March Travel Highlights in St. Francisville, Louisiana by Anne Butler Celebrate the splendors of a southern spring in the quaint little rivertown of St. Francisville, Louisiana, where the flowering bulbs and fruit trees begin blossoming in late February, and March sees the entire area colored with the myriad hues of millions of azaleas in magnificent antebellum gardens. They call this scenic little corner of the state Audubon Country, and here's why: Oakley House Having set for himself the staggering task of painting all of the birds of this immense fledgling country, famed artist-naturalist John James Audubon arrived at St. Francisville by steamboat in 1821, penniless and with a string of failed business ventures behind him, but rich in talent and dreams. Hired to tutor the beautiful young daughter of Oakley Plantation, he was allowed his afternoons free to roam the woods, sketching and collecting specimens, and would paint a large number of his famous bird folios in this area. Born in 1785 in Santa Domingo to a French ship captain and his Creole mistress, young Audubon was reared in France and then sent to America, still in his teens but already exhibiting a decided artistic bent, to learn English and a trade on his father's Pennsylvania estate. The year of his arrival in this country was 1803, a propitious year which saw the doubling of the size of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase, which included the whole middle section of the country. Live Oak In 1812 Louisiana became the first state carved out of the Louisiana Purchase territory. By that year, the fiery young artist Audubon had married, fathered two sons, and failed at every business venture he attempted. He chafed under the bonds of practical employment, longing instead to be at his nature studies in the woods, where he cut a dashing figure with his long flowing locks, frilly shirts and satin breeches. In 1820 he set out for New Orleans with only his gun, flute, violin, bird books, portfolios of his own drawings, chalks, watercolors, drawing papers in a tin box, and a dog-eared journal. He earned a meager living painting portraits and giving lessons in drawing, dancing and more scholastic subjects, but by the following year Audubon was established at Oakley Plantation near St. Francisville and well on his way to accomplishing his amazing task. Sponsored annually by the West Feliciana Historic Society for the last 33 years, St. Francisville's Audubon Pilgrimage March 19, 20 and 21 commemorates the artist's stay by opening the doors to historic mansions and gardens not normally accessible to visitors, with elegantly costumed hostesses, demonstrations of rustic old-time skills and fun for the whole family. Proceeds benefit historic preservation and an enhanced understanding of the past. Oakley Plantation, now part of the Audubon State Historic Site, is one of the featured homes on the pilgrimage, a splendid West Indies-style three-story structure with jalousied galleries and lots of immense live oaks providing the shade which made 19th-century Louisiana summers bearable. Built on a 1799 Spanish land grant, Oakley is fascinating in its own right and also because of its close associations with the artist. The other features on the Audubon Pilgrimage this year are lovely Live Oak Plantation in Weyanoke, built in 1809 by Captain Elijah Adams and beautifully restored, its groves of ancient live oaks enhanced by later landscaping; Virginia, historic townhouse that began life as a one-room store, was added to in 1817 by merchant Charles McMicken and eventually completed with the addition of a classical two-story wing added by lawyer Lorenzo D. Brewer; and rambling three-story Wildwood, built in 1915 as country home for a New Orleans educator named A. L. Soule. Virginia Several glorious antebellum gardens are also featured on the Audubon Pilgrimage, both noted for magnificent oak allees. The 28 acres of formal gardens at Rosedown State Historic Site were begun in 1836 by Martha Barrow Turnbull, and contain some of the south's most significant early plant specimens. At nearby Afton Villa Gardens, the serpentine drive approaches the ruins of a burned 1849 villa, now picturesquely adapted as backdrop for splendid plantings of thousands of flowering bulbs. These featured homes and gardens provide a glimpse of life as it was in early 19th-century St. Francisville. In each home, hostesses wear award-winning costumes authentically re-creating the resplendent gowns of the 1820's, the period during which Audubon was in residence at Oakley. The Audubon Pilgrimage has won national recognition for its astute attention to historical detail, in its costuming and in its thoroughly professional and highly interesting interpretive tours. In addition to the