BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Families visiting Baton Rouge during football season can find plenty of fun activities to do and new restaurants to dine at throughout the city.

Baton Rouge is home to two colleges with football teams, Louisiana State University and Southern University. Fans of both can enjoy the restaurants, shops and businesses in the Red Stick.

As fall weather rolls around, people can plan to attend seasonal family-friendly events and enjoy dining outdoors. Autumn events include Brew at the Zoo, the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair and Cap City Beer Fest.

Many restaurants and coffee shops offer menu items with seasonal favorites and must-haves like gumbo, beignets and Southern comfort food classics like red beans and rice.

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KLFY Daily Digest

Here are some places around Baton Rouge to eat or spend time with family.

Restaurants to try in Baton Rouge

Anthony’s Italian Deli (5575 Government St.)

Anthony’s Italian Deli has been open for over 30 years and is a good spot to try a Louisiana favorite, the muffuletta. Anthony’s Italian Deli has a pressed muffuletta made with authentic Italian meats and cheese and with a homemade Italian olive mix.

Bellue’s Fine Cajun Cuisine (3110 Scenic Hwy.)

Visitors can find a menu full of classic Louisiana meals like crawfish etouffee, po’boys, gumbo and shrimp creole. Choose from plate lunches served with sides.

BRQ Seafood and Barbeque (10423 Jefferson Hwy.)

Have a sit-down meal with the family at this barbecue restaurant offering brunch, lunch and dinner. The menu has barbecue combos, sandwiches and comfort food entrees.

Coffee Call (3132 College Drive, STE. F)

Coffee Call has been open since 1976 and is family-owned and operated. The coffee shop is known for its cafe’ au lait and beignets.

Dorothy’s Soul Food Kitchen (1221 Gardere Lane)

Dorothy’s is another family-owned spot that serves authentic Southern soul food including fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese and cornbread.

Elsie’s Plate & Pie (3145 Government St.)

Elsie’s Plate & Pie is a popular restaurant in Mid City serving sweet and savory pies along with entrees of comfort food like red beans and rice with fried chicken, seafood platters and unique burgers. You won’t leave hungry here.

Louie’s Cafe (3322 Lake St.)

This restaurant located near LSU’s campus was established in 1941. Louie’s Cafe serves breakfast and lunch, including menu items like pancakes, waffles, burgers and hashbrowns.

Mason’s Grill (13556 Jefferson Hwy.)

Take the family to Mason’s Grill for brunch, lunch or dinner. House specialties on the brunch menu include the Big Daddy Burger, Cajun Ribeye Steak & Egg Breakfast and Not Your Ordinary Shrimp & Grits. Lunch specials include pasta dishes, burgers and tacos.

Overpass Merchant (2904 Perkins Road)

Overpass Merchant is a spot where friends can meet and have food and drinks before heading to LSU or Southern’s campuses. In town on a weekday? Happy Hour is 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Pastime Restaurant (252 South Blvd.)

This is one of Baton Rouge’s oldest restaurants. Visitors can enjoy Pastime’s stone deck pizzas, calzones, po’boys and seafood platters. (Psst. Click here to see how to gain access to its “secret menu.”)

Parrain’s Seafood Restaurant (3225 Perkins Road)

Located in Mid City, Parrain’s serves items fresh to order. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Roul’s Deli (Multiple locations)

This is another local favorite with multiple locations throughout Baton Rouge and the surrounding area. If you’re craving a burger, this is the place to go. The menu has over 10 types of burgers.

Stockyard Cafe (1462 Airline Hwy.)

This Baton Rouge restaurant is a local spot that offers daily plate lunches serving fried chicken, meatloaf, jambalaya and stews. Yelp reviews call this place a hidden gem.

The Chimes (3357 Highland Road; 10870 Coursey Blvd.)

Order fun Louisiana appetizers like boudin eggrolls, crawfish fries, blackened/grilled alligator and sauteed crab fingers. The full menu has soups, salads, Cajun-inspired specialties, fried seafood, sandwiches and burgers.

Willie’s Restaurant (11260 Coursey Blvd.)

This restaurant serves southern Louisiana classics like frog legs, fried green tomatoes, fried seafood platters, boiled seafood and po’boys.

Things to do with family

Baton Rouge Zoo

Take the family to the Baton Rouge Zoo to visit with wildlife species from all around the world and learn more about them. The zoo is open daily with tickets selling between $7-10.

Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center

Explore over a mile of paths through the swamp and forests at the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center. The center itself has live animal exhibits and educational displays about Louisiana nature.

Capitol Park Museum

Learn about Louisiana’s history and culture, from Mardi Gras to musical legends like Louis Armstrong at this Baton Rouge museum.

Knock Knock Children’s Museum

Families with young kids can spend a few hours playing while learning at the Knock Knock Children’s Museum. The 26,000-square-foot facility has 18 interactive Learning Zones, according to its website.

Louisiana Art & Science Museum

Browse through art and science exhibits at this Baton Rouge museum. Don’t forget to catch an immersive and educational show at the planetarium’s domed theater.

Louisiana’s Old State Capitol

The Old State Capitol has permanent and rotating exhibits about Louisiana culture and political history. Guided tours can be booked on weekdays.

Louisiana State Capitol

Visit the Louisiana State Capitol and learn about its history through a guided tour. Get a bird’s eye view of the city of Baton Rouge from the observation deck open seven days a week.

LSU Museum of Art

Housed inside the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge, the LSU Museum of Art has exhibits showing art in different mediums. Admission is $5 for adults and children 13 and older.

LSU Rural Life Museum

Explore Louisiana’s rural past at this Baton Rouge museum in a two-hour self-guided tour. According to its website, the LSU Rural Life Museum has the largest collection of state vernacular architecture and the most extensive collection of 18th and 19th-century material culture items.

Surge Entertainment

There’s no shortage of fun at this entertainment center. Surge Entertainment has bowling, a sports simulator, mini golf and an arcade.

USS KIDD

Learn about the history of the USS KIDD, a Fletcher-class destroyer built by the U.S. Navy, at the museum near the Mississippi River. The historic ship left its Baton Rouge home base in April for some much overdue repairs in Houma. While it’s gone, the museum is offering a reduced admission .

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