Houmas House in South Louisiana offers several ghost stories but there's more reasons to visit the exquisite River Road property

Houmas House with its "grieving" oak trees

There are plantations and historic homes scattered throughout Louisiana, many hidden behind alleys of live oak trees shrouded in Spanish moss, the buildings appearing through this vegetation like a veil between this world and the next. It’s easy to imagine the spirits of yesteryear still walking the grounds of these ancient giants, still haunting the halls and bedrooms.

Houmas House outside Gonzales, Louisiana, owns a different vibe, one of luxury, elegance and a lively history. The property’s story dates back to the 1700s when two New Orleans businessmen, Maurice Conway and Alexander Latil, purchased the land from the Houmas Indians and built a small home facing the Mississippi River near an ancient Houmas mound. Later, Gen. Wade Hampton of South Carolina would purchase the property and expand the original French Provincial residence before leaving the home to his daughter Caroline and son-in-law Col. John Preston. It was the Prestons that created the enormous house visitors view today. In 1857, Irishman John Burnside took over the plantation and enlarged its acreage for sugarcane and later Col. William Porcher Miles expanded its production even further.

 

The antique coffin at Houmas House

Today, the home with its multi-columned Greek Revival exterior is known as the “Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s River Road.” New Orleans businessman Kevin Kelly purchased the mansion in 2003 and has turned the site into one of the finest wedding venues in Louisiana. The property now includes the award-winning Latil’s Landing Restaurant, a la carte dining options in the magnificent Carriage House, the Turtle Bar located in the former garconniere and several cabins for overnight stays. The 38-acre grounds feature oak trees dating back to original owners but also exquisite formal gardens under the current landscaping staff, including fountains, statuaries, a Monet-style garden with waterfall and other endless floral spots for photographs and the saying of vows.

Visitors to the Crown Jewel wouldn’t expect ghosts in such a stately place, and our tour guide for the night admitted that the spirits of those gone before do linger here, but he preferred to focus on the history and luxury of the house. And he had every right. The house is filled with antiques, artwork and historical objects, including a 19th century casket and an antique vampire killing kit. But curious minds like me wanted to know more.

 

Bette Davis Bedroom

A staff member once spent the night in a second-floor bedroom and awoke to find a tall, shadowy figure standing in the doorway gazing toward her bed. When she turned to follow his line of sight, an elderly woman as clear as day was lying next to her in bed, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes closed. She uttered questions in fright, then looked back toward the door and the man had disappeared. Thankfully, so had the old woman.

Other visitors have seen what appears to be a young girl and many believe her to be the daughter of Caroline and Wade Preston, who died at the age of 12. There’s also an account of an angry spirit coursing up a shaft between the first and third floors, moving through the bedroom used in the film, “Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte” starring Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland.

Kelly’s not one to believe in ghosts but one night he noticed his dogs staring off to the corner of his bedroom. The two labradors followed an invisible object across the room, their gazes in sync, until whatever they were staring at disappeared inside a mirror.

The magnificent oak trees leading up to the house remain from the house’s original days but half of the trees were removed for the building of the Mississippi River levee in the early part of the 20th century. Although they have ample room to grow and prosper, they bend toward each other, as if in grief.

 

The Cabins at Houmas House

Want to learn more about the house’s ghost history? Special haunted tours are offered at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. nightly through October. But don’t worry, they include the house’s unique history, architecture, artwork and more.

Here’s what I suggest. Arrive early and enjoy a spirit of another sort in the Turtle Bar (I highly suggest the Old Fashions) and either relish in the unique space or peruse the lighted pathways throughout the gardens. After the tour of the mansion, enjoy dinner in either The Carriage House Restaurant or Latil’s Landing. For a truly special evening, stay overnight in one of Houma House’s cabins, luxurious accommodations in a peaceful setting and yes, no ghosts on that side of the property. At least, we didn’t encounter any.

Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press. She writes the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire.

Southern ways to get down and spooky: A list of creepy happenings this month in the Deep South

Looking for some chilling events this October? The South is filled with lots of ways to get your spook on. Here are a few:

Eureka Springs, Arkansas: Voices from the Silent City Cemetery Tour will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 27-28 at the Eureka Spring Municipal Cemetery. Meet some of Eureka's colorful "passed" residents that helped shape the quirky little town.

Then on Oct. 28, it’s the Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl, where a creeping parade procession of funeral hearses, doomsday vehicles, Halloween floats, and post-mortem street performers will lead the hungry horde of the undead down historic Spring Street.  

South Louisiana: Houmas House Plantation and Gardens will offer haunted tours at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. nightly through the month of October. Hear about the sightings and interactions guests and staff have had with the ghosts of the historic house. Tour guides will also explain the culture and customs of the Antebellum and Victorian eras while pointing out the original artwork and antiques throughout the mansion. And after touring the mansion, guests are allowed to roam the 38 acres of gardens along lighted pathways. Check out the video here.

Banning Mills, Georgia: This historic attraction 45 minutes west of Atlanta will offer Spooks for Screams, an adrenaline-filled experience with a zip line tour that reaches speeds up to 60 mph. Banning Mills is home to the world’s longest continuous eco-canopy zip line.   

Shreveport, Louisiana: The city’s Artspace presents “Get Your Glitter On!” from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 13, a fundraiser hosted by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council with Halloween magic created by award-winning filmmaker, artist and author William Joyce. There’s the InGraved Exhibition and Best in Show Awards at 6 p.m., followed the “First & Only 2017 Glitter Zombie Apocalyse Ball” at 7 p.m. and the Scare-e-okie at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10 and “only the undead don’t come in costume.” InGraved exhibit consists of visual, literary and performance work by more than 50 Northwest Louisiana artists’ who toured the 100-year-old Forest Park Cemetery with historian John Andrew Prime. The exhibit runs through Nov. 4. For ticket, click here.

New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection will resurrect the special Halloween-themed tour of its Louisiana History Galleries for one week only, Oct. 24–31. “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History” will be available at 11 a.m. Tuesday–Sunday inside THNOC’s flagship building at 533 Royal St. in the French Quarter of New Orleans. In medieval allegory, “la danse macabre,” or the dance of death, is a ritualized march to the grave—a sober reminder of life’s finality cloaked in wicked mirth. In a similar spirit, THNOC’s “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History,” will lead visitors through darker aspects of New Orleans lore. Admission is $5 or free for THNOC members. Please note: this is not a walking tour of New Orleans or the French Quarter, and the tours are not intended for children under the age of 13. Please note THNOC is traditionally closed on Mondays, and tours will not be available on Monday, Oct 30.

Also in the Crescent City: haunted tours, voodoo shops, Boo at the Zoo, Krewe of Boo, street parties and the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience will be happening this month.  View all the activities here.

  

Blue Ridge, Georgia: Fright Nights at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds, where lurks a suspicious and malign history that is difficult to explain, will be Oct 19-21 and Oct. 26-28 at 124 Jones St. Organizers claim Old Man Jones owned most of this section of Blue Ridge in the late 1800s and suffered more personal tragedy than many realized. In keeping with the fashion of the day, these "happenings" were not public knowledge and were never published in local papers. Not appropriate for ages under 13, along with those who have heart conditions, high blood pressure, pregnant, etc.

Want more? Check back for updates.

Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press.