Visited Laura Plantation on February 28, 2026 and had a really great experience overall…read more Our tour guide, Christine, was fantastic. She was not only very informative but also incredibly kind and personable. She had a way of explaining the history that made the tour feel engaging rather than just a typical scripted presentation. By the end, it almost felt like you were being shown around by a friend rather than just a guide. The tour itself is about 2-3 hours long and involves a fair amount of walking, so I definitely recommend wearing comfortable shoes. One tip: if you're planning to visit and don't have your own vehicle, make sure to purchase the ticket option that includes transportation. It will make things much easier. Also keep in mind that there aren't many food options nearby. Unless you're planning to walk quite a distance, it's a good idea to eat beforehand or plan your meal for after the tour. There's also a small museum on the property that's worth checking out. It's close by and provides additional background and stories that help give more context to the plantation's history. Overall, this was a very informative and meaningful tour, and I would definitely recommend it if you're visiting the area.

I visited Laura Plantation back in June 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The architecture of…read morethe buildings and the grounds are lovely. But if you're a history buff, it provides a lot of detail, from the Civil War to the creole plantation owners, and the lives of the enslaved. I found it to be very informative. The plantation is about 1-hour west of New Orleans (good for a day-trip), but it's in the middle of nowhere.

I was in the area to visit another place and stopped in here. Gives a history of the locks to go…read morefrom the Mississippi River to the Atchafalaya River Basin and how it worked. It also discussed how a group of local citizens helped to save the building from being bulldozed for a highway the state wanted to put in.

Best stop ever. Stan is the best guide! Offered us coffee, water, and a wonderful tour of the Lock…read moreStation!

What. Is. That? There's a CASTLE over there?…read more Driving over the I-10 bridge from New Orleans back to Biloxi, we spotted it and I had to know what was going on so when I came back a few days later, I went out of my way to visit here. Built in 1981 for the World's Fair, the castle is quite small by castle standards. Only two bedrooms and a one and a half baths on the inside. It is private property so if you're coming to visit, please be respectful and only view it from the street (or the lake). [Review 14204 overall, 1526 of 2020, number 22 in Louisiana.]

As you drive down the I-10, east of New Orleans, you may have a WTH moment. There's a castle off in…read morethe distance (well on Hwy 11). It is a private home, for now, with aspirations for more that never quite materialize. Still the history of the place; it's recent vintage and it's singularity in the swamps of South Louisiana make it something special. You have to love a man with a dream. In 1981, Simon Villemarette decided he wanted a castle. Was it supposed to be at tourist attraction? Or was it just going to be his home? Whichever he built it well. He passed and his family had to sell. Yes it survived Katrina when most buildings did not. The official assessor's description says "concrete castle" so maybe even the K winds were intimidated. Some folks from Virginia owned it from 1995 to 2014, maybe they planned to make an inn out of it (according to news stories at the time), but that never happened. Now the current owners post to the official FB page that they too want to make it an entertainment/photo shoot/bed & breakfast spot. BUT the FB has been saying be patient since 2016. Still it's a fun spot to see. It is private property so don't be a creeper. And I decided this bit of unique architecture should be my review #2400. Enjoy!

The Buckner Mansion is an incredible place to see if you're visiting New Orleans. I really enjoyed…read moreseeing it in person since it was featured in American Horror Story Season 3. The mansion looks amazing and is definitely worth stopping by.

It is a private resident and famous for its filmed scenes of the third season of American Horror…read moreStory. It is beautiful and you will see a lot people stop by and take pictures.

What an amazing place! I was in the area to tour Grevenberg Museum, and the gentleman giving the…read moretour got a call that a group wanted to tour this house, he told me about this house and the candle maker who operated out of the building behind here, and I followed him on over. No regrets at all. $12 cash only, but if you do the other tour as well, it is $8. Situated on land surrounded by oaks, this is a lovely place. They evidently do special events here, which include dinners under the oaks. The home itself is wonderfully furnished. Evidently there are tours describing hauntings, which would be wonderful. The downstairs is older furniture and decor, while upstairs has some modern furnishings mixed with the old. This is run by the local historical society. Amazing!

The history of St. Joseph Plantation was very interesting. Wish we had the time to see the sister's…read moreplantation next door. Sylvia was an excellent tour guide and we enjoyed the tour with her.

