February 28, 2017

Destrehan, Louisiana: Destrehan Plantation; things to do

Destrehan Plantation  

13034 River Road, in DESTREHAN, (877) 453-2095, (985) 764-9315. 

The oldest documented plantation in lower Mississippi, this fully restored property dates to 1787.  Destrehan Plantation started as an indigo plantation, and then in 1804 became the largest sugar plantation in the area.  A 10-minute video viewed in the brick-wall and brick–floor Cooling Room orients visitors for the 1-hour guided tour of the Big House—which began as a French Colonial in the 1790s, but was later remodeled into a Greek Revival--after which visitors can explore on their own.  Costumed guides, who refer to themselves as “interpreters of history,” interpret the legacy of the Destrehan family and point out the unique architectural features of their home, which being a country house was not so grand.  But though it had sparse furnishings, it was clean and well maintained. 

The focus here is on stories, so you’ll learn about the French family whole lived here, as well as about Marguerite--the cook and laundress slave born in 1740.  You’ll also see an original document signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.  Period craft demonstrations occur daily and include open-hearth cooking, indigo dyeing, sugar-cane processing, weaving, 1780s carpentry, and African-American herbal remedies.  

Big House at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
Big House at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana


240-year-old live oak tree at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
240-year-old live oak tree at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana


costumed guide at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
costumed guide at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana


bedroom at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
bedroom at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana


bathroom at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
bathroom at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana


detail from painting at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
detail from painting at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana


demo of 1780s carpentry at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana
demo of 1780s carpentry at Destrehan Plantation in Destrehan, Louisiana



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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

February 23, 2017

Wallace, Louisiana: Whitney Plantation; things to do

Whitney Plantation  

5099 River Rd./Hwy. 18, in WALLACE, (225) 265-3300. 

Dedicated now to telling the story of slavery, this former indigo, then sugar plantation is on the National Register of Historic Places.  The focus at Whitney Plantation is on the lives of the plantation’s slaves in the 1830s and the story is told through their eyes.  The tour is mostly outside and begins with a memorial site where names are etched into shiny granite walls.  This spot is meant to be a place to contemplate and grieve, and it records the names of 107,000 people held in bondage in Louisiana from 1719 to 1820.  Another area known as The Field of Angels memorializes the 2,200 children who died in this parish.

memorial overview at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
memorial overview at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


memorial plus guide at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
memorial plus guide at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


memorial name detail at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
memorial name detail at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


memorial picture and name detail at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
memorial picture and name detail at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


During the walking tour, visitors see both the last surviving example of a French Creole barn and the oldest detached kitchen in Louisiana.  The Big House is considered the earliest and best-preserved raised Creole cottage in Louisiana and is furnished with era pieces, but it is in great need of repairs and access is poor.  All of these structures were built by slaves.

Big House at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
Big House at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


slave cabin with child sculptures at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
slave cabin with child sculptures at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


A picturesque small church with a tall steeple was moved here from across the river.  It is now populated with child sculptures, by Woodrow Nash, that represent slaves who were freed and whose stories are told here.   

exterior of church at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
exterior of church at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana


child sculptures by Woodrow Nash, inside church at Whitney Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana
child sculptures by Woodrow Nash, inside church at Whitney Plantation
in Wallace, Louisiana




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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

February 21, 2017

Edgard, Louisiana: Evergreen Plantation; things to do

Evergreen Plantation  

4649 River Rd./Hwy. 18, in EDGARD, (985) 497-3837. 

One of the largest and most intact plantation complexes in the South, Evergreen Plantation is still a working sugarcane plantation.  It has 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.  Most are antebellum, and 22 rare slave cabins in original double-row configuration are included.  People still live and work here.  As you tour the grounds, don’t miss a stroll through an allée of moss-draped 100- to 200-year-old live oaks.  Historically, indigo was the first crop on this plantation, then came sugar cane and some rice.  Still a private residence, the main house was originally French Creole style, then remodeled to Greek Revival.  No furnishings are original to the house, and currently it is furnished with no particular style.  It was prominently featured in the 2012 movie “Django Unchained,” and parts of the new 2016 version of “Roots,” starring Forest Whitaker, were filmed in the kitchen.  

live oak allee at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana
live oak allee at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana


plantation house at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana
plantation house at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana


slave cabins at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana
slave cabins at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana


gigantic tree at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana
gigantic tree at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana




