Houmas House

What Houmas House does

Houmas House Estate and Gardens is a privately held historic Louisiana plantation operating as an integrated tourism, hospitality, and events destination on a 38-acre site in Darrow, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The 240-year-old mansion and its formal gardens form the core attraction, complemented by a network of complementary revenue streams: guided mansion tours and self-guided garden tours priced at $20-$55 per visitor, three on-site restaurants (Latil's Landing fine dining, The Carriage House casual, and Dixie Café buffet) plus the Turtle Bar and Wine Cellars, an inn with multiple cottage-style room categories, indoor and outdoor event venues accommodating two to thousands of guests, photography session services, the Sugar Baron's Feast private experience, mahjong retreats, and an on-site gift shop.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with bookings flowing through a stack of third-party SaaS platforms rather than proprietary technology: FareHarbor handles tour ticketing, OpenTable powers Carriage House reservations, Cloudbeds manages inn bookings, and Constant Contact drives email marketing. Distribution is augmented by Stash Hotel Rewards for inn guests, Isabelle Tours for New Orleans transportation, a cross-property combo with Destrehan Plantation, and a content partnership with the adjacent Great River Road Steamboat Museum. The property has been featured in Southern Living, USA Today, Top Chef, and Wheel of Fortune, supporting a tourism-segment brand anchored in antebellum history, Southern heritage, and a culinary program led by Executive Chef Jeremy Langlois.

Houmas House is owned by New Orleans businessman Kevin Kelly, who purchased the estate in 2003 and reopened it to the public in November 2003 after extensive restoration. The mansion continues to serve as Kelly's private residence while operating as a public attraction. The company has no disclosed outside funding, no parent organization, and a headcount of 11-50 employees spanning management, culinary, gardening, events, and group sales functions. Revenue is generated entirely on-site across the Louisiana River Road corridor, with no international footprint.

Name

Houmas House

Legal name

Houmas House

Website

https://houmashouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1774

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Houmas House is a privately held historic Louisiana plantation estate offering mansion and garden tours, three restaurants, inn accommodations, and event venues to tourists, wedding clients, and overnight guests between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Tourism and Hospitality

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Traveler Accommodation (7211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort-Style Extended-Stay Properties (THAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Farmhouses, Country Houses & Vineyard Estates (THAMAEAG), Large Group & Event-Friendly Homes (THAMAAAM)

Keywords

• Historic plantation tours
• Heritage tourism
• Wedding venue rentals
• Bed and breakfast lodging
• Fine dining restaurants

Headquarters

HQ city

Darrow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tour Tickets: Visitors purchase tickets for guided mansion tours, self-guided garden tours, and combination tickets including the Great River Road Museum. Pricing varies by tour type and age group.
2. Food and Beverage: Three restaurants operate on property: Latil's Landing Restaurant (fine dining), The Carriage House Restaurant (casual), and Dixie Café (breakfast/lunch buffet). Revenue from breakfast, lunch, and dinner service plus bar operations at Turtle Bar.
3. Accommodations: The Inn at Houmas House offers overnight stays in cottage accommodations. Room types include Standard King, Junior Suite Queen ADA, Grand Suite, Deluxe Suite, and various queen and double queen configurations. Breakfast buffet included with stay.
4. Gift Shop Sales: On-site gift shop sells souvenirs, cookbooks, candles, books on Louisiana culture, artwork, and unique items. Gift certificates also available.
5. Event Venue Rentals: Property hosts weddings, corporate events, photo sessions, and special events. Multiple venues available including Pavilion, Hampton Fountain Court, Grand Lawn, Carriage House, Neptune Ballroom, and Amphitheater.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Houmas House operates a historic 38-acre Louisiana plantation estate offering daily guided mansion tours, self-guided garden tours, a steamboat museum, three restaurants (fine dining, casual dining, and a buffet café), a bed and breakfast inn, six event venues for weddings and corporate functions, professional photo sessions, and an on-site gift shop. The property generates revenue through ticketed tours, restaurant sales, overnight accommodations, event venue rentals, and retail merchandise sold to tourists, day visitors, overnight guests, and event clients primarily drawn from Louisiana and the U.S. Southeast.

Product overview

Houmas House Estate and Gardens is a historic Louisiana plantation offering a unified portfolio of tourism and hospitality products: guided mansion and garden tours, The Inn at Houmas House bed and breakfast accommodations, multiple dining venues (Latil's Landing fine dining restaurant, The Carriage House casual restaurant, Dixie Café buffet, Turtle Bar, and Wine Cellars), event venues for weddings and corporate functions, photography sessions, and a gift shop. The property spans 38 acres of gardens and features a Great River Road Museum. The portfolio operates as a single unified destination experience rather than a modular platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Latil's Landing Restaurant: Fine dining restaurant offering five-course tasting menu with wine pairings in the original manor house.
• The Carriage House Restaurant
• Dixie Café
• The Turtle Bar
• The Wine Cellars of Houmas House

