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West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana

It's clear the minute you enter West Feliciana Parish that preservation is a high priority. Much of the land surrounding St. Francisville remains untouched, creating generous opportunities for hiking, cycling, kayaking, and birding. The area is home to the famed Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge , where nature lovers go to spot the Champion Bald Cypress Tree, the largest Bald Cypress in North America. St. Francisville is also known for inspiring 19th Century naturalist and artist John James Audubon to paint his Birds of America series. In fact, you can walk in Audubon’s footsteps at the Mary Anne Brown Preserve , one of the locations he was known to take brush to canvas. Visit the Audubon State Historic Site to see where the artist lived during this two-year stay in the area.  

While known for its quaint Southern sensibilities, West Feliciana Parish is also home to hair-raising attractions, including The Myrtles , voted one of the most haunted homes in America by numerous national media outlets. Enjoy a day or night tour, and don’t forget to take pictures. You might be one of the surprised visitors who sees a resident ghost in the frame. Another riveting attraction is the Angola State Prison Museum , whose self-guided tour offers a window into true crime in the Deep South and the evolution of Louisiana’s correctional system.  

A cornerstone experience of West Feliciana Parish is shopping and dining among its many locally owned establishments. Spend the day browsing for gifts, apparel, home décor, books, and fine antiques at one of many local retailers. Grab a bite at the Magnolia Café, the community’s beloved gathering spot. Spend the night at the luxe St. Francisville Inn or the cozy and quirky cabins that comprise the 3V Tourist Courts.  

The moment you enter West Feliciana Parish’s soothing environs, you’ll feel the stress of everyday life slip away. Explore West Feliciana Parish for more great info to find your own inspiration. 

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History in the Hills

Thanks to local historic preservation efforts, many plantations around St. Francisville remain remarkably intact and open to the public, offering valuable insight into day-to-day Antebellum life for both planter families and the people they enslaved.

March 16, 2022

While the majority of the Bayou State's historic plantations are located along the River Road corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, there are a series of plantations located in West Feliciana Parish. Each embodies a sense of timeless beauty that cannot be appreciated without also acknowledging the contributions of slave labor to the construction and upkeep of the plantation, and its resulting agricultural prosperity. Thanks to local historic preservation efforts over the years, many of these homes remain remarkably intact today, offering valuable insight into day-to-day Antebellum life. Six St. Francisville-area properties are open to the public for tours; hear from direct descendants, wander the grounds, and even stay overnight (if you can stomach the supernatural rumored to haunt some, that is). 

While the exterior and alleyway aligned with two-hundred-year-old oak trees closely resemble that of Oak Alley Plantation, the true beauty of Rosedown Plantation  is buried in eighteen acres' worth of pleasure gardens. These intricate ornamental gardens were the life’s work of Martha Turnbull, the matriarch of a wealthy planter family who lost her husband and two sons prior to the Civil War. Members of the Turnbull family resided in the home well into the 1950s before selling the estate to Catherine Fondren Underwood in 1956. Underwood referred to Martha’s detailed diaries during her eight-year historic restoration of the formal gardens and home, which are accessible today as a State Historic Site. The diary entries, spanning more than sixty years, have since been compiled into a book published by LSU Press and edited by LSU landscape architecture professor emeritus and preservationist Suzanne Turner, who spent fifteen years transcribing and annotating the original manuscript. Deemed the most extensive surviving firsthand account of nineteenth-century plantation life and gardening in the Deep South, the diary documents the relationship between the mistress and the enslaved people whose labor made her vast gardens possible.

Courtesy of the West Feliciana Tourist Commission

Built in the early 1800s,  Grace Episcopal Church   was one of the finest examples of church architecture during of the time. Its picturesque cemetery is sheltered beneath ancient, mossy oaks, their sprawling foliage forming shimmering emerald canopies. The church continues to draw visitors with its stunning Gothic Revival architecture, set against a verdure backdrop of Southern greenery. The West Feliciana Historical Society Museum , located in the heart of St. Francisville's historic district, hosts five interpretive local history exhibits in a Ferdinand Street building that formerly housed a hardware store until it was acquired by the Historical Society in 1970.

