St. Francisville, For a Day

St. Francisville is a crossroads you'd miss if you were moving too fast, hidden among the hills for generations. Sitting high on the bluff above the Mississippi River, the town is home to more than a dozen shops and other boutique retailers, offering antiques and gifts along with restaurants and pocket parks, all located along Ferdinand, Commerce, and Royal streets in a historic district that calls to mind a slower pace of life. Dozens of local merchants, bed-and-breakfasts, and historic homes lining live oak-draped streets make it the quintessential small town.

Birdman Coffee is the local favorite for fresh coffee, featuring a delicious menu of homemade pastries—like cinnamon rolls and strawberry cake donuts—daily fresh-baked sourdough bread, and rotating daily specials like sweet potato waffles and ham, fontina, and green onion quiche. The shop celebrates local talent each week as a mainstay for live music and open mics on Friday nights. 

There are a number of unique boutique retailers that supply rarely found gifts or goods. Birds of a Feather carries consignment furniture and home decor, featuring custom linens, local artisan works, fine antiques. The Vintage Hive offers a curated collection of farmhouse decor, architectural salvage, and handmade items. Along Ferdinand Street, local storefronts like Away Down South and District Mercantile are flourishing within transformed historic properties. Bohemianville Antiques is a beloved St. Francisville fixture with a smattering of local art, retro finds, and vintage treasures. At Grandmother’s Buttons, four generations of women have turned antique buttons and vintage glass into heirloom jewelry pieces within a beautiful old bank building. Local indie The Conundrum bookstore stocks stories aplenty in a converted car garage, where it doubles as a cozy community hub. 

Next door to Birdman, the gravel parking lot outside of Magnolia Café is reliably full each day around lunchtime as locals descend on this historic river town’s beloved gathering place. The menu runs the gamut for regional favorites such as fried alligator bites, but you can’t go wrong with the Magnolia House Salad, piled high with bacon, avocado and sprouts. 

Restaurant 1796 brings a contemporary flair to The Myrtles with an open-fire concept, crafting a classic menu of hearth-roasted veggies and meats. The Francis Southern Table & Bar serves craft cocktails and classic Louisiana cuisine from its warm wood cabin-style, complete with outdoor deck surrounding a light-strewn oak tree. The menu is straightforward Southern classics, with seafood platters and specialty dishes like Feliciana Frog Legs and Duck Confit Eggrolls, and local bands perform on the deck most weekends. While there, grab some smoked meats next door at the The Francis Smokehouse & Specialty Meats.

Half an hour east of St. Francisville, a handful of organic "you-pick" blueberry orchards are open for fresh picking during the summer, including Berry Sweet Orchards in Ethel and Blueberry Ridge Orchard in Jackson. 

What is now the Lake Rosemound Inn was built in 1963 as a clubhouse for the residents of placid Lake Rosemound, thirteen miles north of St. Francisville. Or travel back to 1938 at the 3V Tourist Courts, original motor court cabins, an example of the modern resurgence of the classic American roadside inn.

The recently restored St. Francisville Inn, a Victorian landmark located in the heart of town for more than forty years, is known for its serving up in-house restaurant and bar, The Saint. Led by Executive Chef Michael Dardenne (who may sound familiar, as he also happened to be named one of Country Roads' Small Town Chefs for 2020), the restaurant's fare strikes a balance between Cajun culture, European tradition, and fine dining flavors—dishes like voodoo shrimp, hot crab bruschetta, black drum cocodrie, which is stuffed with crab and satsuma herb butter, persuade any shy patrons. The boutique hotel's first-floor bar is beautifully decorated, reminiscent of European pubs and legendary bars in New Orleans, and serving craft cocktails and small plates to soft jazz. explorewestfeliciana.com.

Sponsored by the West Feliciana Tourist Commission