Family Vacations: Plantation Alley

By: the Editors of Mobil Travel Guide
Oak Alley Plantation has been called the "Grande Dame of the Great River Road."

Louisiana's Great River Road is also known as Plantation Alley. There, 30 antebellum mansions and 10 other ancient properties sit regally on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. All are open for tours or have been converted into hotels or bed-and-breakfast inns. Along the Great River Road, they provide a dignified procession of antebellum architecture surrounded by sugarcane fields and pecan groves.

Take in the atmosphere on your way to see the plantations. Start in Baton Rouge and drive south. Instead of taking I-10 straight to New Orleans, travel along the Mississippi River toward Plaquemine, White Castle, and Donaldsonville. Visits to the gracious mansions of the old South still mean magnolia-perfumed passages through formal gardens and expansive homes with grand river views.

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Nottoway, a gem of Greek Revival architecture, is one of the largest plantations. The well-known Houmas House was once the center of a 20,000-acre sugarcane plantation. This Greek Revival mansion is furnished with antiques. It was featured in the novel North and South and the movie Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte starring Bette Davis.

Oak Alley Plantation is a sweeping columned mansion framed by live oaks. Oak Alley is probably the most photographed plantation of all. It has been the setting for movies including Interview with the Vampire and Primary Colors. Nearby, Laura Plantation, with a Creole style and unique mustard facade, is said to be the source of the Brer Rabbit tales.

Plantation Alley Information

Address: Baton Rouge Visitors & Conventions Bureau

730 N. Blvd

Baton Rouge, LA

Telephone: 800/LA-ROUGE

To learn more about family vacation destinations, see:

  • Family Vacations: Learn about hundreds of family vacations in destinations all over North America.

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