Some weekends call for a porch, a pool and nowhere to be. North of Baton Rouge, The St. Francisville Inn was built for exactly that.

A house with a long memory

The story starts in 1880, when Bayou Sarah entrepreneur Morris Wolf built an elegant Victorian home for his wife and children. The Wolfs stayed until 1903. Decades later the house was carved into apartments, then sat empty long enough to lose its mantles, light fixtures and most of its doors.

In 1984, Richard Filet and his wife bought the shell and turned it into a bed and breakfast. Laurie and Pat Walsh ran it for close to 30 years after that. In 2018, Jim Johnston and Brandon Branch bought the property, gave it a ground-up renovation and reopened it on April 1, 2019, with a restaurant and bar on site. One original ceiling medallion survived it all. Look up when you check in at the Summer Parlor.

Eleven rooms, one courtyard

Each of the 11 rooms carries a flower name, from Camelia to Hibiscus, and they all face the central courtyard and pool. Gardenia has a private deck. Honeysuckle is the only room with a tub. Wisteria's two queen beds suit friends traveling together. Rooms 9 through 11 are up a flight of stairs with no elevator, so plan accordingly.

Every stay includes free parking and WiFi, L'Occitane toiletries, robes, morning coffee, bikes to borrow and complimentary champagne when you arrive. There is also a spa on property.

Know before you go

Check-in is 3 p.m. and check-out is 11 a.m. The campus is smoke- and vape-free, pets are not allowed (registered Seeing Eye dogs aside), and phones stay out of the common areas, bar and restaurant. The dress code is business casual. If you want dinner during your stay, book a table when you book the room, since it can fill weeks ahead in busy seasons.

Call 225-635-6502 or book online, then let the slow pace of St. Francisville do the rest.

Photo courtesy of The St. Francisville Inn.