Which plantation to visit in Louisiana/Mississippi?
Feb 7th, 2019, 12:41 AM
#3
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Oak Alley and Laura are both excellent, very different from each other, and not far away from each other. I’d make this a half day trip twofer. It’s also available as a half day tour excursion out of New Orleans.
Nottoway is also excellent.
Nottoway is also excellent.
Feb 7th, 2019, 12:40 PM
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I've been to both Laura and Oak Alley the same day, they are pretty close together. We drove our car but there are tours if you don't want to drive there. The two days we were in Natchez we were not able to tour a plantation, it was early spring and a lot of home and garden tours were in the area and had most places pretty well booked out.
Feb 7th, 2019, 03:42 PM
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I've been to several plantations in that area - Laura and Houmas House were my favorites.
Laura is a Creole plantation, so it is more representative of the plantations that were common in southern Louisiana. A lot is known about the family, and so the tour feels very personal. The tour includes stories of the enslaved people who were owned by the family. There are several outbuildings that are restored as well as the main house, including slave quarters. If I were going to visit one plantation, this would be it.
https://www.lauraplantation.com/
Houmas House is another very interesting plantation to visit. The main house was built over 3 different time periods, so architecturally it is quite good. The house is decorated impeccably and the gardens are wonderful. They employ really good guides who know their history - you can tell that they aren't just parroting a canned presentation.
https://houmashouse.com/
I actually didn't enjoy Oak Alley all that much. The alley of oaks is amazing, of course, but the house and the tour left me kind of cold. The tour was pretty rushed and basic.
Laura is a Creole plantation, so it is more representative of the plantations that were common in southern Louisiana. A lot is known about the family, and so the tour feels very personal. The tour includes stories of the enslaved people who were owned by the family. There are several outbuildings that are restored as well as the main house, including slave quarters. If I were going to visit one plantation, this would be it.
https://www.lauraplantation.com/
Houmas House is another very interesting plantation to visit. The main house was built over 3 different time periods, so architecturally it is quite good. The house is decorated impeccably and the gardens are wonderful. They employ really good guides who know their history - you can tell that they aren't just parroting a canned presentation.
https://houmashouse.com/
I actually didn't enjoy Oak Alley all that much. The alley of oaks is amazing, of course, but the house and the tour left me kind of cold. The tour was pretty rushed and basic.
Feb 12th, 2019, 01:25 PM
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Mar 3rd, 2019, 09:25 AM
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We visited Laura
Thank you all for your replies to my question about which plantation to visit. We went to Laura and were very happy with our choice. We live in Charleston so are used to seeing grand oaks and can go to Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation, and Boone Hall easily. Laura was different--casual in comparison. Our guide was excellent, and I would recommend this as a place to visit.
We actually were depressed by our trip to New Orleans. Maybe we're spoiled by the beauty and food of Charleston. What stood out to us was the overt drunkeness on the streets, the children wandering alone at night, and the homelessness. A woman squeezed me into a narrow space and then hit me with her cane when I wouldn't give her money. On Magazine Street, in the afternoon. People banging on drums with no attempt at actual drumming but still with a tip jar out. The highlight of our trip was the excellent WWII museum, although it was of course depressing with its explanation of what the military and the civilians endured. Then the Katrina museum, and the slavery at the plantation. We left Nola with heavy hearts, but not because our vacation was over.
We actually were depressed by our trip to New Orleans. Maybe we're spoiled by the beauty and food of Charleston. What stood out to us was the overt drunkeness on the streets, the children wandering alone at night, and the homelessness. A woman squeezed me into a narrow space and then hit me with her cane when I wouldn't give her money. On Magazine Street, in the afternoon. People banging on drums with no attempt at actual drumming but still with a tip jar out. The highlight of our trip was the excellent WWII museum, although it was of course depressing with its explanation of what the military and the civilians endured. Then the Katrina museum, and the slavery at the plantation. We left Nola with heavy hearts, but not because our vacation was over.
