New Orleans Trip- Oak Alley Plantation

The day after our bike tour, we headed out with my aunt, uncle, and grandfather to Oak Alley Plantation. This is about an hour away from NOLA but is definitely worth the drive. This is an amazing piece of property that has been restored to its antebellum glory when it was a sugar plantation. When you think of Southern plantations, this is the kind of place you think of. White columns. Old oak trees covering the property. Kind of like this.

 Yeah. It's pretty gorgeous. We toured the grounds, which included reconstructed slave cabins, the old blacksmith shop, and also took a guided tour of the mansion. It has a very interesting past and if you're ever in the area, I definitely recommend you check it out. The restaurant on property is also delicious and we all enjoyed our lunch. 

Fun fact- the plantations were all very close to one another and they all used the bell system to signal to the slaves when they should do what. These bells could be heard up to 4 miles away, but as the properties were so close to one another, each bell was given a unique tone so the slaves could distinguish their bell from the others.

And now for the pictures!

Some of the slave cabins

Inside one side of the cabin. A family of about 5 slaves would live in here.

A very old fire extinguisher

My delicious lunch of Louisiana Redfish

Matt's red beans & rice- also tasty!

Inside the blacksmith's shop

Walking towards the back of the home 

Looking from the front of the home out towards the road

HUGE 300 year-old oaks

Inside the living room during the tour

This 'fan' in the dining room was used to help keep the flies off the food

Looking out from the 2nd story balcony

The bell for this plantation 

We decided this is our new home

Have you ever been to a plantation? This was my first trip and I am definitely interested in seeing more of them!