riverboat plantation tour new orleans

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Save 10% When You book a swamp and plantation tour with code: 10Offcombo

New Orleans Swamp And Plantation Tour combo

Use code 10offcombo at checkout, what you'll experience, exotic wildlife.

This unique wetland is home to a fascinating array of creatures, including alligators, wild boars, raccoons, and a stunning variety of bird species such as egrets and herons. Our expert-guided tours provide an unparalleled opportunity to observe these animals in their natural habitat, offering insights into their behaviors, life cycles, and the intricate ecosystem they inhabit. Experience the thrill of encountering wildlife up close and learn about the delicate balance that sustains this vibrant environment. Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or a curious visitor, the wildlife of Honey Island Swamp promises a captivating and educational adventure.

This unique wetland is home to a fascinating array of creatures, including alligators, wild boars, raccoons, and a stunning variety of bird species such as egrets and herons. Our expert-guided tours provide an unparalleled opportunity to observe these animals in their natural habitat, offering insights into their behaviors, life cycles, and the intricate ecosystem they inhabit. Experience the thrill of encountering wildlife up close and learn about the delicate balance that sustains this vibrant environment. Whether you're a seasoned naturalist or a curious visitor, the wildlife of Honey Island Swamp promises a captivating and educational adventure.

Breathtaking Scenery

Honey Island Swamp is a mosaic of towering cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, serene waterways reflecting the sky, and lush greenery teeming with life. As you navigate through the tranquil waters, you’ll encounter vibrant wildflowers, dense foliage, and panoramic views that change with the seasons. Experience the serene and magical atmosphere where every moment offers a new perspective on nature’s splendor. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, relaxation, or adventure, the scenic beauty of Honey Island Swamp will leave you in awe.

Honey Island Swamp is a mosaic of towering cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, serene waterways reflecting the sky, and lush greenery teeming with life. As you navigate through the tranquil waters, you'll encounter vibrant wildflowers, dense foliage, and panoramic views that change with the seasons. Experience the serene and magical atmosphere where every moment offers a new perspective on nature's splendor. Whether you're seeking inspiration, relaxation, or adventure, the scenic beauty of Honey Island Swamp will leave you in awe.

Oak Alley Plantation

Just up the river from Laura is the “Grande Dame” of the Louisiana River Road plantations, Oak Alley plantation gets its name from the spectacular quarter mile tunnel of 28 oak trees that frame the driveway as you approach. Built in 1839 and facing the Mississippi River, the magnificent entrance to Oak Alley Plantation makes it a “Must See” destination on everyone’s list of historic Louisiana sites. 

Whitney Plantation

The Whitney Plantation stands out by honoring the slaves who built it. Visitors can tour “The Big House,” Slave Quarters, Wall of Honor memorial, Antioch Baptist Church, and other exhibits. Established in the early 1700s by a German immigrant, the plantation thrived due to slave labor, producing over 400,000 pounds of sugar at its peak. Today, it serves as a memorial to the enslaved individuals who sacrificed their lives. 

Learn more about Whitney Plantation

HEAR FROM OUR CUSTOMERS

I would definitely recommend Cajun Encounters!! The booking process was super easy. We were picked up on Canal St. by our bus driver Derek. He was very sweet, funny and I love how he talked about some of the history in New Orleans. (Especially being a first timer.) Capt. Jacob did an amazing job with our swamp tour. He was very knowledgeable and experienced at what he does. I would do it all over again!

Captain Randy was absolutely fantastic! Despite getting caught in the rain, we had the time of our lives laughing hysterically throughout the entire ride. It added such a fun and unexpected element to our experience. Even though we didn't have the covered boat, we wouldn't have had it any other way - we truly had a blast. Justina, our bus driver, was so upbeat and provided a tour filled with interesting facts and information...

Absolutely loved this tour. Scott the Swamp Manager was outstanding. His boat handling skills were excellent and his commentary and knowledge of the area was exceptional. It would have meant nothing without the commentary. The health and safety considerations were a very high standard but we all had fun. He was considerate to other boats in the area and gave us very full information about the whole area.

