State Parks and National Parks

Audubon State Historic Site

Although John James Audubon spent only four months at Oakley House, while teaching drawing to the plantation owner's daughter, he began or completed 32 paintings featured in his Birds of America collection.

The tall, airy house is a splendid example of colonial architecture with a West Indies influence. It is furnished in the style of the 1820s, when Audubon was here.

Adjacent to the house are the kitchen and weaving room, formal and kitchen gardens, two slave cabins and a barn.

Visitors see the house on guided tours, then are free to explore the other buildings and grounds on their own. The park has a picnic area and a nature trail that winds through acres of mature live oaks, magnolia, beech, holly and poplar trees.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Louisiana Office of