Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA drive: Best stops, distance & time
The distance from Jackson MS to Baton Rouge is 174 miles, with a 2h34m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Jackson to Baton Rouge drive are the Mississippi Music Museum, the Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial Site and Hammond LA.
Planning a Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA road trip itinerary
The Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA drive connects the capital cities of Mississippi and Louisiana.
The capital of Mississippi has a collection of strong museums. The Mississippi Museum of Art has a great Southern art collection. The Old Capitol Museum and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum cover politics and history.
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science is arguably Jackson’s highlight, though. It comes with a 100,000-gallon aquarium showing off the species that live on the Gulf Coast, and is within LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. That means plenty of nature trails to enjoy when the weather’s good.
Highly-reviewed Jackson MS accommodation includes the plush Westin and the more charming Old Capitol Inn.
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.
Great places to stay in Baton Rouge include the affordable Hampton Inn & Suites Baton Rouge Downtown and the historic Watermark.
Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Jackson MS to Baton Rouge La is 174 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 34 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-55 and I-12.
The best stops to add to a Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA road trip itinerary are the Mississippi Music Museum, the Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial Site and Hammond LA.
Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA drive: Mississippi Music Museum
The Mississippi Music Museum is a small (and free to enter) attraction inside the railroad station in Hazlehurst MS. It covers a wide variety of musical genres with a strong heritage in Mississippi. It flits through blues, country, rock and gospel, and looks at the lives of Mississippi legends such as BB King, Elvis Presley and Robert Johnson.
Jackson MS to Baton Rouge LA road trip attractions: Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial Site
Between Gillsburg and Magnolia MS, the Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial Site is where a chartered flight carrying southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and their crew crashed in 1977. Six passengers died, including lead vocalist Ronnie van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines.
The memorial monument stands in a field, made of seven tons of black granite.
Best stops between Jackson MS and Baton Rouge LA: Hammond LA
There are a few decent attractions in and around Hammond LA, with the Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center giving kids a series of mock-up scenarios to explore. The Tangipahoa African American Heritage Museum looks at African-American heritage, with the collection of murals being the highlight.
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More Baton Rouge road trips
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