Donaldsonville Louisiana

Sometimes you can’t judge a book by its cover, you have to dig into it and read a chapter or two to understand there’s much more to it than what simply appears on the surface. Donaldsonville, located along the west shores of the Mississippi River somewhere between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is such a place.

Donaldsonville was a convenient stop as we left Texas and headed east to start our 2026 travels. The main pull to the area for us was the historic antebellum plantations and of course getting our fill of some good Cajun food, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First, let’s talk about this town of Donaldsonville that most of you outside of the region have likely never heard of.

We headed to the downtown historic district of Donaldsonville mid-day on a Saturday, expecting that this would be the best time to experience the town. It was even Mardi Gras season, so there must be some fun things happening, right? What we found instead was a sleepy little rundown town with very few people. It felt like it “used to be” something but that something was long gone. If you looked beyond some of the boarded-up storefronts, there were signs of some interesting architecture and hidden stories behind the walls, but overall, it was very underwhelming. But that changed in an unexpected way.

At the edge of town on a corner adjacent to Crescent Park stands this amazing, beautifully restored building, it towers over the street as if it is the heart of this dying town pumping blood back into it and saying, “not just yet”. The building is the former home of the B. Lemann & Brothers Department Store, Louisiana’s oldest family-owned department store building, and now a National Registered Historic Place. Through a joint venture effort and local funding, the building is now an investment in the area’s future, housing an early childhood development center, primarily for families who can’t otherwise afford such care. In its day, the store was the economic center of a bustling Donaldsonville providing goods of all sorts to the community.

Although it didn’t seem like there was much more to explore in town, we decided to take a short walk and see what we could find. We came upon a small store called Cane Sugar Toffee Company, which we initially passed right by but then saw people inside so decided to stop in and check it out. Immediately upon entering the store we were met by the owner, Lewis Savoie. He was a genuinely nice guy and after ten minutes or so talking to him at the entrance to the store, we felt like long lost friends. His story of how his life went full circle, ending up back in his hometown at the age of 62 and opening this café was quite interesting.

The small café is definitely a local’s hangout, but instead of feeling like an outsider, we felt right at home and cozied up to one of the tables with a coffee drink. We spend some time chatting with an influential local community development gentlemen named John Diez who gave us some great history about the area. Yes, this town used to be a flourishing community back in the day and it’s on the brink of getting back to those glory days. Through the years much of the development (and money) moved to the east shore (of the Mississippi River), leaving Donaldsonville and the adjoining communities to struggle. But a town with a big heart and soul can’t stay down for long. Kevin Kelly, the current owner of the Houmas House Estate and Gardens, has invested in several buildings within the historic district which are currently being restored. Other local entrepreneurs such as India, the owner of a recently opened boutique in a beautifully restored bank building called Jolie Myrtle Lane, are thriving and finding that there is a local demand for such goods. You get a sense that the entire community has a vested interest (and need) in Donalsonville’s success… and they are about to get a lot of help from the most unlikely source.

Hyundai Motors, the Korean company that owns the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis automobile brands, is making a $5.8 billion investment in a steel manufacturing facility right on the outskirts of Donaldsonville. The facility will bring thousands of jobs to the area which is expected to double the annual employment income in what today is primarily driven by the petrochemical manufacturing industry. That, my friends, is the big “west side story” that will likely catapult Donaldsonville back to its glory days. Construction on the facility will start in 2026 and be completed in 2029.

So now back to the primary reason we came here, the plantations. We have visited several plantations in our travels to the southeast and have thoroughly enjoyed them all, and these two were no exception. Our first stop was Oak Alley Plantation, designated as a National Historic Landmark and located in the adjacent town of Vacherie on the shores of the Mississippi River. Your admission includes a guided tour of the main house and a self-guided tour of the gorgeous grounds and replicated slave quarters. The row of 300-year-old live oak trees, predating the house, provide a dramatic quarter mile-long canopy leading up to the mansion. Our tour guide, Jackie, was a wealth of information as she took us through the house, explaining the original French Creole ownership and the riches obtained from the sugar cane plantation, or white gold, as they called it. When you visit these plantations, it’s not just about seeing a beautiful mansion, it’s the historical story behind it (for good and bad) that was an important part of our country’s early development. We appreciated the inclusive message told by Jackie. Unfortunately, they don’t allow photography inside the house so we can’t share that part with you.

Our second plantation that we visited was Houmas House, also located right along the Mississippi River in the town of Darrow. At its peak in the 19th century, the plantation produced more sugar than almost any other plantation in Louisiana. The main mansion dates back to around 1840, although other structures on the property are considerably older than that. Today, Houmas House is recognized for the extensive gardens on the property and they were quite impressive. We again had a wonderful informative tour guide who filled us with insightful information about the plantation’s history and ownership. Whereas Oak Alley felt more like visiting a historic landmark (which it is), Houmas House was more like an historical “attraction” with its gardens, restaurants, museum and even lodging and hosting of special events such as weddings. Interesting note, the current owner, Kevin Kelly, who purchased the plantation in 2003 and subsequently restored it, currently lives in the house.

Both of these plantations provided something unique, and both were an honor to visit. The only thing missing from them was the original view of the river, which is now obscured by the levy. We appreciate Josephine Stewart, the last private owner of Oak Alley, establishing the Oak Alley Foundation and Kevin Kelly, the current owner of Houmas House, keeping these plantations alive as an important historical reference point.

Any trip to Louisiana is not complete for us without satisfying our taste buds with some good authentic Cajun food. And just for clarity, you do not have to go to New Orleans for this, the Donaldsonville area has some amazing food options.

First on our list was The Grapevine Café, right in the center of Donaldsonville. This place is everything it was advertised to be, from the unique art on the walls, to the friendly service and amazing food. The spicy pecan shrimp is a must order as an appetizer, as is the bread pudding (personal connoisseur here) for dessert. I ordered the blackened redfish, and Shannon had the crab cakes, it was enough deliciousness for leftover diner the next night!

We went to Nobile’s Restaurant & Bar in nearby Lutcher based on a local recommendation. The restaurant building dates back to 1894 when it was original established to serve the local cypress logging community. The old charm of this place brings you back to those days where you can belly up to the bar for a cold beverage or enjoy an amazing meal in one of the many dining rooms. The crab cake pasta dish with shrimp and crab sauce was to die for! Shannon loved the butterbeans along with the shrimp and rice dish.

To fulfill your beignet craving, head over to the Coffee House in Sorrento – yum! Now, Louisiana coffee houses are a little different, instead of the caramel macchiato you may be used to, you will instead be treated to a traditional New Orleans-style Café au Lait. Don’t ask, just try it. While you’re there check out the shops in Sorrento’s Cajun Village.

There are many other great restaurants in the area such as Philay’s Catfish & More which we will try on a return trip someday. With a short stop, there’s just so much rich Cajun food one can handle without the proper endurance training. We’ll prepare better next time.

Louisiana may not be for everyone as it tends to be a little rough around the edges, kind of like a crawfish, but the people are as sweet and smooth as a fresh baked beignet! We look forward to returning to Donaldsonville again in the future and seeing how things are progressing in the area. If you happened to make it there be sure to say hello to our new friends for us. In the meantime, check out the rest of our pictures from the Donaldsonville area.