The Surge
Six tables on a weeknight, and a ladder that runs for weeks in Baton Rouge
A city magazine maps the groups, library tables and a downtown studio that have grown up around the game in Louisiana's capital region.
The September 2026 issue of 225 Magazine finds six tables in play at Greystone Country Club in Denham Springs, run by Mahj in the City GBR, one of a growing number of mahjong groups across the Baton Rouge area. Writer Maggie Heyn Richardson reports that co-founders Dawn Birdsong and Jennifer Doughty also run the Bambird Scramble, a ladder competition where players opt into matches over several weeks. Birdsong told the magazine one player said she went from a lonely existence "to having 200 friends."
For players who want a free table, the magazine lists weekly open play with mats and tiles available at the South, Main and Jones Creek branches of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Dates and times are posted in the library newsletter and online.
The article also profiles The Mahjong House on St. Charles Street downtown, which opened in 2024 and offers lessons, events and a stay-and-play option paired with vacation rentals, plus Mahj Central, which started in 2025. OOTT is not affiliated with any group or business named here and does not sell sets or mats.