NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— Situated in New Orleans’ Lakewood neighborhood, Longue Vue House and Gardens feels as if it’s a million miles away from the city — perfect for spending an hour or an entire weekend surrounded by peace and tranquility.
“Somehow when you turn onto the street, you don’t feel like you’re in New Orleans anymore,” Director of Audience Experience Neana Collins told WGNO’s Stephanie Oswald. “Somehow, we’ve entered into this enclave of greenery, so it’s like an oasis just inside the city limits.”
A unique blend of history and horticulture, Longue Vue is the perfect place for soothing the soul and stretching the body.
“When you’re in the fresh air, there’s nothing more beautiful and healing to relax the mind and get away from stresses of work and home life and just be in nature,” said yoga and pilates instructor Andree Khalaf. “It’s all the trees, and the greenery, and all the birds and the butterflies, and just the wonderful beauty of the house.”
And of course, you can check out the history behind the location with tours and a cool breeze to beat the NOLA heat.
“There’s air conditioning in the house, which is the first residential house in Louisiana to have air conditioning,” Collins explained.
Start your visit with a cup of coffee at Edith and Edgar’s Museum Cafe at The Gate House, then wander to your heart’s content.
“We have 15 different garden spaces that people can explore when they’re here,” Lon Some are very open, some are very secretive and it’s just a magical place to be really,” said Longue Vue Director of Gardens, Amy Graham. “We have a Wild garden which is mostly native plants, it’s about an acre so that gives us a lot of opportunities to grow native plants, so people can visit Longue Vue and see what will work in their own garden.”
One thing you won’t hear at Longue Vue is the sound of blowers. All the gardening here is done naturally, with rakes, brooms, and no toxic chemicals.
“We’ve got tarragon here, onions growing, garlic,” Graham added.
Graham has been tending to these gardens for two decades, but don’t ask her to choose a favorite plant.
“That’s impossible to answer. I have favorite trees and favorite perennials and favorite annuals, and we’d have to have a whole day to talk about that,” said Graham.
To see the yoga schedule, learn more about the history at Longue Vue, and plan your visit to Longue Vue, click here.
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