November 12, 2024: St. Francisville
The Viking Mississippi tied up at the levee near St. Francisville. We boarded a shuttle to briefly check out the small town, population reported to be about 1,000. The 30-minute ride took us across the Mississippi River, past sugar cane fields and cattle pastures. It is the first day of sugar cane harvesting season so we had an opportunity to view vast acres of this valuable product before it was all cut down.
The bus dropped us off by the Town Office, confirming the pickup schedule being every half hour. As we were scheduled for an afternoon excursion to Rosedown Plantation, we covered a couple blocks and explored a few stores.
The most entertaining was the local pizza shop where we stopped for bottled water. The local bus guide told us about a speak easy connected to the pizza shop. Although it was closed until 4pm, the cashier led us down the hall and stood in front of an armoire. Once opened, it led into a charming space, owned and decorated by a local woman. Too bad we couldn’t indulge!
After our return to the ship, having lunched at the River Café, we again walked up the levy and boarded a bus to Rosedown Plantation. It had been fully restored by an Exxon heiress in the 1960s and is the “one of the most intact plantation complexes in the Southern USA”. The tour guide claimed that 90% of the furnishings were original to the 1835 historic home. Elegant gardens and a stunning entrance were created to impress—and they did!
