Town & Country
New Orleans & the River Road Plantations
For history devotees, plantation lovers, and those fascinated with the culture of the ante bellum South, this tour comprises examples of the city and rural homes of the great sugar cane planters of the Lower Mississippi. The plantation-owning millionaires of the early 19th century lived part of their lives in the cosmopolitan, exciting and dazzling French Quarter and partly on their magnificent estates up the Mississippi River. To understand their lives and culture, you have to see both. This unusual concept tour will show your group city and plantation mansions occupied by three elegant and dynamic Creole families, illustrating how they bridged the urban and rural lifestyles.
Tour Highlights
Your group will meet and come to know these prominent Creole society families and their private dwellings:
- THE ROMANS
Our visitors will see Madame Jean’s Legacy,(the rustic French Quarter “cottage” the Romans lived in while building their permanent home) and, the indescribable Oak Alley Plantation. A recently discovered inventory of the original furnishings has allowed Oak Alley for the first time since it opened 75 years ago to be decorated in the original 1830’s style! You may have seen Oak Alley, but you have not seen its interior! - THE DUPARC-LOCOULS
Laura plantation, recent addition to the parade of River Road manor homes, weaves the story of five generations of this typical Creole family and the fortunes of their plantation. In the Quarter you will visit several townhomes where they lived while in the city. The sheer volume of documentation of the lives of this family make this an overwhelming historical experience. - THE SONGYS
Evergreen plantation with its sweeping exterior double staircase has looked to millions to be the quintessential plantation home, although always a closed, restricted mystery. Now the interior is ready for viewing and the complete row of slave cabins may be seen while undergoing research and restoration. The family of course maintained homes in the Quarter to be present for the important social season. Finally, for the first time in its existence, Evergreen may be entered!
Tour Can Include
Tour Package Includes, in addition to the plantations & townhomes listed above:
- Two nights accommodations in the French Quarter
- Elegant Breakfast at Brennan’s, a world class treat!
- Two lunches
- Walking tour of the heart of the Garden District, to show you the latter 19th century style of city living. Includes a visit to a private home, based on availability.
- Background materials, with suggested readings and keepsake notes.
Throughout the tour, you will hear from experts in the history and culture of the antebellum Mississippi River Valley and New Orleans.