Loved my experience! Captain Jacob was so informative and passionate about the swamp and all the beauty it held! I went for my birthday hoping to see Alligators and truly enjoy the scenery and sure enough that’s exactly what we did! We even went to the exact Bayou that was photographed to create my favorite movie (The Princess & The Frog). Even the car ride to the swamp that we coordinated with Cajun Encounters...

Absolutely amazing tour!! From start to finish, the whole experience was smooth and comfortable. Our driver Brian was full of great facts about New Orleans, and made the pick up and drop off very easy and enjoyable. Our captain Scott was incredible, so informative about the local fauna and flora. It felt like he went above and beyond to get the whole boat the best experience we could!

Capt. Steve was a phenomenal tour guide. He made a unique experience superb with his friendly nature and informative facts. He truly loves this area and respects the wildlife within it. We had an amazing time with Cajun Encounters on the swamp tour. If you’re in the area or visiting New Orleans, don’t miss it! A bus will pick you up from your hotel; our driver, Ty the Extraordinaire, shared wonderful local history...

Why book with us?

Your safety is our top priority at Cajun Encounters. We adhere to the highest safety standards and regulations, ensuring that every tour is conducted with your well-being in mind.

Flexibility

We offer multiple pickup locations around New Orleans, including the most popular spots and hotels. This ensures that starting your journey is as easy and hassle-free as possible. 

Transportation details

• You may opt to drive to the swamp tour, or select the option that includes round-trip transportation. Our drivers only pick-up from the locations listed here . Requests for other locations cannot be accommodated.
• Please note that self transportation is not an option for our plantation tours.
• Free parking is available for swamp tours for those providing their own transportation.
• Cajun Encounters boats return to the original departure point, 55345 US-90, Slidell, LA 70461. Visit our  maps & directions  page for more details.
• If hotel pick-up was included, a Cajun Encounter coach will return guests to their original departure point.

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504.834.1770

plantation tour

Travel through the majestic Cypress Swamps and across the Mississippi to River Road

This area is known for its hundreds of plantations. You will visit antebellum mansions, travel along the River Road where you will see Columbia Plantation, Whitney, Felicity, and St. Joseph. You will visit Oak Alley and Laura Plantation. On your return to New Orleans, experience a different set of scenery as you pass through Louisiana’s wetlands and Lake Pontchartrain.

New Orleans Native Tours Plantation Tour has a unique route allowing passengers to view not only the plantations visited, but also four others such as Columbia, Whitney, Felicity, and St. Joseph Plantations. With our tour you will time to walk around and take pictures before the guided tour.

After the tour spend some time in the gift shop before returning to the city. The return trip will take you back to New Orleans on a different route, in order to cross the Mississippi River over a different bridge and to drive along Lake Pontchartrain and our vast wetlands.

Hotel pick up within the downtown New Orleans area.

• Adults $92 Children $60
• The tour begins at 11:00am
• Guided tour lasts 1 hour
• Guests visit Oak Alley Plantation first and Laura: A Creole Plantation for their second tour.
• Many plantation tours leave no time to walk around and take pictures before the guided tour.
• Once arriving at Oak Alley our guests are given plenty of time to explore the grounds on their own.
• With your map, and maybe a mint julep in hand, check out the blacksmith shop, slave quarters, gift shop, and other sites on the grounds.
• While walking around recognize spots where scenes from “Interview with a Vampire” and other movies were filmed.
• Enjoy the guided tour of the Greek Revival home with one of the many experienced guides.
• While walking through the different rooms learn how people kept cool without air conditioning, as well as how they kept the mosquitos at bay.
• The tour at Laura Plantation is a bit longer and covers much of their property. When touring Laura: a Creole Plantation, you will experience the traditional French architecture with its bright colors.
• Learn of detailed information found in the diary of Laura who lived and ran the plantation. Your guide will take you through their gardens back to their slave quarters.
• Learn about what it was like to live on the plantation from a slave’s point of view.

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• Reservations

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New orleans city tours & adventures.

New Orleans Swamp & Plantation Combo Tours ​

View beautiful antebellum mansions couple with an amazing swamp tour only minutes from downtown new orleans. choose from airboat or pontoon swamp boat tours and all tours have transportation and cajun lunch included. we welcome you to new orleans, louisiana., oak alley plantation - laura plantation - whitney plantation - cajun lunch.

Why Choose Adventures In New Orleans?

Book Online - Live Availability

Transportation available, up to 25 passengers per bus.​ transportation to and from most downtown new orleans hotels is provided., all inclusive tours, a delicious cajun lunch is included with this tour. you also get a swamp tour with your choice of oak alley, laura or whitney plantation tour. , native captains and tour guides, native captains will share their knowledge of bayou segnette and the ecosystem. a local tour guide will give you an informative plantation tour., combo  swamp and plantation tours near new orleans, louisiana, swamp boat: $130-150    shuttle | cajun lunch included choose with oak alley - laura or whitney plantation shuttle to and from downtown new orleans and french quarter hotels.

Swamp Tour On Bayou Segnette With Cajun Captain

Take the new orleans tour with local guides and native cajun captains. start your adventure with an amazing swamp tour on bayou segnette. experience the beautiful scenery and wildlife  indigenous to the swamps and bayous near new orleans, louisiana. then have a delicious cajun lunch at segnette landing harbor front dining. after lunch, off we go to one of 3 plantations of your choice.  .

New Orleans Local Tour Guide

Reach out to us on Canal St. The Adventures in New Orleans visitor’s center is centrally located in the heart of downtown New Orleans at 414 Canal street. Here, you’ll find everything from general information about our historic city – to maps, discounts, coupons, and of course… the most helpful and friendly experts on everything New Orleans.

Let us help you create your very own adventure plan. Reach out to our professionals and we will see you in New Orleans!

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Please Reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have about touring with Adventures in New Orleans. One of our friendly staff members will be happy to assist you. 

We Know New Orleans

The trip planner will allow you choose your tours with us. This is your one stop shop for:

Swamp Tours 

Plantation Tours

Visit Our City Office

Our office is open from 8am-10pm Sunday-Monday

Ask to speak with one of our travel advisors and they will empower you during your trip to New Orleans, LA.

Central Office is at 414 Canal St.

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New Orleans Steamboat Cruises

This post compares the various different riverboat tours, paddleboat tours, and cruises available to you in New Orleans to help you choose the right one from you. 

• Meet the Boats
• Daytime/Lunch Cruises
• Evening/Dinner Cruises
• Public $2 Ferries

Combination Packages

• Swamp + Airboat Tours
• Things to Do in New Orleans

Disclosure:  While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the  full text .

If you are considering purchasing tourist concession packages, keep in mind that some of these cruises are included at no additional cost in several New Orleans tourist attraction concession passes . 

The two most popular cruises are aboard the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler and Steamboat Natchez (details below), but you can hop on a ferry for just a few dollars.

Each offers a variety of cruises to choose from.

We narrowed down our favorites and compiled a list that describes each trip based on experience type, ticket price, and duration.

NATCHEZ STEAMBOAT

The Natchez Steamboat is the ninth boat with the name.

The current boat boasts modern safety mechanisms within a classic, exquisite oak exterior.

It was recently rennovated and is back to cruising down the Mississippi River on a daily basis!

Take part in her adventure with daily two-hour jazz cruises, including a daytime cruise or an evening cruise . You can cruise with or without lunch or dinner.

Listen to the Captain and crew, some of whom have been with the ship since the 1975 maiden voyage, operate like the seamen of a time gone by. 

This company has received a  4 out of 5 stars  average rating on TripAdvisor and Get Your Guide ( read the reviews ). 

RIVERBOAT CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

This is the newest addition to the New Orleans Steamboat Company, and it took over for the Steamboat Natchez while that vessel was under repair.

Just like the Steamboat Natchez, this boat is also a paddlewheeler, so functionally, very little will change.

The Riverboat City of New Orleans operated all the sightseeing, lunch, brunch, and dinner Jazz cruises for the New Orleans Steamboat Company during the last few years while the Steamboat Natches was undergoing repairs.

Rest assured that even aboard this new vessel there is plenty of room across its multiple decks to accommodate plenty of guests and fill in for its sister boat.

