City: Destrehan, LA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (985) 764-8785

Address: 13034 River Rd.

Description: What makes this home noteworthy, at least in the historic scheme of things, is that Destrehan is the oldest documented plantation left intact in the lower Mississippi Valley. And that’s saying a mouthful. This multicolumned tribute to Louisiana’s antebellum glory was built in 1787 and acquired five years later by Jean Noel Destrehan, the son of a French aristocrat statesman, from his father-in-law, Robin de Logny. These names mean something down here, trust us.Destrehan had his own statesman stash, and in 1810 he didn’t bat an eye at the cost of embellishing this stately mansion with two additional wings. After all, he had the bucks. During his off time he had perfected the process for granulating sugar and, thus, helped launch the most profitable industry in the history of the Louisiana plantation economy. No layabout, he.From 1830 to 1840 the facade and interior were changed during a major renovation, and today the Greek Revival-style house showcases Destrehan’s hand-hewn cypress timbers, bousillage-entre-poteau construction, and West Indies-style roof. Destrehan Plantation, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is also a popular site for dinner parties and special evening occasions, when only costumed guides who intrigue visitors with the history of the house and its ghosts will do.Located 8 miles from New Orleans International Airport, Destrehan is best reached by taking I–310 to the River Road exit. Head east on River Road and you can’t miss it or the house’s twin redbrick chimneys. Tours are daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $5 for children aged six to 16. A gift shop sells books by Louisiana authors, locally made handcrafts, and specialty products. A fall festival is held the second weekend of Nov.