10 Historic Sites in Louisiana That You Shouldn't Miss

From its beginnings over 200 years ago, Oak Alley was just a land claim on a map. Today, Oak Alley is a National Historic Landmark, dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history its inhabitants left behind. With an emphasis on its time as a sugar plantation, visitors are invited to walk under its iconic alley, explore its exhibits: Slavery at Oak Alley, the ‘Big House’, Sugarcane Theater, People of Oak Alley and the Blacksmith Shop and leave with a better understanding of this plantation’s complex history.

Built in 1800 by city founder Jean Mouton, this antebellum home later belonged to Jean's son, Alexandre, first Democratic governor of Louisiana, and now houses antiques, paintings and a collection of Mardi Gras costumes.

Once the home to nine Louisiana Governors, this restored house museum includes memorabilia such as Huey Long's pajamas and Jimmie Davis' guitar, and is furnished to reflect the era in which it was occupied, 1930-1962.

Louisiana's Old State Capitol sits on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge. Completed in 1849, the castle-like fortress has been restored to its original grandeur. It houses both traditional and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and a multi-media film presentation. Audio tours available in English, French, German and Spanish. Free admission.

Step back in time to a small 19th-century Cajun bayou community, which includes genuine Cajun homes relocated and combined with recreated period buildings and a Native American museum.

Located in New Iberia’s Main Street District, set among towering live oak trees draped with Spanish moss on the banks of Bayou Teche, The Shadows, built in 1834 for sugar planter David Weeks, paints a vivid picture of life for the four generations that made this property their home. The first National Trust for Historic Preservation site in the Gulf South, The Shadows is a Classic Revival-style home with a Louisiana Colonial floor plan and a garden that is as breathtaking as the history preserved here. More than 17,000 letters, invoices, and receipts provide information on the daily life of people in 19th century New Iberia as the sugar industry developed. Collections in period rooms also illustrate the life of a sugar cane growing family on Louisiana's frontier. 2 1/2 acres of gardens depict a southern garden of the 1920s-1940s.

Built in 1787, Destrehan Plantation is the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley. The plantation is open seven (7) days a week with the exception of major holidays from 9am to 4pm. The first tour begins at 9:30am.

Go beyond the myths of the American South at Laura, where intimate, first-hand accounts explore the lives of four generations of one Louisiana Creole family, both free and enslaved. Laura’s new, permanent exhibit examines in biographical detail the lives of Africans on the plantation, from enslavement into the 20th century. Along the Great River Road only 50 minutes from New Orleans, the fully guided experience includes the Big House, gardens & original 1840s slave cabins. Laura is open daily from 9:30AM - 5PM except for major holidays. The first tour of the day begins at 10:00 AM until the last tour of the day at 3:20 PM.

Historic plantation house restoration. Original buildings on site include the kitchen, doctor's office, cool house, Nina's wing, a tool shed, a hot house, and summer houses (gazebos) throughout the gardens. The gift shop stays open from 9am - 4:30pm and is independently run. Rosedown does not provide over night accommodations and there is no restaurant on site. Hours of operation are from 9am-5pm seven days a week. The first house tour is at 10am and the last house tour is at 4pm. Closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.