Sunday, April 28, 2024

Everything you need to know about the Houma House Plantation near New Orleans

houmas house

On the heels of the great flood came the Great Depression, which spawned the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The construction of new and higher levees was among the projects that helped create work and wages for people who no longer had the means to support themselves. The little girl in the blue dress does appear to be the figment of someone’s overactive imagination because her presence has been witnessed by many people at Houmas House.

houmas house

Plan Your Visit

She was so knowledgeable and also shared stories that made us laugh. The gardens were amazing and actually were the prettiest we have seen so far. We are on a Mississippi River Boat cruise, and this was one of our stops.

Comments

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. There are actually two beautiful houses on the plantation.

A Guide To Houmas House: A Haunted Louisiana Plantation

Embark On a Journey Along the Mississippi With This River Parish Guide - AL.com

Embark On a Journey Along the Mississippi With This River Parish Guide.

Posted: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

There was also a very large gift shop and a great restaurant on the grounds. Guided mansion tours are offered daily and offer a glimpse of plantation life. Although cupolas are not as common today, they still serve a useful decorative function. Aesthetically, cupolas change the profile of a building by creating a more dynamic roofline. For example, cupolas add variety to low-pitch roofs and single-story homes. And don’t forget to consider garages, sheds, barns, and landscape elements like gazebos or porch roofs when identifying potential locations for a cupola.

You can see the latest prices on their official tour page here. Overall we were very impressed with the Houmas House and cannot wait to visit again someday. After breakfast we toured the Great River Steamboat Museum.

Little Girl Spotted By Houmas House Work Crew

The Houmas House is named after the Houmas indians who were natives of the area back in the 1700’s, when this land was settled. You can read all about the history of Houmas House on the History page of their website. In the Spring of 2003, the Estate of Dr. George Crozat auctioned off the entire contents of the mansion and grounds. Kevin Kelly, a New Orleans Businessman, purchased the mansion and surrounding grounds and began the task of restoring the mansion and gardens. The mansion, having undergone over 200 years of construction and remodeling by various owners, reflected a multitude of styles.

Tour the Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s River Road!

Our tour guide was very informative, sharing life on the plantation in the house, sharing stories of many of the things seen around the home. In April of 1848, there were thirty family members and guests in residence at the Houmas, and just as many servants in the household. There was an abundance of beef and mutton from the plantation, as well as fruits and vegetables from the gardens. The Deluxe Suite is the most luxurious suite of the Inn.

houmas house

Our Experience at Houma House

It sprawled out from the mother tree way over to the building in the distance. Outside, we meandered the sidewalks and took in all the beautiful sights in the garden. The website says that the gardens are built to show off all 4 seasons with indigenous Louisiana plant life.

In 1892, the children transferred all their interests to the Miles Planting Company and William P. Miles was appointed President. The mansion tour was an hour long and there were maybe 12 of us on the tour, so relatively small. The gal who did the tour was very knowledgeable and eager to share. There’s a white tablecloth restaurant too called The Carriage House.

Houmas House, a Hollywood-filming favorite, once was an epicenter of Louisiana’s sugar trade - NOLA.com

Houmas House, a Hollywood-filming favorite, once was an epicenter of Louisiana’s sugar trade.

Posted: Tue, 24 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]

It was impossible to restore the house to a definite period without sacrificing elements from other important periods of its history. The choice was made to select the best features from various periods to showcase a legacy of each family in the mansion. After extensive restorations to the house and grounds, the Houmas re-opened for tours in November of 2003.

Last May a friend who loves old homes as much as I do, took me on a wonderful tour of some of the beautiful historic homes in Louisiana. I took way too many pictures on that trip which is why in February 2015, I’m still sorting through them all. I can’t wait to take you inside Houmas House and I hope to do that very soon. But for today, in pure defiance of this bitter cold weather, we’ll enjoy summer again as we stroll through the beautiful gardens surrounding Houmas House Plantation. This is the Latil’s Landing Restaurant (dinner only, fine dining), which is one of 3 restaurants on the grounds. This one is a really upscale fine dining experience, which would be really fun.

There are a variety of tour / museum packages and combos. The museum provides historical information about life on the Mississippi. After a brief look around we checked into one of the cottages on the property of the Houmas House.

And among those stories are those that include the supernatural. As I soon discovered during my visit, residents of the New Orleans area and all of South Louisiana have a deep sense of heritage that goes back many hundreds of years. The grounds have been updated and really make a gorgeous backdrop to this magnificent house. The walls have a hand painted mural depicting sugar cane fields, appropriate for this home of a Sugar Baron. Stepping inside the entry hall, you get a good look at the expansiveness of this beautiful plantation home. The limbs were pruned and kept from going into the buildings but the sprawl was unreal.

Located near New Orleans, the 250-year-old house is just one of the estates located in Louisiana’s River Parishes that is open to the public. Apparently, when the other Gentlemen were being felled to widen the road, 16 of the workmen schemed to make a profit by floating the huge trees down the river to be milled in New Orleans. The 16 “profiteers” literally sat on the backs of the trees as they floated down the river and in the end, every one of them died.

Two rooms plus a separate bathroom make it spacious and perfect for staying a couple of days. The sofa sleeper folds out to a full size bed in addition to the King size four poster bed. The French doors open into a courtyard shared by other guests, but surrounded by lush gardens. The mansion is completely handicap accessible and each room provides several places to sit throughout the guided tour. If staying in New Orleans and seeking transportation, we suggest renting a car and visiting multiple plantations while seeing Houmas House.

Burnside and Company, the largest dry-goods store in the city of New Orleans. Burnside sold his very lucrative trading and dry goods business in New Orleans for $2,000,000 in 1858. He made the decision to enter the sugar business and began his Sugar Empire with the purchase of Houmas Plantation in 1858 for $1,000,000 dollars. This particular live oak really caught my eye and I can’t even adequately share it here without lots of pics.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Southern California

Table Of Content What should I expect in terms of activities and attractions at a Lantern Festival in California? EVENT DAY INFO Alcohol is ...