OAK ALLEY PLANTATION

From the balcony of this home, prepare to see Louisiana's most famous driveway, with its 28 magnificent, multi-century-old oaks. twenty-eight is the fetish number of the property: 28 oaks, 28 Doric columns that surround the house and 28 outbuildings. Built in 1839 by a French sugar cane planter, Jacques Télésphore Roman, in the Greek Renaissance style and in handmade bricks, Oak Alley was bought in ruins in 1925 by a cotton broker, Andrew Stewart. Upon his death, a foundation was established by his wife Jacqueline to maintain the house. As a tribute to the memory of this benefactor, all the clocks in the house are stopped at 7:30 am, the time of her death at the age of 93. The visit is interesting. You will get many details about the daily life of the planters. For example, you will learn that every morning the servants flattened the mattresses with a wooden roller embedded in the headboard. You will also learn about the architectural techniques used to protect the house from the heat and humidity (high ceilings, thick walls). Legend has it that a slave on the plantation succeeded in grafting a pecan tree (a tree related to the walnut). Today, pecans are used in many Louisiana desserts ( pecan pies and pralines) and are even exported. You will be given a map to visit the rest of the estate, including the slave quarters and the Stewart Cemetery. A must see!