Best Road Trip Ever - Day 10

On the final leg of our vacation, we woke up, had a great breakfast, then headed to another spot Allen found: Rosedown Plantation State Park near St. Francisville, LA. We began our own tour in the vast gardens.

A few of the buildings were full of history lessons -- we read about when it had been a thriving cotton business, learned about the herbs and leeches used in the doctor's office that was built on the plantation after the owners' son died of disease.

This beautiful home was begun in 1834 and remained in the same family until 1956 when it was purchased by someone who tried really hard to keep everything as original as possible. The tour of the main house showed great craftsmanship (the stairs didn't even creak) and history (the rough, spiral staircase for slaves and servants was well-worn...and scary). Nearly all of the furniture was built for the home in the 1800s, and it was neat to see the beauty in the details and compare it to today's furnishings in our own home. There was a beautiful, old tapestry that was said to have been made as a wedding gift by an aunt...Aunt Martha Washington.

After the house tour, we explored more of the gardens and outer buildings. We got plenty of walking in, but most of that was before it got too hot. It was a lovely step back a century-and-a-half ago.

We had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant on the river, then finished our drive home. It has been a busy, but great ten days with my family. I loved that we all had a part in the planning of the trip, and I think we will make that part of all our big vacations from now on. The planning meant that all of us had a good idea of where we were going, we knew more about the history and area when we got there, we all had plenty to be excited about doing, and there wasn't room for kids to complain if they did the planning. Though we definitely had our tired, cranky moments [death hike] I feel like having everyone plan meant that the kids were not constantly asking for more; since they had to investigate prices and plan how to use our funds, they were more aware of where we should spend the money. It has been a week and a half of great experiences, great food, great memories, great fun, with a great family -- but I AM partial.