One of the few fully intact sugar plantations remaining in the river parishes, the descendants of…read morethe second family to have owned this plantation and the neighboring Felicity Plantation still own, operate and maintain both sites. They have just opened the Felicity Plantation for tours, though it's still a work in progress getting it renovated. Both sites are less commercialized than some others in the area. St Joseph does an "in mourning" tours in October, which I hope to come back for. St Joseph Plantation is one of my favorite tours so far. It was just myself and the tour guide. The tour guide (I can't remember her name) is well versed in the genealogy of the families in the area. The tour started with a short video on how sugar cane is processed, planted, harvested and is very interesting. The guide spent a lot of time with me telling me all of the details, answering all of my questions and thoroughly covering every single detail. I really enjoyed this tour. It was also not as white washed as some of the other tours in the area. One of the guides also volunteered to give me a tour of Felicity (after I paid of course) next door. It was also just me and the tour guide on this tour. The downstairs they are making to be like how the house would have been originally and the second floor how the second family would have had it in the mid-20th century. Upstairs they had the top half of what was an elevator they had installed, and I think would make for perfect photo shoots for someone announcing they were coming out of the closet, and where else would be better since that kind of thing was looked down upon even up to the recent past. They are still working on this house, so no photos are allowed inside, but this has been the set of many films. The whole experience was amazing. I suggest both tours if you are in the area for other tours. Make a whole day of it!

I was expecting Gilbert Dauterive to welcome us, but instead, we were greeted by a few mosquitoes…read more I get it, this tour and premise is more of a glorification of slavery, but after visiting the Whitney plantation, it was fine for me to get to see the other side of things. Their gardens and trees are breathtaking, a setup that one only dreams of seeing when watching Southern movies and shows. Our tour guide was phenomenal, and the way that the house is arranged vividly displays what life was like for some during those times. It's a must-visit. If you can't make it, play Beyoncé's "Deja Vu" music video for a second-hand experience.

The gumbo in this place is super tasty! The rice was cooked just right! The friend green tomato was…read moreyummy. I enjoyed the salad with blackened shrimp and some pepper jelly vinaigrette- it could have been spicer - but that's just me ;) The service was amazing - and the decor was incredible! Looking at old pics of the big house was something else. The gumbo was one of the better ones - I enjoyed it!

Anne Rice's former home, in the Garden District, is known for its connection to her vampire novels…read more She lived in this historic mansion, built in 1857, that was once owned by Albert Hamilton Brevard. Rice reportedly spent a lot of time writing in a small observatory room at the top of the house.

Add the house to your Garden District Tour map. Map it all out before you set off, so much easier…read more Pay homage to a legend, "All the old poetry makes sense when you look at one whom you have loved." This neighborhood is stunning but wear good shoes and watch out on the sidewalks which are minefields.

The Atchafalaya River is a supporting cast member for the Mighty Mississippi River and only gets…read morehonorable mention when the great floods from the north threaten people and property along Old Man River. The Morganza Floodway, which leads to the Atchafalaya Basin and the Atchafalaya River in south-central Louisiana is opened to divert water from the Mississippi River during major flood events this is accomplished by flooding the Atchafalaya Basin, including the Atchafalaya River and the Atchafalaya Swamp. The spillway and adjacent levees also help prevent the Mississippi from changing its present course and threaten NOLA, but the Cajuns that make the Atchafalaya Basin home rarely get mentioned no matter how these events affect their lives and livelihoods. Bridges are a powerful symbol--a metaphor for "crossing over." And our lives are all about making different crossings - as we try to peer to the other side of the bridge, we wonder...What is waiting for us on the other side? In this case it's Krotz Springs that sits quietly along US Highway 190, famous for its artesian spring water that was accidentally discovered while drilling for oil. These Atchafalaya Bridges are dual cantilever bridges built in 1973 and 1988 to replace the original 1933 truss bridge. The muddy water that flows to the Gulf of Mexico are filled with rich sediments and are home to an array of wildlife and fish species that provide a living for those that call this beautiful swamp land home. No there isn't anything that makes these structures unique and they look like hundreds of other we've all crossed over, but to the people that rely on these bridges everyday to live their everyday lives they mean everything so that makes them pretty special...

I love this bridge! I have started taking back roads to get to Baton Rouge from Lafayette which is…read morehow I happened upon this bridge recently. Side note-as someone who strictly took interstates to get around, I highly recommend taking back roads when you can. The scenery is much lovelier and the drive/traffic is way less stressful. Try it! Once I saw this bridge approaching I knew I was in for a treat. It's fairly new and the bridge is smooth, smooth, smooth. Normally that would lead me to start going fast because I love to drive fast, but this time I went the limit and took in the view. That's probably a good thing since after reading the reviews I've learned cops like to hang around at the bottom. Do yourself a favor and take the back roads slow and easy and enjoy this beautiful bridge. Bonus-Billy's Boudin just opened a new location in Krotz Springs right before or after you cross this bridge, depending which direction you're going.