By Charmaine Hibbert

After spending time watching the guys play golf and indulging in the corporate hospitality that lines the eighteenth hole at TPC Louisianna we are on the coach heading to Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, now this is one part of the trip that feels me with nervous anticipation.

I am the last person who would want to forget that these places have a dark past but as we disembark from the coach and enter the gardens of the plantation in what photographers call one of the golden hours - where the sun starts to set - the plantation house can be seen in all its architectural glory and as I enter the avenue of oaks it really is an impressive building.

We are given a tour of the house and are informed by our knowledgeable docent Susan Honaka – who is dressed in full period costume – that the owner Kevin Kelly is acquiring as much furnishings from that period as he can, they may not be original to this plantation house but they are from that era. We are told about the past of this build and its dark history is not forgotten which I felt was important and may have been in the wonderfully appointed Turtle bar, we are taken to our individual villas and as I enter the room it really is perfectly in keeping with the period but has all the luxurious touches you would want with two queen sized beds to choose from and the bathroom with its porcelain claw foot bath and a shower room with a built in seat so you can just let the hot water wash off the days humidity.

Dinner was served in The Carriage House Restaurant where we sat right in the middle at a twenty person dining table that was at least four foot wide and could have accommodated another twenty people it was that long. The food served was wonderful, but it was the conversation after that captured the imagination with Kevin explaining how he came to acquire and adapt each piece of furniture to fit into the plantation house, you can feel his enthusiasm and the Houmas House Plantation is a testament to his vision and with the addition of a new amphitheatre will only add to what is already a wonderful place to stay or visit.

Houmas House Plantation and Gardens
40136 Highway 942,
Darrow, LA 70725

T: +1 225-473-9380
W: houmashouse.com