Oakley Plantation predates several plantation homes across the state and is the only one that can claim itself as a temporary respite to famed artist and naturalist John James Audubon. Built in 1803 and now part of the Audubon State Historic Site , Audubon lived at the home for four months in 1821. An arrangement with the mistress of the plantation allowed him to serve as a part-time tutor to her daughter. In exchange, Audubon used his free time to study and sketch the local wildlife. The deal turned out to be well worth it, as Audubon created thirty-two paintings—all of which are featured in his iconic  Birds of America  collection—during his stay there.

Greenwood Plantation  burned to the ground in 1960, after which it was rebuilt and restored, and has served as the set location for several films. One September 2021 Trip Advisor review reads: "This place is magical, regardless of the stress life may bring, this is a healing place. Surrounded by love not only from the humbled owners, but also from the grounds, hundreds of oak trees and moss that transform your world from earth to heaven. So many touches for the rooms that shows all the thoughtfulness, hospitality at its finest!" 

Perhaps the most infamous plantation in West Fel, The Myrtles , established by renegade “Whiskey Dave” in 1796, is shrouded in local legend and folklore. The most infamous story is of Chloe, a slave girl who mistakenly poisoned the owner’s children and wife in an act of revenge. Its haunted-house ethos is enhanced by candlelight mystery tours, accompanied by ghost stories and other bizarre encounters on the property. Now a popular bed-and-breakfast, guests eagerly claim to have seen and spoken to Chloe in addition to seeing objects move on their own. You can decide for yourself if you believe the tales by partaking in one of the daily tours—or staying the night.

Carriage Plantation, Myrtles Plantation, Butler Green Plantation, and Greenwood Plantation each offer overnight accommodations. Carriage Plantation in particular offers guests a free one-hour tour after its breakfast service as well. With one of these stunning historic homes as your base, you’ll be able to easily explore this sleepy town at your leisure.  explorewestfeliciana.com .

Sponsored by the West Feliciana Tourist Commission

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2023 Country Roads Magazine

West Feliciana Parish Tourist Commission

• 11757 Ferdinand St. St. Francisville LA 70775
• (225) 635-4224
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West Feliciana Historical Society and Museum Mission

Preserve and promote West Feliciana historically,  culturally and architecturally through education and stewardship

The West Feliciana Historical Society played a great part in leading the way for the preservation of the Historic District in St. Francisville . Along with the City of St. Francisville, the Mayor and Town Council, the Historic District Commission, St.Francisville Main Street and the West Feliciana Tourism Commission, the Historical Society works toward preserving this unique, wonderful jewel of culture and people ... St.Francisville.  In the late 1960s, before tourism became an industry and before preservation was a byword, several very forward-thinking individuals in West Feliciana formed a non-profit organization and initiated a process directly leading St. Francisville to top the list of Louisiana's best places to visit - second only to the city of New Orleans. The charter members of the West Feliciana Historical Society invented tourism in our area.  The West Feliciana Tourist Commission now directs all aspects of this very important industry.  In the early years, the Historical Society conceived an annual pilgrimage to be its major fund-raiser, which began in 1972 and continued through 2019, the last year it was held. The Historical Society continues to depend on the efforts of a faithful core of volunteers and fundraising to maintain the museum, to employ the museum director, and to design and update exhibits.  In 1970, the Society acquired the Weydert’s Old Hardware Store.   In 1971, the old store building was established as a local history museum, West Feliciana Historical Society Museum. It was and continues to be an interpretive museum of local history. Presently, the museum workers or clerks field a variety of questions, some historical, some genealogical, and some just simply questions asking directions or where to eat, visit, or stay the night. The Historical Society mission was modified and updated in 2014 and is now: Preserve and promote West Feliciana historically, culturally, and architecturally through education and stewardship.

Board of Directors

President - Leigh Anne Jones Vice- President -Willia Parkerson Secretary -Sylvia Leake Dyvar Anderson ​Robert Butler Rucker Leake Stewart Hughes ​Lucie Cassity  

Dot Temple 

Heather Spillman    

Thomas Temple, Jr.

