Plantation Life

 

I wanted to tour a real southern plantation, if for no other reason than to quell the ideas in my mind of what plantation life was like in the south (think Gone with The Wind). 

On a cool, sunny day in December, we visited Destrehan Plantation, just outside of New Orleans. Destrehan was established in 1787, and is one of the oldest (still standing) sugar plantations in the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Destrehan Plantation has a varied story - it was once one of the largest sugar producing estates in southern Louisiana, and was also the location of the largest slave revolt in US history, where over 100 slaves were killed. More recently, the plantation house and surrounding buildings have starred in movies like Interview with a Vampire and 12 Years a Slave, and in numerous TV series like NCIS - New Orleans and Ravenswood.

Jim, our informative guide, dressed in period costume

Learned the story of house slave Marguerite, who when purchased from another plantation, was only allowed to bring 2 of her 5 children with her. She likely never saw the other 3 again.

Beautiful period furnishings

A well-equipped kitchen

The massive Southern Live Oak can live up to 800 years, and it will send branches out to the ground, not to root, but rather for additional stability as they age and grow. 

Spanish Moss, which grows on everything in the South, is not Spanish, nor is it moss!

The fibre inside Spanish Moss is sometimes called Horsehair

Jim, our guide at Destrehan, not only provided an engaging historical view of Destrehan and life at the time in the South, but also answered a lot of our questions about the flora and fauna of the area. Did you know Spanish Moss is not actually moss? Nor does it come from Spain! And the fibrous thread found inside the moss is also known as horsehair, and was once used to stuff household items like mattresses and furniture cushions. And I always thought my mother's antique sofa was stuffed with actual horsehair!!

And have my views of plantation life changed at all after visiting Destrehan? In fact, I think what I learned only (sadly) solidified what I already knew.

Stoppin' by The Big Easy

New Orleans is known for it’s music scene, and certainly did not disappoint us! We came for the music, and we saw, heard, and felt the music. We also visited every corner of the city, taking it all in by foot and by tram.

Jean-Baptiste (of Canada!) founded New Orleans in 1718

Enjoying a beignet and latte at Cafe du Monde

We left a trail of powdered sugar behind!

New Orleans street car

Very original inside

Of note, the street car system in New Orleans is the oldest continuously running in North America, and a day pass is aptly named the Jazz Pass.

The architecture of the homes in the Garden District blew my mind!

How they fix potholes in New Orleans

Sidewalks are just a little scary!

Once the home of Anne Rice (Interview with a Vampire)

We met a local who told us about Preservation Hall, a small live music venue that offers some of the best music by some of the best local musicians (I can't recall the names of the musicians we saw that night, but I do remember one of them was a Grammy winner).

Preservation Hall 

Inside Preservation Hall

They didn't spend a lot on decor!

We weren't supposed to take photos during the show, but I snuck this one in

Louis Armstrong has a park dedicated to him

Statue of the Satchmo in the park

You can't visit NOLA without visiting a cemetery or two!

Where it's Carnival time all the time

Celebrate like it's Carnival!

Not many people know that Mobile, Alabama is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. Really! It’s not New Orleans, as you would think. If you paid any attention in history class, you may have learned that Mobile was once the capital of French Louisiana (1702). Catholic French settlers - needing a reason to celebrate - decided surviving their first year in this new, harsh, homeland was a good enough reason, and Mardi Gras was born.

We stopped at the Carnival Museum in Mobile to learn more about the history of Mardi Gras, and were blown away by the rich traditions, the pomp and pageantry, and the sheer expense that goes into these… parties! Planning for the next Mardi Gras begins immediately after one Mardi Gras ends, and beaucoup de dinero goes into the making of the floats, the parties for the coronations of the royalty of the various social organizations (called Mystics in Mobile and Krewes in New Orleans) that participate in Mardi Gras, and especially the royal regalia. Mardi Gras is a really big deal down here in the south! We were told that Mardi Gras is such a big tradition that families will go into debt to participate. Apparently, you have to pay $1000, and sometimes more, just to ride on one of the floats, and that’s just the beginning! If you get to ride on a float, you still have to pay for all the trinkets you toss, like the beads you see hanging around the necks of the people partying in the streets during Mardi Gras.

Crazy, but fun. Too bad we weren’t around for the Big Event. But the museum was almost as much fun, without all the noise and crowds.

Mardi Gras royal regalia rivals that of true royalty!

Participant costumes are very elaborate!

Each Mystic has a different float theme every year

Chill-axin' on the Gulf Coast

The beach at Panama City Beach

We decided we needed to stay put for a while, and picked Panama City Beach, Florida for a two-week (plus a few days) vacation from our vacation. Nice town on the Florida Panhandle, with plenty of tourist-y things to do - mini golf, beach walks, etc, etc. After being on the go for nearly six months, it was nice to stop and relax. But, we also realized staying put really isn’t our thing. Two weeks in one spot was more than enough!

Downtown Panama City Beach - not much to see

Interesting building

Plenty of tourist-y things to do

Beachwalking

Bikes, beer, beach and boats - what a day!

Had to stop for a photo op before lunch

The sign at Gator Lake in St. Andrews State Parl

Gator Lake - can't say I'd want to swim in this anyway!