Back in January, we never could have predicted how 2023 would pan out for Baton Rouge. But it sure has been fun to cover the championships and trophies, the restaurant openings that reshaped our culinary scene, and the people who are determined to make this city the best it can be.
Here’s a look back at the print issues and digital stories that seemed to most resonate with readers this year. Please tell us your fave 225 stories at [email protected].
Analytics are as of Dec. 22, 2023.
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The most-picked up print issues
1. Worth the drive – May 2023
For years, regional economic developers have been touting the assets of not just Baton Rouge, but Greater Baton Rouge. Now more than ever, interesting things are happening in the suburbs and exurbs, from new fashion-forward boutiques in ever-quaint St. Francisville to fresh outdoor fun in West Baton Rouge Parish and attention-grabbing gastronomy in Gonzales, Central, Scotlandville, and Zachary. Here is your guide to the Capital Region’s new worth-the-drive fun.
2. Best of 225 Awards – July 2023
What lunch spots are impressive enough to show off to out-of-towners? What local places belong on the itinerary for a staycation? This is what we imagine when we think of the “best”—and each year, we give readers the chance to rewrite our guide to the region’s most top-notch restaurants, bars, people and businesses. The Best of 225 Awards are selected 100% by Capital Region residents in a two-part nomination and voting process—here’s who they crowned the city’s best in 2023.
3. Game-day eats – September 2023
Whether the game is at home or away, a fall Saturday in Baton Rouge is always a party. During the build-up to the Tigers and Jaguars taking the field, fans munch, slurp and stew home-cooked, catered or store-bought eats. It’s the fuel that ultimately gets them from dawn to dusk—and is one of the reasons Baton Rouge has become so celebrated in national sports media. In our guide to game-day eats, we walk you through how to pack a cooler with local beers, spirits and snacks; where to watch away games; how to take a tailgate spread to the next level; and more.
4. Transfer Tigers – August 2023
Winning trophies has become common practice for LSU recently. The women’s basketball team made history in April by securing the school’s first NCAA Tournament title. Months later, the baseball team clinched its seventh College World Series crown. And quarterback Jayden Daniels took home college football’s biggest award, the coveted Heisman Trophy, earlier this month. And at the heart of each recent title-winning team was a star player who emerged as the face of the program throughout the season. Think: Angel Reese, Paul Skenes and Joe Burrow. But what do all these athletes have in common, aside from being arguably the best players in their respective sports at the time? They all arrived at LSU by transferring—a move that has become far more common in the current climate thanks to the NCAA transfer portal. Contributing writer Mark Clements takes a deep dive into how the portal has changed and evolved in recent years—and how LSU has reaped the benefits.
5. Generation now – June 2023
What will it take to keep millennials and Gen Z in Baton Rouge? After talking with several young leaders for this special issue—complete with a commemorative fold-out cover—we noticed some patterns: They crave connections, culture and change. Building fresh opportunity in Baton Rouge is something the younger generations are passionate about, whether that means accessing quality-of-life amenities, fostering creative and entrepreneurial cultures or empowering youth. Here’s why these residents are sticking with Baton Rouge—and how they’re hoping to make the city even better for future generations.
The most-read digital stories
1. The 2023 Best of 225 Awards
These are the restaurants, businesses and people that 225 area residents’ voted the city’s best of 2023. Here are your favorites, your go-to’s, your ride-or-dies. (And we’ll see you next week to relaunch the nominations process for 2024!)
2. BRCC Athletics aiming for ‘championship program’ following the hiring of two LSU icons
Two former LSU coaches are furthering their impact on Baton Rouge athletics through new positions at Baton Rouge Community College: Paul Mainieri and John Brady are now serving as BRCC’s baseball special advisor to the head coach and basketball special assistant to the head coach, respectively. And BRCC says the players have been “blown away” that such iconic coaches are invested in their athletic careers.
3. South Louisiana restaurants we think are worth the day trip from Baton Rouge
To say our staff is a little obsessed with the restaurant scene in Baton Rouge would be an understatement. If you hacked into our Slack channel, you’d field a flurry of messages about what’s opening where, who tried what, and which food trend might make its way to town next. And when we hit the road for a holiday weekend, we’re just as committed to the hunt for good south Louisiana eats. Here’s what we’ve tried and loved lately an hour or so from Baton Rouge.
4. Comedian Theo Von captivates crowds with Louisiana-style stories about growing up in the South
Theo Von remembers a lot about growing up in Covington. Though the comedian has come a long way from his hometown, he still prides himself on making audiences laugh with “Southern lore,” like he did earlier this year at four shows at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
5. 7 summer items we’ve been adding to our carts at Trader Joe’s
Take a trip to the Baton Rouge Trader Joe’s on Perkins Road, and the crowded aisles prove our city surely loves the California-based grocery chain. The staff here at 225 is no different. We rounded up a list of our recent faves.
6. First Look: Zeeland Street opens new elevated dinner concept, Beloved
Taylor Swift has her eras, and so does Stephanie Phares. Every few years, the Baton Rouge restaurateur has made style shifts to her popular Zeeland Street eatery since it opened nearly three decades years ago. And in November, diners saw the biggest change yet, when Phares introduced an elevated soul food dinner concept called Beloved.
7. The 2023 Mardi Gras calendar of parades in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge has really put its own stamp on Mardi Gras, and the proof is in how it seems to only get bigger and better each year. So it’s no surprise readers were more interested than ever in our annual calendar of the parades and festivities. Time to start planning your outfits for 2024.
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8. LSU tailgating has seen changes in recent years. Not everyone is a fan
If you ask veteran tailgaters, much has changed over the years in the world of LSU Football’s favorite pastime. Gone are the days when tailgaters could pull up to any grassy, shaded spot in the campus interior and lay claim to a choice location to pregame. Prime tailgating real estate has become increasingly restrictive due to expanding rules and pricy parking passes. Here are the challenges diehards say they’re facing—and what LSU says it’s been doing to address them.
9. LSU Football’s Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. talk their roommates-turned-brothers friendship
In many respects, Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. are just your average college kids. Most weekends consist of hanging out with friends, playing video games and catching fish or frogs out on the lake. That is, unless it’s an LSU football Saturday night. In that case, the roommates are out on the field, likely making school history.
10. First Look at The Queen: Eat your way through Shaq’s Big Chicken, 3 Woks and more dining concepts
Three years in the making, the roughly $80 million transformation of Hollywood Casino into The Queen Baton Rouge was finally revealed in August. Along with the latest in slot machines, table games and sports books, the downtown Baton Rouge attraction features several new dining concepts, including Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken, 3 Woks Noodle Bar and the anchor eatery, 1717, a full-service restaurant with a menu of steaks, seafood and casual shareables in a large space with river views. Here’s a food tour.