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The center of Louisiana's
English Plantation Country, St. Francisville is surrounded by some
of the most picturesque scenery in the state, set as it is in the
rugged Tunica Hills, where steep hills and wooded hollows abound
in abundant flora and fauna found nowhere else in the Deep South.
When famed artist-naturalist John James Audubon arrived in the
area in the 1820's, he was so struck by its natural beauty that he
stayed to paint nearly a third of his Birds of America studies,
and much of the scenic beauty remains untouched today, making it a
favorite of bicyclists, hikers, birdwatchers and nature lovers of
every stripe.
The historic little town
of St. Francisville, the commercial center for the surrounding
cotton plantations and still popular landing spot for Mississippi
River Steamboats, has an extensive Historic District of
19th-century structures restored to present-day vitality by a
thriving Main Street restoration program and a local Historical
Society which has long encouraged meaningful preservation. There
are three 19th-century churches still in use, and an oak-shaded
public park complete with bandstand/gazebo for concerts and
festivals.
Seven historic plantation
homes are open for tours year-round, and two of the South's most
glorious antebellum gardens are spectacular, particularly in
springtime. Overnight accommodations are available in a variety of
facilities, from B&Bs on country plantations to historic
townhouses, from country inns to new homes built just for
entertaining, and there is a modern motel and a full-service
resort around a bluff-side Arnold Palmer championship golf course.
A number of restaurants provide good opportunities for sampling
local cuisine, and St. Francisville is filled with fine little
shops offering varied selections, including locally made jewelry
from antique buttons.
Special
Events
| 238-acre Hemingbough,
summer home of the Baton Rouge Symphony, hosts thousands for
outdoor concerts, hundreds for indoor conferences or receptions.
The area offers a number of smaller meeting facilities in other
locations as well. |
Audubon
Pilgrimage
Third weekend in March features tours of historic homes and
gardens, a re-created rural homestead highlighting rustic skills
and hostesses gloriously costumed in 1820's dress commemorating
the artist Audubon's stay. |
Louisiana
Symphony's Summerfest
Features big-name guest artists and the Baton Rouge
symphony at Hemingbough four weekends in May. |
Festival of St.
Francis
In September pays tribute to the town's patron saint with
concerts, children's activities, run/walks, arts and crafts in
downtown St. Francisville. |
Angola Prison
Rodeo
Each Sunday in October showcases the wildest wild west show
in the South, with inmate/cowboys, musical entertainment, arts
and crafts at the country's largest maximum-security
penitentiary. |
Christmas in the
Country
For three weekends in December, St. Francisville shows off
at its best, the historic structures transformed by hundreds of
thousands of tiny while lights into a veritable winter
wonderland full of the magic of the season; shop open houses,
Christmas caroling, church programs and live nativities, parade,
lots of children's activities, and B&B open houses. |
| For additional
information, contact the West Feliciana Parish Tourist
Commission, P.O. Box 1548, St. Francisville, LA 70775. Telephone
(225) 635-6330. |
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