CREOLE QUEEN PADDLEWHEELER

Built in 1983 with the esteem and allure of the late 1850s paddlewheelers, the Creole Queen features an enormous 24-foot paddlewheel and modern amenities for elegance and safety.

Browse the list of tours below to pick which experience is best for you; gather on the 1,000-passenger deck for live music, dancing, a history lesson, or maybe enjoy lunch or dinner.

This vessel's review profile is a tad lower than its competitor's but still good with an overall average rating of 4 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor and Get Your Guide ( read the reviews ).

DAYTIME CRUISES WITH OPTIONAL LUNCH

There are basically two different cruises to choose from, one from each company.  

The main differences seem to be that the Creole Queen includes a stop at Chalmette Battlefield at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

It is also included at no extra charge with the purchase of either the New Orleans Sightseeing Pass or the Go City New Orleans Pass .

The Steamboat Natchez offers jazz music on the lunch cruise during the high season. 

Steamboat Natchez Harbor Jazz Cruise

An overwhelming majority of reviews for this jazz cruise are very positive ( read the reviews ).

Some reviewers have even described their band as “magnificent,” suggesting that the music played onboard was absolutely wonderful.

Some customers feel that the experience is a bit too touristy, but they are definitely in the minority.

Most guests leave excellent feedback stating that they loved this musical trip on the Natchez. This activity is particularly popular among couples.

What You’ll Experience:

• Live narration of the history of the area
• Live jazz concert
• Steam Engine room open to visitors
• Lunch (optional) in the dining area onboard

Duration: 3 hours total, 2-hour cruise

• Departs at 11:30 am and 2:30 am
• Adult - $39    $55 with lunch
• Child - $16     $25 with lunch
• Child (2-5) Free    $11 with lunch
• More information or to book .

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Creole Queen -  Historical River Cruise

This vessel has a daytime destination, Chalmette Battlefield at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

• Highly Recommended for history buffs!
• Battle of New Orleans
• 1,000-passenger paddlewheeler on the Mississippi River, with a 24-foot paddlewheel
• Costumed re-enactor recounting history/stories of Louisiana's most historical places and events
• Disembark for a guided tour of Chalmette Battlefield by National Park Rangers from the Battle of New Orleans

Duration: 3 hours

• Departs at 10 am and 2 pm daily.

Lunch is only purchasable onboard.

• Adult $39   $59 with lunch 
• Child (6-12) $15   $24 with lunch
• Child (3-5) Free   $5 with lunch
• Infant (2 and under) Free   $10 with lunch
• Get more information or purchase tickets .

TIP: It is also included at no extra charge with the purchase of either the New Orleans Sightseeing Pass or the Go City New Orleans Pass .

Evening Jazz Cruises with Optional Dinner

Below is a brief comparison of the two paddlewheel boats that cruise the Mississippi River every evening. 

For a more in-depth look, including what's on the menu, read our post on NOLA dinner cruises . 

Steamboat Natchez - Mississippi River Jazz Cruise (optional Dinner)

Unlike their harbor cruise, this boat trip will take you down the Mississippi River.

Ratings for this excursion are similarly excellent, but it’s worth noting that not everyone was thrilled with the food selection ( read the reviews ). 

NOTE: Although this cruise was being offered on the Riverboat City of New Orleans for the last year or two, the newly rennovated Steamboat Natchez is once again the vessel you'll be riding during this outing!

What You’ll Experience

• Ride on the Creole Queen paddle wheeler
• Live jazz music
• Lavish buffet-style dinner | cash bar cocktails
• New Orleans skyline along the French Quarter
• Boards nightly at 6 pm and sails from 7-9 pm.
• $95 with dinner
• $41 with dinner
• $20.25 with dinner

Included free with the New Orleans Sightseeing Pass  (dinner is extra).

Creole Queen Evening Cruise (optional Dinner)

Just like their other services, the evening cruise offered by this company is also highly rated.

There are a few negative reviews, but they are overshadowed by positive comments (read the reviews).

• Ride on the Creole Queen paddlewheeler.

