Margo

Two sisters will be spending a week in this area. Have already booked the Hotel Monaco in New Orleans, but can still cancel if anyone has a better suggestion or a big problem with the Monaco. Does anyone say that a "swamp tour" is a good thing to do? If so which one, Mr. Denny's?

After 3 nights we will take Route 90 to Lafayette. What to see along the way? Next, where to stay in Lafayette that is historic or unique?

Next day we will head to Natchez. Is the Monmouth Plantation the place to stay there?
Which historic homes are the best to see in the one day we have there?

Finally we will leave Natchez and head to Baton Rouge via Route 61 through Mississippi. Then follow the Mississippi into New Orleans. We want to visit some of the plantations along the river? Which two or three are a must?

Whew, a lot to see in one week. I would really appreciate suggestions, also restaurants.

benj

Whew!! You are going to be busy! I think a swamp tour is fun. We always suggest our visitors try the Honey Island swamp tour. It is one of the better ones. Gives you a different perspective of what Louisiana was before it developed.

Are you planning to visit Vermillionville while in the Lafayette area? It is an interesting look at the early cajun way of life. Black's Oyster Bar & Seafood in Abbeville is a good place to eat. So is Prejean's.


Had you thought of staying in St Francisville (near Baton Rouge)? We stayed at the Butler Greenwood house & enjoyed the area. There are several plantation homes in the area. Myrtles is also a B & B that is supposed to be haunted. JJ Audubon stayed in the area & there is even a place to tour where he painted some of his wildlife paintings.

Oak Alley & also Destrehan Plantations are 2 popular ones.

Have you sent for the free tourism guide from the state? It has lots of good ideas & info in it.

laurieb_nyny

I am a little confused -- where are you starting out spending the first three nights? Are you doing a round trip New Orleans?

We took the Cajun Pride Swamp Tour on the Manchac Swamp which is the closest swamp tour to the River Road Plantations (outside NOLA). We also toured Laura & Oak Alley plantations the same day & had lunch at Oak Alley.

In Natchez, we toured Stanton Hall, Rosalie, & Melrose plantations. We did not stay at a plantation. We also took a bus tour of the town and a horse & carriage ride.

buffygirl

We just returned from Natchez two weeks ago. We spent 3 nights at Monmouth and loved it. We stayed in one of the Plantation Suites (#40) which had rocking chairs and a porch swing on the front porch. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is just wonderful. Be sure to eat dinner there at least one night. The food was wonderful. I highly recommend Monmouth.

Margo

laurieb--Yes we are flying into NO for the first three nights. Also staying at the NO airport the night before we leave. Do you know if the Hotel Monaco is in a safe neighborhood? And is it in a convenient location to walk to things? The thing that gets me is that they only have valet parking and this cost $29/night. That is higher than here in DC.

Also did you visit the plantations while on the swamp tour? I guess I don't know exactly what a "swamp tour" is?

Buffygirl--We also wanted to stay at Monmouth but there are three of us and Monmouth rooms have two twin beds in a couple of rooms but we were hoping to stay in only 1 room--Two queens would be okay. So--are there more usual hotels near there?

Bird

The Hotel Monaco is in the Central Business District and only a few blocks from the French Quarter. I would take a cab or walk in groups late at night just to be on the safe side. Parking is a bitch in NO and $29 is pretty standard for valet parking. You might look at renting a car on the last day you are in NO and forget the hassle. There are a few rental car counters close by. Have fun in Cajun country.

dwooddon

I stayed at the Hotel Monaco in October (see another thread) and on the last morning, AVIS rental car picked me up at the hotel and took me to their "downtown" location. It's only a few blocks from the hotel and getting from there to the highway to Cajun Country was easy. They also allowed me to drop the car at NO airport with no surcharge.

I echo the sentiment to only pick up your car as your leaving town. Having a car is more trouble than its worth in town.