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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

February 16, 2017

Vacherie, Louisiana: Laura Plantation + B&C Seafood; things to do + restaurant review

Laura Plantation  

2247 River Rd./Hwy. 18, in VACHERIE, (888) 799-7690, (225) 265-7690.  Guided tours daily 10am-4pm; $20.  No lodging. 

Based on 5,000 pages of documents from the French National Archives that are related to both the free and enslaved families who lived on this centuries-old sugar cane farm, and also incorporating original resident Laura’s own book “Memories of the Old Plantation Home,” the tour at Laura Plantation features professional guides who share compelling, real-life accounts of seven generations of Creole inhabitants.  This plantation has the largest collection of family artifacts original to a Louisiana plantation.  Life here wasn’t all hoopskirts and mint juleps or convoluted relationships and intrigue.  Here it was Creole-style austere.  For instance, by tradition marriage was proposed with a fan, not a diamond ring.  Twelve buildings are on the National Register, and many are 19th-century Creole-style that are raised off the ground on square brick pillars while others are 210-year-old West African bricks-between-posts construction.  Built in 1805 and situated on a fault line with a natural ridge high point, this site never flooded.  The property has a tropical feel, with palm trees and a banana forest that is sometimes shriveled and dry from cold winter weather.  The west-African stories that inspired “Tales of Brer Rabbit” were originally recorded in this region and are thought to have been originated in cabins here.

Laura Plantation store in Vacherie, Louisiana
Laura Plantation store in Vacherie, Louisiana


cat's-eye view from plantation house at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
cat's-eye view from plantation house at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana

 
dry banana forest at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
dry banana forest at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


19th-century Creole-style out building that is raised off the ground on square brick pillars, at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
19th-century Creole-style out building that is raised off the ground
on square brick pillars, at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


out building at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
out building at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


portraits of former residents at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
portraits of former residents at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


portrait of former resident at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
portrait of former resident at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana

 
crawfish mound at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
crawfish mound at Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana



B&C Seafood  

2155 River Rd./Hwy. 18, (225) 265-8356, in VACHERIE.  M-Sat 11am-4:30pm. 

Located right next door to Laura Plantation, so close that you can easily walk on over, B&C Seafood provides some of the area's best Cajun and Creole seafood.  According to one regular, it is “the only restaurant in the state of Louisiana that serves Alka-Seltzer for dessert.”  Diners pass through the fish market in front to reach the large dining room in back.  Fried plate lunches are primo and include combos—I had catfish, prawns, and particularly delicious hushpuppies—and the menu also offers fried alligator, boudin balls, stuffed potatoes, gumbo, po-boys, and plenty more. 

exterior of B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
exterior of B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


fish market at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
fish market at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


fresh crawfish at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
fresh crawfish at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


dining room at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
dining room at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


owner of B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
owner of B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


Abita root beer at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
Abita root beer at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


salad at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
salad at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana


fried combo at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana
fried combo at B&C Seafood in Vacherie, Louisiana





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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

February 14, 2017

Vacherie, Louisiana: Oak Alley Plantation; things to do + restaurant review

Oak Alley Plantation  

3645 River Rd./Hwy. 18, in VACHERIE, (800) 442-5539.  Tours 9-5; $10.  Lodging $104-$135, includes breakfast. 

This exceptional property is entered from the river road through a dramatic, and much-filmed, quarter-mile alley tree tunnel of 300-year-old oak trees (there are 28 of them spaced 80 feet apart in two equal rows).  Movies filmed here at Oak Alley Plantation include “The Long Hot Summer,” “Interview with the Vampire,” and “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” as well as Beyonce’s “Déjà Vu” music video.  The house tour tells about the Romans family that built the plantation.  Outside, a self-guided tour continues through the “Slavery at Oak Alley” exhibit.  Spread through six cabins, it provides insight into the lives and importance of those who were enslaved here.  Also of special interest are The Sugarcane Theater, which shows a short video explaining how sugarcane is processed into sugar, and a Blacksmith Shop with an 1800s-era forge and live demonstrations.

oak tree alley at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
oak tree alley at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


dining room in plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
dining room in plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


reading belle in plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
reading belle in plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


children's bedroom in plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
children's bedroom in plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation
in Vacherie, Louisiana


slave cabin at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
slave cabin at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


