Madewood Plantation

If you are looking for a southern Louisiana Bed and Breakfast during your New Orleans visit, have you considered an Antebellum Plantation?

Madewood Plantation, one of Louisiana's most majestic plantations, is not only great to visit, but you can spend the night there (or several) as well. Madewood, in Napoleonville, just 75 miles west of New Orleans, is one of the Louisiana antebellum homes that conjures up the elegance of the pre-Civil War South. Nestled among moss draped oaks, on acres of quiet land, few places are more peaceful as the sun sinks below the horizon. Besides its value as an historic site, and one of the local museums of past culture, Madewood Plantation is operated as a Bed and Breakfast, allowing visitors to sleep in the "Big House", using all of the genuine antiques which furnish the home.

I had the pleasure of spending nearly a week at Madewood, and it definitely ranks among the top three most enjoyable vacations of my life. The day would start early, as the sun broke above the trees. In April, there is still a chill in the air, so a good, strong cup of coffee and chickory is in order. Just sit on the veranda, drink the coffee, and watch the squirrels play.

At around 7:30 to 8:00 A.M., breakfast would be served, sometimes in the house or other times in the old kitchen building. The variety would include eggs, bacon and grits, hot cakes and sausage, or maybe hot drop biscuits with butter, the likes of which I have never eaten before or since. Lunch and Dinner are served for those Bed and Breakfast guests spending more than one night, and we had the pleasure of having dinner in the main dining room, with our host, Mr. Keith Marshall, the owner. Afterwards, we retired to the drawing room for after dinner drinks and coffee.

The house is furnished with genuine antiques of the period, which is for the use of the guests. I didn't have to watch for chained-off rooms, and "Do Not Touch" signs, nor did I get the typical ghost and haunted house hype, that many tourist attractions like to give.

Madewood Plantation is a great place for photography. The building architecture, and the magnificent landscape gives one an endless choice of scenes for taking pictures. In the early Spring, the Azaleas are blooming, which just adds to the splendor! I spent hours just walking around, looking, and planning my shots.

As a bonus, there is a very old family grave yard on the grounds. It was typical for estates to have their own cemeteries, and Madewood is no exception. Fenced off with a very old and rusting iron fence, and creaking gate, are the tombs and headstones of those who lived and died 200 years ago, or earlier. Some are so old, that you can barely read the inscriptions. A creative photographer could spend hours in that burial plot alone!