Day 17 – Visiting the plantations
Early in the morning we headed to Vacherie. After an one-hour-drive we arrived at the Creole Laura Plantation. The plantation where nowadays sugar cane is still grown used to be owned by the Duparc family. At its largest size, it was approximately 12,000 acres, which included properties amassed over time. The Construction of Duparc’s manor house began in 1804 and was completed 11 months later. The work was executed by highly-skilled slaves, probably of Senegalese descent, in pre-fabricated methods, typical of early Louisiana vernacular structures. It was very interesting to see the original buildings on this stunning land and to get to learn more about the traditional plantations and also slavery.
After a short break for lunch in a Cajun restaurant, we drove to a second plantation, the Houmas House. We were overwhelmed by the beautiful large gardens that we explored before our tour. We were guided through the house by a very passionate lady in traditional 19th century clothing. In the house, which is still inhabited, there was a lot of antique furniture and art and we also got explained how sugar was produced out of the sugar canes in the 19th century.
