“USA 🇺🇸 Louisiana ~New Orleans and Scenic Drive outside the City, to Oak Alley Plantation and More!”

• November 8, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

New Orleans

⬆️ First up, in the morning, was to make a stop at Cafe Du Monde for Coffee and Beignets. It’s practically a requirement when in N’awlins, if you’ve ever been. It’s quite iconic, and the coffee and beignets are so good! There is always a band playing, outside on the sidewalk, so the atmosphere there speaks to how special New Orleans is and how there is no place like her, any other place in America.

Café du Monde is the world’s most famous coffee shop and a New Orleans institution. Found at the end of the French Market and the corner of Jackson Square in New Orleans’ French Quarter, Café du Monde has been serving up their crispy beignets and creamy cafés au lait since 1862.

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Oak Alley Plantation

We chose a tour day, to get inside and around the grounds of the beautiful Oak Alley Plantation. Apparently on Tuesdays, not all plantations are open, Obviously, the history of Oak Alley isn’t beautiful, but since the slaves became free, this turned the grounds back to beautiful, once again.

I was at this same plantation, many years ago, and wanted Daryl to see it. My big plan was for us to take the tour, so neither of us had to drive the hour plus out of the city, and back, plus we could sit back and enjoy the views.
That was the plan, anywayzzz

Oak Alley Plantation’s story began in the early 1800s when Valcour Aime, a prosperous sugarcane planter, acquired the land. Situated along the Mississippi River, this stunning piece of land set the foundation for one of the most iconic plantations in the American South.

Throughout the years, Oak Alley Plantation changed hands multiple times, with each owner leaving their mark. Among successive owners, the most notable were Henry and Marie-Louise St. Amand, who purchased the property in 1859, only to lose it to foreclosure after the Civil War.
Later, Josephine and Andrew Stewart undertook the massive task of restoring the plantation, ultimately preserving it for future generations.

The Greek Revival-style mansion, known today as the Big House, was built between 1837 and 1839 and designed by architect George Swainy. The plantation derived its name from the magnificent double row of 28 oak trees, forming a captivating alley leading to the mansion. These oaks, considered older than the mansion itself, have become a symbol of the plantation.

In 1836, Aime sold the plantation to his brother-in-law, Jacques Telesphore Roman, whose wife, Celina, belonged to the influential French Creole LaBranche family. The Romans played a crucial role in shaping the plantation’s legacy and solidifying its place in Louisiana history.

At its peak, Oak Alley was a sugar plantation home to over 100 enslaved individuals. These people faced immense hardship, laboring tirelessly in the sugarcane fields, performing domestic duties, or utilizing their skills in various trades. Their stories, too often overlooked, are an essential part of Oak Alley’s history.

⬆️ Laundry Vat

⬆️ Slave Housing 

By the time we arrived at Oak Alley, we only had 20 minutes to eat something at the 1900’s era house. It was rat in a rush, or not until after 7pm, much later, after we got back to the city. The restaurant waitress said they could get us Gumbo in that time frame, so Gumbo it was! We also got some Crème Brûlée. It was all delicious!

Then, we had to make a dash to the meeting point of the tour. Can’t be late, or you don’t get to go. We were told 3:10pm DONT BE LATE! So we had to run across the gigantic grounds after eating….The tour started a little after 3:15pm 😜 

Note: Gumbo got its name as a “mixed” recipe from Creole, African and French cooking. Cajon foods are spicy. Creole food is not.
(Gumbo is not spicy).

Following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, many formerly enslaved individuals found themselves trapped in sharecropping arrangements, struggling to pay off debts and secure a better future. Oak Alley Plantation was no exception, as the plantation’s financial decline led to challenging conditions for the people who continued to work the land.

⬆️ Pictures were not allowed, inside. My camera must of “accidentally” gone off.. oops. The story is: The last owner of the plantation, who actually lived here, was quite insulted by Betty Davis, who came for a visit. To “punish” her, Davis was not allowed to take pictures of her plantation home; nor anybody else, after.

