I’ve had the pleasure of visiting an old plantation near Charleston years ago and while we were in New Orleans for our long visit, my sister and I went to Vacherie, LA to check out Oak Alley Plantation, an antebellum mansion.  It was such an interesting place and we enjoyed every minute of our beautiful day there. Old South sugar plantations like this that date back before the Civil War are just fascinating to see. I’ve seen movies from the Old South and this just brings it alive even more.
By the way, here are just a few of the movies and entertainment videos that have been filmed at the plantation, along with other media coverage:
Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Nightrider (1978)
The Long Hot Summer (1985)
Interview with the Vampire (1993)
Primary Colors (1997)
Beyonce Videos (2006)
The 300 year old canopy of Virginia Live oak trees (or alley) of Oak Alley plantation are a quarter mile long and were planted in the early 1700’s by an unknown settler. The 28 oaks were inducted into the Live Oak Society in 1995 and each tree was registered and given a name. The house was built in 1836 by Jaques Roman, a wealthy sugar planter who lived in New Orleans and built the plantation for his wife, Celina. Here’s a fascinating bit of this tour. The house is said to have been designed by Celina’s father, Gilbert Joseph Pilie (pronounced Pil-ee-a) and this is of special note to our family, since Lauren married a Pilie from New Orleans. They know for sure that Gilbert Joseph is a relative and all of them are related. How about that?
There have been several owners since then and in 1972 the Oak Alley Foundation was formed by the last owner, Josephine Stewart and she set it up so that it would be taken care of and it was opened to the public as a tourist attraction. They have corporate events, weddings, private parties and more at Oak Alley these days. You can take a self-guided walking tour of the sugar plantation grounds and see replicas of the 20 slave cabins that once stood behind the house. They’ve been rebuilt to size and inside is lots of information about how the plantation was run and the slaves that were here during those pre-Civil war days. Showing the daily life of the slaves, these exhibits cover health care, punishment, and life after emancipation. The plantation ran with slaves from 1835 until the end of the Civil War, 1865.
The large Greek Revival house of Oak Alley Plantation.
Isn’t she grand?
A sidewalk was built going from the main road to the house. This is looking back towards the road.
The 300 year old Virginia Live oaks are something to see, their twisted and gnarly branches dipping to the earth.
The back side of Oak Alley plantation house.
The trees and vegetation on the property are just beautiful. We took our time walking around and it was a perfect sunshine day.
The rebuilt slave quarters which had deteriorated over the years.
Very fascinating to read about the slaves who were housed here before the Civil War. Of course, we all know that slavery is a horrible thing that we did here in the US, but it is part of our Southern history.
Slave quarters.
Inside the cabins, there is clothing displayed showing what they wore.
Artifacts and other plantation instruments are in displayed in the cabins.
Enslavement, identity and dress.
Tools used on the sugar plantation.
You know what this is, right? Outhouses were prevalent, I’m sure. I’ve used my share of these over the years. They seem to have been all over the South way back in the day. No, we didn’t have one of these at our house, but I’ve used them in rustic situations in the mountains.
A winding paved sidewalk connects all the houses to the parking area and the Big House.
View of the back of the Big House.
One side of the Big house.
I did some fashion photos here and you can see how big these doors are.
Inside the big foyer, I joined a large group for our guided tour.
Look at the main staircase.
The molding and millwork in the house is just spectacular.
A peek into the living room.
The guides are dressed in period costumes and this young lady was very good and informative.
Some of the period pieces around the house.
The large dining room was something to see. What a table!
She explained that during dinner, one of the slaves would come in and using a pulley system, pull this big fan over the table, moving it back and forth to keep the air circulating and the flies away from the table.
She demonstrated a fly catcher jar on the table. They would be attracted and fall into the water.
Table settings and the fly catcher jar.
One of the large fireplaces in the house.
More molding.
Such chunky millwork and details all over the house. They really built homes with lots of details back then.
One of the bedrooms in the house.
These rooms were large and had plenty of furniture.
The nursery.
Sweet daybed.
The master bedroom was so big and spacious.
A beautiful chandelier hanging in the master.
The master bed. They lived very well back then, didn’t they?
Another view of the master bedroom. Check out the old plank floors.
Oh, the things this house has experienced and seen over the years.
A lady’s pink bedroom.
With twin beds and canopies.
From the top balcony, you can see the canopy of trees well.
Peeking down below at my sister and baby Parker. She’s learned how to wave now and it’s SO cute. She steals our heart!  We couldn’t take the stroller inside, so when Parker got loud, she took her out. She loves her stroller when she’s moving and seeing things.
A view of the gardens.
Upstairs porch that wraps around the house. Can you imagine the upkeep on this house?
One last room, the office in the house.
When we got to the plantation, it was almost lunch time, so we ate a nice lunch in the restaurant.
They were all decorated for Mardi Gras.
