The Perfect Gaycation: A Weekend at the ‘Steel Magnolias’ House in Louisiana, Now a B&B
The 1989 dramedy Steel Magnolias has long been a favorite of gay men who hold great appreciation for the film’s female-centric tale of love, loss, family and everlasting friendship. But did you know that the house where much of the film was shot is now a six-suite B&B called The Steel Magnolias House?
Yep, consider it the gaycation you’ve always wanted but didn’t know existed.
The large brick house, which features suites named after characters in the movie, was actually the home of Steel Magnolias author Robert Harling. (He released the play of the same name, based on his own life, in 1987.) And the film, directed by Herbert Ross, was later filmed in this same house on Jefferson Street in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
In the film, this house is where the Eatenton family — M’Lynn (Sally Field), Shelby (Julia Roberts) and Drum (Tom Skerritt) — called home, and also where Shelby’s wedding took place at the film’s opening.
It was 2003 when the home was converted into the Steel Magnolias House and first welcomed visitors inside.
Now you can revel in some of the film’s magic while staying where some of Hollywood’s biggest names (Field, Roberts, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis) once worked their own magic!
We call dibs on the “Shelby” suite, which — naturally — has walls in the signature colors of Roberts’ character’s wedding, “blush and bashful.” (M’Lynn disagrees. She says the room is “pink and pink.”)
In addition to being a B&B, the Steel Magnolias House is also a museum of sorts for the film, housing antiques and props from the film, as well as behind-the-scenes photos and sketches of some of the film’s costumes.
And for those not content with simply stepping foot in the same house that once welcomed Dolly Parton, well, there’s more. According to Southern Living magazine, Barbara Bailey is a local tour operator who offers Steel Magnolias tours to movie fans, which means in addition to the Steel Magnolias House, you can check out Truvy’s Beauty Shop, too! Head here for more info about Bailey’s tours.
