Sofa Sojourner’s Road Trip: New Orleans to Houma

Being an armchair adventurer has its advantages. Travelers have all the time they need to explore a destination’s hidden treasures as well as experience the local cuisine and culture. As we embark on part two of our Louisiana adventure we are heading the 57-miles to Terrebonne Parish, the heart of Bayou Country. Louisiana has 64 parishes that are the equivalent of counties in other states. Terrebonne created in 1822, is the 2^nd largest parish and is one of the southernmost. It covers 2,100 sq. miles and abuts the Gulf of Mexico. The French named the area “terre bonne”, good earth because of its fertility, fish and game and sheer beauty. Houma was established in 1834 and named the parish seat because it was at the junction of six bayous and offered transit opportunities. #BayouCountry

 Houma was named after the Houmas Indians, whose name means “red”. It is believed they settled the area in the 1700s to escape other tribes and one of their encampments, Ouisi Bayou, was in what is now greater Houma. The area was settled by French, Spanish and Anglo-Saxons as well as French Acadians (1765-85) who were exiled from Nova Scotia. The Acadians remained insular and preserved their “Cajun” culture heritage.  An Acadian Deportation Cross, one of 37, is displayed in downtown Houma.houmatravel.com

Terrebonne’s first plantation was established in 1828 and by 1851 there were 110 and sugar cane was the primary crop. Louisiana’s final slave census, in 1860, shows there were approximately 331,726 slaves and 18,647 free blacks. Terrebonne’s plantations tended to bring African slaves from regions that already possessed the skills needed on the plantation. This created a situation where Africans from the same region, generally Senegambia, were kept together and Louisiana’s Code Noir, French laws governing slavery, forbade the breaking up of families. These conditions allowed blacks to maintain aspects of their culture that are shared today. @HoumaTravel

               

The Houma Area Visitors Center is the perfect doorway into the Bayou and all it has to offer. Thematic exhibits cover all aspects of exploring the bayou from dining and accommodations to swamp and plantation tours. Showcased there are the personal stories of people like slave traders Jim Bowie and Jean Lafitte and the kidnapped African prince, Abdul Rahman Ibrahama. Giant boots on the exterior provide a wonderful photo op. The region’s hospitality starts here! #TheBigBoots

   

           

Gothic Revival Southdown Plantation/Terrebonne Museum offers tours of the sugar plantation and parish museum. Originally part of a Spanish land grant, the 10,000 sq. ft., 20 room, mansion was built in 1858 and was family owned until 1936. The walls are 12-inches thick and the house is 65-ft. deep. The museum displays historic artifacts and antiques. Guided tours of the mansion and unique two-story slave quarters are offered. www.southdownmuseum.org

Laura Plantation is a raised French-Creole plantation house constructed in 1805 in the house of 30 style, with marked beams still visible in the basement. A plantation tour interprets the history of the people who lived here over time, the ruling class as well as the 400 enslaved, through documented stories. Grounds’ tours highlight the dependencies and the 4 remaining original slave dwellings. In 1994 Laura was the first plantation to share the unvarnished story of slavery on this sugar plantation. In the ensuing years it has been a leader in both scholarship and presentation. A visit to Laura adds substantially to an understanding of aspects of Louisiana sugar plantation slavery. lauraplantation.com

Each mansion is different and the 21-room Victorian Gothic Ardoyne Plantation is no exception. Built in 1890 near Bayou Black the 2-story mansion features unusual architectural elements such as a 75-ft. tower, gingerbread woodwork, 2 gables and square pillars. There were 1,000-acres and 67 slaves in 1860. The home has remained in the same family and the furnishings and structural elements are original. Guided tours take you into the world of a sugarcane plantation and give personal insights into the people who lived there. @ArdoynePlantation

Down the Bayou Shrimp Tours helps you better understand the seafood industry from preparing the boat to processing and sales. Walk among the shrimp boats and learn about the equipment used, how they operate and factors that influence the industry. This family-owned business joins in the harvesting of 10-million pounds of Louisiana shrimp annually, the most eaten seafood in the US. You will love this unusual tour and it is enjoyable for all ages. Kim’s Shuga Shack, on the premises, uses fresh, local ingredients. The food is plentiful and outstanding. Make a day of it. @DowntheBayouShrimpTours

        

Now it is time to try your hand at creating a meal. Cajuns refer to a party as a “throw down” and any good throw down includes food and Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience, an authentic throw down, is a must do. This 3-hour culinary classic class combines a history lesson on the multicultural nature of Cajun history and cuisine, the smoking of andouille sausage and hands-on creation of gumbo and jambalaya. All ingredients are fresh and the laughter and music are genuine. Book online. CajunCookingExperience.com

   

            

If you desire a taste of alligator bites and charbroiled oysters head for Cajun Critters, a Cajun restaurant serving authentic foods. This is a favorite of locals so be prepared to wait. It is worth it. @cajuncritters.seafood

Houma’s Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott® is wonderfully situated for accessing sites throughout the parish. This 68-room hotel’s amenities include complimentary full breakfast, WIFI and parking. marriott.com/hotels/travel/msyhf-fairfield-inn-and-suites-houma

Road Trip: New Orleans to Baton Rouge (part one

                                               
                                                     "Let the good times roll……..Again".

Self-isolation is a term that has recently embedded itself into the public consciousness. People have been asked to refrain from close quarters in large crowds, international travel and nonessential activities. In other words, as much as possible, stay home. Self-isolation has its own set of issues, not the least regarding the impact on destination travel. My solution is to spend some of your newly available time planning for the time when things normalize, and history has proven that it will, and the call of the open road will again beckon. Plan now for a new adventure, to revisit an old one and support the travel industry. #Travelsouth.com

“Life is a highway” and America has more than its share of scenic roads that quickly transform into memorable moments. One of the country’s best road trips is the drive between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, 73-miles, and the parishes in between. This historic stretch has outdoor adventure, historic sites, fresh seafood, music and a cultural joie de vivre that defies description. You can start in either city but this itinerary begins in New Orleans and includes several “different” sites. #Feedyoursoul

The French established the city on the high ground of the Mississippi River in 1718. It was named after the Duke of New Orleans and 4-years later became the capital of New France. Spain took control in 1763, in 1801 Napoleon regained control and in 1803 it was sold as part of the Louisiana Purchase at three-cents an acre. www.neworleans.com

A comprehensive orientation to the city is on view at the Historic New Orleans Collection. There are three sites but the new 36,000-sq.-ft exhibition features the only permanent exhibit on the French 

Quarter’s history. The collection is in the 1816 Seignouret-Brulatour Building. Highlights of the 

collection include documents related to Louisiana slavery, period furnishings and artifacts, remnants of the 

orginal streetcar named Desire and a restored Aeolian pipe organ. www.hnoc.org

In 2008 Sazerac® was designated the official cocktail of New Orleans and in late 2019 the Sazerac 

House Museum and micro-distillery opened. The multi-level museum’s phenomenal interactive kiosks and interpretive displays trace the history of the cocktail from its origin in the 1800s. The 

redesigned hat store predates electricity and houses the company’s original 125-ft long bar that was 

serviced by 12 bartenders. There are five tasting rooms and drinking carts that serve small tastings 

throughout the facility. The best photo op is a three story wall with 1010 bottles representing 19 types of libations and interactive video bars are a real treat. sazerachouse.com

The 46 galleries of the New Orleans Museum of Art is home to a collection exceeding $180-million including that of Peter Carl Fabergé. The exquisite outdoor sculpture garden was recently expanded and now, in an English garden design, showcases 64 sculptures in a creative blend of art and landscape. Maya Lin is one of the featured artists. @NOMA1910