Cost (does not include dinner):

• $52 - Adult
• $26 - Child (6-12)
• Kids under 6 are FREE

Cost (includes dinner):

• $95 - Adult 
• $40 - Child (6-12) 
• $15 - Child under 5
• Kids 2 and under are FREE

Get more information or to book . 

CANAL STREET/ALGIERS POINT FERRY

In operation since 1827, this ferry travels across the Mississippi River along Canal Street and ends at the second oldest neighborhood of New Orleans; Algiers Point. 

Unlike the paddlewheeler or steamboat, the ferry offers a cheap trip across the river from Canal Street. Just ask the locals who use this as their commute!

Once you arrive, consider taking our self-guided walking tour of Algiers Point .

This company has received a 4 out of 5 stars  rating on TripAdvisor. 

There are a few negative reviews, but most of them seem to come from customers who were expecting the typical tourist experience.

Although they don’t offer the same range of services as a boat tour or cruise, it’s clear that a lot of their customers are more than pleased with the transportation they provide.

Cost (cash only):

• Pedestrian $2 each way
• Senior (65+) $1
• Children (2 & under) Free
• Sunday - Thursday | 6:15 am - 8:45 pm
• Friday - Saturday | 6:15 am - 10:45 pm

Get more details on their website .

As we have stated above, the Go City New Orleans Pass  and the Sightseeing Pass, are all-inclusive tourist attraction passes, including one free daytime ride on the Creole Queen.  

Included in the cost of the pass is free entry into 25 other popular New Orleans attractions including:

• National World War 2 Museum
• City Bus Tour
• Swamp Tour Plantation House Tour
• New Orleans School of Cooking
• Audubon Zoo
• Audubon Aquarium
• Mardi Gras World Museum
• New Orleans Museum of Art
• + 18 other attractions and tours

Paddle and Wheel Combo by Gray Line

This combo package is a great buy, and with a total of about 4 hours, you can see the city and take a cruise full of historical information.

You save $7/adult with the combo ticket.  

This combination pairs the daytime historical cruise aboard the Steamboat Natchez and the  Super City Bus Tour  (video below).

With an overall rating of 4 ½ stars on TripAdvisor, Gray Line New Orleans is very well received.

In particular, both of the services offered through this combo ticket are positively reviewed by their customers.

Much like the Steamboat Natchez, the Super City Bus Tour also enjoys mostly positive ratings.

Although there are a few negative reviews for both tours, they aren’t indicative of any significant problems. This combo deal is most popular among couples.

You’ll Experience…

• French Quarter
• Jackson Square
• Cabildo and Presbytere Museum
• Historic Cemeteries
• Bayou St. John
• Besthoff Sculpture Garden
• Tulane and Loyola University
• 2-hour cruise with a guided history of the region
• Adult $78 
• Child (6-12) $35.50
• Child (5 and under) Free 
• You save $7-$11/adult by purchasing together.  You don't appear to save anything for a child ages 6-12.

Get more information and purchase tickets .

NEW ORLEANS KAYAK TOURS

Want a more intimate excursion on the water? Try kayaking!

Explore the swamps of New Orleans, or paddle down the Bayou St. John neighborhood inside the city with the safety of a guide at a beginner-level pace.

Ratings for this kayak tour company are very impressive. New Orleans Kayak Swamp Tours has received an overall score of 5 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor.

Only a half dozen customers have seen fit to give them a negative review, and their comments don’t represent the typical experience with this service.

An overwhelming majority of reviews for this service are incredibly positive, recommending this trip to anyone who wants to stay active while discovering the swamps of Louisiana.

Although couples are the most likely audience to leave great reviews, guests who bring their friends along for the journey also enjoy these tours.

Tours Offered

• Bayou St. John Tour (Beginner)

Located inside the city, Bayou St. John is one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans.

Learn the history of the homes and landmarks, originally settled by Native Americans, and later used for French trading routes.

• Honey Island Swamp Tour (Beginner)

This is the crowd favorite!

Located 40 minutes outside the city, this tour takes you deep into the swamp bayous to see an abundance of wildlife amongst abandoned boat homes.

• Manchac Mystic Kayak Tour (Beginner)

This tour is popular for its serene setting and Instagram-worthy photo opportunities.