I hope you enjoyed tagging along with me to Oak Alley Plantation. I would highly recommend going and checking it out if you are in the area. It’s about an hour from New Orleans and easy to get to. It also sits on the river, but we didn’t get close to the river to see that part. It’s an amazing place and I love seeing Southern history preserved like this.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful place. I have been to the craft show they hold I believe twice a year. History is what it is and we can do nothing about it. The past is over. I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
A beautiful place with fascinating history. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I think the best thing about your blog is the way the love you have for your parents comes shining through. Your Dad is amazing and you are so blessed to still have him. Keep him busy! That is so important for our elderly. You can tell he is needed and loved!
Rhoda,
It is unfortunate that any of your readers would lodge a personal attack based on unsubstantiated charges of racism. Oak Alley is part of our country’s history, a history that includes revered sites such as Mount Vernon and Monticello. Both of those sites were home to slaves and to presidents. To dismiss the unique architectural value of Oak Alley would be foolhardy. To ignore its blighted history would be shortsighted. You covered both topics with excellent photographs, and with your usual positive commentary.
The overwhelming majority of comments support the value of your post. It is disappointing that a rotten apple turned up today, but rest assured, it won’t spoil the rest of your readers. Speaking strictly for myself, it is perfectly fine to delete the comments of the obviously jealous, petty, and mean spirited in the future.
Thanks for sharing Oak Alley, and keep writing from your heart.
I really enjoyed this post and seeing all the details of the plantation. Visiting a plantation is on my travel wish list so I had an armchair visit with you. The picture of your neice and the baby waving is precious.
What a lovely house! Louisiana has so many. If you get a chance you should take a trip down the Old River Road. Many plantation houses.
My daughter attended a convention in NOLA two years ago and invited me to join her. While she was busy, I took a bus tour of Oak Alley and Laura Plantations. I have traveled all over the world and I rarely take bus tours, but it was outstanding. The slave cabins were still under re-construction, however the grounds and home were stunning. I’d like to point out to the negative commenter that all of the persons associated with slavery in the United States have passed away. The vast majority of modern-day Americans descend from immigrants who arrived long after Emancipation. We do not, and should feel any shame because we were not responsible. That is why the education efforts of these foundations are important. Lovely blog, Rhoda
Sorry it’s not about shame its about recognition and understanding and acknowledgment. Why is shame the first feeling you describe? Why not sympathy for the thousands of people torn from their families and forced on ships brought to a country where they were forced to work to death, where Lynching would continue till the 1970’s? Where to this day equality and stigma and racism is still a real issue? Its about education of the younger generations of the brutality of slavery and its legacy on the United States, and how the racism that began then still exist in the psyche of many Americans and WE ALL as Americans have a role in stomping out racism. The only conversation here seems to be about the furniture.?Very disappointing and a little disgusted.
“should not”
This plantation was feature in a special today about grand homes of the south. Your photos really did hustice to this beautiful place.
Hey Rhoda,
Oak Alley Plantation is lovely, but nearby there is another that I think blows it away. Try visiting Nottoway Plantation. The architecture inside this house is simply breath-taking. Neat features inside and outside… worth it 🙂 I promise!!
Was any of the furniture original to the house I wonder? Love the way the nursery looked with the child sized furniture. Can also see the European roots in the way the silverware was placed on the dining table. Beautiful place!
betsy
I’m sorry but I agree with this Karen person, I enjoy travel blogs, but perhaps being a middle aged white woman you don’t understand the insensitivity and white privilege your post is drenched in- about this story post, I suggest you read more about racial sensitivity . Would you brag about being related with someone who built a gas chamber during the Holocaust? Take fashion shots near a gas chamber? Where is the reverence for the many slaves who suffered here. Yes the homes were lovely, but they mask a ugly shameful period of American History. You say “hallelujah slavery is over (almost in a sarcastic tone), but you must understand slavery is one part of the incredible abuse and injustice that has occurred against people of color in the US particular the South, These were death camps, and the wealth was built upon the rape, brutality and abuse of blacks. I think its fine you visited it I find the tour interesting, but I don’t think you treat it the healthy dose of reverence it deserves. As a person of color it seems we have a long way to go in terms of people understanding the injustices that occurred during slavery and after Slavery. Here is a link to a article that talks about the sad way tours of plantation homes are treated.http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/why-arent-stories-like-12-years-a-slave-told-at-southern-plantation-museums/
I don’t see anyone else bringing this up besides Karen to my dismay makes me feel like the old expression ” white people just don’t get it.” You make light of a place that essentially a tomb for hundreds if not thousands of blacks. Do you have friends of other races? I invite you to have a conversation about this with them and I assure you most will not see this the same way you do. Perhaps your disconnection with people outside of white culture and white society has lead you to think this is appropriate but its not. I enjoy your blogs and your posting and I think travel is essential to learning, but I felt this was something that needed to be said.