Plantations in Louisiana

Table Of Content

• Antebellum History: The Story of Houmas House and Oak Alley Plantation
• A Guide To Houmas House: A Haunted Louisiana Plantation
• Houmas House and Gardens
• Visit The Great River Road Steamboat Museum
• Tour the Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s River Road!
• Houmas House Gardens
• Step Back In Time At This Haunted Louisiana Plantation

Each room was amazing to explore and our guide knew so much about everything. Pricing for this experience starts at $100 per person for dinner with the option to add wine pairings and any other upgrades. The slave girl appeared in the breezeway between The General’s Store and the Butler’s Pantry of the mansion. The Houma House Plantation is located at Highway 942, Darrow, Louisiana, which is about an hour’s drive from New Orleans.

Antebellum History: The Story of Houmas House and Oak Alley Plantation

Please support this magazine of trusted historical writing, now in its 75th year, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to American Heritage. Movies that feature Houmas House famously include the 1964 Bette Davis thriller Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, as well as episodes of All My Children, The Bachelor, and Top Chef. By 1803, Houmas House was already a working sugar plantation when it was purchased by Louisiana representative Daniel Clark. Notably, Clark suffered a leg wound on the property in an 1807 dual with governor William C. Claiborne.

A Guide To Houmas House: A Haunted Louisiana Plantation

The museum has so much to see and learn about be sure to plan to spend a few hours to be able to see everything. The next morning we started our our day with breakfast at the Dixie Cafe. She did a wonderful job sharing all the history and answering all the questions we had. The food was delicious, they offer a mix of New Orleans style food, seafood and more. Some of our favorite parts were the oriental gardens and the sculptures gardens.

Houmas House and Gardens

Each menu is updated seasonally to reflect the availability of locally grown produce, providing a true farm-to-table experience. Both tourists and locals enjoy the quaint feeling of the intimate settings each restaurant and The Turtle Bar provide. It’s easy to imagine dining in the 1830’s when using exact replicas of the original china used by General Wade Hampton. Reservations are required for Latil’s Landing and suggested for The Carriage House Restaurant. The historic plantation now includes 38 acres of one of the South’s most beautiful gardens, as well as three restaurants and a luxury Inn. When I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful River Road antebellum mansion, I had no idea I was going to be touring a haunted Louisiana plantation house and its grounds.

Stories of slaves come to life on Louisiana plantations - The Dallas Morning News

Stories of slaves come to life on Louisiana plantations.

Posted: Fri, 17 Apr 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Visit The Great River Road Steamboat Museum

At the age of twelve or thirteen, he somehow managed to obtain passage to America, with only a few pennies in his pocket. He began his young career in the grocery house of Talbot Jones in Baltimore. He quickly excelled, became a junior partner, and moved to Roanoke. John Burnside and Oliver Beirne, Andrew Beirne’s son, were the same age and matured together in Mr. Beirne’s business, becoming very close friends, a friendship that lasted through the years. John Burnside arrives in New Orleans with Oliver Beirne in 1837 to open a dry goods store named Beirne and Burnside. After the death of Andrew Beirne in 1845, Oliver returned to Virginia to manage the family interests and the business Beirne and Burnside became J.

Tour the Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s River Road!

In 1882, Oliver enlisted his son-in-law, William Porcher Miles (widower of Elizabeth Beirne, Oliver’s daughter) to manage his Louisiana Estates. In 1888, at the age 77, he died in New Orleans, leaving as estate valued at over five million dollars. The Houmas was inherited by his five grandchildren, the children of William Porche Miles. In 1892, the children transferred all their interests to the Miles Planting Company and William P. Miles was appointed President. Sometimes called “Burnside Plantation” after its location, or simply referred to as “The Houmas,” this 10-acre spread draws its name from the native Houma people who once resided in the New Orleans area. The plantation features a main house completed in 1840 along with eight other structures.

Visiting Houmas House Plantation, LA: A Stunning Property

Houmas House restaurants shift chefs, management - 225 Baton Rouge

Houmas House restaurants shift chefs, management.

Posted: Wed, 15 Jul 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Each room is complete with a single king or queen size bed or double queen beds, luxurious bathrooms, and a porch to enjoy the view. The land on the banks of the Mississippi was originally purchased in 1830 to establish a sugarcane plantation. The mansion, which was completed in 1839, was also the location where prized Centennial pecan trees were developed by an enslaved gardener. The iconic Greek Revival home is distinguished by 28 Doric columns, one for each tree in the allée. The grounds also include formal gardens, a blacksmith shop, and a cemetery. Despite extensive investigation, the exact chronology and early building history of Houmas House remain unknown.

Hwy 22 bends to the right in a long arc before you come to the light at LA HWY 44. Turn left on Hwy 44 and proceed a short distance to the River Road. Turn right at the levee and look for the entrance to Houmas House Plantation and Gardens parking area, about half a mile down the road just at the end of the white fence that spans the front of the property.

Step Back In Time At This Haunted Louisiana Plantation

In June 1807, Clark and territorial Governor William C. C. Claiborne fought a duel on the property, in which Claiborne sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. If you don’t feel like walking, you can do a small group haunted history carriage tour and let the horse do all of the work. This haunted Louisiana plantation house features a 125-foot long veranda, which is well known for its ornamental ironwork. It also has a stained glass entrance that was hand-painted, etched and patterned after the French cross to ward off evil. At this point in time, only a caretaker and his wife lived on the Houmas House property because the plantation was out of the sugarcane business. (The couple lived in what is now used as the plantation’s Bridal Cottage).

The Carriage House offers fine dining on the property in a beautiful room filled with historical artifacts and decor. Despite the national economic depression and decline in plantation life, “The Gentlemen” stood as a reminder of a more opulent time. The 24 stately trees leading from the river to the house continued to stand guard and provide cooling breezes. John Burnside was born in Tyrone County, Ireland around 1810 of a poor family.

The Crown Jewel of Louisiana's River Road features antiques and Louisiana artwork, three award-winning restaurants, gardens, ponds and oaks. Guided mansion tours are offered daily and offer a glimpse of plantation life. A collection of boutique wines have been selected to accompany our Nouvelle Louisiane Menus. The Wine Cellars at Houmas House are as unique as the Plantation itself. Unique bottle holders are attached to the masonry walls, allowing each label to be read without having to touch the bottle. The white wine cellar is also home to our selection of fine champagnes, it is kept at exactly 56 degrees F.

Dixie Café, located inside The Great River Road Museum, serves breakfast and lunch daily, and dinner with live music every Friday night. This casual restaurant offers counter service with a full breakfast and lunch buffet. It was during the 1890’s that the Miles Family enlarged the mansion by connecting the 1829 mansion to the French House, to the rear. The carriageway was created between the two buildings and two additional bedrooms and a center hall were added to the 2nd floor of the mansion. In 1899, at the age of 77, William Porcher Miles died, and the Houmas Estate and Company was inherited by William P. Miles, Jr., and his sisters.