You’ll weave through cypress trees and experience wildlife on this wetlands kayaking trip.

Never Kayaked?

No problem! The extent of physical skill needed is the ability to paddle, and a lesson is provided at the beginning of the tour.

The company provides all of the necessary equipment for your trip, but since you will be on the water for 2 to 2 ½ hours, you will want to be sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and maybe even a hat for shade on the water.

• Bayou St. John Tour  $49 per person
• Honey Island Tour  $59 per person without transportation
• Manchac Mystic Tour - $59 per person without transportation
• Extra $20 for transportation from French Quarter only for Honey Island and Manchac Mystic Tours

Tours last 2 to 2 ½ hours

Transportation adds 40 minutes each way outside New Orleans via car/shuttle for Honey Island Swamp and Manchac Mystic tours.

KAYAK-ITI-YAT TOURS

The categories (beginner, intermediate & intermediate to advanced) are based on distance, the necessary level of athleticism and exposure to variables/natural elements.

None of the tours require previous kayaking experience.

There are no shuttle transportation costs as all of their tours launch from the city and are reachable by public transportation, bike or a cheap cab ride.

• Big Easy Bayou (Beginner, 2 hours) $49 per person

Best for first-timers and non-athletic travelers.

This two-hour tour of Bayou St. John is a great way to see the neighborhood and see some wildlife in a relaxed atmosphere.

This is a history-based tour with culture, current events, ecology, and all things relevant to Bayou St. John, its surrounding neighborhoods, and New Orleans.

• Pontchartrain (Intermediate, 4 hours) $84

Looking for something more active? Check out this four-hour lake tour that runs the length of Bayou St. John and back!

Bonus, you’ll exit the kayak to stretch and walk over to Pontchartrain Lake, and maybe even take a quick swim!

Like the Big Easy Bayou above, expect to learn about the history and culture of the area.

The Big Easy Bayou is your best option for this company, and the only one recommended for beginners.

Looking for more options? Consider looking at New Orleans Kayak Tours (above) for more newcomer-friendly trips.

Before you book...

WARNING: There is NO exiting these tours halfway through and the Bayou Bienvenue 3 hour tour has no bathroom breaks. Be sure you are committed before you buy your tickets.

This tour company is featured in several top travel recommendations for New Orleans, and explorers wishing to see more than Bourbon Street have given it rave reviews!

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NEW ORLEANS TOURS

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From bourbon to the bayou, your ultimate new orleans experience.

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YOUR ONE - STOP SHOP for ALL ADVENTURES IN NEW ORLEANS

Convenient Location at 613 Decatur St downtown New Orleans. NOLA is a city like no other, with a rich history and vibrant culture that draws from all over the world. From the lively of the French Quarter to the tranquil beauty of the bayou, there's something for everyone in this unique destination. Whether you're a foodie, a music lover, or just looking for a good time, your ultimate New Orleans experience awaits. Let us take you on a journey from Bourbon to the Bayou and show you all that this incredible city has to offer.

Downtown NOLA - Book Online - Adventure Packages - Local Tour Guides - Transportation

Discover the heart and soul of New Orleans with Tours New Orleans (TNO), your premier adventure tour company in the Big Easy. Located at 613 Decatur St, we offer an unforgettable array of experiences, including steamboat cruises, swamp explorations, thrilling airboat rides, ghostly encounters, cemetery walks, historic plantation tours, and more. Our expert local guides and Cajun captains bring the rich culture and history of New Orleans to life, ensuring an authentic and immersive journey. With convenient hotel shuttles and a prime downtown location, TNO makes it easy to embark on your NOLA adventure. Whether you're seeking the supernatural, craving Cajun cuisine, or yearning to explore the bayou, Tours New Orleans is your gateway to the best experiences in the Crescent City.

Cemetery Walks Downtown New Orleans

Closest Natural Swamp to New Orleans

Tours New Orleans also offers exciting swamp tours, including alligator tours and airboat swamp adventures. Explore the natural beauty of Louisiana's swamps and wetlands, and get up close and personal with the wildlife. Book your tour today for an unforgettable bayou swamp tour!

