Tour of LSU's Campus

Louisiana State University has one of the most beautiful campuses I think I have ever seen.  It is a land grant college that has a history that dates back to the early 19th century.  We used to live about a mile south of it, so I spent quite a bit of my time growing up on campus.  Some of my earliest memories of attending concerts are in the Recital Hall at the school of music and in the Student Union Theater where I saw my very first opera, Tales of Hoffman with my dad.


Having eaten at The Chimes for lunch on Sunday, it seemed logical to walk around campus a bit to help us digest our food.  Our first stop was Mike the Tiger, an favorite attraction for many an LSU sports fan.  He is the mascot of the college and is a real live Bengal Tiger who is kept in a natural habitat right on campus.  We were in luck because Mike was out and pacing his grounds that afternoon and maybe feeling a little frisky.  We didn't get a roar out of him, but he stop and eye me a few times.  It's kind of exhilarating to be only a few feet away from a huge, hungry tiger.

Next we walked over to the quadrangle and saw some of the beautiful live oak trees and the camelias were in bloom.  My mom and dad spent many days in this area of campus.  They both earned their masters degrees there and used to meet between morning classes for egg sandwiches on the steps of the Journalism building nearby.  The quad is the prettiest part of campus in my opinion and it's a great place to hang out with a bite to eat on a warm Louisiana afternoon in the shade of one of those beautiful live oaks.

While in the quad, we stopped to view the WPA murals that have recently been restored.  They were painted in the 40's as part of a FDR project to stimulate the local economies of states that were left impoverished by the depression.  Louisiana artists created these wonderful and dynamic murals that adorn LSU's academic buildings all over campus and it was a treat to see them looking new and fresh.

Many fond memories were revisited on Sunday.  I only spent a year at LSU as a student, but I'm glad that I had my time there to experience the unique culture and scenic beauty of the university.  I'm also pleased to see that there has been continued attention to maintaining its appearance with so many treasures to be enjoyed by the students and visitors alike.