EBRPL Travel – Page 4 – East Baton Rouge Parish Library InfoBlog

Louisiana Travel Information Map

This map from the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development is a great tool to help you plan your journey, whether it be across town or across the State.

You can see road closures, roadworks, accidents, weather problems and continuously updating traffic cameras. Now you can see how heavy traffic looks before you end unexpectedly sitting in it. This is especially useful now the roads are full of holiday shoppers!

Another useful resource is the City of Baton Rouge Traffic Accident List.

Mango Languages: New Courses!

Our popular language database Mango just got even better! As well as the complete language courses already offered, there are now basic language modules ideal for learning a few words and phrases for a business trip or vacation. Basic courses are available in:

Arabic (Levantine), Chinese (Mandarin), Dari, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Korean, Pashto, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese. Basic English courses are provided for speakers of 14 different languages!

The courses are very user friendly including audio and text. The new basic module slides have background images themed around each language which look great!

You can access Mango from home or in the library. Go to our online databases page, enter your library card number (if outside the library) and you’re on your way!

Historic Places in S.E. Louisiana

Sometimes it can be easy to take for granted some of the fantastic places to visit there are around our region. There are 10 sites on the National Register of Historic Places in East Baton Rouge Parish alone.

List of Southeastern Louisiana sites

On this site from the National Park Service you can find pictures and details of the history of these places. Take a look and see what peaks your interest. The perfect place for an afternoon ride is close by! How many have you visited?

Interactive Map of Places

National Park Service Photos and Virtual Tours

Take a look at the multimedia section of the National Park Service website. They have photo galleries, podcasts, videos, virtual tours and webcams of some of the most amazing scenery in the country. There is such a wide variety of landscapes, topography and natural wonders; there is much to explore with so many parks represented.

The multimedia resources are a good way to learn more about each national park and to help plan a visit, or even if you’re just looking for an amazing desktop wallpaper! There are some interesting looks at our own Louisiana national parks too.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

You know you love Ken Burns’ documentaries. You know you do. So if you just can’t wait until his latest, The National Parks, comes out in September, you can feed your jones with a preview on this site.

Since PBS created the site to complement The National Parks, there are video clips from the program and an interview with Ken Burns himself!

If you’re the one feeling loquacious, you can share your own National Park stories in the “Share your Story” section or check out online chat transcripts from Burns and his colleagues. In the “Spread the Word” area, you can fool your friends — send them virtual Park postcards. Fun!

So avoid impatience — check out America’s Best Idea.

Geobeats Video Travel Guides

Geobeats offers a different spin on travel guides. The site has interesting short videos on travel destinations that are made by local filmmakers and posted online. These videos cover a wide variety of countries offering some great insights and off the beaten path places to visit. Viewers are encouraged to add their own thoughts and experiences.

Geobeats Video Travel Guides

My personal favorite has to be Copenhagen’s Ice Bar. See the video here. After watching some of these videos you’ll definitely be in the mood to travel!

Travel Guides

The weather’s chilly, so now is the perfect time to forget the cold and figure out this year’s vacation plans with our great selection of travel guides. Many of the 2009 editions are in, so get the latest information on places to stay and things to do. Whether your destination is Tennessee or Tibet, we have a guide for you!

Asia and India
Lonely Planet Publications, 2008.

Fodor’s South Africa
Fodor’s Travel Publications, 2008.

Fodor’s Walt Disney World 2009
Fodor’s Travel Publications, 2009.

Frommer’s Australia 2009
Wiley, 2008.

Let’s Go: USA
St. Martin’s Press, 2008.

Rick Steves’ Best of Europe
Westview Press, 2009.