2014 Vacation - Day 4

We might not have made such good time today (time = miles most days) but we saw a lot.  And liked what we saw. 

Just 'in case', last evening I had gone on the internet and found a list of 20 'should see' plantations in Louisiana and Mississippi.  Had that list with me when we left Natchez this morning.  Hadn't gone 30 miles when  I was saw a sign for Rosemont, the plantation.  Rosemont was the home of Jefferson Davis and I think I saw it as a child.  I was driving so I made a sharp left turn and off we went to see what we could see.  Long story short, Rosemont didn't open for over an hour.  We hit the road again but shortly after, I saw a sign for Afton Villa Gardens.

Afton Villa

I visited this house in the early 1960s on a vacation with my folks. 

This house burned down about 1964. 

 

 

 

Today, we toured the grounds.  Where the house and outbuildings set, they now cultivate gardens.

 



Afton Villa still has a beautiful oak canopy  up a very long driveway - a signature plantation feature no matter the style of the house.

From Afton Villa, we cut straight south, crossed the line into Louisiana, into what might be called the boot hill.  We saw Cypress trees and 'knees'; we saw a Shanty boat type of life on a canal-like river. 

This life-style tempts me!

 

Then, somehow I convinced Himself to take the big loop south of New Orleans, along Plantation Road.  He loved the Mississippi River, what we could see of it since it is all leveed.  At Oak Alley, we climbed up the levee and watched the traffic on the river for awhile.  We checked out Oak Alley, Laura Plantation and another one call St. Joseph Plantation.  I think St. Joseph is a new endeavor and I would love to go back as we didn't take the tour today. 

 

 

St. Joseph Plantation, between Laura and Oak Alley. 

An interesting place.  I will write more about this later. 

 

 

 

This is Louisiana from high above one of the Mississippi River bridges.

This is the Mississippi River from the top of a levee.  It is crazy to think that this river and these boats are about 20 feet above the ground, the houses, cars and people!  I think I will need to research to see which of the Levees failed during Hurricane Katrina. 

Oak Alley.  I zoomed in as much as I could, looking for ghosts.  I didn't realized the Porticos were full of people when I took this photo.  I laughed out loud when I looked at this later -- I had spooks of a different kind! 

 

Friday afternoon about 2:30 we (Himself) decided we need to beat the traffic out of New Orleans.  We didn't.  Good thing we started when we did but it was still wall-to-wall on the way east on I-10 south of The City, across Lake Ponchartrain and up and out of the State into Mississippi.  Himself will never go back, the traffic was as bad as the time we went to Washington DC and why doesn't anybody have to work?  : )

 

Now, here we are tonight staying at Gulf Port, Mississippi where the beaches are white sand, the water is warm and the ocean is spread out before us in all its glory!