Welcome to Chretien Point, the deep South’s most intriguing plantation mansion is just 14 miles north of Lafayette, Louisiana. You can spend hours exploring this historic columned home built in 1831 and set on 20 secluded acres on the banks of the Bayou Bourbeaux.

The mansion was the center of a thriving 3,000-acre cotton plantation with 500 slaves in its heyday. The centerpiece 12-room red brick mansion itself is spectacular with a rich history of former tenants. The most noteworthy of which is Jean Lafitte, a flamboyant gambler. His equally flamboyant widow smoked cigars and doubled her husband’s fortune.

Civil War battles were fought on the property. A Union cannonball destroyed the upper most section of the western most column of the house and there is still a bullet hole on one of the front doors. Chretien Point’s storied past no doubt has been influential in many people having reported seeing ghosts throughout the years. There are also tales of buried treasure on the grounds.

The famous staircase in the movie “Gone With the Wind” where Scarlett O’Hara shoots a pillaging Union soldier was a replica of Chretien Point mansion stairway.

Chretien Point is a great choice for a wedding venue. Learn more about the benefits of plantation weddings — >