GoNOLA Find: Longue Vue House and Gardens

At the western edge of New Orleans lies the Longue Vue House and Gardens, beautifully tucked away just past the cemeteries and off of Metairie Road. The meticulously manicured estate would fit in perfectly in any European countryside setting, yet it is easily accessible to locals and visitors alike in New Orleans.

The house was built by Edgar and Edith Stern, who were wealthy philanthropists in the New Orleans community, prominent in the 1930s and 1940s. A tour of the house gives visitors a unique glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich and famous during that period. The home features specialized rooms including a Flower Arranging Room, a “Blue Room” decorated with blue carpeting, and even a Wrapping Room which was used exclusively for opening mail and wrapping presents. The home’s formal room, the Drawing Room, has played host to dignitaries and celebrities including Eleanor Roosevelt, John and Robert Kennedy, Pablo Casals, Jack Benny and more.

The estate was designed to be looked at as a single unit – the house and gardens were created to complement each other. Landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman designed gardens for Longue Vue beginning in 1935 and until her death in 1950. Shipman was once described as the “dean of American women landscape architects” by House and Garden magazine in 1934; Longue Vue is considered to be her master work. The estate is also an iconic work of renowned residential architects William and Geoffrey Platt.

Longue Vue is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours are held every hour on the hour, and the last tour starts at 4 p.m. General admission rates and directions are available on their website. It’s also host to special events and exhibitions throughout the year. Longue Vue House and Gardens is located at 7 Bamboo Road, which is about a mile from the end of the Canal Streetcar (Cemetery line). Explore Longue Vue House and Gardens for yourself with our GoNOLA video: