Visit a sugar plantation

“Our first stop was the Laura Plantation, and right away, it felt different from what we expected. This isn't your typical Gone with the Wind fantasy. Laura is all about authenticity, focusing on the Creole culture that made Louisiana so unique. [...] Walking through the reconstructed slave quarters – simple one-room wooden cabins that housed entire families – really brings home the human cost of all that sugar wealth. The main house itself is painted in vibrant Creole colors (not the white columns you might expect), and the whole experience feels more honest, more real, than some other plantation tours we've heard about.”

“After we ate lunch, we toured the slave cabin area. The original cabins were destroyed, but the re-creations were built after extensive research and this area of the plantation was extremely well done. They personalized the cabins by talking about the experiences of some of the slaves who lived in the originals (using records and documentation) and gave what I felt was an accurate portrayal. [...] We loved the whole experience and the only weird note of the day was a small tent where an employee dressed as a confederate soldier talked about the war. He had strong opinions on the war and Louisiana in general [...] I found the history interesting, but could have skipped the lecture on the state of our country.”

“In the town of Manati, Puerto Rico, I was fortunate to be able to take a tour of the restored structures of one of the most important sugar plantations of the 19th century, Hacienda La Esperanza. [...] The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico fully restored the steam mill and today it is an amazing site to see in action. In 1979, it was even named a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. It is quite mesmerizing to watch all the intricate wheels and pistons turn and rise creating the steam needed to power this immense machine.”