Shadows-on-the-Teche — Attraction in New Iberia

There were many inaccuracies on the part of the guide. It was more like a moral reform camp than a guided tour. It was vague, without nuance. The guide seemed unaware that Lincoln was elected with only 39% of the vote. And that he certainly wasn't elected on a program of abolition. I just reread his inaugural address: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so". There were 400,000 slaves in the northern states. I can't distort reality to create a story. As is so often the case, this is emotion rather than quality of information. These are just a few examples ; there were other approximations, inconsistencies and inaccuracies. But the garden is beautiful. And the house is beautiful. I think it would be better to open the house to the public and not impose guided tours, or to have a real historian, without passion or ideological bias. To add complexity to her story, the guide could say that Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda had made official apologies for their involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. We need to put this whole tragic story back into context. Vermont and Rhode Island abolished slavery in 1777. France also abolished slavery in 1793 (prematurely) but China abolished slavery in 1910 and Mauritania in 1981 and Arabia in 1962, or Qatar in 1952. We should talk about the slave markets of Timbuktu, Djenné, Tunis, Tripoli, Jeddah or Istanbul, for example, give a global overview of the slave trade and point out that Russians were captured on the shores of the Caspian Sea and sold by the Turkmens (Russians were the Turks' favorite slaves). Or the slavery of black people by Moors and Tuaregs throughout Africa. The subject is complex and deserves more than Hollywood emotion or an appeal to guilt. For example, the Arabs emasculated their black slaves. The Americans didn't. They allowed their slaves to have children. The importation of slaves was banned in America in 1808. It's a small step forward, but it's worth pointing out how these moral advances compare with the rest of the world. It's time to bring some intelligence to these issues. Even if...

Updated review: I double checked their website and made sure they were doing tours of the house, and oh my goodness, I highly recommend this. This is not your white washed house tour. A couple of the enslaved were actually named. Dionne was the tour guide and she was very thorough and fair in her tour. I was not expecting such a well thought out tour. Prices are reasonable and everyone was friendly.

Original Review: I was unaware they were not doing tours of the inside of the home, but I was allowed to walk around the gardens. There were several artists spread out painting scenes from the gardens and outside of the house. There were several information placards in spots throughout the grounds. One spot where there were graves, it was noted that some slaves passed and two girls who were members of the family passed during a hurricane, but only the bodies of the girls were found. Sad that they did not care enough for the enslaved to find them. When I went, they were having a Plein Air Painting Show, Tell and Sell Event where they promote artists who paint the area. Local or those who travel here. Quite lovely. I am so glad I came. They are expecting to open the house for tours again in the...

WARNING: Besides our tour guide having a big ring sticking out of her nose and being covered in tattoos, 90% of the tour and bookshop consists of information about "enslaved peoples" on the plantation and what happened to African Americans throughout the 20th century. When speaking about this subject, she went into great detail about the chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, lynchings throughout the country after Reconstruction and laws enacted in by the federal government far past anything to do with the history of the home or its history. The entire inside of the house has almost nothing to do with the original oweners, the building of the plantation, the renovations, and the large construction project that completely altered the back of the home or the production of sugar on the farmland. Do not waste your time and money on the tour. Pay the $10 to tour the grounds because the inside tour is nothing but liberal hogwash. How sad for African Americans and the history of a beautiful home. Take my advice and tour other plantations like Houmas House, Ormond Plantation,Destrehan Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation....