River Road and a 5th Wedding Anniversary

Has anyone seen The Lucky One? I happened to make last minute plans with co-workers on Friday and we saw it after work.


My friends, if you haven’t seen this movie, then GO!

OH
MY
GOSH.

If you like chick flicks, then you’ll love this one! I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first (knowing how most Nicholas Sparks movies end) but the ending of this movie threw me for a loop. I want to go see it again!! Seriously. Amazing movie!! (The fact that Zac Effron is in this movie doesn’t hurt, either…I find it funny that I followed him in High School Musical all those years…and now he’s “grown up”. After we left the theater, I said “Thank you, Disney Channel!” Hah!)

Anyway, in the movie, I noticed a few familiar sights. Oh yeah, did I mention that this movie was filmed in Louisiana? Pretty neat!

The entire film was shot in the New Orleans area -- including scenes set during the Iraq War, which were shot amid post-Katrina rubble at the St. Bernard Port. Other, more recognizable locations appearing in the film include the Union Passenger Terminal, Christ Episcopal School in Covington, the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Abita Springs, Houmas House Plantation and Gardens near Baton Rouge, Creedmoor Plantation in St. Bernard Parish, and the Port Eads Lighthouse.
Info: www.nola.com

Houmas House Plantation! When I saw the scene in the movie from the Plantation, I knew immediately where they were at because I visited Houmas House just a few weeks ago for my wedding anniversary! That’s when I remembered that I forgot to share my weekend with you guys….whoops! (Had I known that Zac Effron was on those grounds just months prior…..hahah!)

Warning: This post is FULL of pictures! (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

 

Anniversary flowers and our “Rehearsal Dinner” re-creation. Writing a blog post recapping our Rehearsal Dinner made me feel sentimental so I re-created the whole Dinner. I’m such a sap.



I even had the cups that my mother in law bought us to use during our Rehearsal Dinner! Oh yes, and the napkins from our wedding. (The sentimental-ness is too much some times!)



We left home bright and early on Saturday morning for Gonzales, Louisiana. We stopped in Lafayette, Louisiana to eat breakfast at the Broken Egg Cafe (a Mandeville tradition). It was really yummy and before long, we were back on the road. Our stop included an all day shopping trip at the Tanger Outlets in Gonzales, Louisiana. We found a TON of great deals and I was able to spruce up my wardrobe a bit! Yay!

After leaving the outlet mall, we drove down to Burnside, Louisiana to check in to our Bed and Breakfast. I found this quaint plantation home the week before our trip. The home is called Bocage Plantation and is located right off of River Road.

If you remember, staying at a plantation home overnight is on my 30 before 30 list! CHECK!



The home is beautiful!



When we arrived, we received an very warm reception from both the manager of the home and the house staff. Everyone was super nice and wanted to make us feel right at home (which we did)!



Our room was the Venetian Room.



The steam shower in our room was AMAZING! I want one!!



We received a tour of the home from the manager, then we walked around and took a few pictures!  I asked him if he could recommend a nice place to eat dinner and he suggested Latil’s Landing at Houmas House. He said you have to make reservations ahead of time (which I did) and it was definitely not your run of the mill Outback type restaurant.  (I wanted to eat dinner at a restaurant that was unique to the area.)

 

We also explored the grounds outside before hour'derves.

  

I could sit on this porch all day long. So quiet and peaceful!



We were set up for hour’derves in the downstairs parlor. I thought there would be a lot of traffic in and out because the downstairs area is used for tours, but we started eating around 5 p.m. and that’s the time that the tours stop. We didn’t have any problems at all!

   

The food was delicious!



After hour’derves, we dressed up a little and made our way down the road to Houmas House. Lucky for us, we only had to drive about a mile and a half! Yay!




As a teenager, I visited Houmas House with my family during one of our summer vacations. I remember the house very well because I had a very overactive imagination as a teenager and I LOVED Plantation Homes (and the history behind them).



What I did not remember is how beautiful the grounds of Houmas House are. The new owner (as of 2003), bought the home and completely revamped it. These grounds are amazing…really. Reminds me of something you would see in EPCOT.




A wedding happened just a few hours before. I have to admit, I was jealous. What a GORGEOUS place for a wedding!!!



The original "Houmas House"....now attached to the back of the home you see in pictures. Latil's Landing Restaurant is located in the original home which looked like this!

 

The food was delicious and you know what? This restaurant is a Top Chef restaurant! Another CHECK on my 30 before 30 list! Yay!

 

I picked up a cake from a local bakery prior to leaving for our trip. It was super yummy!!  Yes, I brought along our original cake topper and our cake cutter/server/napkins. What can I say?



Easter Sunday morning was a gorgeous one! The mist off the lake was beautiful.



I sat outside on the balcony and read “the Easter story”. :0)



Our breakfast was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in the dining room.



When we arrived, these lovely fruit plates were set before us!

  

We also had Blueberry pancakes, bacon, Easter bread, and the most amazing coffee ever!

 

After breakfast, I explored the upstairs areas a little bit before packing up to leave.

  

Hello! :0)

We decided to stop by Houmas House again for a daylight tour of the grounds and the home itself!

 



This is my favorite picture from the trip! :0)



The alleys of oaks was created back in the 1800’s to usher the breeze off the Mississippi river right up to the home! Pretty creative, if I do say so myself! :0)



The inside of the home was just as beautiful as the outside!



(A scene from The Lucky One” was taped in this room!)

 

If you’ve seen the movie “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte”, then you recognize this staircase….

 

Where Bocage was a nice quaint Bed and Breakfast, I felt as if Houmas House was the amusement park of Plantation Homes. Everything was done over  the top and absolutely gorgeous. I loved it!! (I loved Bocage, too!)

   

They grow their own greens…we ate greens from their garden the night before at Latil’s Landing! Yum!!



This oak tree is over 500 years old!

And last but not least, I leave you with a few pictures from the grounds of Houmas House….





We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend! I recommend Bocage Plantation home to anyone looking for a nice Bed and Breakfast area in the Darrow/Burnside/River Road area. The staff was super friendly and did everything they could to make our stay a nice, warm, welcome one. Houmas House was nice as well. I loved touring the grounds and eating dinner there. We will definitely be back! :0)



See y’all again soon! (A view of Bocage Plantation from the road.)