* Dorcas Brown

* Beryl Gene Daniel

* Nancy Vinci

*Emeritus Members

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West Feliciana’s new tourism director wants more people to know about St. Francisville

• By Maggie Heyn Richardson
• Photography by Collin Richie
• July 21, 2023

If you want to work in Louisiana tourism, few spots are likely as appealing as West Feliciana Parish. Rolling hills, small-town charm and John James Audubon lore have drawn innumerable visitors over the years—and the numbers keep climbing thanks to steady expansion of eco-tourism, local shops, lively inns and restaurants.

“We really have a lot of experiences that draw multigenerational visitors,” says West Feliciana Parish Tourist Commission executive director Devan Corbello. The Lake Charles transplant was named to the post a year ago this month. The former executive director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana says moving to St. Francisville with his Greyhound rescue ’Tec was an adventure he couldn’t pass up.

“It’s just beautiful, and the topography is completely different from what I was used to,” says Corbello, 28. “You know, you can park on an actual hill here. We like to say, ‘It’s a world away, but so close to everything.’ When you cross Thompson Creek, you can feel the stress slip away.”

St. Francisville has long been a favorite day trip for Baton Rougeans. Corbello wants more people to know about it.

One of his top priorities has been refreshing the commission’s brand and launching a new, user-friendly website, which goes live this month. The campaign uses blues and greens to mirror the area’s bucolic setting and introduces a new tagline: For the inspired traveler.

“This place has inspired so many people over the years,” Corbello says. “And we want to continue to inspire people to come visit.”

Next up for Corbello is a hotel feasibility study. He says new lodging will give day trippers another option to spend the night, and it will appeal to families traveling to youth sports competitions at the West Feliciana Sports Park.

“I would love for more people to experience St. Francisville longer,” Corbello says. “Bringing them here for a couple more days is our ultimate goal.” explorewestfeliciana.com

This article was originally published in the August 2023 issue of 225 magazine.

West Feliciana Parish Sports Park

West Feliciana Parish Sports Parks is a multi-purpose, state of the art park and recreation facility in St. Francisville, LA. As a popular destination for residents and visitors in the surrounding areas, the park offers programs for all ages and facilities for public use year-round. With great services and facilities, children and grown-ups alike can always find a new activity to participate in.

Offering more than 250 acres of recreational area and facilities, the many attractions available include: soccer fields, baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts, rodeo arena, a one-mile walking path, and over 6 miles of hiking/biking trails.  

Read more about West Feliciana Parish Sports Park here .

Latest News

Short drive trips from st. francisville, la: exploring hidden gems.

St. Francisville, Louisiana, is a charming town steeped in history and Southern charm. A trip to St. Francisville is filled with great adventures. But what if you’re wanting to stay a bit longer and are looking to explore beyond the borders of West Feliciana Parish? Lucky for you, St. Francisville serves as an excellent starting point for some fantastic day

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West Feliciana Tourist Commission

P.O. Box 1548 11757 Ferdinand Street St. Francisville, LA 70775 Office: 225-635-4224 ​ Toll Free: 800-789-4221

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Parish leaders launch new campaign to make St. Francisville a destination travel spot

ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. (WAFB) - West Feliciana Parish launched a new tourism campaign called visit St. Francisville.

A spokesperson for the West Feliciana Parish Tourist Commission says they are branding for the inspired traveler.

“I see more and more people coming here and discovering what makes St. Francisville great and bring back their friends and family,” Devan Corbello said, Executive Director for the West Feliciana Tourist Commission.

According to Corbello, the parish has seen a 24 percent increase in visitor spending in the past few years.

That alone is a representation of how popular the area has become.

“We have surpassed our 2019 numbers which is kind of the threshold before covid,” Corbello said.

Tourism is the 5th largest industry in the state. People who live in St. Francisville hope all of the many hidden gems this town has to offer are bound to be discovered.

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MISSION STATEMENT

Maintain transparency and diligence while serving the public. Execute plans for economic growth and infrastructure improvements that bring positive change to the culture of West Feliciana Parish.

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West Feliciana Parish Receives $4.24 Million for Water System Upgrades

• May 15, 2023

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