My meetings in LA were early and short, so I had quite a bit of time to familiarize myself with the surroundings. Always a sucker for American history, I opted for the plantation visits. There are several in the south, with most plantation homes in LA, GA, SC and MS. Often refurbished and used for tour groups or B&Bs, the gorgeous Antebellum-style houses make you wish you had a wad of cash to buy one.
Closest to Baton Rouge Coca-Cola plant, I headed north to St. Francisville (Felciana Parish). Home to both Rosedown and The Myrtles, the town of St. Francisville is a typical southern community. Speckled with truck stops along the main drag, SF has a lovely little downtown with very old buildings (most of which are in some sort of a historical register).
All in all, it was a great work/fun trip to Louisiana. I got my fill of etouffee and zydeco music, stayed at a B&B and sweat 5 pounds of water out of my body.
I was super pumped about seeing The Myrtles first because it has been mentioned so many times on lame shows such as "Ghost Hunters," "Haunted Homes" and whatever loser ghosts show in on The History Channel. (Most of the ghost shows on that station are hulaballoo and have no facts supporting the claims) Pulling up, there was a winding oak tree lined drive complete with draped Spanish Moss. Being a clear day, the trees provided a gorgeous amount of shade and breeze. Frankly, the house looks like it needs some painting. When you get closer, it is clear that an overhaul is overdue.
$8.00 for a 30 minute tour was overpriced but oh well.
Our tour guide was this old chic named Janice. It was clear she had done her tour schpeel a million and five times. With no emotion or inflection in her voice, she walked through the paces. The only thing I pulled away from the house (no pictures were allowed to be taken) was that it was old, dusty and could've been cool back in the day. I wanted Janice to elaborate more on the day-to-day life on a plantation. Where did the slaves live? What changes/modifications have been done to the original house? I didn't see any ghosts either.
Rosedown was the second plantation I visited. When I pulled in sight of the house, I literally gasped.
Being transported in time back to "Gone With The Wind" best describes the feeling of seeing Rosedown. Another $8.00 for a one hour tour, Jessica the Tourguide kicked ass. Now belonging to the state of Louisiana, this house has been gorgeously maintained and restored. The gardens free of weeds and loaded with flowers, the furniture true to the period and dust free, Rosedown was immaculate. The coolest part of seeing this house was the clothing and odds-n-ends found on the property uniquely displayed.
Rosedown has four large bedrooms upstairs, complete with period perfect beds, desks, etc. There were "bed clothes" draped over the beds which were authentic. Made of white cotton, the idea of the sleeping in a nightgown on a hot July night in Louisiana is making me sweat right now. All of the doors had transoms above to open and the windows were jib-style, which allowed them open in a floor-to-ceiling fashion. I guess the cross breeze in the house was the key method to cool the joint.
The detached kitchen at Rosedown was located about 100 ft from the main house. With a huge fireplace for cooking and low ceilings, the staff had it pretty tough in the summer. There was also a "milk house" were items could be kept cold, a small doctor's office (a shack) and several slave quarters on the property when in operation.
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