tours, there are special activities throughout St. Francisville during the pilgrimage. Exuberant costumed children dance the Maypole and play nostalgic games on Royal Street during the day, and the 1819 Market Hall hosts a colorful millinery exhibit to showcase some of the splendid bonnets topping 1820's costumes. The Rural Homestead, with its simple structures of hand-hewn cypress shingles and ancient timbers, shows how most ordinary folk lived in the 19th century, with demonstrations of the old-time skills necessary for survival---wood-stove and open-hearth cooking, basket weaving, quilting, carding and spinning, grinding cornmeal with a gristmill, riving shingles by hand with a froe, plowing with a mule; add lively bluegrass music in the background and you've got the makings for a real old-fashioned frolic. Wildwood Plantation As dusk falls on Friday evening of Pilgrimage weekend, there will be cemetery tours of the churchyard at historic Grace Episcopal Church, with the "peaceful dead" appearing beside tombstones from as early as the 1840's to tell their stories. There will also be old-fashioned hymn singing at the United Methodist Church, a wine and cheese gala, and Historic Royal St. by Candlelight. Ladies of local churches serve light lunches in Jackson Hall next to Grace Church, and a pilgrimage preview in the ticket office at the West Feliciana Historical Society headquarters building on Ferdinand St. will orient first-time visitors to the area. For information, contact the West Feliciana Historical Society, P.O. Box 338, St. Francisville, LA 70775; telephone (225) 635-6330, or e-mail sf@audubonpilgrimage.info. Online information is available at www.audubonpilgrimage.info. Maypole dancers Throughout the month of March, Rosedown State Historic Site offers demonstrations of open-hearth cooking in its detached plantation kitchen (the brick hearth dates from the 1830's and the recipes used are historic family ones) on Wednesdays (March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31) from 11 to 2. In addition, Rosedown's Horticultural Series continues this month with two programs combining slides, lectures and walking tours through sections of the magnificent gardens: Spring Annuals on Saturday, March 6 from 10 to 12, and Azaleas on Saturday, March 27 from 10 to 12, both with plantation horticulturist Patricia Aleshire. For information, telephone 888-376-1867 or 225-635-3332. There are a number of small art galleries in historic downtown St. Francisville, several offering special programs in March. Backwoods Gallery features an exhibit by the dozen allied artists calling themselves the Highland Road Artists beginning March 2 and running through the month (telephone 225-721-1736). And at the St. Francis Gallery, the local artists' co-op on Ferdinand St., a special Children's Art Show will run from March 13 through the 21st. Third Thursday offers extended hours and discounted specials at participating shops, restaurants and lodging facilities; the Shop, Dine & Unwind program is designed to entice interested shoppers to the downtown area until 7 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Follow the yellow flags for special bargains and light refreshments. Grave Stories The St. Francisville area is a year-round tourist destination but is especially lovely this time of year. There are six historic plantations open for daily tours: Rosedown and Audubon State Historic Sites, The Myrtles, Greenwood, Butler Greenwood and The Cottage; Catalpa is open part time, and Afton Villa Gardens opens seasonally, with March usually the peak of its blooming season. Historic commercial structures throughout downtown St. Francisville are filled with an eclectic selection of little shops, and they are joined this month by several newly opened antique malls on US 61; the Old Cypress Barn at Wakefield hosts open-air market trade days Pilgrimage weekend, and Audubon Antiques has multiple dealers and a café serving lunch on US 61 at LA 10. Reasonably priced meals are available in a nice array of restaurants, with Birdman Books and Coffee filling a bit of the lunchtime gap left when Magnolia Café burned Christmas week. Some of the state's best Bed and Breakfasts offer overnight accommodations ranging from golf clubs and lakeside resorts to historic townhouses and country plantations; a modern motel has facilities to accommodate busloads. The scenic unspoiled Tunica Hills region surrounding St. Francisville offers excellent biking, hiking, fishing, birding, horseback riding and other recreational activities. For online coverage of tourist facilities and attractions in the St. Francisville area, see www.stfrancisville.us, www.stfrancisville.net, or www.stfrancisvilleovernight.com; or telephone (225) 635-3873 or 635-6330.