Products and services

• Houmas House Mansion and Gardens Tour Hour-long daily guided tour of the historic Houmas House mansion, with costumed guides walking visitors through 250 years of artifacts, furniture, period artwork, and the architectural evolution of the manor house from French colonial through Classical Revival. Available to all ages, priced per person with tiered pricing by age group.
• Self-Guided Garden Tour Self-paced outdoor experience across 38 acres of formal gardens with tropical flowers and plants, paved walkways, sitting nooks, water features including lotus and lily pad ponds, and free-roaming peacocks. Ticket valid for 8 hours.
• Great River Road Museum and Gardens Tour Ticket combining admission to the Great River Road Steamboat Museum (Mississippi River history, culture, commerce, folklore, and music) with access to Houmas House gardens. Available to all ages with reduced pricing for young children.
• Houmas House and Great River Road Museum Combo Ticket Combo ticket including the guided mansion tour and admission to the Great River Road Steamboat Museum, valid for 6 hours and allowing visitors to experience the historic estate and the river museum in a single visit.
• Houmas House and Destrehan Plantation Combo Tour Combo tour combining visits to Houmas House and Destrehan Plantation, two of Louisiana's oldest stately homes, with tiered per-person pricing by age group and valid for 6 hours.
• The Inn at Houmas House Bed and breakfast accommodations in quaint cottages along an ancient oak alley, offering Standard King, Junior Suite Queen ADA, Grand Suite, Deluxe Suite, and additional queen and double queen configurations. Includes breakfast buffet for two, Stash Hotel Rewards enrollment, 4pm check-in and 11am check-out, with 50% refund available with 14-day cancellation notice.
• Latil's Landing Restaurant Fine dining restaurant in the original manor house serving a five-course tasting menu with curated wine pairings, available by reservation Friday and Saturday nights for small parties.
• The Carriage House Restaurant Casual dining restaurant attached to The Turtle Bar serving lunch and dinner with daily off-menu specials and a $45 minimum per person for dinner parties of 15 or more (including tax and gratuity).
• Dixie Café Casual counter-service restaurant inside The Great River Road Museum serving breakfast and lunch buffet plus à la carte items, with panoramic garden views from inside the museum.
• The Turtle Bar Bar serving southern cocktails, attached to The Carriage House Restaurant, with access to the extensive wine collection in The Wine Cellars.
• The Wine Cellars of Houmas House Collection of over 1,000 cases and 500 varietals of boutique wines housed in converted historic water cisterns, with a white wine cellar maintained at 56°F and a red wine cellar at 70°F.
• Event Venues Six event venues accommodating intimate dinners through large galas: the Pavilion with adjacent courtyard (6,300 sq ft, 14-ft ceiling), Hampton Fountain Court walled garden (30,000 sq ft with 50-ft water-lily pond), Grand Lawn (7 manicured acres), Carriage House, Neptune Ballroom (2,500 sq ft with Civil War era submarine), and Amphitheater. Bookable for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions.
• Wedding Services Wedding ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, and elopements coordinated by an event liaison across the estate's indoor and outdoor venues, including the oak alley and mansion backdrop.
• Photo Sessions Photography sessions including bridal, graduation, family, and special-occasion photos. Package tiers: Bridal ($400 base plus per-guest fees and mansion access fee), Special Occasion ($75 base plus per-guest fees), and Proposals ($400 fixed for up to 4 guests).
• The Sugar Baron's Feast Exclusive evening experience including cocktails at The Turtle Bar, a private mansion tour, and a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings for groups of 8 to 12 guests.
• Gift Shop Gift shop located on the property selling unique souvenirs, collectibles, original artwork, cookbooks, candles, and books on Louisiana architecture, history, and culture, plus gift certificates. Open seven days a week from 9AM to 8PM.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great River Road MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Great River Road Steamboat Museum is operated in partnership with Houmas House. The museum educates visitors about life on the Mississippi River, exploring culture, commerce, folklore, and music. Combo tickets are offered combining mansion tours with museum admission. The museum is accessible via a bridge in the parking lot with views of the Mississippi River.
• Isabelle ToursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIsabelle Tours provides transportation services from New Orleans to Houmas House for visitors who cannot drive or use rideshare. They offer a specific Houmas House Tour with Transportation package for those needing transportation from the metropolitan area.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Biltmore Estate: Asheville, North Carolina historic estate with on-site hotel, multiple restaurants, gardens, and event venues at significantly larger scale; demonstrates the upside of the historic-estate hospitality model Houmas House operates.
• Mount Vernon: George Washington's historic Virginia estate with mansion tours, dining, retail, and event programming; benchmark for monetizing a single historic property across multiple visitor verticals.

Direct peers

• Longue Vue House and Gardens: New Orleans historic estate offering mansion and garden tours plus private events; directly comparable curated-heritage experience within the same metropolitan draw.
• Boone Hall Plantation: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina plantation operating house tours, gardens, and event venues; similar product portfolio targeting heritage and event-driven visitors.
• Middleton Place: Historic Charleston, South Carolina plantation with guided tours, on-site inn, restaurant, and gardens—comparable combination of heritage attraction, lodging, and F&B in a Southern destination market.
• San Francisco Plantation: Historic River Road plantation in Garyville, Louisiana with guided tours and gift shop, competing for the heritage-tourist segment on the same Baton Rouge–New Orleans corridor.
• Destrehan Plantation: Historic Destrehan, Louisiana plantation offering mansion tours and educational programs; Houmas House already sells a combo ticket with Destrehan, evidencing direct market overlap.
• Nottoway Plantation: Historic White Castle, Louisiana River Road plantation operating overnight lodging, multiple dining venues, tours, and weddings—closest like-for-like competitor to Houmas House in scale and product mix.
• Laura Plantation: Creole plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana offering guided tours focused on Louisiana heritage; competes for the same day-trip and tour-package visitors as Houmas House.
• Oak Alley Plantation: Iconic Vacherie, Louisiana antebellum plantation offering guided tours, on-site restaurant, inn/cottages, and event venues along the same River Road corridor as Houmas House.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/houmashouse
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCe_TfPRDRZDb5l2v3f2KRBA
• Facebookfacebook.com/houmashouseplantation
• Instagraminstagram.com/HoumasHouse
• Pinterestpinterest.com/houmashouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Houmas House