Mississippi River

Road Trip: Louisiana Plantations and New Orleans

Posted by carol.fletcher@rocketmail.com
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October 30: Memphis to Tupelo and Louisiana. Starting mileage 32,852.

On the Natchez Trace

We left Tupelo on the Natchez Trace, a 444-mile highway that follows old Indian trails from Nashville, TN to the Mississippi River in Natchez, MS. Since we are Nashvillians, we know about Natchez Trace. Years ago, my father was obsessed with the building of its bridge over Highway 96 at Birdsong Hollow. And I’ve had many meals at the Loveless Cafe not far from where Natchez Trace starts. I’ve driven short distances on the two-lane road, always feeling reluctant to exit it, and wondering if I might still see Indians or settlers passing by in the thick woods along the road. It is protected land: a living history of what the American “West” looked like in the early 1800s. You’ll see no gas stations, McDonalds, Walgreens, or strip malls on it.

High Cotton

Instead, Mama and I saw deer, and a coyote. Cedar, cypress and pine trees lined the quiet road, and in the distance, fields of cotton stretched for miles. We left Natchez Trace to get fuel and cut over to I-55 via a small road through farms and acres of high cotton. White bits of fluffy cotton balls lined the road. When we pulled over for photos, I picked up a bit of cotton from the road. Mama and I sat in the car for a few minutes feeling the incredible softness of this little piece of cotton, amazed that ages ago someone, somehow, figured out how to take this little miracle from a puff, to thread, to clothing.

Cotton field in Mississippi.
Cotton field in Mississippi.

 

October 31: LaPlace to New Orleans. Starting Mileage 33,303.

After a night in LaPlace, Louisiana, we were ready to go see some plantations before driving into New Orleans for a two-night stay. These Louisiana parishes are known for growing sugarcane. In its heyday, The Mississippi River used to be a grand boulevard through here, when more than 300 plantations radiated out from every bit of river shoreline from Baton Rouge all the way down to New Orleans. Today, few of the grand old houses remain. Many of those that survived are open to tours and/or have restaurants and bed and breakfast accommodations. But for me, this was all about those magnificent trees.

Louisiana Plantations: Oak Alley

For years, I’ve seen photos of the ancient oaks at Oak Alley Plantation and it was our first stop. As we drove down River Road, we heard the church bells of St. James Parish. Suddenly, there they were, 28 massive oak trees partnered as if for a reel and lined up back to a big house.

unknown French settler 28 oak seedlings two evenly spaced rows down to the river.trees continued to grow. In 1837, a French sugar planter, Jacques Roman, built a mansion at the end of the allée of oaks Civil War, Reconstruction. restored, trust for preservation.
In the early 1700s, an unknown French settler placed 28 oak seedlings in two evenly spaced rows from his modest house down to the river. The settler eventually left and his house fell into ruins, but the trees continued to grow. In 1837, a French sugar planter, Jacques Roman, built a mansion at the end of the allée of oaks where the original house had stood. 
Oak Alley Plantation, line of trees from the road by the Mississippi River.
Oak Alley Plantation, as seen from River Road. In the old steamboat days, seeing this allée of oaks from the river meant you were halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. 
The Oaks of Oak Alley Plantation have lightning rods and are well-maintained with liquid fertilizer and trimmings.
Naturally, the giant oaks at Oak Alley Plantation are the stars here. These trees have lightning rods to protect them during storms, and are well-maintained with liquid fertilizer and regular trimmings.
Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana.
Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana. Spared during the Civil War, the house was unable to avoid disrepair during Reconstruction. In 1925, the property was purchased and restored, and in the 1970s put into a trust for preservation. Only a handful of plantations remain. Most have been knocked down–too broken to repair, too costly to maintain, and no longer income-generating. Instead, mostly chemical and oil refinery plants line the Mississippi River now.

