“We often hold ourselves back simply believing we’re being held back. My friend Michael used to tell me if you tie up a donkey long enough, once you untie him he’ll stay there. You can get so used to being stuck you don’t move once you’re free. ” – Regina Brett.
Destrehan Plantation
We have never seen an plantation in real life. We have only got glimpses of plantation life from movies. These movies have broken my heart and had me wish that slavery never existed. Here we learned about the families that owned this plantation and their lives. We also learned about the servents or slaves who lived and worked here. We loved learning about how sugar was harvested. What we were surprised at was how complicated the time in the south was.
We have never seen resurrection fern before. The trees were covered in resurrection fern. Now I guess they are called resurrection fern because during a dry season it will shrivel up and turn brown. But once it rains again the plant becomes green again. The plant doesn’t die but resurrects.
Located at 13034 River Rd, Destrehan, LA 70047.
UCM Museum / Abita Mystery House
The UCM Museum/Abita Mystery House is a truly wonderful place. The experience is largely better if you dont know what is here so dont look at the internet for information. When entering you have the sense that this is yet another tourist trap and you will be correct but unlike other tourist traps the fact that it is one enhances the experience. This is not a place that will take you a long period of time to visit and is a great place to stop when driving in the area.
Located at 22275 LA-36, Abita Springs, LA 70420.
Insta Gator Ranch
This place is a must see. We learned all about the gators and why only 10 percent of the gators from the ranch farm ( when they are 4 feet long) are released into the wild. Louisiana has a population of 3,000 million gators and a population of 4,000 million people so you can see how this can cause a problem. Gator farm goes out to swamps and they look for gator nests. They collect the eggs and raise the gators at their farm. When they find the gator eggs they first mark the side that the eggs were facing up at because you can’t turn over the eggs if you want the gators to live. 10 percent of the gators go back into the wild and the 90 percent is processed for meat. We got to touch a young gator and learn so much about the gators here.
Located at 74645 Allen Rd, Covington, LA 70435.
Oak Alley Plantation
Oak Alley Plantation was a sugar cane farm that was built in 1837. They have many different building here and all are self tours except for the main home. Today it is a US National Historic Landmark and has frequently tours. Oak Alley Plantation has a beautiful pathway surrounding by Southern Live Oaks which were planted in the early 1800s.
Located at 3645 LA-18, Vacherie, LA 70090.
Bayou Haven Bed and Breakfast
Just look at this bed and breakfast inn. It looks like a plantation house. However, this house was recently built. There are seven suites to choose from. Each of the suites has its own bathroom and the one that we stayed in had such a large bathroom. All of the details and furniture in this house is so charming. The dining and living room area has large glass windows. The views of the wetlands from the porch is so stunning. We had originally planned to enjoy the wetlands and use their kayaks but the weather was too cold for a wet adventure. You can walk down a wooden pathway to a swing.
Breakfast here was so delicious. After our stay here we came home and I bought chargers and beautiful table settings because I was so inspired by their table presentation.
Located at 34205 Highway 433, Slidell, Louisiana 70460.
Thank you Bayou Haven Slidell for hosting our stay.
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