BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – There’s a lot that makes Louisiana special, from her history to her food, not to mention her culture. It’s all archived at the Capitol State Museum, just steps away from Louisiana’s State Capitol. All roads lead to Louisiana, the Capitol Park museum tells a story of adventure, passion, and discovery, only stories that could be told here in the Bayou state. 

“You can come to this museum and you can get a knowledge of every part of Louisiana,” said Maintenance Supervisor Gregory Johnson.

Inside the Capitol Park Museum, you can find exhibits ranging from Louisiana’s political and cultural history to its strong history of movements toward civil rights. Johnson said there’s something here for everyone. 

“If you’re a history buff you’ll spend all your time on the first floor, but if you enjoy the music and the food, and the Mardi Gras you go to the third floor, cause the third floor is a very exciting part of the museum,” said Johnson.  

The third floor is full of interactive music exhibits, you can hear the distinctive southwest Louisiana sounds of Cajun, zydeco and swamp pop, Baton Rouge blues, and world-famous New Orleans jazz.

“Real music, it’s not that boom boom music that we get today from these young kids, its real music, it’ll take you back,” said Johnson.  

Recognizing the struggles of a not-so-distant past to help guide us into the future, the museum also walks you through slavery in Louisiana. 

“We just added a new exhibit on the first floor which is the porch and it’s the history of where the slaves used to stand when they came in and they were auctioned off,” said Johnson.

A 48-foot wooden shrimp trawler and a two-row sugar cane harvester show the state’s agricultural and aquatic riches. The museum makes an effort to recreate important stages of history. 

“You can feel the history once you walk through these doors, you can feel the history,” said Johnson.

Walking you through a journey through time see how different groups populated and cultivated Louisiana, shaping it into a culturally rich region. It’s an affordable family-friendly activity Johnson says everyone should experience. 

“We are here in Spanish Town, we are right across the street from our State Capitol so this is the best place to start,” said Johnson.

For more information on Capitol Park Museum visit, louisianastatemuseum.org/museum/capitol-park-museum.