Oakley Plantation Field Trip

Yesterday we decided to take the family out for a field trip. We packed snacks and picked up the kids friends and headed to St. Francisville. The trip was long but everyone was glad to be going somewhere and not stuck in the house. We set the GPS to guide us to Oakley Plantation.

The ride was just long enough to give Finnegan a good nap. There wasn't much to see along the way. Just houses, fields and road. When we arrived at our destination everyone was happy to get out and stretch their legs.

Oakley Plantation

We entered the museum and found out the tour would start shortly. We made our way down the path to the plantation house. The outside looks quite grand. It is a three story home with a sweeping staircase that rises to the second floor front entrance. The tour began on the bottom floor where we learned some history about the family and John James Audubon, who worked there as a tutor for a brief period. When the tour guide mentioned the matriarchs name was Lucretia everyone snickered and looked my way.

The tour guide offered lots of interesting information about the family and the home. He brought us through each area and pointed out furnishings and paintings that were original to the house. He was always happy to answer any questions.

After the guided tour of the house we continued outside to see the grounds and out buildings on our own. The kids were happy to run and play outside. There were also some short nature trails to hike along with info about native animals and plants.

We finally made it back to the museum/gift shop and read a little more history about the area. Everyone agreed it was a nice way to spend the day and we had all learned some interesting history. The drive home was uneventful. We dropped the guests at their homes and then made it safely back to our house.

If you are ever in the mood for a nice day trip then check out the Oakley Plantation. It is an Audubon State Historic Site in St. Francisville. The entrance fee was only $4 per person over the age of 12.

Below is a video of some of the things we saw as we toured Oakley Plantation.