Day Trip: A visit at destroyer, old Capitol

Day Trip is an occasional series about places to visit within a three-hour drive of Eunice.

By Myra Miller
myra.miller@eunicetoday.com

On a March Friday morning with a bright sunshine under blue skies I travelled to Baton Rouge on a mission - to visit and tour two of my chosen “adventure” spots -- the USS KIDD and La. Old State Capitol.
I did not have to travel far into Baton Rouge city limits, therefore didn’t have to worry with much traffic.
After crossing the Mississippi River on Interstate 10, I headed to I-110 North, exiting on Convention Street.
This street, staying left which I was supposed to do, and did not accomplish, I made it to River Road.
Traveling on River Road I did not miss the USS KIDD. In fact, you CANNOT miss it.
The USS KIDD, America’s only destroyer restored to WWII-era condition is a 2,050-ton Fletcher class destroyer, the backbone of the U.S. destroyer force in World War II.
She was equipped to attack surface vessels of all sizes, as well as submarines and aircraft. She provided vital firepower for shore invasions and all of her equipment is there for your inspection, within her 376-foot length.
The USS KIDD offers the entire family a self-guided tour and also group tours.
Depending upon your interest and that of other tourists, the entire tour takes anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 hours total.
Before entering the ship, a tour guide gives you a map of the entire craft. On the handout are red arrows directing you to each stop, each room, and each deck of the ship.
There are the first platform, the second platform, the main deck and the navigating bridge of the ship.
You can view the torpedo tubes, gun directors, coding room, captain’s sea cabin, the crew’s wash room, the galley, the crews quarters, the dining room, and much more.
I found the experience enlightening.
As the brochure says, “Walk the Decks of History,” ...I left the grounds with a sense of, “A step back, learning of past events and information that I was not aware existed.”
If you and your family are interested in historical landmarks, battleships, largest model ship collections, etc., I highly recommend a family self-tour of the USS KIDD and a museum visit.
For more information, details about USS KIDD group tours/school tours/Boy Scout tours, visit www.usskidd.com
My next visit, in walking distance within the same block of the USS KIDD, was Louisiana’s Old State Capitol.
The stately site is located at 100 North Boulevard and sits on five-acre grounds.
It was constructed between 1847 and 1852, and has the appearance from the outside of a medieval fortress.
Gutted by fire during the Civil War, it was restored in the early 1880s and then fell into disrepair after Huey P. Long build his new, modern capitol building in the early 1930s.
Concerned citizens moved to save the structure in the 1970s, and the whole building has undergone a restoration.
As I walked through the North Boulevard entrance, the beauty of the interior, with its magnificent cast-iron spiral staircase, along with detailed glass window panes and panels in the main gallery awed me. Looking directly up, I was taken away by a magnificent stained glass in an overhead skylight.
During my one-hour visit, I learned much about our state capitol and its history, its past governors, rooms which included senate chamber, governor’s podium and office, and lastly but not least, the Ghost of the Castle.
The Ghost of the Castle was my only expense at the old capitol -- $3 per person included a visual, audio, 12-minute movie. Let me just say “Interesting!” And I will not tell you more.. I’ll let you see for yourself. I will only say it’s a step back of the early years at the old State Capitol.
Also inside the old capitol is a museum store which specializes in political memorabilia reproductions, maps and artifacts as well as a variety of Louisiana books and gifts.
For more information, details, Visit website: www.louisianaoldstatecapitol.org
After two-and-a-half hours of walking, touring, and photographing, I was ready for a glass of iced tea and a sit-down lunch.
There are buckoo places to eat in the Capital City. I found a restaurant off of I-10 East. Taking the Acadian Exit, I came to Perkins Road. Not to venture too far off, so as not to get lost, at the intersection traffic light, I took a left.
On my left was a strip mall with boutiques, a hamburger joint and a restaurant called Juban’s.
Its sign read “Creole dining and Catering.” I inquired at the guest registry table if the restaurant welcomed kids. The answer yes for any of you who wish to take your children for lunch or dinner.
The menu included appetizers - mostly seafood, all kinds of soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees, and they offered daily lunches Tuesday-Fridays only. Prices ranged from what I would consider average to above-average. However, their entree portions are large.
I ordered the Shrimp Po-boy, which came with homemade, home-cut fries, and I tried a side order, a cup of gumbo.
I was impressed with the attentive waitresses, and waiters. I never had to ask for refills of water or iced tea. Before I could finish off my tea, my waitress came by to fill my glass. And I enjoyed the personal touch of, “Ms. Miller is there anything else I can help you with!”
The entire lunch experience was great and filling! (I asked for a to-go box for half of my po-boy and fries because it was a lot of food.)

Daytripping
Route we took: U.S. La. 190 East
Drive time one-way: 90 minutes
Fuel costs: $26
USS Kidd hours, cost: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week; Adults $8, Children (5-12) $5, Active Military $6, Seniors $7. Admission for Museum only are: Adults $5, Children (5-12) $4, and children 4 and under Free.
Old State Capitol hours, Free cost: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday.
Don’t miss: Ghost of the Castle, $3.
How much time to see it all?:
60-90 minutes on the USS Kidd
60 minutes at the Old State Capitol
Lunch: Juban’s