Houmas House Plantation & Gardens is a beautiful historic plantation in Darrow, LA, on the Mississippi River. See the link above for history and more information.
The plantation was established in the 1700's and the house was completed in 1840.
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| Front façade of Houmas House |
Once known as "The Sugar Palace" it at one time farmed tens of thousands of acres of sugarcane and was the largest sugar producer in the country. As was the time, the labor was provided by slaves.
The Greek revival mansion has been completely restored. The furnishings are of the period, but not original.
The property has changed hands many times over the years. The current owner has restored and enhanced both the mansion and the gardens.
The oak trees out front used to go all the way to the Mississippi River. Now the levee cuts off the view and many of the oaks were removed to make way for progress.
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| The Oak Alley |
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| Spanish moss hangs on the oaks. |
We did the guided tour of the mansion and found it interesting and informative. Much of the mansion is open to the tour.
There are restaurants, a bar, a gift shop and an inn on site also.
The gardens are varied. There is an area of desert plants, a Japanese tea pavilion above a waterfall, a kitchen garden, ponds and vast expanses of lawn and old oaks.
It was well worth the entrance fee to visit the gardens.
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| Desert garden |
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| Oaks & Agaves |
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| Sugar was boiled in the metal basin. |
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| Spanish moss |
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| The back of the mansion. |
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| When pigs fly! |
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| Lots of "Little Friends" in the garden. |
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| Tea Pavilion |
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| Tillandsia |
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| Kitchen Garden |
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| Nice ass! |
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| Ring around the Gnome |
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| The Garçonnière |
Dripping with southern charm...nice visit.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a lovely mansion. I love all of the bromeliads out in the open (mine have to stay undercover in winter) - that Garçonnière is something else again! Sure beats the bachelor 'shed' or workshop that most of us have in the backyard :-)
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