Destrehan Plantation is an antebellum mansion, in the French Colonial style, modified with Greek Revival architectural elements. It is located in southeast Louisiana, near the town of the same name, Destrehan.
During the 19th century, the plantation was a major producer of indigo and then sugarcane. The home is most commonly associated with its second owner, Jean-Noël Destréhan, who served briefly as the first United States Senator from Louisiana in 1812. He was influential in the transition of the Orleans Territory to statehood.
The house is a unique example of a plantation home outliving the oil refinery that had been built around it. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural quality and association with important people and events in Louisiana history.
Destrehan Plantation was built in 1787 and is the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley. There is an original document signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to the first plantation owner on display as part of the tour. This plantation was filmed in the movie INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE (1994). This is a very interesting tour and there are demonstrations daily that include open hearth cooking, indigo dyeing, and candle making.