We moved into our new digs in New Orleans and the very next morning departed for a day trip to Darrow, LA with my cousin. Just one stop included a massive Great River Road Museum, an authentic southern lunch buffet, and a gorgeous plantation home with lovely gardens.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Seeking the Sun 2023.

Becoming a Favorite

When we come to New Orleans we have two options for accommodations using our timeshare. One is a little closer to the French Quarter, but its “historic” feel also has a more dark and older feel with possible water problems. Just a couple blocks further away is The Marquee, which is beautiful, with a more modern vibe. To me it’s worth the extra steps to get a more updated unit.

The next morning I ventured out on a short walk to a bakery to grab a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to go with our coffee when my cousin arrived around 10am. Shortly after, we left for Houmas House in Darrow. Once we checked in and saw the map of the place, we knew we had some serious exploring to do today and with our not-so-early arrival, we were going to have to hustle!

The Great River Road Museum

A glimpse into the history and life along the Mighty Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

We started at the Great River Road Museum, which was set to close the earliest. It was HUGE with LOTS to see and read about New Orleans’ history – the plantations, battles, music, and the river boats. We could have easily spent the whole day in just the museum, so we could clearly come back for another visit to see all that we missed this time around.

An Eclectic Collection

Wonderful photos, paintings, tapestries, books, and dioramas – all depicting life along the Mississippi in the early days. The last two photos are examples of the extensive information presented about every plantation in the area.

Laura Plantation was one that we visited on our trip just last year. Check out my post for So Long Snow 2022 to see photos of Laura Plantation, as well as a map illustrating the sheer number of plantations that flanked the Mississippi – back when sugar plantations were extremely profitable – when they didn’t have to worry about a little thing called wages for their workers.

“The culture, commerce, folklore and music was a fusion of all the foreign countries that discovered and developed this new territory. From the wealthy owners of great sugar empires, to the humble lives of the enslaved, this museum details how each lived and survived by this powerful body of water.

The Mississippi River has proved to be the most important body of water in the United States. For early explorers, its width and powerful current taunted them as they attempted to cross and explore the other side. For businessmen it proved to be the answer for westward expansion. And for power-hungry leaders it was the cause of war and the prize of many battles.

Conquering the twists, turns and challenges of the Mighty Mississippi resulted in doubling the size of the newly discovered territory. It quickly became the main contributor to the physical and economic growth of what was to become The United States of America.” ~ READ MORE

The Dixie Café

The Dixie Café came along at just the right time and was closing next. Although the buffet was $25, it had a great assortment of traditional Louisiana cuisine and great desserts. The room was beautiful with expansive views of the gardens through its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Houmas House Tour

“Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, The Houmas House Estate allows visitors to experience the life on a sugarcane plantation in the 1800’s. The mansion has been restored to the antebellum era, reflecting the opulence and wealth this sugarcane farm boasted in the 1880’s. The guided mansion tour walks through the 250 year history, showing the architectural evolution of this manor house and how it became a grand estate. Rare and period artwork and artifacts are displayed and used to explain plantation life.” ~ READ MORE

Our one-hour house tour by Sammi (pictured below) was fantastic. She took us through a number of the rooms and told some stories about each.

If you’d like to see the house all dolled-up for the holidays, check out this YouTube video called Christmas at Houmas House. I’d recommend slowing down the playback speed (in the settings) so you don’t have to rush through your own personal tour of this grand house.

A Grand Entrance

Looking out the front is a partially-obstructed view of the levee and many of the property’s gorgeous live oaks. The foyer is painted in the lovely colors of the Louisiana landscape with wild birds in the tall grasses. The ceiling was very soothing with puffy white clouds on a background of beautiful blue sky.

A gorgeous old baby-grand piano was available if anyone wanted to play. I’m very rusty, so I kept my mouth shut tight when Sammi asked for volunteers. I definitely need to brush up on my skills for our next visit, because it would be an experience to play this vintage piano in such a lovely room!

They Loved their Dogs!

Along with lovely stitchery, dog portraits depicted several of their beloved canines. Since they didn’t have children, it was only fitting! Two flanked the doorway to the billiard room, and they even incorporated two into the wall-painting in the front entryway. Speaking of the billiard room, did you catch a glimpse of the lawn dart on the table? That makes our “jarts” from the 60’s look tame – and today’s “even safer” design look lame!

The lovely spiral staircase led us to the upstairs and a bright blue ceiling!

Lights, Camera, Action!

“Houmas House Plantation and Gardens has been a member of the supporting cast in a variety of motion pictures, made-for-television movies, TV series episodes, Soap Opera location shoots, television commercials and a variety of other projects that required consummate plantation visuals.

From Bette Davis to Cicely Tyson, Chevy Chase, James Franciscus, Susan Lucci, and others, Houmas House has complimented the work of stars. With the property restored to its antebellum glory, Houmas House Plantation and Gardens is once again available as a preferred location for film and video projects.” ~ READ MORE for a list

The second and third photos show the bedroom where Bette Davis stayed while shooting Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte in 1964.

The Exterior

One of my favorite parts of the south is the Spanish-moss-laden Live Oaks – which were plentiful at Houmas House! Also notice the bride-to-be on the front porch, and the finally resting places for several of man’s best friends.

The Burnside Oak

Over the years, the land where Houmas House sits has had many occupants, beginning with a thriving Native American community called the Houma. If you’d like to hear more about the history of many of its occupants, please watch the video The Sugar Palace, or visit the link below at the website.

“On a great curve of the Mississippi River and on high ground first selected by the Houma Indians stand the great Tuscan columns of The Houmas. The mighty Mississippi River gave birth to this land over the millennium, creating the fertile lands which became the great fields of sugar cane, cotton, corn, Indigo, tobacco and more. The richness of the land, great forests of cypress, and the abundance of wildlife for hunting attracted settlers in the early 1700’s and eventually into the hands of the Great Sugar Barons in the early 1800’s.” ~ READ MORE

The video and website both speak of one very prominent sugar baron named John Burnside, who built an empire during his tenure in this place. The Burnside Oak, with its history spanning centuries back to the Indians, is the most dominate oak of the front lawn of Houmas. The great Louisiana Live Oak is believed to be well over 300 years old and is pictured below.

A Self-Guided Garden Tour

Once we arrived this morning, we decided while we are here, we may as well see it all! Who knows when we’ll be back in this neck of the woods, and it was the most cost-effective to get the package and pay once. Overall this was a fabulous day and I can’t imagine skipping any one thing, although we definitely did not see enough of the museum and could return to see more.

But the gardens are always a favorite of mine. Once again we jumped the gun on spring and I’m sure it’s even prettier when the beautiful bushes are all bursting with blooms, but this helped us to to concentrate on the sculptures and the structures. OK, maybe we could come back here too – just a little later in the spring.

“This self-paced experience is perfect for families or anyone looking to enjoy the fresh air and the outdoors. The garden enthusiast will enjoy tropical flowers and plants year-round and will appreciate the design and color patterns throughout all 38 acres. Paved walkways are available for the mobility impaired and plenty of sitting nooks are scattered throughout.” READ MORE

Sweet Spot Landing

For a grand finale, we crossed the highway and the levee on a red bridge to see the Mississippi River and the American Heritage River Cruise steamboat that was docked here today. Of course there was a bench, where we could relax and take in the view of the second longest river in North America. The Missouri River (one of its tributaries) is about 100 miles longer.

A Great Day on the Big Muddy

Next up: The Big Easy Revisited

Happy trails,
Barb