LSU Rural Life Museum

The LSU Rural Life Museum’s mission is to provide and sustain a publicly accessible center for the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the material culture, cultural landscapes and vernacular architecture of Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi River Valley.

Located on property donated to LSU by Ione, Steele, Pike and Jeanette Burden, the museum services to both educate and entertain students and visitors of all ages. The facility, while technically part of the LSU campus, operates with only partial funding from the University. Approximately eighty percent of operating revenue is generated from admissions and Friends directed fundraising initiatives. It has become a popular destination for more than 25,000 visitors each year, adding tourism revenues to the local economy as well as serving as an educational laboratory for students.

The LSU Rural Life Museum represents Louisiana history preserved.

Eating and drinking are allowed in designated areas. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome; other pets are not permitted*. Picnicking is not allowed on Museum grounds.

*Pet mules, oxen and chickens are always welcome.