Fodor's Expert Review Destrehan Plantation

The closest intact plantation to New Orleans is also the oldest intact plantation in the entire lower Mississippi Valley. It's a simple West Indies–style house, built in 1787–90 by an enslaved builder of mixed race for the Destrehan family; it's typical of the homes built by the earliest planters in the region. It is notable for the hand-hewn cypress timbers used in its construction and for the insulation in its walls, made of bousillage, a mixture of horsehair, Spanish moss, oyster shells, and mud. A costumed guide leads a 45-minute tour through the house furnished with period antiques, starting every half-hour. "The Unheard Voices of the German Coast Tour" is a special two-hour tour offered on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:15 am and 1:15 pm, focusing on the marginalized people of the region—especially enslaved Africans. The grounds also hold exhibits showcasing documents signed by former Presidents, a history of the extraordinary 1811 Slave Revolt, and original slave cabins from a nearby plantation. Demonstrations of crafts such as weaving, barrel-making, or open-hearth cooking occur regularly, and an annual fall festival with music, crafts, and food is held the second weekend in November.