AMAZING AIRBOAT ADVENTURES

All Inclusive - Tour Adventure - Book Online - Local and Cajun Tour Guides - Transportation

Exclusive Plantation Swamp Tour Combo and Cajun Lunch

Harbor Cruise - Brunch Cruise - Dinner Cruise - It's Jazz Time on the Mississippi 

Beautiful Steamboat Cruise Experience - Book Online

Mississippi River Steamboat Cruise

Old River Road   Plantation Adventure

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Top 10 New Orleans Plantation Tours

• June 23, 2015
• Author & Photographer: Teri Didjurgis

New Orleans River Road Plantation Tours

Along the Mississippi River outside New Orleans, you can still find what remains of the River Road Plantations and a life that passed with the Civil War more than 150 years ago. These top 10 New Orleans Plantation Tours will reveal to you beautiful architecture, rural Louisiana and important history lessons.

Plantation History

Prior to the Civil War, more then half of America’s millionaires lived between New Orleans and Natchez. Their fortunes were tied to the fertile delta soil of the Mississippi River. Their lifeline was the river for water, transporting goods to market, receiving supplies and communication to the outside world.

The homes are rich with architecture as the planters competed with each other to see who could build the grandest homes or built grand homes to lure their brides to withstand the rural & remote lifestyle harvesting thousands of acres of cotton, indigo and other crops.  Many of the “Big Houses” are classic Greek Revival but as you look you will see the influences of the many cultures combining in the South bringing their style including West Indies plantations, English Manor houses, Georgian, Spanish, Creole, and Acadian building styles.

Each home has a story of its inhabitants – romantic, tragic, extraordinary, quaint, and local lore. Each plantation has a story of the slavery that supported these plantations. History is not always pretty – A visit to these plantations will give you insight into a dark spot in our history; a lesson on humanity.  If we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat it.

So take a day and enjoy rural Louisiana, beautiful architecture, rich stories and insightful history. River Road is an easy side trip on your way from Baton Rouge to New Orleans OR a day-trip outside of New Orleans.

Oak Alley Plantation

Built in 1839, Oak Alley Plantation is famous for its row of live oaks. No one knows who did plant the oaks that date back to sometime between 1725 & 1750, but the age of them makes them extremely impressive.  

Visitors to this plantation either love it or are disappointed. It is my favorite of the plantations probably because it was the first one I visited back in 1996 and the memory of the majestic old Live Oaks that line the “alley” to the home has stuck with me. And they have a killer Mint Julep. 

The Antebellum Mississippi River mansion is smaller than one would imagine but reminds you that these were farm homes built with some luxury for the main family but also for function against the Southern heat. This property has costumed guided tours and is building out the slave cabin exhibits to tell their story. 

Read more about my visit to Oak Alley Plantation

Official website.

Laura Plantation

Built in 1805, Laura Plantation is a sugarcane plantation that once spanned 12,000 acres of sugarcane.  Laura was a Creole plantation (meaning mixed culture) with roots to both German and French lineage.  

They provide several tours from the women and the slaves perspective and is probably the most straight forward about brutality of slavery at this time period.

Nottoway Plantation

Built in 1859, Nottoway Plantation is a Greek Revival home and the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion. This site recently had a dramatic multi-million dollar renovation which restored the plantation to its glory days adding a luxury resort, corporate and social event venues.  

If you want grandeur, Nottoway is the one to visit.

Evergreen Plantation

Built in 1792, Evergreen Plantation is the most intact plantation complex in the South with 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including 22 slave cabins (one of the most complete intact collections of slave cabins in the nation).  

The main house is Greek Revival, one of only eight major Greek Revival plantation homes on River Road.

San Francisco Plantation

Built in 1865, San Francisco Plantation is the most distinctive and only authentically restored plantation on River Road. Noted for its lavish and intricate interior painting inspired novelist Frances Parkinson Keyes to write a novel about it, Steamboat Gothic .

St. Joseph Plantation

Built in 1840,  St. Joseph Plantation is one of the most complete plantation homes on River Road. In addition to the Manor Home, they have numerous outbuildings for you to explore including original slave cabins, detached kitchen, blacksmith’s  shop , carpenter’s shed, and a schoolhouse.

