The downtown, charmingly restored, is home to a great restaurant, Joseph Decuis, named after owner Alice Eshelman's Creole relative who lived around the time of the Revolutionary War and so the menu at this destination restaurant often has Creole/Cajun touches such as macque choux (a rich corn dish) that accompanies the tempura fried soft shell crab with roasted fingerling potatoes in a citrus-brown butter sauce.

But the menu is eclectic and items, which change regularly, rely upon locally grown produce as well as such hard to find fare as organic salmon, wild mushrooms and foie gras.

Formerly a bank, the vault now housing an extensive wine collection of more than 4000 bottles. There’s more creativity and whimsy here as well. The New Orleans-style garden with fountain is a delight for outdoor dining. The Conservatory, a two-story glassed-in garden room is filled with plants. Another fun spot here is their Cafe Creole, a wonderfully ornate room with elaborate flower arrangements on antique tables and in the back, the open kitchen where the chefs were working hard preparing that nights dinner.