Sweet Baton Rouge is more than a brand, a t-shirt company, or place to buy local goods, it’s also a place to spotlight and share our ultimate favorites about Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. We want to share with our Sweet Baton Rouge family the must haves from Where To Go, What To Do, and my favorite, Where to Eat! We hope you see as we build our insider blog back that we are here to create a community who also loves all things Baton Rouge, we hope you will find some of these favorites and share them with us. With that, it’s getting hot in here this week.
It’s beginning to get very hot in Baton Rouge and it’s only June, but today, June 21st it is technically the summer solstice, meaning the longest daylight hours of the year and therefore we wanted to share a few places and things you can do to keep yourself cooled off around the Capital City, and ways to enjoy your summer. If you’re traveling this summer we also made a list of things to check the boxes as must haves for your summer bag.
Ok, I personally think the movie theaters are the coldest place to be and thankfully for you, there are some really great movies out. I personally saw Top Gun and really want to go back and watch it again. But I'm also excited to watch Jurassic Park, Elvis, Where The Crawdads Sing and get a yummy bucket of popcorn and milk duds too.
Movies aren't your thing, then step into the place where movies are made inside one of Baton Rouge’s libraries, I personally love the Main Library, Goodwood location. There's nothing better than a good book, especially in the summer. I just finished reading “The Club” and it was a great read by the pool or on a road trip and I’m about to start reading “The Paris Apartment” which I’ve been waiting for since I finished “The Guest List” which is also a great book to read.
Want to move more, get your cardio up vs reading or watching a movie. I can get down with that too. I can’t say you will stay cooled off but you will have fun while you’re at it playing Top Golf and testing your golf accuracy or Louisiana premier climbing experience, Uptown Climbing.
Ok, our dear friend Robyn, rebranded Bites and Boards and moved a few spaces down in Willow Grove to a bigger space, so Robyn can do what she does great, reimagined cheese through her boards and courses but now with wine pairings you can purchase as a new innovation wine and cheese bar!
We also know you can cool down with our favorite local places that offer the sweetest drinks like the amazing loose leaf teas that we are obsessing about from the newest SoGo Tea Bar or our next door neighbor at Electric Depot with their cosmic lemonade or Japanese Taiyaki Ice Cream from Sweet Society. Just a few blocks down we had the chance to try out the newest snoball stand Aliye Belle’s Snoballs, Leola’s Cafe newest business adventure! We had the blue raspberry, it hit the spot and cooled us off immediately.
Photos by Kim Meadowlark
Last thing we wanted to share with you, our must have list for packing on-the-go with “What’s in the Bag”.
You have to start with a great playlist, you can listen to this quietly or have a fun sing along with your ride along! We have a fun playlist that our team members put together called Petey’s Pump Up Jams. Next thing on our list, bathing suit. I know you're going to say, of course that’s on the list but well.. I’ve been known a few times or two and forget to pack it. I bet you might have done that too. Our Sweet Baton Rouge travel t-shirt, this is a must, a year round stable to be exact. Rep your favorite brand wherever your heart desires to travel. Take us with you because we want to be on that trip with you. If you’re visiting the gulf coast, well we got the best tank for that too. Oh.. be sure and give us a tag when you wear it. Sandals, you need these too, if you’re near a pool or beach, we just got the best sandals by Freedom Moses and these are a must. If you’re hiking or doing a lot of walking, be sure and put on your favorite athleisure wear and tennis shoes! I’m personally loving On Cloud for quite some time. You can get these at Varsity Sports or The BackPacker.
Next few things include sunscreen, you want to protect your skin so make sure you layer up on the 50+ sunscreen, you’ll thank me later or if you’re in my demographic, you get it! A BIG beach towel is a must-have as well and we are loving New Orleans based company Bonfolk with their newest beach towels. They released these last year and I personally have almost one of each. They are perfect for the pool or beach life.
Dresses are the perfect and easiest thing to throw on after you’ve been out all day in the sun and most are lightweight and don’t take up a lot of space in your bag. I know I mentioned books earlier, so this is a necessity if I’m hanging on the beach or pool along with some High Noons or Hey Mama Wines Rose bubbles.
I can’t go anywhere without my sunglasses, I love my Krewe and ROOT Nola both brands are a New Orleans sunglasses company. Krewe does a bi-annual huge warehouse sale. If you’re not on their email or text list, do it. I love sunglasses, not sure if this is a myth or not but I have green eyes and I’ve heard that green eyes are extra sensitive to the light so, I really can’t be outside ever without my sunglasses.
Lastly, you will definitely want to pack our corded sweatshirts like our Louisiana Hometown or Louisiana Inline, they are so lightweight and not overly thick that it’s the ideal long sleeve. You can wear this in the car, a flight, mountains, or even late night walks on the beach dreaming of summer never ending.
I'm no writer so I'm sure there may just be something grammatically wrong but I love to share and if you know me, I love to talk! So this is me, talking through my writing as your Sweet Baton Rouge Insider XOXO - Meredith
