40 US Historical Homes That Are Worth the Visit

13.Oak Alley Plantation

There are few more iconic images of the U.S. Antebellum South than the oak-lined walkway leading up to the Oak Alley Plantation. A common sight on magazine covers and calendars, the historic sugarcane plantation, which sits on Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana, displays many of the iconic features of Antebellum design from the oak trees themselves to the columned facade. Today, the site features a restaurant and cottages and offers tours to anyone interested in the history of the plantation’s past. The area is rife with farms, with several nearby, including Laura Plantation, Houmas House, San Francisco Plantation, Nottoway Plantation, and Whitney Plantation, to name just a few.

They built the home for Valcour Aime, one of the wealthiest sugar men in the south. He was very wealthy. Furthermore, he was known as the “King of Sugar,” referring to the moneymaking sugarcane. It should go without saying, but slave labor made not only much of the home but also Aime’s wealth. Slave agricultural labor ran the plantation empire. In fact, a noted variety of grafted pecan trees was developed by a slave on the estate, Antoine. The plantation was incredibly expensive to maintain, especially after the Civil War. With the end of slavery, it was no longer economically profitable. Over time, it changed ownership several times and eventually was acquired by the Stewarts, who opened it to the public and established it as it is today.