LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens

I homeschool so I decided to check this place out with my kids driving back from Texas, and I'm so glad we did. This was one of the coolest things we've ever been to! So much history it is unreal the fact, my children and I got to see what it slave quarters would've look like it is crazy so much learning took place that day at this museum that it was well worth the money we spent and then some! They even have cute little playground areas closer to the front entrance that we got to enjoy afterwards, which was really nice! If you love history, especially if you homeschool, definitely make sure you check this place out, you will not regret it!

Only came to this area for the nature trails. A series of interconnected trails here. Was refreshing to find some nature. The trail system was very clearly set up. Plenty of signage. Lots of parking. Well cared for trails. Would definitely come back if in the area. Be sure to check the hours if you are wanting to visit! I believe they close the gates and its fairly early in the day.

My family loves anything dealing with history, so we were super excited when we found out about the LSU Rural Life Museum. Finding this place was interesting. Once you get to the initial entrance, you have to drive slow and follow signs for about a mile. We got confused a couple of times but finally made it. We visited around 3pm on a weekday so there weren't many other guests. This is an outdoor and indoor museum. I suggest saving the indoor portion for last because the outdoor portion closes earlier.Although it's called a rural life museum, it really consists of old buildings that slaves lived in, used, and frequented while living on a plantation. While we were there, someone was having a professional photo shoot using the buildings as the background. I feel if the museum is going to allow that, it should be after hours...it just came across as insensitive.I thought we'd be looking at the outside of the various buildings, but we were allowed to go in them. There are 32 buildings and some highlights included a church, post office, and a freestanding kitchen. Seeing all of the buildings was an eye opening experience and definitely worth the hour drive from New Orleans. The indoor portion could use some work. There are A LOT of artifacts just sitting around in rooms with no context. Maybe it's a lack of personnel and funding. Either way, it was a bit overwhelming. The large indoor space is nicely done though.

I really wish I had known about this before. I have lived in the New Orleans area for about a decade now, my older sister and her family lived nearby for awhile, so I saw the sign every time I went to her house. My sister's husband grew up in the area, and they have raised their kids in the area, so they have all been here. No one wanted to come. So, on a random Saturday, I decided to come over, and this was the best idea ever. Reasonable entry fee, and chock filled with items to look at, read, and learn about. Pictures of the actual hardships people endured. Actual buildings, actual vehicles, medical instruments. Amazing. I look forward to bringing future visitors here. There is just so much to look at.

Probably one of the best museums I've ever been to-very well curated and a great collection of various items and artifacts. We had a great day here and it was well worth the time and small fee for admission. We didn't realize at first that you have to drive in a bit for the rural life museum. We first parked near the rose gardens and visitor center but the actual rural life museum and windrush gardens are about 2 miles past the entrance. The staff at the museum are wonderful and super helpful/knowledgeable! If you get a chance, get some info about the overseers house and the architecture of the various structures on the grounds. We didn't do a formal tour or anything but from just asking a few questions, we learned a lot! The indoor exhibits are wonderful and informative but the outdoor structures are really spectacular. We especially liked the overseers house, slave cabins, pioneer cabin and the black church/chapel. This location wasn't actually a working plantation so the structures were donated and moved to the grounds here. Some were also built to show a particular style of building. The exhibits are really informative and they have such a large collection of carriages, hearses and even coffins! You can actually walk into a lot of the structures and get a sense of how people lived back then. It took about 2 hours to really see everything on the property so make sure you give yourself time to appreciate and explore. We were a bit tired and didn't end up seeing the windrush gardens or going on any of the trails but we'll be back!

I love this museum. It was hard to find the museum at LSU. I walked around the inside. I learned about the history of Louisiana. I went to the outside. I saw many old buildings. The houses were well-preserved!

This is a great museum to visit! The drive in to the museum is gorgeous with gardens. Then you walk through the old barn filled with old artifacts from that time period. After the barn, you go out into the fields and see all the buildings. They have the slave cabins, the overseer's house, the jail, the church, the blacksmith, the kitchen, and the store. It's fun to walk around and go in each building! They also put on events like the Harvest Days in October. They do demonstrations and have a civil war reenactment. At Christmas they have the old fashioned Christmas event. You can eat cookies, makes candles and ornaments, go on a wagon ride, listen to music, watch a dance, and see how they cook and make stuff. It's a lot of fun. They also have an Easter event and a halloween event for the kids!

I absolutely loved coming here and learning about "southern life." My favorite sections of the museum dealt with slavery. In particular, I really appreciated the primary source documents on the aftermath of the Civil War from different perspectives. I also enjoyed the gardens and seeing the different buildings. It's $10 for the museum and $3 for the gardens. With all that you learn, in my mind, it's well worth it.

What a collection! There was so much to see inside, and so much that was unlabeled or without explanation. While the outside was well marked and had good signage (although many signs are falling off, broken, or just worn down), the inside had a lot of neat stuff, but no 'flow' to the displays. A docent or map would help.But everything was interesting and we spent a lot of time inside.Outside, the buildings were all well-kept and for us represented the rural life of Louisiana. It was shocking that some of the buildings were occupied as late as 1976!Well worth the $10 admission price, and the surrounding grounds and arboretum are wonderful. Easily a full day for families of all ages!

Really fun to see how real sugarcane is made and I bought a jar of it in the gift store.