I had two vacation days I had to use before August 31, or I'd lose them, so Mom and I went to visit her friend in Denham Springs, Louisiana. After that, we went up to St. Francisville to stay at the 3V Tourist Court motor hotel (built 1930) and see some seriously old houses.
It was such a good trip, we've decided we're going to go back, probably over Thanksgiving, since we never do anything for Thanksgiving. We couldn't possibly see it all in the day and a half we had.
The 3V is an odd experience. You have to call the guy's cell phone to make a reservation, and then you have to call him again so you can check in, which you do at the Magnolia Café, which is located on the same lot. That means, though, that you have to get there before the café closes. Mom and I thought it was just fine, but if you're the type who expects a normal hotel experience, with staff on call and fresh towels every time you turn around, you might want to stay at the Magnuson or one of the b&b's.
St. Francisville is a very old town; a lot of the houses date from the first decades of the nineteenth century. It's also home to a lot of historic plantation homes, including The Myrtles (1796/1832), Oakley Plantation (1805), and Rosedown Plantation (circa 1840), and some others. We took tours of Oakley and The Myrtles. Oakley is a historic site and the tour is really good. The Myrtles is a private B&B and the tour, alas, was easily the most ill-informed and blatantly commercial I've ever taken. (A better account can be found at Ghosts of the Prairie.)
We also passed Parlange Plantation (circa 1750. Yes, you read that correctly), or at least a sign to it, in Point Coupée Parish on the way home. It's privately owned but apparently tours can be arranged.
I don't have all my pictures uploaded yet, but they'll be in their various Flickr sets.
It was such a good trip, we've decided we're going to go back, probably over Thanksgiving, since we never do anything for Thanksgiving. We couldn't possibly see it all in the day and a half we had.
The 3V is an odd experience. You have to call the guy's cell phone to make a reservation, and then you have to call him again so you can check in, which you do at the Magnolia Café, which is located on the same lot. That means, though, that you have to get there before the café closes. Mom and I thought it was just fine, but if you're the type who expects a normal hotel experience, with staff on call and fresh towels every time you turn around, you might want to stay at the Magnuson or one of the b&b's.
St. Francisville is a very old town; a lot of the houses date from the first decades of the nineteenth century. It's also home to a lot of historic plantation homes, including The Myrtles (1796/1832), Oakley Plantation (1805), and Rosedown Plantation (circa 1840), and some others. We took tours of Oakley and The Myrtles. Oakley is a historic site and the tour is really good. The Myrtles is a private B&B and the tour, alas, was easily the most ill-informed and blatantly commercial I've ever taken. (A better account can be found at Ghosts of the Prairie.)
We also passed Parlange Plantation (circa 1750. Yes, you read that correctly), or at least a sign to it, in Point Coupée Parish on the way home. It's privately owned but apparently tours can be arranged.
I don't have all my pictures uploaded yet, but they'll be in their various Flickr sets.
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