New Orleans: Visiting a Southern Plantation

When Laura asked me if I wanted to visit a local Southern Plantation, I smiled real big. You see, visiting a plantation has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I'm fascinated by the grandeur of plantations, as well as the achingly sad history. We visited Houmas House, about a 45 minute drive from New Orleans. This place had over 1,000 slaves and grew sugar cane. 

 The land was surrounded by 300-year old oaks and Spanish Moss. 

The outside was magnificent, and the inside had so many trinkets and antiques original to the home--I was in history heaven!! 

 This map was found rolled up in the attic and plots out all of the plantations in the area.

 And yes, the inside looked like something out of Gone with the Wind, or Interview with the Vampire. Just as I imagined!

 This clock, once owned by Marie Antoinette, passed down ownership to this plantation. 

 The man who made the statue above also designed Mt. Rushmore!

Dueling pistols. 

 Above: Typical "medicines" of the 1800s. Below, the designer of the Confederate Flag once lived here.

 A vampire killing kit (what did I tell you about Interview with the Vampire???). 

 Above: A famous spiral staircase rumoured to be quite haunted. Below: An example of a bedroom.

 Above: A bathtub...we're spoiled now, right? Below: an old horse-hair wig. 

 Scenes from the kitchen...

And this...and old coffee roaster!! Can I have one?!? 

If you're in the New Orleans area, I highly recommend this tour. Houmas House is not the only plantation to choose from; Oak Alley, among others, are also close by. A tour will run you about $25, but if you're a history lover, it's soooooooooo worth it. 

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And with a last splash of history, thus concludes my New Orleans posts--in my opinion, a must-see city in the United States with some of the best food and music you could ever enjoy! "Geaux" to New Orleans!