Houmas House Plantation Tour
This historic Houmas House estate boasts 38 acres of the South’s most beautiful gardens, three restaurants, a luxurious Inn and a historic mansion open daily for tours. The guided mansion tour leads guests through the architectural evolution of the mansion and details how a succession of owners and the Mississippi River grew this manor house to today’s grand estate. Period antiques, artwork and artifacts help the costumed guides tell the story of plantation life. Once sprawling over 300,000 acres, Houmas House has survived wars, floods, abandonment, and the test of time.
history of Houmas House plantation
Under the ownership of John Burnside in the 1850s and 60s, Houmas House was the center of the largest slave holding in Louisiana. With over 800 slaves, it represented the largest economic unit in the prevailing slave economy of the state’s pre-Civil War period. The plantation house began in the late 18th or early 19th century as a two-story, pitched roof brick building with end wall chimneys and a stuccoed exterior. The house had two rooms on each floor with a central staircase, six over six windows, and exposed beams, some of which were beaded. Although it presents a historic appearance, this old portion of the house has been much reworked. Changes made include the removal of the stairs, the addition of an upstairs hall with a Palladian window, the replacement of the fireplaces and mantels, and the installation of closets and cupboards.
VISITING THE PLANTATION
Spend the day or night and experience the Antebellum South. Once you have explored the Houmas Estate, visit The Great River Road Steamboat Museum. This expansive museum educates about life on the Mississippi– exploring the culture, commerce, folklore and music. Once you’ve completed this attraction, save time to walk across the bridge located in the parking lot and enjoy sweeping views of the Mississippi River and the surrounding landscape.
See all New Orleans plantation tour options offered by Cajun Encounters.
