Oh - and I should not fail to mention a must-see on our itinerary - we are on a pilgrimage to Youngsville because we heard that Morvant's has the best hamburgers we will every eat. We love a good burger :)

There used to be a little joint in the town where I was born called Hal's Grubsteak, and my family went there for generations. It closed a several years ago, and we are still in mourning. I have a special affinity for local places like that and seek them out like some people seek out images of the Virgin Mary that have mysteriously grown into the trunks of trees ;)

Laura is absolutely fine. You wouldn't recognize that it was on fire if there were not two or three charred beams in the cellar.

The tour is fantastic, you get a lot of insight into creole and slave life. And it is funny - in the sense of a refined, intelligent humor.

ttt

I'm still working on this.

Ok, just got an email from a friend in Lafayette. Acadian Village has lots of authentic old acadian homes. Vermillionville is also in Lafayette which you may want to check out. She says that Morvant's is GREAT and you will also enjoy Cafe Des Amis in Breaux Bridge (I think they have a brunch on weekends)plus the original Mulate's in Breaux Bridge for cajun food/dancing with live music.

Before going to Alligator Bayou, be sure to call a week or two ahead. Ask for Jamie (I think she's still there) and get times of the tour and reserve a spot.

LSU's Rural Life Museum is relatively small and doesn't take a lot of time. You actually could just drive out and take a look without getting out of your car if time is limited. It's located right in the middle of Baton Rouge near the I-10/Essen Lane exit.

Since you like research, check out this publication online....www.countryroadsmag.com. It's very good and covers lots of small town events, especially between Natchez and New Orleans.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!

J_Correa,

Since you've already visited Oak Alley and Laura Plantations, I'd have to recommend you to tour Nottoway (for its sheer size) and Houma's House (for at least a bite to eat - the cafe there is very good).

Madewood is very nice, and if you stay overnight there, you have a run of the house (instead of staying at converted slave cabins like at other plantations).

I've scanned this thread pretty thoroughly and I don't think anyone has mentioned San Francisco Plantation www.sanfranciscoplantation.org It's been years since we visited there, but felt it was interesting and a good contrast to Oak Alley which we toured earlier the same day. Is there some reason no one has suggested it?

I too had noticed that no one had yet mentioned San Francisco plantation. It is on my list of possibilities (from reading the river road web site) and it looks interesting from the information online.

The San Francisco plantation is very interesting. The only reason I didn't recommend it is because it is literally right next to a factory/mill of some kind. You can see that the old sugarcane plantations have now been replaced with oil refineries and other factories that need river water for their cooling needs.

It's for that reason that I don't recommend it, although it really is a great place to tour (and quite unique).

By the way, Vermilionville is better (IMHO) than Acadian Village. Just a lot more to see and do.

Thanks for the tip about Vermilionville. Looks like a really interesting place to check out.