Nearby Ralph’s on the Park is a perfect place to dine after a visit to the museum. Chef Chip Flanagan reigns over this award winning restaurant, creating exceptional dishes fusing local cuisine with international flair. @RalphsonthePark

Cruising aboard the Steamboat NATCHEZ combines a love of good food and good music. A 2-hour dinner cruise that offers great views of the city and the Mississippi River as guests enjoy a performance by the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland. steamboatnatchez.com

Tourists tend to head straight for Bourbon Street because of its reputation as party central. Locals find it a little touristy and make their way to the 3-block Frenchmen Street a hub for nightlife, dining and authentic live music. The area, downriver from the French Quarter (Vieux Carré) , was once a family plantation owned by a Creole. Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville subdivided his land in 1806 and the Marigny neighborhood was created. White Creole gentlemen settled their colored mistresses and children in Marigny.

Bernard de Marigny is credited with popularizing craps, from the French “crapaud” or toad because of the player’s crouch, in the United States. His half-sister, daughter of his father and an enslaved woman, inherited a portion of their grandparent’s estate and he, even though often in need of money, supported her claim against family members who felt a black person should not inherit. He died penniless and was buried in Saint Louis Cemetery # 1.

Cemetery #1 is one of New Orleans most famous tourist sites and really should be on your list. It was consecrated in 1798 with Spanish mandated above ground burials. Originally burials were by religious affiliation, Catholic, non-Catholic, Protestant and enslaved "Negroes". As of  2015, the Archdiocese of New Orleans, in order to protect the tombs, requires that visitors be accompanied by a tour guide. The tomb of Marie Laveau, a woman of color, is believed to have been a Voodoo Queen and her tomb is something of a pilgrimage site. Nicholas Cage, although still alive, has a tomb in Cemetery #1. His 9-ft. tall pyramid is inscribed with “Omnia ab Uno” or “all for one”. It is said that he tried to build his tomb as close to Marie Laveau’s as possible.

The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, a Marriott property, is the best of both worlds, close to the French Quarter with panoramic Mississippi River views. The 1,110 guest rooms feature the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper™ Bed, a full menu of amenities, state-of-the-art fitness center and business spaces and services.

Prior to embarking on the rest of the trip have a classic, gourmet breakfast at the Palace Café. The café is fashioned after a French Café complete with refined elegance and architecture. This is Creole cuisine as art! @DBpalacecafe

TRAVEL TIP:
Allow your children to assist with trip planning. This is an ideal learning opportunity and employs higher level research, organizational and critical thinking skills.

The Black Dispatch: Spying While Black (part two)

Josephine Baker

African Americans served as spies during the American Revolution with the belief that their service would prove the loyalty of the people, improve their condition and  for the ever present promises of freedom. Largely the status of African Americans did not change as a result of their service and neither side kept their promises. Blacks amazingly clung to those same beliefs during the Civil War and once again the Black Dispatch set to work gathering information. Again they used their marginalized status and their perceived ignorance that would be their greatest assets.

Elizabeth Van Lew and Family

Mary Elizabeth Bowser’s contributions to war effort were so awesome she was inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame in 1995. Mary was born enslaved to the white Richmond Van Lew family. Elizabeth, the daughter, was an abolitionist and pro-Union and freed Mary and sent her north to be educated. When war broke out Elizabeth pretended to be odd, earning the nickname of “Crazy Bet”, all the while establishing the Richmond Underground spy ring. She asked Mary to return to Richmond where she posed as an uneducated housekeeper and was hired to work in the Confederate White House for Mrs. Jefferson. Bowser listened to conversations and used her photographic memory to read memorize and recall documents. After the war Elizabeth had all official records expunged to avoid retaliation.