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Not Without A Hitch 

As it would be, our plantation tour was almost canceled, within a five-minute window, since the bus driver couldn’t get back in the city, due to a delay on the highway, from what’s called a super-fog condition, on said highway. Perfectly clear one minute and dense fog the next…This created a very dangerous situation, and there were was a fatality! ….but the fog finally cleared and the driver made it back for our tour, with no time to spare. We were late leaving the meeting spot at “The Lighthouse,” but were told; “it shouldn’t be a problem.”

There were only afternoon tours to choose from, unfortunately, so it got way hot by this time of the day. No rain, though, so that was great!

After we got on the highway out of the city, the highway was soon closed, again; this time, due to new overhead lines being installed, causing a detour, which was longer. The bus driver had to call ahead to Oak Alley for them to get us a new tour time, since we would miss our original one. Then, on the way back to the city, after our afternoon, there was a wreck, causing another long delay to get us back in the city.

Once we finally got back to our starting point, around 7pm, Jonah the Bug had a “BOOT” on her.

We couldn’t believe it! There were no signs around, indicating it cost money to park where we did. There were no signs of any kind. Other cars around us, were booted as well. We had to go online to pay a ransom of $110, to get the code to undo the boot. THEN, what to do with the stupid boot, once it was off?….. I ended up calling the non-emergency New Orleans Police Department phone number. We were told, that boot is not our responsibility, after it was off, and advised us to leave it on the sidewalk; which we did and we could finally go back to The Whale. The police officer had never heard of Admiral Enforcement, which was the name on the gigantic sticker, on Jonah’s window. Now we have to decide if we want to pay $50 to lodge a complaint against the booting company and get a hearing. If we win, we get the $50 back, plus the $110. We already know the ticketing time was 12:59 pm, and this was a lie. The tour was late and did not leave till 1:15pm. We we near our VW right up until we loaded the bus. There was no issue, till later. But, the real question is; how legit is this hearing company? That’s what comes to mind, and who’s in bed with who, exactly? This all seems quite scammy to us, and hard to believe it’s legal!  We are definitely out, $110, and don’t trust giving anybody $50 more.

For all the drama, if we could do it over, we would have just driven the Bug, for heavens sake! It would have actually BEEN more relaxing….

Anywho….after parking the bug, we checked-in on time, at “The Lighthouse” as instructed from the online ticket purchase, and waited for our bus to show up. The country ride was quite pretty and interesting. The Sugar Cane farming is still going strong, just as it was during the Plantation era. But now, machines and paid labor do the work.

As we rode to the Oak Alley Plantation, we passed by several other Plantations. Oak Alley is one of the most elegant, but they all have interesting real-life histories.

Almost all of the plantation houses or properties have been used for filming, whether it be commercials, TV series, films, or music videos. Oak Alley, Houmas House, Destrehan, Whitney, St. Joseph (and sister property Felicity Plantation), and Evergreen Plantation have all been used for major American movie or TV productions.

Some popular films and series shot at River Road plantations were Interview with the Vampire, 12 Years a Slave, Primary Colors, The Skeleton Key, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Django Unchained, and the 2016 Roots mini-series. See specific plantation guides below for which movies were shot where.

There are MANY plantations along Louisiana’s River Road, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Louisiana’s River Road parallels the east and west banks of the Mississippi River for about 70 miles (about 100 miles of actual road) through the Louisiana parishes of St. Charles, St. John, and St. James. One can spend weeks visiting them, just like some people would visit lighthouses along the coast. 

Prior to the American Civil War, this river road was lined with approximately 350 antebellum plantation homes, from relatively simple farm houses to grand Versailles-like mansions.

Many early Louisiana plantations grew rice, indigo, or tobacco, but by the mid-nineteenth century the majority were growing sugar cane, which became the most profitable cash crop in the state. Louisiana would become the most wealthy state in the country by the onset of the Civil War, made possible only by the forced hard labor of thousands of slaves who worked at these plantations.

Not surprisingly, the Civil War and the end of slavery left most of the large plantations unprofitable, and many Louisiana plantations slowly declined into states of ruin or were converted into industrial estates.

Today, the River Road reflects both the past and present, winding past bayous, levees, strip malls, oil refineries, sugar cane fields, historic communities, majestic live oaks, and a handful of remaining plantation mansions.

