janine

My husband and I are planning a trip to New Orleans the week of March 18-24. We're interest in the Plantation Country area. Any comments on places to stay in this area? What to see and do? Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated!

Brenda

My husband and I have stayed at plantations in St. Francisville, Lafayette and at Nottoway which is up the River Road a bit. If you can give more info as to how far out of New Orleans you would be willing to stay, please post and I will see if I can help.

janine

Brenda,

We are looking in the areas of St. Francisville and Lafayette. I don't really care to drive much more than 2 hours outside of New Orleans. (We are planning on spending afew nights in New Orleans.)

Were did you folks stay while in St. Francisville, and Lafayette? If you would, please supply me with as much information as possible on things to do in the area, loding, resturants etc... Thanks for your help. Janine

Brenda

If you want to stay at a truly grand plantation, then Nottoway is the one. It is closest to New Orleans than the others. It sits right on the Mississippi and we sat in the evening on the 3rd floor verandah watching the boats cruise down the river. We stayed in Cornelia's bedroom which is in the main house and views the river, but is not on the house tour. This means you can arrive earlier and check out later. There is also an excellent restaurant on the grounds. Their website is http://www.nottoway.com. The end of Sept, we stayed at Chretien Point Plantation just outside Lafayette. We stayed in the original master bedroom which is now called the "Ambassador's Room". All the bathrooms are down the hall and the ones upstairs are very small. Bedroom #5, the suite, is the only one that has an attached bath. The owner and employees were extremely nice. Their number is (800) 880-7050. We ate dinner at Prejeans but I would opt for somewhere else next time. We just didn't think it was that good. Then also at the end of Sept, we stayed at The Cottage in St. Francisville. The main house was built in 1795 and there are 2 bedrooms upstairs to stay in. We stayed in the Queen bedroom which is downstairs in a wing built in 1850. We really liked the Cottage because it had a very comfortable feel and because there are still many original outbuildings on the property and if you hike over the hill you will find the original family cemetery. Also, Mary, the owner is extremely nice and can tell you about everything going on in the area. Their number is (504) 635-3674. We found two good places to eat in St. Francisville; one is Magnolia Cafe and the other is Sammy's Grill. Hope this helps. If you need any more info just post a note.

Joe Orisn

Don't eat the gumbo it will give you unbelievable gas and your stomach will hurt an awful lot.

Bring some peptobismol and enjoy your trip down south.