Reminded me of the town of Lucas, the grassroots art capital of Kansas. Solid roadside joint with friendly servers and locals.įrom there I drove about an hour north and east to tiny Abita Springs, to visit a small folk art/grassroots art place called the Abita Mystery House, an old gas station packed with entertaining clutter/“found objects” that make fun of Southern stuff (UFO reports, Mardi Gras parades, voodoo). Lunch was a bowl of hot gumbo at nearby B & C Seafoods on Vacherie, where I ate seven years ago with my London pals, Francine and Russ. I was reminded a bit of concentration camps I’ve been to in Europe. Apparently the other plantations have cleaned up their act a bit and now mention slavery more, although none to the extent that the Whitney does. Clever touch and it had us all looking in the church and old worn shacks and the Big House (which had a more sinister vibe then other plantations I’ve toured) for our child. Each visitor gets a pass to wear with a specific child’s name, a photo of a sculpture of the child and a quote from the elderly person who was once that child. There is also an emphasis on children who were slaves, with poignant sculptures of kids who lived there. The Whitney Plantation, opened in 2014, is entirely about slavery, with moving memorials that list all “the enslaved” (our guide’s term) by name and include photos etched into memorial walls and quotes with gruesome memories recalled by elderly people who somehow managed to survive the brutality of being enslaved on a sugar cane plantation/factory. The second one, the Laura Plantation, seven years ago, was the rare woman-led plantation and slavery got a brief mention. The first one, Oak Alley, I think, was all Scarlett O’Hara, little to no mention of slavery. Since the late 1980s, I’ve visited three. What a change from the plantations I’ve visited in the past.
Road trip day! I drove about an hour west to the Whitney Plantation.
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