Housed in a 19th-century cottage, Oak Alley Restaurant serves a particularly tasty breakfast enhanced by what must be the very best beignets around. 

best beignets around in restaurant at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
best beignets around in restaurant at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana




Both new and century-old cottages are available on the outskirts of the property to spend the night in.  Breakfast in the restaurant is included. 

guest cottages at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana
guest cottages at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana


 
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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

February 9, 2017

Darrow, Louisiana: Houmas House Plantation and Gardens; things to do + restaurant review + hotel review

Houmas House Plantation and Gardens  

40136 River Road/Hwy. 942, in Darrow, (225) 473-9380, (225) 473-7841.  Tours daily 9am-7pm. 

Once part of a sugar cane farm, this grand Greek revival plantation home began as a three-room cottage.  Houmas House Plantation and Gardens is now known for the 40 acres of magnificent gardens that surround it, and something is always in bloom.  Sugar kettles, converted into small ponds, dot the premises.  Giant oak trees in front channel breezes into the house.  Allow time to stroll the gardens before or after your house tour led by a costumed tour guide who describes the plantation’s unique history, people, and culture.

garden fountain at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
garden fountain at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana



drum bridge at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
drum bridge at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


The art and antique furnishings here are posh and spectacular, and a few are original to the house.  Highlights include a striking mural in the mansion's entry, which was painted by the head groundskeeper--who is also a talented artist and runs The Art Noir gallery on-site.

costumed guide by interior grand staircase Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
costumed guide by interior grand staircase Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


detail of contemporary mural at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
detail of contemporary mural at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens
in Darrow, Louisiana


A gold clock that once belonged to Marie Antoinette and then Napoleon now resides on the mantle,

antique gold clock at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
antique gold clock at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


and a 68-pound solid-silver rendering of Abraham Lincoln made by American sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who also chiseled the giant heads at Mt. Rushmore, sits calmly in the drawing room (don’t miss your chance to rub his nose for good luck).

silver sculpture of Abraham Lincoln at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
silver sculpture of Abraham Lincoln at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens
in Darrow, Louisiana


And an original Gauguin graces a wall.

Gauguin painting at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
Gauguin painting at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


painting at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
painting at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


Plus, upstairs you’ll see the bed where Bette Davis slept while filming “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte” here, as well as a vampire slaying kit from the collection of author Anne Rice.

the Bette Davis bed at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
the Bette Davis bed at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


The Carriage House restaurant is a splendid room.  Sitting in it is divine, and the food matches the surroundings.  Afternoon tea is served, and you can enjoy a casual but elegant dinner here.  My own meal was a bland local seafood gumbo with a potent French martini cocktail and a soft white-chocolate bread pudding ending.

Carriage House restaurant at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
Carriage House restaurant at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens
in Darrow, Louisiana


gumbo at Carriage House restaurant at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
gumbo at Carriage House restaurant at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens
in Darrow, Louisiana


An annex near the kitchen features taxidermy animal heads galore.

room with taxidermy heads at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
room with taxidermy heads at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens
in Darrow, Louisiana


Tucked at the other end of this restaurant, behind a giant 600-year-old live oak tree that has been struck by lightning several times, the cozy Turtle Bar is the perfect spot for a before or after dinner drink.  Also, Cafe Burnside is open daily for lunch and Sunday brunch, and in the Old French House, Latil’s Landing, offers fine dining dinners. 

Turtle Bar at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
Turtle Bar at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


New cottages are situated sort of like the slave quarters were on plantations in times past--always in two rows, always on the outskirts of the property.  Built in 2012, The Inn at Houmas House is a collection of 6 luxuriously appointed cottage buildings with 21 rooms situated along a 300-year-old allee of ancient oaks.  Exteriors feature Doric columns and mimic planters' homes of the 1800s, and guests are provided rocking chairs so they can sit on their shaded porch and enjoy a gentle breeze off the Mississippi River.  A mixture of antiques and modern amenities decorated the attractive guest rooms, and each has a unique theme.  Bell service and transportation around the property is handled with golf carts.  Two complimentary house-tour tickets are included with each guest room.

cottage at Inn at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
cottage at Inn at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


guest room at Inn at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana
guest room at Inn at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana


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images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

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