Plantation of dreams

Find comfort along the Mississippi River at this charming inn south of New Orleans.

Contrary to popular belief, all Mississippi River plantations were not built north of New Orleans. More than 60 homes once graced the 90 miles of river from the Crescent City to the Gulf of Mexico. Yet today, only one remains open to the publicWoodland. Now serving as a bedand-breakfast and restaurant, it's singular in its generous hospitality. The inn is the perfect spot to warm up on a winter weekend.

Pleasure at the Plantation

The sunsets color the white clapboard porch golden nowadays, just as they have since the 1830s. Then the home was the hub of a riverboat captain's bustling sugarcane plantation. By 1997, neglect had almost ruined the estate. To prevent it from disappearing like other area homes, Jacques and Claire Creppel and their son, Foster, purchased Woodland and began restoring it. The inn now features nine bedroom suites, each with elegant period antiques and large bathrooms.

Food for the Soul

The original kitchen at Woodland, which sat away from the house, didn't survive the years. So the Creppels cooked up a scheme to save another historic building. In 1998, a local priest offered an old church, which had been deconsecrated in the 1950s and was in ruin. The Creppels accepted it and moved the former 18 880s chapel 14 miles to their property. Called Spirits, the restaurant features traditional Creole and Cajun foods. The Creppels located the building on the site of former slave quarters-and for good reason. "I like the healing elements of the church over a place of pain," Foster says. He recently began leading conservation tours to encourage guests to think about the healing of the scarred land along the river.

The Flavors of The Delta

Many guests arrive at Woodland with a cooler to take home fresh tastes from local waters. Foster will supply you with directions to Empire, where Eddie's oyster boats arrive each afternoon, stacked to the gunnels with sacks full of the slippery treats.

The best flavors are those you catch yourself. Schedule at least two days to fish. Local guide Nash Roberts keeps a boat about 10 minutes from Woodland and can put you on redfish, speckled trout, and flounder out of the shallow waters. You'll catch fish here till your arms ache.

When you want an outrageous fishing experience, meet Al Walker in Venice, a 30-minute drive south. You'll travel out the mouth of the roiling Mississippi where it meets the blue Gulf waters. There, just a few miles offshore, you can hook into giant tuna that will give you the fight of your life-and a freezer full of fish.

You don't have to wait till you get home to enjoy your catch. Foster will have his staff prepare it for dinner. After a day on the water, raise your glass and toast this day's life along the Mississippi. ANNETTE THOMPSON

Woodland Plantation: 21997 Highway 23, West Pointe a la Hache, LA 70083; (504) 656-9990, 1-800-2311514, or www.woodlandplantation. com. Rates: $100-$150. Inshore fishing guide: Nash Roberts, (504) 837-0703 or 1-800-887-1385. Offshore fishing guide: Call Foster at Woodland for his recommendations, or call Al Walker, (504) 621-1326.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Feb 2003
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