Make a day of Nottoway Plantation

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By Rachael Lundy

For those of you who enjoy both traveling and history, visiting Nottoway Plantation is the perfect getaway for you. This plantation is located along the Mississippi River in White Castle, which is situated off of Highway 1, and is very easy to locate.

The building of Nottoway Plantation was completed in 1859 and was designed using the Greek Revival and Italianate styles. John Hampden Randolph, the original owner of Nottoway, built this massive home during the Civil War.

While touring the home, it was explained to us that a Union soldier spared this home by calling a “cease fire” as he remembered being graciously entertained there while attending one of Randolph’s extravagant parties. While the plantation strongly stood through the war, it did not withstand all damage from the battle; evidence of this is presented during the tour.

As stated on Nottoway Plantation’s Web site, “Nottoway has 64 rooms in its three floors … 165 doors and 200 windows.”

Some of these windows were so large that they even doubled as doors. During the Civil War years, the number of doors you had in your home determined how much you were taxed, so Randolph’s architect cleverly designed several windows that slide up into the ceiling to be used as doors so Randolph could avoid paying a number of “door” taxes. You may view one of these sliding windows, located on the second floor, which exits onto the balcony overlooking the Mississippi River.

I was impressed with the sheer massiveness of this home, as this is by far the largest of the plantations that I have toured. My personal favorite room on the tour was the White Ballroom. This ballroom was used for entertaining, parties and weddings.

Randolph is quoted as saying, “I wish this room to be pure white in order to offset the beauty of my ladies.”

It had a simple elegance to it as it is solid white from floor to ceiling. While in this room, you could imagine yourself back in time dancing the waltz.

After the tour, my boyfriend and I had reservations at the restaurant on location, which featured several Cajun and Creole dishes. I recommend you make reservations for this as well, as these dishes were delicious and the servers could not have been more accommodating. As we dined, we listened to the pianist hired for the evening, which created the perfect ambience for ending the plantation tour experience.

Should you wish to add some additional excitement to your tour, you may call Misty Palermo, Nottoway’s events coordinator, for information on special events. One of the featured events is Nottoway’s Ladies Night. According to Palermo, you may customize your own Ladies Night, according to your needs, but this event typically includes drinks upon check in, fruit and cheese trays served out by the pool, followed by an à la carte meal at the restaurant on site.

You will have to call ahead for pricing as this varies upon what you prefer. It is $30 per person for the pitchers of drinks and the fruit and cheese trays. Dinner prices vary depending on the food selected, and the room prices are to be paid by the type of rooms chosen for your Ladies Night.

The breakfast and tour the following morning are both included in your overnight stay fee, so this gives you an idea of the constant pricing charged. Palermo coordinates many other events and is willing to work with you, so if you’re looking for a low-key bridal party or a relaxing weekend away from home, this is certainly a place to consider. I thoroughly enjoyed my evening tour and dinner by the piano and suggest that you make arrangements to view this plantation as well.

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Originally Published: Issue 601 - March 26, 2008

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