The distance from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is 82 miles, with a 1h13m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Baton Rouge to New Orleans drive are the Great River Road Museum, the Oak Alley Plantation and the Whitney Plantation.
Finding things to do between Baton Rouge and New Orleans
The drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans takes you from the capital of Louisiana to arguably the most hedonistic city in the US.
The obvious attraction in Baton Rouge is the Louisiana Capitol Building, but the castle-like Old Capitol Building is more attractive. It’s also now a museum, with interactive exhibits on democracy and the colourful characters who have walked the corridors over the decades. The colourful stained glass dome is spectacular, too.
As a museum, the Capitol Park Museum is better, telling multiple strands of Louisiana’s story. Other Baton Rouge attractions include the Magnolia Mound Plantation, built in 1791, and the environmentally educational Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center.
5 great experiences in New Orleans to book today
- 🎷 Steamboat Natchez jazz cruise – Go for a jazz cruise aboard the Steamboat Natchez.
- 🍤 French Quarter food tour – Take a French Quarter food tour and discover Louisiana’s distinctive Cajun and Creole cuisine.
- 🐊 Swamp and bayou boat tour – Enjoy a swamp and bayou boat tour with a quieter boat for better wildlife sightings.
- 👻 New Orleans’ dark side – On a tour of New Orleans’ dark side, uncover ghosts, vampires, crime and voodoo.
- 🏛️ Whitney Plantation tour – Hear the true stories of slavery on a Whitney Plantation tour with transport from New Orleans.
Those wanting to explore the city’s heritage can visit historic home museums, such as the BK House, Gallier House and Hermann-Grima House. The Cabildo, St Louis Cathedral and Old Ursuline Convent also ooze historic grandeur.
Big hitter attractions include the World War II Museum and Audubon Zoo, but there’s a more distinctively NOLA flavour at Mardi Gras World and the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Top New Orleans experiences include French Quarter food tours, haunted pub crawls, jazz cruises aboard the steamboat Natchez and cemetery walking tours.
Baton Rouge to New Orleans distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is 82 miles. You can expect a driving time of around one hour and 13 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-10.
The best stops to add to a Baton Rouge to New Orleans road trip itinerary are the Great River Road Museum, the Oak Alley Plantation and the Whitney Plantation.
Baton Rouge to New Orleans drive: Great River Road Museum
The Great Road Museum in Darrow LA focuses on historic life on the Mississippi River. It covers the sugar industry, commerce and slavery, but also looks at the cultural side. There are sections on the folklore that developed here, and the musical innovations that the people of the Mississippi River gave to the world.
Best stops between Baton Rouge and New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation
Often tackled as a tour from New Orleans, the Oak Alley Plantation is one of the great plantations along the Mississippi River. This former sugar plantation is famed for its handsome oak trees, and visit can either include going inside the Big House or stick to the grounds. There are exhibits on the people who lived at Oak Alley, plus one on the slavery that was practiced here.
Baton Rouge to New Orleans road trip attractions: Whitney Plantation
Of the Louisiana plantations, the Whitney Plantation puts arguably the strongest emphasis on the role of slavery. The former sugar, rice and indigo plantation is open to visitors, with a dozen historic structures still in place. The tours focus largely on the enslaved African-Americans who did the work, rather than the lives and luxuries of the owners.
Alternatively, visit the Whitney Plantation on a tour from New Orleans.
More Louisiana travel
Other Louisiana travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- The best stops on the Dallas to Lafayette drive and Houston to Lafayette drive.
- Where to stop on the Atlanta to Baton Rouge drive, Austin to Baton Rouge drive, Dallas to Baton Rouge drive and Houston to Baton Rouge drive.
- 9 New Orleans tours worth booking – and which to skip.
- Getting to New Orleans: The best stops on the Atlanta to New Orleans drive, Houston to New Orleans drive and Tallahassee to New Orleans drive.
- Plan your visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans.
