Destrehan Plantation named 2010 Louisiana Travel Attraction of the Year

The Louisiana Office of Tourism and Louisiana Travel Promotion Association recently held their annual Louisiana Travel and Tourism Summit in Baton Rouge. Travel professionals from throughout Louisiana attended the conference. The closing ceremony was the Annual Louey Awards Luncheon, at which time the top organizations and individuals in the travel industry were recognized. We are very proud to announce that Destrehan Plantation was awarded the 2010 Louisiana Travel Attraction of the Year Award.

The award was accepted by Executive Director Nancy Robert.

In the award nomination form, the site's many project completed in 2010 were reviewed. Destrehan Plantation has been striving to become Louisiana's premier Cultural Heritage Tourism site, authentically representing the stories and people of the past and present.

Projects completed during the award period included:

• The Herbert J. Harvey, Jr. Legacy Room, a state of the art museum facility featuring family documents and artifacts.
• Historical Research and Education Center, a museum showing various aspects of the history of Destrehan Plantation and the local area, including an exhibit on the 1811 Slave Revolt.
• Additional display space and demonstrations, including a Weaving House and Wildlife and Fisheries Exhibit.
• Work with various school groups including the Harry Hurst Wetland Watchers and Hurst Historians, St. Charles Satellite Center Culinary Arts and Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism students on various projects throughout the year.
• Work with Jefferson Parish Public Schools Technology Department, enabling the unique programs going on at our site to be conveyed to potential visitors from around the world through present-day technology, blogs and Twitter.

In completing these projects, we were fortunate to have the cooperation of so many individuals and organizations.

The RRHS Board of Directors supported our ideas with enthusiasm, encouraging our growth and success at every level.

We have a great staff, some of the best that Louisiana tourism has to offer. Their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty, helped us achieve this recognition.

We are fortunate to have the support of several organizations, including the Azby Fund , Shell Chemicals, Motiva, and Freeport McMoRan. They have enabled our growth through their generous support, allowing us to not only continue to operate during tough economic times, but to expand our operations and offer more educational and historic projects to our visitors.

Community support was a big part of our projects. Partnerships with the Historic New Orleans Collection, Tulane University and the New Orleans African American Museum helped us to achieve our goals.

We thank the St. Charles Parish Presidents Office and Parish Council, Department of Economic Development and Tourism, St. Charles & Jefferson Parish Public Schools for working with us to offer such a wide variety of programs to all that visit us.

We thank all of the volunteers, members, family and friends, who through the years have supported our efforts. Because of their continued support we were able to move forward past our restoration years, and take Destrehan Plantation into the next phase, as a cultural heritage tourism destination.

We have much more to do, and will continue to bring innovative, educational programming to all that visit us. We hope you'll take the time to visit us soon.