 

Southern Hospitality
At Oak Alley Plantation, LA: A pineapple on a guest's bed at breakfast meant it was time to go, as in "you've overstayed your welcome. Here's a pineapple for your trip home."
At Oak Alley Plantation, we learned that a pineapple served whole on a guest’s breakfast tray meant it was time to go, as in: “You’ve overstayed your welcome. Here’s a pineapple for your trip home.”

 

We had lunch at Oak Alley, an old four-square building with one fireplace in the center of the building and shared via corner openings into each room. Genius design. They served a delicious Po-boy fish sandwich with rice and beans, and sweet mint tea, made even better by the location among those old oaks.

The Mississippi River Levee

Later, we walked over to see the Mississippi River from atop the levee. These levees were built after the 1927 floods, and are nothing more than ridges topped with dirt and concrete. I don’t know what I expected of a levee, but this wasn’t it. We did enjoy a few minutes of breezes at that height and the view of the wide, muddy Mississippi.

Oak Alley looking towards the Mississippi River.
On the porch at Oak Alley Plantation, looking towards the Mississippi River. At the end of the walk, past the little gate and the River Road, is the shore of the river. Today the levee is built high enough to protect the area from catastrophic flooding. And though all the antebellum homes face the river, their view of the water is obstructed. 
The levee blocks the view from the Mississippi River. No one can see the remaining plantations from the river.
The levee blocks the view of the Mississippi River. The remaining plantations cannot be seen from the river.
Mama Lucy on the Mississippi River levee.
Mama Lucy on the Mississippi River levee.
Mama at Evergreen Plantation.
Mama at Evergreen Plantation.

 

Louisiana Plantations: Evergreen

Next, we stopped at Evergreen Plantation, about 15 minutes from Oak Alley, towards New Orleans. This Creole farmhouse was built in 1790 before the Louisiana Purchase brought them and their land into the USA. It is the most intact plantation in the South with 37 buildings (including 22 slave cabins) on the National Register of Historic Places, and also holds landmark status for its agricultural acreage. Today, Evergreen Plantation is still a privately-owned, working sugarcane plantation. In fact, trucks were busy harvesting and trucking cane from the fields while we visited.

Evergreen Plantation, a Creole plantation that continues to be a working farm.
Evergreen Plantation, a Creole plantation built in 1790, renovated in 1832, it continues to be a working sugarcane farm.
Evergreen Plantation continues to grow sugar cane. This is the front yard of the plantation, and across the street sugar cane is being harvested.
Even today, Evergreen Plantation continues to grow sugarcane. This is the front yard of the plantation. Across the street, trucks harvest sugarcane. This Mississippi River is beyond the tree line.
Moss drips from trees on the Evergreen Plantation grounds. Louisiana.
Spanish Moss drips from trees on the Evergreen Plantation grounds. Louisiana.
Evergreen Plantation has 22 preserved slave cabins that were used until 1947 to house sugar cane workers. The cabins are in an allée of 82 live oaks.
Also, Evergreen Plantation has 22 former slave cabins, later used up until 1947 to house sugarcane workers. They are in an allée of 82 live oaks leading down to the fields.
Evergreen Plantation's 102 oaks lining a red dirt road to the sugar cane fields behind the house.
Evergreen Plantation’s 102 oaks lining a red dirt road to the sugarcane fields behind the house.
Sugar cane grows beneath a puffs of clouds in Louisiana.
Sugarcane grows beneath a puffs of clouds in Louisiana.

 

October 31 – November 2:  New Orleans, Louisiana.

After the plantations, we spent two days in extraordinary New Orleans, mostly wandering the French Quarter and eating–Po-boy sandwiches with seasoned fries, beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde, and red beans and rice and a Pimm’s Cup at the Napoleon House. We saw the Mississippi River at Jackson Square, mules in horses’ harnesses, saxophone players on the streets, wrought iron balconies dripping with ferns and decked out for Halloween (or Mardi Gras?). Of course, we saw beads in trees, beads on balconies, beads on the streets.

