New Orleans is a city that specializes in entertaining people. The exciting center of activity is the French Quarter and many visitors never leave the Quarter. However, if you are going to be in the city for several days, I hope you discover some of the beauty of the surrounding area. Where the city is a constant whirl of activity, the quiet countryside has much to offer in the way of beauty and history.

During the late 1700’s and early 19th century, the banks of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge were lined with hundreds of prosperous plantation where cotton and sugar cane were grown. The plantations flourished until the Civil War, when many of them were ravaged and fell into rack and ruin. The hurricanes, especially the devastating 1927 disaster, destroyed even more of the old mansions. In recent years, many of the plantations have been restored and are open to visitors.

There are many plantation tours available from the Quarter. Those who have a car can follow I-10, the Great River Road, and enjoy the scenery along the nation’s longest scenic by-way.

My visit included stops at two of the most recently opened Plantation. Houmas House and Bocage,which has opened as a bed and breakfast and is available for tours. Both are spectacular.

Houmas House was purchased in 2003 by Kevin Kelly, who has poured millions into restoring the 26 room, 1840’s mansion and the surrounding grounds to their former Creole origions. He brought in thousands of colorful native and exotic plants and added fountains and ponds, a Japanese-inspired pavilion, two restaurants and a bar. According to Kevin, the project is still a work in progress, but the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association named Houmas House the state’s “Top Attraction of the Year’ for 2009.

Kevin is a “hands-on” owner, manager and entrepreneur. I asked him who designed the gardens and he said that with the exception of the ancient live oaks, he personally picked every plant and decided where they would go. The result of his vision, hard work and planning is spectacular. When I asked him how many gardeners it took to maintain the grounds, he replied, “too many”.

When you arrive at Houmas House, you enter through the gift shop and into a small theater where you can view a short video on the history of the plantation. The land was originally owned by the Houmas Indians. A succession of owners, starting with Gen Wade Hampton who purchased the property in 1910, turned the property into a thriving sugar plantation. The original columned mansion, still on the property, was, in its antibellium heyday, known as “The Sugar Palace”.

In addition to the Mansion and Gardens, history is also reflected in the many antique furnishings and works of art that grace the Houmas House tour. Our delightful, period dressed, guide told us many stories of the colorful past and of the long-ago inhabitants of the mansion. The Bette Davis film, “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte” was shot on the property. The room where she lived while filming is still preserved and is part of the tour. The house is the current residence of Kevin Kelly, where he lives with his three lab dogs.

The house, of course, has a resident ghost. She is believed to be a girl of between 5 and 7 years of age with dark hair and wearing a blue dress. She always appears to be happy. She has been seen numerous times by both staff and visitors.

We finished our visit with a delightful four course lunch in one of the restaurants. Like every other aspect of our visit, it was dominated by informative conversation, great food and a leisurely pace. Kevin, who joined our lunch group, was constantly in contact with the outside world via two cell phones. He told us that he always takes every call personally. I hope that I will have a chance to return again to this lovely place and see what additional wonders have been added by this dedicated and creative man.

Contact Information: Tel 225-473-9380 or www.houmashouse.com.

After lunch we drove to the nearby Bocage Plantation. Also a recent addition to the Plantation Tour, this lovely old mansion was opened to the public as a bed and breakfast just last November. The day we arrived, they were preparing for a lavish June wedding and hoping that the predicted heavy rainfall did not materialize.

Over-night guests sleep in one of five lavish antique appointed rooms outfitted with goose down quilts on the ornate beds. All rooms also come with high-speed internet, flat-screen TVs, and marble and granite baths with steam showers. The made-to-order breakfast is served on genuine Limoges china.

The original Bocage plantation, owned by Marius Pons Bringier, was a wedding gift to his daughter who married a Frenchman at the age of 14. They established residence in the manor and had eight children. The daughter, Fanny, was very much involved in the day to day operation of the plantation, and took over management of everything from the house to the cane fields. Her husband, Christophe, was much more interested in the finer things of life, including music, painting and entertaining. He filled the manor with lavish furniture and art.

The ensuing years were not kind to Bocage. Several owners tried to restore the plantation to its former glory, but in the end it remained vacant for many years. It was in deplorable condition when it was purchased in 2008 by Dr. Marion Rundell, a respected pathologist, who is a native of Lousiana. Dr. Rundell undertook a massive restoration program and has finally restored the plantation to its former splendor. The plantation had never been open to the public and from the beginning, it was the intent of Dr. Rundell to open the plantation to the people. "It is one of the great plantations in the United States and should be available to the public," said Dr. Rundell. The plantation, which consists of 110 acres, is now open for tours and as a bed and breakfast.


contact information: Tel: 225-588-8000
www.bocageplantation.com