Over a dozen of the plantation homes are open to the public for tours, and all are different so it can be difficult to decide which to visit. Some tours focus on the lives of the owners, some focus on historical furnishings, and one is dedicated to slavery. One is a family owned working sugar cane plantation, one includes 37 buildings listed on the National Register, one allows you to tour with your dog, and one is framed by a famous oak alley. Several have restaurants on the premises and a few offer on-site accommodations.

Photo Dump: From Our Ride to and From Oak Alley Plantation

The Mississippi River water is the fourth cleanest water in the USA 

⬆️ We climbed up the levy to look at the Mississippi River 

⬆️ This little church has around 15 members 

All the different plantations names and information came too fast for me to keep them all straight. I do know the Laura Pantation and The Whitney Plantation are popular tour options, too. 

⬆️ This plantation home got a nickname of  “the whistling walkway.” The slaves had to walk from the outside kitchen across the walkway to serve the meals. The slaves were instructed to whistle as they walked, so they would not sample the food.

⬆️ See the pineapple statue? We were told it was a customary practice in those days, when guests came to the plantations for a visit, pre-civil war era, Pineapple, as a refreshing treat was offered, upon arrival.
Equally, so, when the plantation owners wanted their guest to leave, a whole Pineapple was left in their bedrooms, on the floor at the foot of the bed. 🤣

The Whitney Plantation is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, on the historic River Road in St. John the Baptist Parish, less than an hour west of New Orleans. Today, Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana exclusively dedicated to understanding the facts of slavery. As a Site of Memory, with the focus on the lives of the slaves and their legacies, visitors can experience the world of an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century indigo and sugar plantation through the eyes of the enslaved people who lived and worked here.

Ambroise Heidel (1702–1770), the founder of this plantation, emigrated from Germany to Louisiana with his mother and siblings in 1721. He became a modest farmer, beginning his farm with a single pig for livestock. In 1752, Ambroise Heidel bought the original tract of land of this plantation and became wealthy in planting indigo. His son, Jean Jacques Haydel Sr., transitioned the plantation from indigo to sugar in the early nineteenth century. The Haydel family continued to operate the plantation until the death in 1860 of Marie Azélie Haydel, the daughter-in-law of Jean Jacques Haydel Sr. Her heirs sold the property in 1867 to Bradish Johnson of New York, who named the property after his grandson, Harry Whitney, a writer and Arctic explorer.

Ownership of the land shifted many times, and over time the property fell into disrepair. In 1990, The Formosa Chemical Corporation bought the property with the intention of building the world’s largest rayon factory. After public outcry, Whitney was sold to the Cummings Family of New Orleans. John Cummings, the founder of the Whitney Plantation Museum, and his collaborator, Senegalese historian Ibrahima Seck, wanted to ensure that the property would give a voice to those whose stories were not being told and were at risk of being lost.

One of the most intriguing tours along Louisiana’s River Road is offered by Laura: A Creole Plantation and focuses on the white and black Creole families that lived at this place in the nineteenth century. Built in 1805, this French-Creole style plantation displays some of the exceptional work of the West African slaves that once lived there. In addition to the “big house,” Laura has preserved several of the original slave cabins, once so common, but now incredibly rare. These serve as portals for understanding life in the “quarters.”

Laura is also where American scholar Alcée Fortier, the famed Louisiana historian and folklorist, first recorded the West African stories of Compair Lapin, known today as the Br’er Rabbit stories. First recorded in the 1870s, these stories are virtually indistinguishable from those told to this day in West Africa. The present owners have made good use of the historical record to recreate the sites, sounds, and smells of this lost rural world.

The Laura farmstead is surrounded by fields of sugarcane and boasts eleven historic buildings on the National Register, including the slave cabins where the Compair Lapin stories were recorded.

One of the reasons so many of these plantations survived burning the ground, due to kitchen fires; which happened often, was due to the fact the kitchens were built as a separate building on the grounds,  so when fires occurred, the entire plantation residence did not go up in flames, too.

I learned that the slave selection from West Africa was not random, but selective. Certain tribes were targeted for the skills they possessed. Wood workers, Black Smiths, and good Cooks were a priority. 

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What’s Next

 We will be making our way through Mississippi and Alabama.

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LOUISIANA