Beads & Fern on the sidewalk, New Orleans, Louisiana
Beads & a fern on the sidewalk. New Orleans, Louisiana.
Beignets and coffee. Cafe du Monde. French Quarter. New Orleans, LA.
Beignets and coffee. Cafe du Monde. French Quarter. New Orleans, LA.
Lucy at Cafe du Monde. NOLA.
Lucy at Cafe du Monde. NOLA.
New Orleans sign for Hotel Monteleone.
New Orleans sign for Hotel Monteleone.
Old and New. New Orleans.
New Orleans. Old and New.
The Royal Pharmacy. Haunted? I just liked the neon. New Orleans, LA.
The Royal Pharmacy. Haunted? Maybe! I liked the neon. New Orleans, LA.
Old door. New Orleans, LA.
Old door detail. New Orleans, LA.
Shotgun house for rent. NOLA.
Sassy little shotgun house for rent. NOLA.
Beads in a party tree. NOLA.
Beads in a party tree. NOLA.
Stay Puft Marshmellow Man and a Hearse. Only in New Orleans, LA.
Stay Puft Marshmellow Man and a Hearse. Only in New Orleans, LA.
Beads on a balcony. New Orleans, LA.
Beads on a balcony. New Orleans, LA.

 

Traveling is eye-opening. We learn, we are vulnerable, we change. Read more about our reasons for going. Also, some of these photos will be available on Etsy.
Finally, a big THANK YOU for following along.

6 hours on the Road for 5 hours in Memphis, TN

Posted by carol.fletcher@rocketmail.com
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Five hours in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, April 28, 2006

This quick trip was designed around 3 things: the Maxfield Parrish exhibit at the Brooks Museum, Sun Studios and BBQ ribs.

We left Nashville around 8 a.m. on a Friday and pulled into Memphis a clean 3 hours later. First stop, the Brooks Museum to see the Maxfield Parrish exhibit.

Maxfield Parrish’s work is a wonder of colors and details. It’s full, dreamy, magical. Blues of every nuance…and that’s just the mass produced prints. Standing in front of the actual 1922 Daybreak oil on panel was like looking into a window of heaven. Blue, violet, periwinkle, cerulean, lavender, mauve and the light. It was as stunning 10 feet away as it was with my nose nearly pressed against the glass.

Some things I learned: Parrish never mixed colors, he instead painted in layers–60+ sometimes–layering in gouache, glaze and more color. He photographed friends and family in the poses and then sketched them onto his paintings to get the details. And he kept rocks in his studio to “model” for the backgrounds. He was a perfectionist with an eye for light, color and nature–and a keen sense of humor. He aspired to be considered more a fine art creator versus being the illustrator.

Next stop was Sun Studios: recording home to Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash during the 1950s. The studio tour starts with a memorabilia tour next door. They have early recording equipment, scratchy recordings of Howlin Wolf, Elvis, Johnny Cash and more. Plus, they have Elvis’ social security card and high school diploma (on loan from Graceland), and some pre Ed Sullivan video of Elvis’ hip shaking. Back downstairs, you enter the Sun Studio reception room from the side. The studio itself is behind the reception room. It’s much smaller than I’d imagined. But not so difficult to imagine a young Elvis coming in one afternoon to record a song for his mother. The very intuitive receptionist, running the studio solo that afternoon, smartly made a copy of Elvis’ first recording for her boss Sam Phillips. It’s the stuff of legends! Old microphones, pianos, photos, and guitars line the walls. And it is still a recording studio…for $75/hour, you too can record at Sun!

Next stop, Blues City Cafe on Beale St. for ribs. A no-nonsense kind of place with huge portions. The full rack of ribs was moderately priced and some of the meatiest ribs we’ve ever seen.

We walked down a few blocks to pay our respects to the mighty Mississippi River and then headed east on I-40 back to Nashville. Wishing we could have spent the night on Beale St…they were gearing up for that music in the streets. Next time…