Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana

Slowly we are nearing the end of Highlights of the Mississippi Cruise...  

Tuesday, July 11, we did depart in Baton Rouge at 2:00 AM and after breakfast at 8:30 AM we could get off and walk just across the road to Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation had been such a long time dream!
Impressive Greek Revival antebellum home.
Also here, a 13-foot deep veranda encircles the entire house for providing shade for the entire day.
Much needed in the hot and humid Deep South.

As Southern Lady magazine wrote in March-April of 2009:
THE GRAND DAME OF THE Great River Road

These two pictures should be seen side by side of course!
Oh, that alley of majestic Live Oaks!
You can almost see the Mississippi river in the end...

"The serenity and quietness of this place is like nowhere else on earth."
Jacques Telesphore Roman and his wife, Celina, spared no expenses when they bult on this land in the late 1830s. The house took two years to complete and featured such details as 28 solid brick columns 8 feet in circumference, 16-inch-thick walls, and a 13 foot-deep veranda that kept the house shaded most of the day--a decided advantage in the Deep South heat.

12.5 foot-ceilings add to the grandeur and beauty.
All walls are of solid brick, approximately 16 inches thick.
All windows and doors face one another for cross ventilation!
For an interesting video of the tour click: Oak Alley Plantation Tour.

Again, for doing the tour and wanting to see the rest, this time frame was not quite enough!
Oh, we did have to leave ONCE a person behind that stayed in the gift shop at one of the plantations and the captain announced that we had to depart without him.
Sad... He got transport by taxi and was put up in a hotel and met with us at the next port.
Scary too! Especially if the person would have medications on the boat for the evening and morning...

When we arrived at the House I took this photo of the Oak Alley and in the far distance there are two ladies in period costumes.

Once more in a wider view...
Every person should have a chance to BE here; if only ONCE!
If only those majestic 300 year old live oak trees could talk.

This photo shows you the THICK inside walls!
Yes, they are made of approx. 16" of solid brick!
That keeps the building cool too.

Antique and ORIGINAL Rosewood Cradle of Oak Alley Plantation!
One really does step back in time...

One only can be in awe by such a Ceiling Medallion...

The same bedroom and you see here a fainting couch next to the rosewood cradle.

Oak Alley as seen from the veranda down...

Oak Alley from the veranda in a wider view.

Husband Pieter admiring the view of the gardens, from this 13-foot wide veranda.

Oak Alley has this 13-foot wide veranda encircling the entire house!
Taking care of shade for the entire day...

Admiring those lush Crepe Myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia) in the garden...
Our most expensive trees that we have came from a Louisiana nursery and we learned this day WHY this probably is the best state for growing anything!

White blooming Crepe Myrtle tree to the left and in the center a lush Southern Magnolia.

What a lush garden!
More white blooming Crepe Myrtle trees.

There was so much more to explore, like this Confederate Commanding Officer's tent...
A little insight into the Civil War (1861 to 1865) and its impact on Louisiana and Oak Alley.

Headquarters of Lieutenant General Richard Taylor, Commanding.
Lieutenant General Richard Taylor was a son of President Zachary Taylor and the brother-in-law of Jefferson Davis. He owned a large sugar plantation and was a Louisiana senator.
Husband Pieter, having served himself in the Dutch army found this quite interesting to peak into army life back then.

Simple life back then...

This cast iron sugar kettle we saw at the Sugarcane Theater of Oak Alley.
It was used to heat, clarify and evaporate the cane juice over a wood burning furnace.

Walking the grounds, to the left you see again blooming Crepe Myrtles.

Vertical photo of entrance to Oak Alley, the other I used as opening photo above.

Walking back now to our boat, one more time turning around for this majestic live oak alley!
A quarter of a mile alley of 300 year old Quercus virginiana 'Live Oaks'.

Now turning around and you can see the America on the Mississippi river behind the dike.
She is being supplied by a fresh produce truck, right here at Oak Alley.
Those that couldn't walk are being transported on golf carts, but both of us manage the walk up to the boat.

Returning back in time; from the old era and also in time for a tour of the Pilot House Tour on our cruise ship.

