Oak Alley Plantation (and a Mint Julep stand!)

 Hi Ya’ll, Aimee here. Your unofficial, official Oak Alley Plantation tour guide.

 

Oak Alley Plantation, referred to as “The Grand Dame of River Road” is located in Vacherie, Louisiana. I always mistake that it’s “on the way to New Orleans” but I’m directionally challenged. I will say that it’s about an hour’s drive for me in Baton Rouge.

It’s probably one of my favorites for a couple reasons that I’m about to share with you.

For starters, the alley of Oak trees.

There is something really magical about such large trees with such impressive stories.

Don’t you wish they could speak?

I’m pretty sure their stories would be quite interesting.

Additionally, Oak Alley has a Mint Julep stand.

Yes, they sell lemonade too but can we just pause for a moment and reflect on the sheer joy of obtaining  a Mint Julep from a Mint Julep stand?


After your trip to the Mint Julep stand, you can stroll through the reconstructed slave quarters on your way to the restaurant and gift shop.

I really don’t like typing “slave quarters” but calling them the “helpers quarters” sort of just skirts over the issue of what they were called.

Oak Alley has the purchase prices listed in a separate history marker and it made me cry on the entire walk to the restaurant.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come, but embarrassing that at one point in history a human being could purchase a mother and her children for less than $800.

It broke my heart for that mother and her children.

A woman I will never know, or have no connection to.

But whose innocent children were part of a package deal.

Sigh.

It was going to take some serious good food to cheer up my depressed mood.

Oak Alley Restaurant did not disappoint.

We had the Louisiana Crawfish Cake for an appetizer.

Here’s the menu description:

Louisiana Crawfish Tails, Creole Seasonings, Sweet Potatoes, Herbs & Spices, formed in a cake, grilled in a cast iron skillet, and topped with Cajun Cream.

Oh. My. Dear. Goodness.

Note to self: You need a baby sized skillet like that.


I had the Shrimp Gumbo for lunch and ate it too fast to photograph.

Hate when that happens.

I did break long enough to snap a picture of my new best friend.

The Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake with Praline Topping.

Ya’ll. You should just go visit for the cheesecake & mint juleps.

It alone is worth the drive.

I’ve put it on my to do list to try to recreate.

I mean, I do put praline topping on just about anything anyway.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little saunter through Oak Alley.

See ya at the next one.

Aimee

Southern born and raised, Aimee enjoys living life in the deep South with husband Brian and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Milo, Murph, Tucker, newest addition Queen Bea + their occasional foster dog. A graduate of Louisiana College, she once haphazardly traded in a career in corporate insurance for the aprons and ovens of her kitchen. AimeeBroussard.com is the online diary of her journey as an award-winning cookie creator and three-time cookbook author.

9 Comments

    1. I’m in love with the trees! And yes, weddings & bridal portraits make absolutely gorgeous pictures there.

  3. I love the alley of trees, too. Not to mention the fact that I’ve seen that alley in a couple of movies (and a soap opera!)

    1. Those trees are fantastic! So funny, my father in law recapped how many movies were filmed there this weekend and told me I needed to mention them. Ha!

  4. Are you telling me I lived 30 minutes from here for 2 years and thought all along it was in NOLA. It’s way closer to Thibodaux lol!

  5. I’m a little bothered you changed the historically accurate term slave quarters to “helper quarters”, which was obvious to me that you peachy glossed over the fact that there were indeed African American slaves who unwillingly worked at this plantation under harsh conditions. It’s just baffles me that people feel the right to change the narrative to their own liking because they feel “uncomfortable” with the subject. State the facts face forward. I found your blog by looking up the Mint Julep stand the plantation has, but this blog about Oak Alley Plantation left a bad taste in my mouth and I’m not talking about the Mint Juleps

    1. Hello. I think you are misreading or perhaps reading only the words you want to read. Here’s exactly what I said:

      “After your trip to the Mint Julep stand, you can stroll through the reconstructed slave quarters on your way to the restaurant and gift shop.

      I really don’t like typing “slave quarters” but calling them the “helpers quarters” sort of just skirts over the issue of what they were called.”

      No peachy glossing over here.

Comments are closed.