Driving along River Road in Waggaman LA, you are just as likely to pass right by the Cedar Grove Tchoupitoulas Plantation as notice it. It doesn’t fit the stereotypical vision of a plantation home at all. Instead, it’s more of an Acadian styled home that blends in behind the beautiful oaks in the front yard. Unassuming, you would never know that the original portion of the house is 220 years old and is the last remaining plantation on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish.
It’s not a plantation that you’ll find on the tour list, because over the years it has been a house of ill repute, a restaurant and now is the scene of weddings and parties throughout the year.
We recently had the opportunity to attend a wedding and rehearsal at the Plantation and I was so impressed with the facility and the grounds. The wedding guests all remarked what a beautiful setting it provided and the majority had never even heard of the place before, much less peeked behind the scenes to the gorgeous grounds that surround the house.
The front yard is filled with shade trees, including oaks dripping with spanish moss, and the front porch provides a respite from not only the heat, but from the noise of a crowded party as well.
Every where I walked, there were flowers and statues tucked into corners and into the landscaping. Anyone that has ever met me knows that I’m a sucker for flowers, so I couldn’t resist taking photos along the way.
I tried to do some research on the property, but had very little luck digging up anything of substance. The current owners do have a Facebook fan page, where I found this:
A Little History: In the early 1950′s a madam named Norma Wallace was chased out of New Orleans. She “set up shop” in Waggaman at Cedar Grove Plantation. In 1963 she went to jail for her “dating service”. In 1964 she wanted to become an “honest” women. She opened a steak house at the same location. Feeling that the name Cedar Grove was boring, she named the restaurant Tchoupitoualas. She actually “stole” this name from the plantation across the river now called Colonial Country Club. Today we honor both names to represent all of the plantation’s 220 year history. We also still have the Red Room where the ladies of the evening were introduced to their dates.
Weddings can be held in the parlor or under the covered outdoor pavilion that offers a bucolic view. Don’t worry about the menu for your event, either. We were stuffed to the gills with entrees, salads and passed hors d’ouevres and the staff was still making their way through the room offering more food. According to the bride, the prices were very reasonable and the management was easy to work with when planning the wedding and reception.
The Cedar Grove Tchoupitoulas Plantation is located at 6533 River Road in Waggaman, LA. For more information about holding a party, wedding, reception or other event, visit the website or contact Jill Mercer at (504) 431-5743.
Cedar Grove Tchoupitoulas Plantation is the perfecting venue for a New Orleans wedding. Its a great outdoor wedding venue and has a wonderful staff to make your wedding special. Our wedding was perfect. Thanks Jill!!
I recently had the pleasure of attending a wedding at this beautiful establishment. I could not close this page without adding that in addition to its magnificent scenery, the service was absolutely wonderful. And I especially loved the brown bartender there! He is comparable to George Clooney!
my wife and i have talked about tchoupitoulas for years.her dad was running ohio barge lines new orleans office in the mid 1970s and took us to dinner during the summer of 1975 we returned the summer of 1987 in a limo with friends from columbia sc still have a book of matches somewhere. always finished the evening with a trip to nicks big train bar on tulane and the top of the mart. jim and mary lynne alston mobile,ala