can help their garden. Children ages 6-12 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 to 20-30 participants, and reservations are required in advance by contacting Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. Admission is $15 per child.
Red Rooster Bash at the LSU Rural Life Museum on Nov. 9 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. The country décor will include roosters, and Western outfits are popular. Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour including the famous “Red Rooster” frozen drink and have the opportunity to bid on silent auction items. A barbecue dinner and live auction will follow. Proceeds will help fund permanent exhibits in the Visitor’s Center. Tickets are $65 per person and $120 per couple. A sponsorship of $600 is offered to groups of eight registering together. For more information, call development director Molly Sanchez at 225-765-2437.
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 five 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.