Editor’s Note: a guest post by Patrick Mulhearn, CEO and Partner at Irrevocable Designee LLC Tax Credit Consultants in Baton Rouge.
When you think small, you get small results. Cities that think small ensure that they will never achieve more than what they believe is possible.
That is why I believe it is high time for Baton Rouge to shoot for the moon. To paraphrase Norman Vincent Peale, “Even if we miss, we will still land among the stars.” And if Baton Rouge wants a starring role among its sister cities in the South, I believe that thinking big funis the key to getting it done.
Making Downtown Fun Again
I was honored to be asked to join the Plan Baton Rouge III Advisory Group that is helping to guide the latest master plan initiative aimed at revitalizing Downtown Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation in partnership with the Downtown Development District of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Visit Baton Rouge, City-Parish government and other stakeholders are putting serious thought into making the heart of the Capital City a more attractive destination to live, work, and play. International planning and design firm Sasaki and local consulting firm Franklin Associates seem to be doing a stellar job of engaging area thought leaders and the community to help identify problems, priorities, and ideas for helping Downtown reach its true potential.
While there is nothing fun about addressing problems like the lack of free/affordable parking, hard-to-find clean and convenient public restrooms, consistently open dining options — or the abundance of homeless panhandlers and growing (but often overblown) safety concerns, if you view it as a group effort for putting together a giant puzzle, you have hope that pieces can start connecting and a clearer picture of fun possibilities for Downtown BR will start to emerge.
Instead of focusing on and complaining about the pieces that don’t fit, we should look at ones that do and visualize the pieces that could be added to create something spectacular to bring people together. Those critical pieces are the fun ones that draw people to Downtown BR because they make people want to be in Downtown BR.
As smart as it was to consolidate state government offices more than 25 years ago by constructing huge buildings that house multiple agencies with thousands of workers, those are people who are Downtown because they have to be. As soon as their workday ends, parking garages are an almost comical cacophony of revving engines and screeching tires as state workers hightail it out of Downtown to head home. As if the mass exodus each weekday wasn’t bad enough, the work-from-home mandates during COVID were absolutely devastating to Downtown commerce. Not-so-Fun Fact: ghost towns attract more living homeless people than actual ghosts.
Flipping the script
Fun, on the other hand, has the exact opposite effect on Downtown BR. Think about how crowded it gets for fun events like Spanish Town Mardi Gras, the Fourth of July Fireworks on the Mississippi, the Christmas and Halloween parades, and big events like concerts, conventions, bowling tournaments, and even hockey games at the Raising Cane’s River Center. The fun found at The 13th Gate for Downtown Baton Rouge is a people magnet throughout October. A special performance or a film screening at the Manship Theater can keep cash registers ringing at nearby restaurants and bars. Field trips that sometimes bring in hundreds of students and fun days for families from near and far occur because of longtime attractions like the USS Kidd Veterans Museum, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, and the Old State Capitol (believe it or not, learning can be fun). Downtown is definitely not devoid of nightlife. We have a number incredible bars and restaurants (mostly on Third Street), and two casinos. More than a few grownups think gambling is fun.
To all the thought leaders involved with Baton Rouge Plan III, I implore you not to overthink this. Everything I just described has something in common. Baton Rouge needs to double down on fun.
Look at how other cities have used fun and entertainment to stack the decks in their favor. Music venues and museums in Nashville and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland helped change the images, economies and, ultimately, the fates of those cities. Pedestrian-friendly areas for drinking or shopping like Beale Street in Memphis, 6th Street in Austin, Pearl Street in Boulder, or Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica are fun features that attract locals and tourists alike. I’m not saying we should create a knockoff Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive for Downtown BR, but a strip of boutique shops and sought-after stores could be a game changer.
A great meal, a cold beverage, a conversation with friends and with a fantastic view of a picturesque body of water is fun for many of us. It has been a recipe for success in too many cities to name (Santa Monica, San Antonio, and Chicago do come to mind). All of that is more than possible with the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. But because of a lack of vision and planning, Tsunami on top of the Shaw Center has been just about the only game in Downtown for that sunset over the water dining experience. Let’s change that.
Fun Ideas
Icredit Sasaki and Baton Rouge Plan III for recognizing that our riverfront is truly the ‘front porch’ of Baton Rouge, and to put this puzzle together properly, a big redesign of that area is probably where we should begin.
I also credit them for realizing that sports and entertainment (both fun) are critical enough to warrant a spot or a district by the River. In my opinion, extending beyond the levee to give us more room to play is worth the expense. Santa Monica has its iconic pier with a Ferris Wheel. Chicago has the famous Navy Pier with a big old Ferris Wheel too. Of course, Coney Island in New York has been America’s Playground since 1895. Brian Haldane is right in saying Baton Rouge could probably use a Ferris Wheel. It should be part of an accessible amusement park and arcades for Downtown. Baton Rouge needs more options for kids and families in general, and that really should be considered if our goal is to make Downtown BR a fun destination for everyone.
Fun has become so important in 2025 that thousands of companies, brands, and marketing divisions are now looking to hire a new “CEO” which stands for “Chief Entertainment Officer” or a “CFO” (Chief Fun Officer) like Shaq is doing for Carnival Cruise Lines. All things considered, that is more than just a fun idea for Baton Rouge. Of course I could see how hiring a new “CEO” or “CFO” might get a little confusing for Baton Rouge…which is why I think we should appoint a new “MF” (Minister of Fun!). All joking aside, we need someone besides BREC to focus on creating opportunities that will offer residents and visitors more fun things to see and do that will ultimately raise our property values by improving our quality of life.
For example, Fat Tuesday is both a city and state holiday in Baton Rouge. Schools are out, kids are at home, and Downtown Baton Rouge is a ghost town. If you are local and you want to participate in Mardi Gras festivities that day, you have to drive to New Roads or New Orleans. Why not put the “fat” back in Fat Tuesday and have a family-friendly food festival with live music in Downtown Baton Rouge that day? As the traditional beginning of crawfish season, we could make the lucky crawfish that the Lt. Governor pardons every year the King of a mini-parade (Krewe de Craw) and toss him in the River when it’s done. He could even become Baton Rouge’s version of Punxsutawney Phil who gets a ton of free media and posts on social media.
While quite a few restauranteurs and even a few government officials have told me they love the idea, no one has ever stepped up to make it happen. Someone also needs to step up to bring back Theater Baton Rouge. The ability to see great plays consistently is simply a “must have” for Downtown Baton Rouge. Perhaps a Minister of Fun could get it done.
Get in on the Fun
From landing a minor league baseball team to opening a comedy/karaoke club on a pedestrian-friendly Third Street to the creation of a Louisiana Entertainment Hall of Fame & Museum (and performance venue), a lot of great ideas are floating around. Anything is possible at this point. YOU can affect this outcome. Take the latest Plan Baton Rouge III survey here…and have some fun with it!