NOTTOWAY RESORT

John Hampden Randolph built this house in 1859 after amassing a considerable fortune in the cotton growing and trading business in the northern United States. Built in ten years by Henry Howard, one of New Orleans' greatest architects, the house was able to meet the needs of a sugarcane plantation of over 2,000 hectares. Randolph, a resolutely modern man, even had a small power station installed, enabling the whole house to be lit by gas lamps and hot water to be supplied from the tap. This man of progress was also a man in love, and the plaster lace frieze of magnolias decorating the cornice of the ballroom ceiling is a delicate attention to the mistress of the house, whose favorite flower it was. Randolph, who had eleven children including eight daughters to marry off, had thought big and luxurious, and this ballroom impressed potential suitors. All the rooms are linked by a system of bells with different tones, corresponding to a complex code for regulating life on the plantation. Although Nottoway is very touristy indeed, you won't be disappointed. And while you're there, take the opportunity to discover its restaurant, The Mansion, offering fine Creole-inspired cuisine backed by a well-stocked wine cellar. Accommodation is also available on the property (some 15 rooms and suites), a member of the Historic Hotels of America network.