Inside New Orleans WAYS TO DAY-TRIP IT When you plan a trip to New Orleans, it’s easy to set your sights solely on the attractions of the city proper. But take our word for it: There are some awesome adventures to be had just a short drive away. Tour the Plantations of River Road West of New Orleans is a 70-mile long stretch of highway known as River Road, where you’ll find more than a dozen grand plantation homes that recall south Louisiana’s history as an agricultural powerhouse. Lucky for visitors, many of them are open to the public. Here’s what is unique about each of them: X Destrehan Plantation is the closest plantation to New Orleans and the oldest in the lower Mississippi Valley. X Houmas House Plantation & Gardens is home to no fewer than four outstanding restaurants and massive wine cellars housed in converted historic water cisterns. X Laura Plantation tours take visitors into the lives of the Creoles who lived there, whose stories are based on the diaries of former resident Laura Locoul. X Nottoway Plantation is remarkable for its sheer size. With 64 rooms, it easily claims the distinction of being the South’s largest antebellum mansion. X Oak Alley Plantation is perhaps the most photographed plantation on River Road. The plantation even hosts an annual photography contest that receives hundreds of submissions. X Ormond Plantation is a former indigo plantation and bed-and-breakfast on Louisiana's German Coast. X San Francisco Plantation stands out for its gingerbread house style architectural details and elaborate hand-painted ceilings. X St. Joseph Plantation has been owned by the same family since the 1870s, and many of its descendants today lead tours of the property. X Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum devoted to telling the history of slavery in America. ©Oak Alley Plantation Bedroom ©Destrehan Plantation Dining Room ©Houmas House Plantation & Gardens 42
New Orleans Official Visitors Guide Winter/Spring 2017: Page 42
