Contributor Victor Block writes:

Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in the town of Houma is my personal favorite among the Mississipi River plantations, which lives up to the romanticized image and then some - which is why Houmas House (pronounced "Hummus) has appeared in a variety of motion pictures and TV series. It was established in the late 1700s on land inhabited by the Houma Native Americans. The main French-colonial-style house, built about 1775, served as the focal point of what became a very successful sugar cane operation. An oak-tree alley leads the eye to the front of the graceful house and resident geese and ducks act as noisy sentries. The tour of the lovingly restored antebellum mansion recalls those heady days, and rare period furnishings, art and artifacts reflect the home’s former opulence. Then there are the gardens, 38 acres of colorful native and exotic plantings which serve as backdrop to a museum-quality collection of sculptures."

Read more in his post History & Luxury on a Cruise of the Lower Mississippi River.