White House of the Confederacy

The American Civil War Museum and White House of the Confederacy offer daily tours. It has been restored to its appearance during the time of Davis, August, 1861 until April 2, 1865. Many of the furnishings were used by the Davis family. acwm.org

Jefferson Davis’ coachman, William Jackson, was also a household spy. There is documentation that he gave information so important it was passed on to the War Department. He crossed into Union lines in 1862 to Fredericksburg to deliver the information. Driving tours of the battlefield are clearly marked. fredericksburgva.gov

Fort Monroe was the site of many momentous events and it is there that escaped slave George Scott shared information with General Butler regarding a planned Confederate attack on Newport News he had gathered during his escape. This led to several missions behind enemy lines.

Charlie Wright escaped from Culpepper, VA in 1863 and upon questioning they found he had a remarkable memory for details. He informed the Union that troops were headed into Maryland. Based on Wright’s intelligence Hooker shadowed the Confederates and protected DC from Lee’s forces, held the better ground and led to the Battle of Gettysburg. destinationgettysburg.com

John Scobell was a Mississippi slave whose master educated and freed him. In 1861 he became one of several black Pinkerton agents. He was a master of disguise and often posed as a servant to a white operative to gain information from other black workers. He employed the aid of the Legal League, a secret black southern organization working to free slaves and provided intelligence on troop movements, numbers and fortifications.

Dabney and his wife fled the Confederacy and began to work for Union General Hooker. His wife soon returned south to work in a household as a maid. Dabney began providing incredibly accurate intelligence. When questioned he told the officers that he and his wife sent signals using the positions of the laundry on her line that could be seen from Hooker’s headquarters.

Mary Touvestre was the engineer of the ironclad Merrimac’s housekeeper. She stole the blueprints, left Norfolk and gave them to the US Sec. of the Navy. The Union then sped up the building of their ironclad, the Monitor.

Robert Smalls was born in Beaufort in 1839 and was taken to Charleston in 1851 and rented out. He worked on the Confederate troop ship CSS Planter. On May 13, 1862 he put his family and black crewmen and their families aboard while the white workers were ashore. He donned the captain’s clothing, sailed out of Charleston Harbor and surrendered the ship to the Union. He was awarded a $1,500 bounty. He became captain of the Planter in 1863 and in that same year met with Lincoln. His home and burial site are in Beaufort. beaufortsc.org

Less is known about Tubman’s role as a troop commander and spy than her work on the Underground Railroad, but her war work is as astonishing, if not more so. She and Colonel James Montgomery planned to raid rice plantations and liberate slaves along South Carolina’s Combahee River. In June of 1863 she led three gunboats of black soldiers down the river. She successfully avoided Confederates and torpedoes due to information she and her spies had gathered. These “commandoes” torched plantations destroying food and supply sources, burned bridges disrupting transport and freed more than 700 people. She sent word ahead that when the boats came they would carry them to freedom and the enslaved people met them and clambered aboard. Approximately 100 of the men later joined the union forces.

Tubman’s wartime salary was $200. She later received her husband’s veteran’s benefits and was to be paid for her nursing services. She did not receive the money owed her until 2003 when Senator Hillary Clinton heard the story. The benefits, adjusted for inflation, of $11,750 were paid to the organization that administers her Auburn home.  A statue of Harriet Tubman was placed in the Maryland State House in Feb. 10, 2020 in Annapolis in the Old House Chamber, the room where slavery was abolished in Maryland in 1864. #visitMaryland

Baker's Home in France

Blacks never fail to answer the call, even outside America’s borders. Josephine Baker, The Black Pearl, volunteered to spy for the French intelligence Agency. She trained to shoot with a group of guerilla patriots, the Maquis but her greatest skills were her charm, cleverness, nerve and the art of seduction. She gathered information and sent it to contacts including Gen. Charles de Gaulle. While touring she carried messages in invisible ink on her sheet music and sewn into her hems. She also served as a Red Cross nurse and piloted her private plane filled with supplies. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre and  De Gaulle personally presented her with the gold Croix de Lorraine. Her home in France offers tours. lesmilandes.com