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Oak Alley Plantation

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azsunluvr
azsunluvr
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5 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Oak Alley Plantation: Deliciously Haunted

  • December 19, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Travel'in Gal from Mantua, Ohio
Oak Alley Plantation: Deliciously Haunted

My husband, our daughter and I toured Oak Alley Plantation while on vacation in New Orleans, LA in 2003. Oak Alley Plantation is now a National Historic Landmark, with its antebellum mansion and surrounding twenty-five acres, is owned and operated today by the non-profit Oak Alley Foundation. The balance of the original plantation id divided up as follows: are residential complex of seventy-five acres surrounds the Foundations property; six hundred acres are leased for sugar cane cultivation and four hundred fifty acres remain in virgin woodlands.

Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana is an extraordinarily, magnificent house, and the most famous of the antebellum homes in Louisiana and an outstanding example of Greek revival architecture. The 28 massive oaks that line the driveway were planted in the 1700’s and that is where the house got its name. Parts of the movies The Long Hot Summer and Interview With a Vampire were filmed there.

A French-Creole sugar planter from New Orleans named, Jacques T Roman, built oak Alley between 1837 and 1839. Mr. Roman built this beautiful home for himself and his family. Although all physical traces of the Romans are gone, Oak Alley seems to be plagued by ghostly sightings of a young, beautiful girl. A guest taking a tour of the plantation house took a number of pictures of the various rooms in the house. When he developed his photos, he saw an image of a young lady in an old-fashioned dress, sitting in a dress that was empty when he took the photo.

It is thought the specter may be the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roman, Louise. Louise had a boyfriend who came to call on her one evening in a state of intoxication. Like any proper lady of the day she ran away from him. While she was running, she tripped over her own hoop skirt and cut her leg on the wire. Gangrene set in and she had to have her leg cut off. Off course, she was considered unable to marry and run a household with one leg, so she decided to become a Carmelite nun. She lived out the rest of her life in a convent in New Orleans and lucky for her, her family saved her leg for her so it could be buried, and hopefully reunited with her in the afterlife. (Awesome).

This house is available to tour all year-round.

From journal New Orleans: City of Many Spirits.

Oak Alley Plantation

  • June 26, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by BudKathy from Florence, Massachusetts
The Plantation is beautiful, with a postcard picture of the house with the 28 oak trees, about 350 years old, forming an arch that is called Oak Alley. The interior of the house has been restored with many items from the two owners of the house. They have the original dinner bell and one of the pots used for the sugar cane. There is another area called little oak alley with oak trees about 150 years old. The house has a 13-foot balcony which goes completely around the house where, in the hot weather, they would sleep on the balcony or would leave the doors open to the balcony for cross-ventilation. It was a very picturesque house and grounds.

From journal Mardi Gras

Oak Alley Plantation

  • May 1, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by MCJ graduate from German Valley, Illinois
Oak Alley Plantation

The tour is quite good. A lady dressed in a 1800s costume stands in front of the entrance of the plantation and welcomes you. She then introduces you to a tour guide and you get whisk away by her. The tour guide then proceeds to take you in each room and describes the items in each and their significance. She then walks you outside to the grounds and continues to narrate. She talks about the plantation owner's demise and the family cemetery on the grounds. She ends the tour by offering you to purchase a Southern drink called a mint julep.

From journal New Orleans --Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

Oak Alley Plantation

  • January 2, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by kimntrent from Napa, California
Oak Alley Plantation

This plantation is beautiful—one of the most historic places in the area, I think. Set off the Mississippi River, the path of oak trees directs you to a beautiful plantation home, where your tour begins. Inside, you are guided through the various rooms of the actually quite small home. The pictures I have of the inside are from the second floor, looking onto the entryway and the dining area. The cloth contraption you see above is a fan, with which a servant would fan both the flies and heat away during meals. The plantation has a wrap-around porch that provides beautiful views of the grounds. There are also servants’ quarters here, along with a gift shop and blacksmith shop, a small restaurant for a sit-down meal or a quick cafe to-go, and a patio where you can sip a mint julep. The plantation is open for operation seven days a week, except Christmas and Thanksgiving.

November-February: 9am to 5pm
March-October: 9am to 5:30pm
They are usually open from noon to 4pm on New Year's Day. Please call to confirm hours.

Open to all ages; however, I found that children get bored very easily. Think about this before you drag little ones there. We took a tour bus there from the French Quarter, but if you rent a car and drive, I think you will see more. Check it out the next time you are down south.

800/44-ALLEY or ContactUs@OakAlleyPlantation.com

From journal A Road Trip New Orleans to Walt Disney World

Oak Alley Plantation

  • July 20, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Jessicat1982 from Brossard, Quebec
Oak Alley Plantation

Built in 1837, this is a prime example of Greek revival. As an American plantation it is a majestic structure like no other. This is just one of those places where it's imposible to take a bad picture. I remember while on the tour of the house, which harbours a plethora of romantic history only fit for a place like this, we gathered up on the second floor. As our tour guide went to open the French doors that led out to the balcony, she said to us, "Okay guys, get your camera ready, this is your kodak moment." Of course we all kind of chuckled, but when she finally did open the doors with a dramatic sweep, we all just collectively held our breath at the beauty of the oak-lined drive. The picture reminds me of a postcard. :)

Today, Oak Alley is best known for its stint as Louis' home in the book Interview with a Vampire, and it has appeared in many other movies and television shows over the years.

If you're a history buff, an avid Anne Rice fan, or you just want to escape reality for a couple of hours, I highly recommend visiting here.

From journal Criminals and Pirates and Prostitutes, Oh My!

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