Back on the dike, for getting to our cruise ship and returning from a visit back in time.
Such a memorable sugar cane plantation!
Oak Alley is really the Grande Dame of the Great River Road!

Would have loved to linger longer here at Oak Alley!

Climbing up higher on the dike...

Behind this tall dike, awaits our America cruise ship, on the Mississippi river.

Here you can see on a Google map where Oak Alley Plantation is at and where the ship was docked.

Oak Alley overview

Oak Alley Plantation - Vacherie, Louisiana

Oak Alley Plantation Highlights

Oak Alley Plantation Highlights

Visitor Guide & Map of Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation Productions

Hope you enjoyed this Grande Dame!

Here is a good video for a visit: Oak Alley: See Historic Grounds and Big House! - YouTube

Thank you for your visit and stay tuned for Pilot House Tour and Upper Deck

Related links:

Baton Rouge and Rosedown Plantation, Louisiana | previous post by me
Houmas House the Sugar Palace in Darrow, Louisiana | previous post by me

Aboard the America Cruising on the Mississippi River | previous post by me
Our Long Awaited Mississippi River Cruise | previous post by me

The Roosevelt New Orleans with View of Mississippi and French Quarter + New Orleans Cooking School | previous post by me

7th North American Mushroom Conference at The Roosevelt in New Orleans | previous post by me

Baton Rouge and Rosedown Plantation, Louisiana

On Sunday, July 9 of 2017 we arrived in Baton Rouge, the capitol of Louisiana where we were about to dock around 7:30 PM

Here we are at 17:36 approaching Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the rain...
To the right, those arches you see, that is Baton Rouge's City Dock.

This shows satellite image from where the photo has been taken, with the City Dock clearly showing.

The timing was always so perfect, even with some rain or thunderstorms, we were aboard and had our elegant dinner and evening entertainment!

Above is a very short 28 seconds video with an 180º overview from the front deck, you can see the walkway bridge hanging out for us to disembark in the morning.

At the City Dock in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by 7:30 PM

Like a snake, the Mississippi river moves past Baton Rouge...

After breakfast as we get off the boat via the City Dock we are greeted and handed each a necklace of vibrant Mardi Gras beads.
We get on the bus at 8:30 AM and start a city tour.

This is our Monday, July 10th, 2017 schedule.

Here husband Pieter stands at the entrance of Saint Francisville Rosedown Plantation.

It is nearly impossible to capture those huge live oak trees!

Clear blue sky in the mornings.
On the entire property you can see ladies wearing 19th Century costumes.

While doing the tour, I've taken this photo from the balcony to show the conservatory in the back.
You clearly can see the Spanish moss hanging down from those live oak trees.

From the top balcony, while we were waiting for our tour guide to be available, I took this down from the live oak tree lined alley.

And more upwards to show those live oak trees.

Just to show you how wide those veranda balconies are!
They encircle the entire house and provide lovely shade during most of the day.
Husband Pieter wearing his American Cruise Lines bag with our bottled water...

The very same was true here, we would have loved to explore this place more but the coach was already waiting for us.
The Gardens were sure lovely for a stroll!

At the top, right from center, you see the Rosedown Plantation and below is the Mississippi River.
Also the red dot below center points to Grandmother's Buttons where we also visited and people found some cute souvenirs.

After lunch we had another tour...
For 25 beautiful photos from Baton Rouge, showing some of the things we did get to visit or see in the afternoon during the Historic Baton Rouge City Tour at 2:00 PM, just click the pink hyperlink.

Another perfect day ended with this sun down Baton Rouge Riverfront at 8:05 PM.
Photo was taken from our balcony...

This photo shows the location where the America was, next to the City Dock, when I took that sun down photo.

Thank you for your visit!

Stay tuned for Oak Alley in Vacherie, Louisiana

Related links:
Houmas House the Sugar Palace in Darrow, Louisiana | previous post by me

Aboard the America Cruising on the Mississippi River | previous post by me
Our Long Awaited Mississippi River Cruise | previous post by me

The Roosevelt New Orleans with View of Mississippi and French Quarter + New Orleans Cooking School | previous post by me

7th North American Mushroom Conference at The Roosevelt in New Orleans | previous post by me