Pineapple motif along the gates at Oak Alley Plantation

Your friend stops by for a quick visit that ends up being four hours to four days too long. What do you do? How do you tell him / her that it’s time to go without being rude? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments section ’cause I’ve never figured out how to say goodbye without feeling rude (which is probably why I spend WAY too much time at the local Starbucks when I “catch up” with old friends or acquaintances).

If you were a well-bred socialite of the 1800s living in Louisiana, you’d leave a pineapple at the foot of your guest’s bed to let him / her know it was time to leave. Random much? I thought so. This was one of the tidbits we learned on our tour of Oak Alley Plantation (about an hours drive West of New Orleans, Louisiana).

Why a whole pineapple, you ask? Well, in many cultures the pineapple is a symbol of welcome. This is why you often find pineapple motifs along fences or carved into wooden bedposts (I raised my eyebrow when I learned about the bedposts). When a guest would arrive at a well-to-do home in Louisiana, the host would serve them freshly cut slices of pineapple on their first night to indicate that they were welcome in their home. To let their guest know it was time to leave without any awkward moments, the host would leave a whole pineapple at the foot of the bed. How someone decided that this would be the custom is anybody’s guess! But hey, the system worked!

Tips for Travellers Looking for Plantation Tours in Louisiana

1. 

   Oak Alley Plantation

   After talking to tour guides, locals and consulting the travel books, we found out that of all the plantations in the area Laura Plantation is actually the one you should visit. Laura Plantation provides more information than Oak Alley about how things used to work on a plantation and also about the history of slavery on plantations. At Oak Alley, the tour is mainly about the lives of the home’s previous owners. Both Laura Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation charge a $15 admissions fee and each one offers a free tour upon admission.

2. Bring mosquito repellent. Around the trees at Oak Alley, there were swarms of mosquitoes ready to attack.
3. If you just want a picture of the oak trees at Oak Alley, I did see some people drive along the levy behind the house to sneak some pictures. Technically, you’re not supposed to stop your car on this road to take pictures. But, I didn’t see anyone being stopped. The pictures you take here of the oak lined walk are the same as they would be if you were inside the gates.

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