Laura Plantation: A Creole Treasure

When you spend a lot of time travelling around the South visiting historic places like I do, you have no doubt had your fair share of guided plantation tours. Although each one is interesting in its own way, most antebellum home tours have strict photography policies and the docent guides the tour as if he or she is reciting pages from a high school book report. So when I picked up a brochure for Laura Plantation in the lobby of my New Orleans hotel and saw that it had won a 2007 tourism award, I was somewhat skeptical. The Lonely Planet Travel magazine even boasts that it is the “best history tour in the USA!”. I was more than curious about a destination with such a good reputation.

The drive down River Road connecting New Orleans to Baton Rouge is a long and winding trek. The path snakes parallel to the mighty Mississippi River for many miles, flanked by steep levees and beautiful plantations that seem to be trapped in time. Nottoway Plantation, Houmas House Plantation, and the famous Oak Alley Plantation are just a few of the large historic houses that are nestled within the expanse of ancient oaks in this area.

After following the bends of the river for close to an hour, the tiny St. James Parish community of Vacherie appears up ahead –or so my GPS says. There is very little to discern this residential stretch of land from the other small hamlets along River Road, but with a keen eye, plantation entrance signs can easily be found. Laura Plantation’s Creole façade cannot be missed with its deep colors of yellow, blue, and red. It is pretty enough to be mistaken for a child’s fantasy dollhouse.

You might be wondering what could possibly be so special about Laura Plantation. In 1894 Louisiana author and scholar Alcee Fortier collected a number of African folk tales about Compare Lapin, or what is know by most children today as the mischievous Br’er Rabbit. Visiting the slave cabins behind Laura’s main house, Fortier wrote down the stories that he had heard growing up along River Road and published them in various anthologies. These cabins still stand snugly between overflowing grapefruit trees with the original rusty dinner bell standing several feet from the front porch. A grove of banana trees, producing fruit every color of the rainbow, separates these tiny weathered shacks from working parts of the sugar cane plantation.

The main house itself, although lavishly decorated on the outside, is rather minimalistic inside due to it being used primarily for work, as opposed to leisure. The land, home furnishings, and even the slaves were passed from female to meticulous female from one single Creole family. Carefully preserved artifacts are situated throughout the main house including a beautiful piano, writing desks, photographs, and ornate marriage tokens.

A unique gift shop with a general store feel is available on the grounds and sells a large collection of regional books including French and English copies of Compare Lapin and Piti Bonhomme Godron (The Tar Baby) and Memoirs of the Old Plantation Home. Jars of Laura’s sugarcane syrup, sweet-smelling candles, pralines, and other treats can be purchased before or after an in-depth plantation tour. You might even be greeted by a pair of friendly felines that like to scamper about, assuring guests that this may possibly be the most exciting historic tour in the South.

Laura: A Creole Plantation is located at 2247 Hwy 18 in Vacherie, Louisiana. Tours are given daily in both English and French with the first tour starting at 9:00am and the last tour starting at 4:00pm. Admission is $15.00 per adult. Special rates are available for groups, students, and themed tours. Call 1-225-265-7690 or log on to www.lauraplantation.com for more information.

(This article was written by Carey Weeks and originally published in Louisiana Road Trips Magazine)