Gardens and Garçonnières

The lady of the house is small and porcelain, with jet-black skin adorned with feathers, her perch behind the cupboard door resolute on the back of an alligator steed. Crafted in the mid-1800s, this little sculpture of the archetypal “Houmas Indian”—along with other variants of period artwork and furniture on display in Houmas House’s many rooms—is an emblem now of the historic estate’s stand-out history on the slice of river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Beneath the boughs of drooping live oaks and the gaze of garden statues, catching the light off lily ponds and the banks of the Mississippi, this Greek Revival backdrop serves as a study of past and present just in time for the first days of fall, when we invite you to “Beyond the Boat,” our special seafood-centric Supper Club.

“I wanted to ensure that the architecture and interiors look as authentic as possible,” said Kevin Kelly, the home’s owner and resident since 2003. “History risks being lost if we don’t work hard to preserve it, and I hope that’s what leaves the strongest impression on people when they visit.”

[Read more about Houmas House in this story from our January 2015 issue.]

A spin through time, yes, but Houmas House also built its contemporary reputation on its twenty-one luxury inn suites and its many decadent restaurants, including Latil’s Landing, The Carriage House, Cafe Burnside, The Turtle Bar, and the Wine Cellars of Houmas House, which draw regulars from the area on a weekly basis. Later this year, the grounds will also open the doors to the Great River Road Museum, an immersive recollection of the region’s economy, wildlife, cuisine, art, culture, and perhaps most importantly, steamboat transportation, whose popularity and elegance drew the likes of President Teddy Roosevelt to the region’s shores more than once. One look at the lobby in the guise of a steamboat wheelhouse, the reconstructed department store haberdashery, and any inch of the artifacts and animals inside would leave anyone planning a return trip. 

First-timer or not, you’re sure to make some history of your own.

Country Roads' "Beyond the Boat" Supper Club takes place on October 11. Get your tickets here, at bontempstix.com.