Let’s wander down the dusty path of yesteryear’s adventures to the Madewood Plantation.
Oh…wait. I’m not telling this right.
*You’re not going to believe this, but…two perfectly fun and slightly insane writers set off across the country to spend the night in a three hundred year-old haunted plantation house just to be able to say “I did that.” That was the Myrtles Plantation, and I talked about that last month.
The story doesn’t end there.
This is the next leg of their (our) journey…
(The story of Debra Kristi and Tameri Etherton)
On May 15th we followed our navigation to our next destination, The Madewood Plantation.
It wasn’t there.
We worried not, having had a similar experience while traveling to The Myrtles. We continued on a straight path and sure enough, it eventually appeared on our left.
A Big, Beautiful, Antebellum Plantation—dating back to the 1800’s.
Praise the minds of intuitive women! We’d found it!
Upon arrival, we rang the plantation bell to notify staff. A “Hey, we’re here!” sort of deal. The bell was mounted high, so picture me up on my toes yanking the cord like a cartoon version of myself. Yeah, it was kinda like that.
Color us time blown. The house was ours and ours alone for the entire night! Were we blessed or cursed? After our last experience we weren’t exactly sure, but pampered like properly ladies we decided upon ‘blessed.’ Send more bags, we were ready to move in…and never leave. Who wouldn’t want to sleep in a bed like this every night?
At 6 p.m sharp the brass bell rang indicating a lovely wine-and-cheese reception in the library.
We dug into the surrounding books and read up on the home’s history. Wez was getting smart. Hehehe
Next stop, the dining room. Dinner by candlelit. We allowed Thor and Lady Dazzleton to attend.
mouth-watering crawfish etouffee, smothered green beans, potatoes with Cajun shrimp, the most delish pumpkin meal graced our plates, and (omg) the best bread pudding for dessert . Died a heavenly eatery death that night. I so did.
In the adjoining parlor we retired and finished the night with glistening glass of brandy.
Thor looks for a manly drink…and a bigger mug.
The staff now gone and an entire Antebellum Plantation all to ourselves! Plus the grounds! We went all thirteen-year-old-explore-like. We moved from room to room making sure not to miss any detail. But the big prize waiting to be explored? The big bit of history sitting beyond the safety of the house walls? The family cemetery. Oh yes we did!
We crept across the lawn by the light of our cell phones. Dang, it was dark out. The cemetery was surrounded by an old iron fence that had long since been covered in vines. An ancient tree, split and fallen, hung over the passage. Ominous at night, it stood like a guardian over the site.
I’d love to report we captured all kinds of spiritual activity, unfortunately I can’t. The only thing we found glowing in the dark was the eyes of this little buddy.
She was a friendly little gal, too. Followed me from tombstone to tombstone. Was rolling all over one when we found her.
SO…nothing spooky about the palacious Madewood Plantation.
- Unless you consider our silly ghost app conveniently spurting out the word ‘Bad’ right when Tameri stepped on a Crayfish hole, smashing the entrance. It looks like a primitive mud tower in the middle of the lawn. Interesting timing, don’t you think?
- Or the howling coyotes. Had to be a rout, because they were rowdy. Starting a band and gathering the pack to have us for dinner. Seriously! They were stalking. Loud as they were, we couldn’t make it to the house fast enough. The second the screen door closed and I latched the lock, they stopped. Now that was spooky.
The rest of the night―absolutely lovely. Plus, we had a hot shower! That, right there, made our day. After the 1950’s mauve bathtub in the ill-feeling bathroom from our last stop, it was pure modernized bliss.
Tea served to our room bright and early the next morning ~ Loved it!
Time enough to sip and enjoy on the veranda before another fabulous meal in the dining room to start our day. Then it was fa la la la la all the way to our next destination. The sound of happiness rumbling in our tummies.
Our stay wouldn’t have been the same without the magical staff of the Madewood Plantation.
They are more family than staff, and you can expect to meet them should you ever visit, and I highly recommend you book a stay. While you’re there, explore the house, grounds and outer buildings. So much elegance. Pop over to my Flikr and check out the 300+ pictures from the historical Bed and Breakfast. Then book your next vacation at the hospitable Madewood.
Have you ever stayed the night at a plantation home? How about a bed and breakfast?
~:O:~
Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate your support.
Until next time, immortally yours.
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This post took me right back there! I want to go back and stay for a bit longer. There is just so much history in that grand old house. It was lovely. Except for the crawfish thing that stuck to my shoes. Ick. And the mosquito bites. Those weren’t fun, but everything else was.
I miss Madewood!
It was so much fun! And you were the best! Seriously! Great travel buddy. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Awesome!
Madewood plantation is the best. I could live there (as long as Angie stayed and cooked!) I am a little disappointed you didn’t catch anything spooky in the cemetery though… Maybe next time!
I’m a little disappointed about the lack of spooky, too. I think we may have gone out too late for our cameras to catch a proper picture. 🙁
Angie is amazing! All the food was…OMG! I would go up four dress sizes if I lived there! Just saying.
Thanks so much for bringing the Madewood to our attention. It was a sparkling highlight during our trip.
Fabulous pics. How wonderful (and a tad scary) ye had to place to yourselves.
Glad you liked the pictures. I took a few. LOL. It was scary! And exciting, and terribly adventurous. How often does one get a house like that all to themselves? Never for me! Well, guess I can’t say that anymore. You should have been there. You would have had a blast!
I love the photos!! How many dining rooms are in that place anyway? Gorgeous. When you take the day tour you don’t get to see everything. How totally cool that you had the entire place to yourselves to explore at will?
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Patricia recently posted…It’s Monday And I Got Nothing
Two dinning rooms, the library, the parlor, and probably what was the ladies parlor. The kitchen wasn’t open to the public, nor was the area used for the staff office, lounge and any of their overnight housing. There are five rooms available in the big house, one with an adjoining room for a larger party (i.e. kids). Two of the rooms re-purposed the ladies ‘dress’ room from back in the day, turning it into the adjoining bathroom. Very large and spacious. the downstairs bedroom is ideal for elderly with a nice sized bath. Separate from the main house you’ll find another house where the lower level is used for entertaining. Above the entertainment hall is a residence with five rooms (one of which Brad Pitt slept in while filming Interview with a Vampire). One of the most gorgeous rooms with best bath accommodations can be found here.
It was amazing and completely unexpected!
BTW, I see your post title and I’m giggling. So many times I’ve felt that way.