Louisiana Things to Do Tips by Helga67

Oak Alley is a splendid Greek Revival mansion. The magnificent oaks that form a canopy over the driveway are 300 years old.
Sometime in the early 1700's, an unknown French settler built a small house on the sight of the present mansion. It was he who planted the twenty-eight live oak trees in two evenly spaced rows, reaching from his house to the Mississippi River. What happened to the Frenchman's small home is not known, but in 1837-1839, a wealthy French sugar cane planter, Juckes Telesphore Roman, built the Greek revival style mansion for his bride. Nowhere in the Mississippi Valley is there such a spectacular setting!

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Address: 3645 LA Hwy. 18, Vacherie
Directions: Near the Mississippi river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Website: www.oakalleyplantation.com

Houmas Plantation was a tract of land along the Mississippi River purchased from the Houmas Indians in colonial times.
The magnificent Greek Revival Mansion was built in 1840 and is furnished with early 19th-century antiques, including a collections of armoires.
An authentically dressed southern belles will guide you through this beautifully restored antebellum home and tell you all about its history.

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Address: 40136 Hwy. 942 (River Road), Darrow
Directions: Near Mississippi river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans
Website: www.houmashouse.com

Don't forget to have a little walk in the lovely garden with moss laden live oaks, some more than 200 years old.

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There are 2 oak trees in the garden that are protected and have a name. The one on the pic is 'John Burnside' named after one of the former owners.

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Nottoway is the largest surviving plantation home in the South. It was built in 1857 by John Hampden Randolph, who amassed a great fortune in sugar. The house has 50 rooms, which were certainly needed, as John Randolph had 11 children. It is said that Nottoway was the first Plantation Home to have a bathroom on the second floor.
The White Ballroom is the most beautiful room in the house. It was the center of all of the Randolph's entertainment activities, with parties, receptions and balls.

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Address: LA Hwy 1, White Castle
Directions: Near Mississippi river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans
Website: www.nottoway.com

During the Civil War the whole area around the Mississippi river was occupied by Union troops. The mansion owes its survival to Mrs. Randolph, the wife of John Randolph who built the mansion. During the
war, a Union gun boat on the Mississippi fired at the house. When Mrs. Randolph appeared on the front gallery, the young captain recognized both her and the house. He had been a guest there before the war. He came ashore and offered her his protection.

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Nottoway is open for public tours, and has bed and breakfast accommodations, a restaurant and a gift shop.

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Franklin is a little town in South Louisiana and a nice stop on your way from New Orleans to Lafayette when you are travelling along the 'Louisiana Scenic Byway'.
The historic commercial corridor, established primarily between Willow and Adams Streets, features turn-of-the-century masonry structures. Many of these are two story buildings with parapeted caps reaching almost three stories. Here it is still possible to shop the old-fashioned way by walking down Main Street. One of the things, we Europeans miss in the States.
At Polito's restaurant (710 Main Street), we had a nice cup of coffee for only 50 cent. They also serve food and are specialized in hamburgers, po-boys, seafood and plate lunches.

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Directions: 90 miles from New Orleans, 70 miles from Lafayette, close to I 90.

Main Street is Franklin's major thoroughfare. Its double road is separated by a median, or "neutral ground" as it is called in South Louisiana. Ornamental lamppost lighting still stands along this boulevard and give you a pretty good idea how life was during the early decades of the twentieth century.

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Many historic homes and antebellum mansions are located along Main Street and some are open to the public year-round.

At the Franklin Tourist Center, 1600 Northwest Boulevard, you can find out more about this town.

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