This art deco masterpiece has been the site of a bombing, an assassination and the infinite machinations of state kingpins and politicos.

The USS KIDD Veterans Museum is a nonprofit organization, highlighting the role that Louisiana and its citizens have played in U.S. military history. The shoreside museum offers a permanent collection of Louisiana veterans’ artifacts, traveling exhibits, visiting ships, and event space with views of the Mississippi River. For nearly 40 years, the Museum and the USS KIDD, a National Historic Landmark and the Museum’s largest artifact, have served as a reminder to the people of Louisiana of the service and sacrifices of our state’s veterans. Both are visited by thousands of people from around the world each year.

Louisiana's Old State Capitol sits on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge. Completed in 1849, the castle-like fortress has been restored to its original grandeur. It houses both traditional and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and a multi-media film presentation. Audio tours available in English, French, German and Spanish. Free admission.

Dedicated to conservation, education and recreation, this 101-acre facility includes wildlife and ecology exhibits and a 65-acre cypress-tupelo swamp, navigable by boardwalk, and filled with wildlife such as birds, bobcats, foxes, turtles and alligators.

Step back in time to pre-industrial Louisiana at this 27-building museum complex, one of the best outdoor museums in the U.S., featuring tools, furniture and other artifacts and, the highlight, a recreated 19th-century plantation that portrays the daily lives of these early settlers.

With thematic exhibits on diverse aspects of Louisiana history, industry and culture, the museum includes two permanent exhibits: Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation and Experiencing Louisiana: Discovering the Soul of America.

Dating back to the late 18th century, this historic home is one of the oldest wooden buildings in Louisiana. It was spared from demolition in the 1960s and is now open for tours.

More than 944 animals and birds, set in their natural outdoor habitats, plus a children's area, tram and train rides make this a family-friendly attraction.