The Road To:
St. Francisville, Part 3
So far we have explored the grounds, had a surprising pleasant run-in with a rather large turkey and celebrated a Dickensian Christmas at Oakley Plantation and frolicked in the gardens, roamed the pine decked halls and listened to the history of Rosedown Plantation. In this third and final chapter we will explore St. Francisville proper and the beauty this tiny town has to offer.
My honey and I, after our insanely long, crazy-busy day checked into our room at the famous (and haunted, but more on that later) Myrtles Plantation and freshened up before we went for dinner. We went to my favorite local restaurant, The Magnolia Cafe.
The Magnolia Cafe is a fun little restaurant. It is decorated with brightly colored Christmas lights, has a pretty decent beer selection and often features live music. There’s a full bar for those who prefer stiffer drinks and the menu actually includes some insanely delicious vegetarian items…something that can be quite hard to come by in smaller towns. The food is typical American fair…sandwiches, burgers and the like. The wait staff is fantastic and the prices are beyond reasonable…did I mention the food is delicious? It’s absolutely delicious.
After our lovely evening at the Dickens of a Christmas event at Oakley Plantation, we went for a quick drive through town. The amazing old historic homes were sprinkled with white Christmas lights and people were strolling down main street enjoying the evening.
While making the local motorists crazy by driving about 10 miles an hour, we noticed a strange sign in the yards of some of the homes. It read “Peep My House.” We looked at each other excitedly…could it be? Oh yes, it was. Participating home owners had their shades up, their shutters open and every single light in their home blazing. Why? Because they WANTED us to come and peep in their windows. It was fantastic and creepy all at the same time. I always find it fascinating to see how other people decorate and live…and here were people opening up their homes to entertain any voyeuristic individuals that should happen by. When we were done driving the locals crazy and being legal peeping toms, we picked up a six pack of Lazy Magnolia beer and headed back to The Myrtles Plantation for a drink and a good night’s sleep.
For those of you not familiar with The Myrtles Plantation let me give you a quick history lesson. The home was built in 1796. Apart from this fact, the “history” of the home as presented by The Myrtles is a confused mixture of fact and myth. There are so many conflicting reports as to what happened when and to whom that I, for one, can barely distinguish fact from fiction. Some of the claims the guides at The Myrtles make about the history of the home are so outrageous I find my intelligence insulted, wondering who in the world could swallow what they’re being fed. If you should happen to visit, I suggest taking the tour for entertainment purposes only and leave any hopes of 100% factual and accurate accounts of the history at the door.
The home’s claim to fame is that it is, supposedly, one of the most haunted bed and breakfasts in the country. On this visit the house was quiet. The only thing disturbing the peace that night was another guest’s considerably loud snoring which could be heard through the door of the room. On my first visit to the house several years ago I had a number of experiences, but this night was still. I was hoping my honey would have a ghostly encounter but he was so tired the house could have fallen down around him and he wouldn’t have stirred in the least.
The next day, we got dressed and headed downstairs for an absolutely delicious meal of fresh homemade buttermilk biscuits, scones and coffee. After that we headed back downtown for a look around during daylight. We stopped by Grandmother’s Buttons (a cute little jewelry store that specializes in “artisan created antique button and beaded jewelry”) in the hopes it would be open, but no such luck. Since my shopping trip was curtailed we opted to feed our spiritual side by visiting Grace Episcopal Church. Built in 1847, it is home to one of the most beautiful churchyards I’ve ever seen. It’s exceptionally lovely in the spring when the trees are dripping with Spanish moss and the ligustrum and gardenias are in bloom.
After a walk around the peaceful churchyard, we decided it was time to get on the road. We had a long drive home ahead of us and it was getting late. We did, however, make one more stop on our way home…and how could we resist? After all it isn’t every day you see a giant woman in a bright pink dress holding a tray of…well..a tray of I don’t know what…but regardless, how could you resist? Where have all the roadside attractions gone? Why are these not considered historic sites? Oh the injustice of it all!
When we got home we were completely exhausted, but it was worth it. So worth it, in fact, that we’re already planning our next road trip. Rest assured I’ll have my camera in hand.
Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick
