NEW IBERIA, La. --- The Shadows-on-the-Teche is reopening its gardens after a six-month closure due to COVID-19.
Visitors will be able to meander along the gravel paths of the Shadows Gardens on self-guided tours starting Thurs., Oct. 1, with adjusted operating hours. Brochures detailing the Weeks family and enslaved people who lived and worked at the Shadows and the sugar making process will be provided in order to create a better interpretive experience.
The Shadows Visitor Center, gift shop, and gardens will be open each week on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Timed entry tickets can be purchased
online, which is highly recommended, or in the Shadows Visitor Center. Garden tours will be limited to one group of no more than six people. The house will not be available for tours at this time.
Admission rates are as follows:
- Senior (65+) $6.50
- Adult (18-64) $8.50
- Student (6-17) $4.75
- Admission is free for children under six years of age and Friends of the Shadows.
In preparation for reopening, the Shadows Visitor Center, gardens, and restroom building have all been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Staff installed shields around the front desk in the visitor center, providing an additional protective barrier between staff and visitors. The Shadows is encouraging visitors to wear masks when onsite and if social distancing is not possible. Staff will be required to wear masks when onsite and participate in a vigorous cleaning and sanitizing schedule. Hand sanitizer and masks will be available for visitors to use.
About the Shadows-on-the-Teche:
The Shadows-on-the-Teche, National Trust for Historic Preservation site, opened to the public in 1961 with the mission to preserve the buildings, landscape, collections, and historical integrity of the site; to research and interpret through education programs a 19th century southern Louisiana plantation economy and community and their evolution; and to encourage an appreciation of and interest in historic preservation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which owns and operates the Shadows-on-the-Teche, is a private, non-profit organization. The Shadows does not receive funding from federal, state, parish, or city government. The site supports itself through admissions, special programs and events, and donations to the Friends of the Shadows. For more information, visit
ShadowsOnTheTeche.org.
