Southeast Louisiana, 130 km northwest of New Orleans. The site was discovered in 1699 by the Moyne d'Iberville, a navigator of Norman origin. He spotted a cypress tree without bark and coated with blood (hence the name Bâton-Rouge). The Houmas and Bayougoulas Indians used this tree to sacrifice wild animals and delimit their territory. Twenty years after its passage, French pioneers founded the city there. It was still a small village when, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, puritanical politicians, dissatisfied that a delirious city like New Orleans was the seat of the federal government, made Baton-Rouge the new capital of Louisiana. Bâton-Rouge is today an industrial and administrative city which concentrates a large part of the economic activity of the state. Baton Rouge remained an alternative port in New Orleans, well located on the Mississippi. Even today, its economy is based on the port industry but also on the exploitation of oil, with the 2nd largest refinery in the country. As the capital, the city is home to the seat of the State Capitol. Visitors can enter Louisiana State Capitol free of charge and climb up to the observatory on the top floor, to admire the panoramic view of Baton Rouge and Mississippi. It was in the neo-Gothic building of the former capitol, similar to a castle and equipped with a pretty interior rotunda that the deputies voted, in January 1861, the withdrawal of the Union. Another fascinating visit: the torpedo ship of the 2nd World War USS Kidd! The former Fletcher Class warship, known as the Pacific Pirate, was transformed into a museum. Aircraft that have flown over the South Pacific are exposed. Dive into Louisiana's colorful political history at Old State Capitol and Old Governor's Mansion. Enjoy a stunning view of the city from the 34-storey Louisiana State Capitol Observatory; walk through the sumptuous Memorial Hall and walk through the gardens, home to several native plants. Take a cultural tour of the Capitol Park Museum before heading to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, where a wide variety of sections await you, including one on ancient Egypt and another on the solar system. The USS Kidd Veterans Museum will provide an opportunity for you to board a Second World War Fletcher-class destroyer, now a museum and monument honouring the U.S. Armed Forces.