Baton Rouge is French for "Red Stick." In 1699, French explorer Iberville was traveling up the Mississippi River and saw a bloodied, red pole on the shore. The "red stick" was marking the boundaries between hunting grounds of two Native American tribes. He named the location le bâton rouge, or the red stick.
Years after Iberville’s discovery, Baton Rouge is the capital city and sits between the contemporary Creole cuisine of New Orleans and the traditional Cajun fare from Acadiana—the best of both delicious worlds.
