dock and the storefronts facing
the seawall were the setting for
The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button, starring Brad Pitt and
Cate Blanchett about a man
who is born in his eighties, ages
backwards and falls in love. The
movie received 13 Academy
Award nominations.
ITINERARIES
From Front Street, travel
COAST to Berwick and the wharf area
near the seawall. The Berwick
dock and several locations
throughout the downtown area
were the setting for The Yellow
Handkerchief starring William
Hurt, Maria Bello and Kristen
CAJUN Stewart, a movie about strangers
brought together by loneliness.
From Berwick, travel to
Franklin along Highway 182
to Dixie Plantation (private),
the site of a scene starring
Jude Law as Jack Burton in the
movie All the King’s Men. In
Franklin, visit Oaklawn Manor,
the setting for The Drowning
Pool, starring Paul Newman and
Joanne Woodward, in which a
big city detective comes to help
an old girlfriend and her hellion
daughter. An aviary built for the
movie is still used today.
From Franklin, travel to
Baldwin to the Baptist Church
on Martin Luther King Road,
the setting for an impassioned
political speech by Willie Stark
in All the King’s Men. The
last stop is Albania Plantation
(private) in Jeanerette, the
setting of scenes during the
characters’ idealistic youth
between Jude Law, Kate Winslet
and Mark Raffalo for All the
King’s Men.
St. Mary Parish was also
featured throughout the iconic
movie Easy Rider starring Peter
Fonda and Dennis Hopper
about two bikers that travel
the American South after a
successful drug deal. Franklin
Main Street, Atchafalaya River
Bridge and Amelia are featured.
FAMILY ITINERARY
Travel to Lawrence Park
in downtown Morgan City to
the playground. Afterwards
walk to the “Great Wall,” a
21-foot seawall. Built for flood
528 0 0 - 2 5 6 - 2 9 3 1 O R 9 8 5 - 3 8 0 - 8 2 2 4 protection, visitors can climb up
for a bird’s eye view of the traffic
in the Atchafalaya River, one of
the busiest rivers in the state.
Next travel to the
International Petroleum
Museum & Exposition, the
“Mr. Charlie” and Diving
Exhibit. Kids will enjoy learning
about the oil industry on this
retired oil rig and the many
ways oil is used.
From Downtown Morgan
City, kids can enjoy one of
two spray parks or travel to
the Louisiana State Museum
in Patterson. Lunch at one of
our local restaurants. After
lunch, climb aboard Captain
Caviar for a boat trip into the
Atchafalaya Basin, the largest
overflow swamp in the U.S. and
home to abundant wildlife.
If time permits, travel to
Franklin to tour Grevemberg
House Museum, Oaklawn
Manor or Shadowlawn for a
glimpse into 19th century life.
From Franklin, travel
to Charenton to tour the
Chitimacha Museum. The
Chitimacha were the first
settlers to the area and lived
in and around the Atchafalaya
Basin. The museum documents
their history and culture.
CIVIL WAR ITINERARY
Students of the War
Between the States can walk
the historic battlegrounds.
First, stroll on the walkway of
the seawall on the Berwick Bay
riverfront in Morgan City. On
June 23, 1863, Morgan City was
Brashear City and across the bay
in Berwick, Confederate soldiers
directed cannons and musket
fire on the Union encampment
at Brashear City. If you turn
and look to the rear of the city,
you can imagine a Confederate
force of 325 men under Major
Sherod Hunter mounting a
surprise attack from the rear
of Brashear City on the Union
troops. Captain Tom Green
and his men attacked the Union
Camp where Lawrence Park
is today, the railroad depot on
the edge of the bay, and Fort
Brashear near the railroad