Where does a November evening go once it's dark before dinner? Within a short drive of the Country Club of Louisiana's gate on Boulevard Louisiane, three public calendars plan the darkest weeks of the year around the night sky and holiday light. Each one takes the lead in turn, and the lead changes hands over Thanksgiving weekend.
Through most of November, the main event is BREC's Highland Road Park Observatory at 13800 Highland Road, where the telescopes are open several nights a month. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the observatory's posted evening schedule ends just as Louisiana Lights opens at Burden Museum & Gardens and Santa arrives at Perkins Rowe. In December, the telescopes come back in a new spot: Town Square. If you know when each calendar takes over, you can plan the whole season ahead of time.
November belongs to the observatory
The observatory's fall schedule starts right away. On Friday, Nov. 6, BREC hosts The Edge of Night from 4:45 to 6:45 p.m. It's a program about twilight: which stars come out first, whether Mercury, Venus or the Moon are up, and how to tell a plane from a satellite or space debris. In November, a program built around dusk starts at 4:45 p.m.
After that, the regular Evening Sky Viewing nights take over. The observatory has a 50-centimeter reflector, a 40-centimeter reflector and several smaller telescopes. Trained operators work from a planned list of objects and take requests when there's time. BREC sets aside Friday nights for adults, including people coming straight from the lecture series. Saturday is family night, with the moon, planets, star clusters and nebulae, plus a marshmallow roast and small science demonstrations.
Here is the November lineup BREC has posted:
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Evening Sky Viewing, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Plus Night, themed "The Icy Outposts," 7 to 10 p.m., with sky tours, physical science demonstrations, "birth" stars and a weather-dependent marshmallow roast
- Friday, Nov. 20: The free Friday Night Lecture Series presents "NASA's LSMS," 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., then Evening Sky Viewing runs 8:30 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Evening Sky Viewing, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Evening Sky Viewing, 7:30 to 10:45 p.m.
Nov. 20 makes the fullest adult evening of the month. The free lecture ends at 8:30, and the telescopes open at 8:30, so it's two and a half hours of astronomy on one parking spot. BREC lists the lecture series for ages 14 and up. Viewing depends on the weather, so a cloudy forecast can cancel a night. Questions go to the observatory at 225-768-9948 or [email protected].
Thanksgiving weekend, when the calendars hand off
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26. Louisiana Lights and the Perkins Rowe Santa set both open the next day, and on Saturday, Nov. 28, all three calendars have something scheduled on the same day.
| Day | Highland Road Park Observatory | Burden Museum & Gardens | Perkins Rowe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | No posted program | Louisiana Lights opening night | Santa arrives in front of Cinemark, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Solar Viewing, noon to 2 p.m.; last posted Evening Sky Viewing, 7:30 to 10:45 p.m. | Louisiana Lights | Santa, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | No posted program | Louisiana Lights with a Santa visit | Santa, noon to 6 p.m. |
The observatory gives Saturday, Nov. 28 two programs. At midday, Solar Viewing lets visitors see sunspots or flares with their own eyes. BREC hands out free literature on solar power and UV protection, along with free sunscreen while it lasts. That evening's sky viewing runs 45 minutes longer than the other Saturdays in November, until 10:45 p.m. BREC's posted evening-viewing schedule ends that night. In December, the observatory's posted daytime programs continue, with Solar Viewing and the STEM Expansion program for ages 12 to 16 on Dec. 26.
December moves the telescopes to Town Square
The Baton Rouge Astronomical Society brings telescopes to Perkins Rowe's Town Square for Sidewalk Astronomy on Tuesday, Nov. 17 and Tuesday, Dec. 15, both from 6 to 9 p.m. Of the evening telescope sessions posted for the season, the Dec. 15 one is the only one after the observatory's last posted viewing on Nov. 28. Both nights are free. Weather or clouds can cancel or reschedule a session on short notice, and Perkins Rowe posts updates before each evening.
By Dec. 15, Town Square is set up for Christmas. That same evening is PJ Night at the Santa set, 4 to 7 p.m., DIG Baton Rouge reported in its Oct. 23 rundown of the Perkins Rowe holiday calendar. With Santa until 7 and telescopes until 9, one trip covers both.
The rest of the Perkins Rowe season, as DIG Baton Rouge listed it:
- Santa photos in front of Cinemark from Nov. 27 through Christmas Eve: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Reservations through the Perkins Rowe website are strongly encouraged, and walk-ups are taken when there's room.
- Pet Night with Santa on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, 4 to 7 p.m.
- Sensory Santa on Dec. 6, 9:30 to 11 a.m.
- Purple & Gold Night on Dec. 8 and Blue & Gold Night on Dec. 9, both 4 to 7 p.m.
- Santa Rocks the Rowe on Dec. 12, 5 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6 is the busiest day on the Perkins Rowe calendar. Sensory Santa runs that morning. Then at 3 p.m., the third annual Tuba Christmas fills Town Square around the Christmas tree with carols on low brass. It's free, and if it rains, the concert moves to the Great Hall near the Santa set. Perkins Rowe is at 10000 Perkins Rowe, and both parking garages are free: the one behind Cinemark and the one under The Fresh Market.
Louisiana Lights runs on select nights
The longest-running piece of the season is Louisiana Lights, set for Nov. 27 through Dec. 30, 2026, at LSU AgCenter's Burden Museum & Gardens. The route runs through historic Windrush Gardens, with lit garden rooms, a lake, a tunnel of light, an orchard, a stream and Moravian stars under the property's oaks and crape myrtles.
It doesn't run every night of that window. The 2026 schedule lists these dates: Nov. 27 to 29; Dec. 2; Dec. 4 to 6; Dec. 9; Dec. 11 to 13; Dec. 16; Dec. 18 to 23; and Dec. 26 to 30. That means Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are dark, along with most Mondays and Tuesdays. The official ticket page puts the visit at about an hour and a half. Last entry is 9 p.m., and the lights close at 10 p.m.
Prices depend on whether a date is a regular night or a peak night:
| Ticket | Regular night | Peak night |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 13+ | $19.95 | $24.95 |
| Youth, 4 to 12 | $16.95 | $21.95 |
| Premium adult | $25.95 | $30.95 |
| Premium youth | $22.95 | $27.95 |
Children 3 and under get in free. On any night, premium costs $6 more than general admission and includes hologram glasses and a hot-chocolate ticket. A peak night adds $5 to every ticket type. For a family of two adults and two children ages 4 to 12, general admission comes to $73.80 on a regular night and $93.80 on a peak night. Check the schedule for which dates are peak before you pick one.
Several themed nights line up with the other two calendars:
- Sundays with Santa on Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. On Dec. 6, that means Tuba Christmas at Perkins Rowe at 3 p.m., then Santa again at Burden after dark.
- Mistletoe & Moss on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
- Barks & Bright on Wednesdays, Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. Dec. 16 is the night after Sidewalk Astronomy and PJ Night at Perkins Rowe.
Buy tickets from the LSU AgCenter pages linked above. Some older listings elsewhere still point to the 2025 ticket page.
A dinner stop on Highland Road
If you're heading out Highland Road on an observatory night, there may be a new place to eat on the way. Louisiana First News reported on Oct. 12 that The Historic – Highland Road Grill at 8635 Highland Road, in the former Sammy's Grill building, planned to start dinner service on Thursday, Oct. 15. The new operators took over the building on July 1 and restored it while keeping recognizable features of Sammy's. Call ahead for current hours before planning an early dinner around a 7:30 sky viewing.
Whether you've spent November at the telescopes on Highland Road or December on the Burden paths, the holidays are a good time to take stock of your own place on Boulevard Louisiane. When you're ready to know where your Country Club of Louisiana home stands going into the new year, Franklin Group is happy to put together a clear, honest number for you. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