Whitney Plantation

Dating back to the mid-1700’s, Whitney Plantation was a Spanish Creole Plantation. The property was acquired and opened in December 2014 as a plantation museum with a focus on slavery. The Whitney offers visitors a unique view of plantation life as it was lived by those who worked there — enslaved Africans. There are guided tours to see three memorials dedicated to telling the story of slavery in Louisiana, as well as an original slave cabin and church.

Destrehan Plantation

Established in 1787 and listed on the National register of Historic Places, Destrehan Plantation remains the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley.  

Once stretching over 6,000 acres to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, Destrehan was actually a small community that supported several households

Houmas House Plantation

Built in 1840, Houmas House Plantation is a Greek Revival mansion. 

Houmas House is best known for its gardens, impeccably decorated interior, tours given by costumed guides and a world-class restaurant.

Bocage Plantation

Built in 1801 and remodeled in 1837, Bocage Plantation is steeped in history with ties to Christopher Columbus, early colonization, and the Louisiana Purchase.

River Road Plantations near New Orleans

• Click here for the list of stops

Traveler Notes & Tips

• Accomodations: Many of the houses provide bed & breakfast style accommodations and a unique way to experience the property before and after day-time crowds.
• Tours: Individual house tours cost between $5-$20
• How Many?: You can definitely drive the entire River Road in a few hours. Some of the plantations are not visible from the road easily ie Nottoway and Laura. You will be able to comfortably visit 3 on a day-trip and schedule the tours though many of the sites will lure you to linger with a Mint Julep... so maybe 2.
• Lunch: Several of the plantations have cafes. Also B & C Seafood Market and Cajun Restaurant @ 2155 Louisiana 18, Vacherie, LA offers some great grub.

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Louisiana Plantations Guide: 12 River Road Plantations

Last updated: December 18, 2023 - Written by Jessica Norah 69 Comments

We recently visited 12 Louisiana plantations along Louisiana’s River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Louisiana’s River Road parallels the east and west banks of the Mississippi River for about 70 miles (about 100 miles of actual road) through the Louisiana parishes of St. Charles, St. John, and St. James. Prior to the American Civil War, this river road was lined with approximately 350 antebellum plantation homes, from relatively simple farm houses to grand Versailles-like mansions.

Many early Louisiana plantations grew rice, indigo, or tobacco, but by the mid-nineteenth century the majority were growing sugar cane, which became the most profitable cash crop in the state. Louisiana would become the most wealthy state in the country by the onset of the Civil War, made possible only by the forced hard labor of thousands of slaves who worked at these plantations.

Not surprisingly, the Civil War and the end of slavery left most of the large plantations unprofitable, and many Louisiana plantations slowly declined into states of ruin or were converted into industrial estates. Today, the River Road reflects both the past and present, winding past bayous, levees, strip malls, oil refineries, sugar cane fields, historic communities, majestic live oaks, and a handful of remaining plantation mansions.

Over a dozen of the plantation homes are open to the public for tours, and all are different so it can be difficult to decide which to visit. Some tours focus on the lives of the owners, some focus on historical furnishings, and one is dedicated to slavery. One is a family owned working sugar cane plantation, one includes 37 buildings listed on the National Register, one allows you to tour with your dog, and one is framed by a famous oak alley. Several have restaurants on the premises and a few offer on-site accommodations.

Here is our comprehensive guide to the Louisiana plantations along the River Road, complete with a FAQ section, a short guide to each of the 12 visited plantations, and our own personal impressions of each!

Table of Contents:

Visiting the River Road Louisiana Plantations

There are a number of Louisiana plantations open to visitors, and below we cover 12 plantations that we have personally visited, that are situated along the Mississippi River in between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and are regularly open for public tours. We did not include plantations that are only open infrequently to the public or plantations located north of Baton Rouge (there are several) or ones more further afield in the state.

While it may seem that all plantation tours would be the same, the houses, tours, exhibits, and atmosphere of each plantation is different. Most travelers have limited time and budgets, and it can be difficult for visitors to narrow down which might be the best fit.

We have created the following FAQ to help readers decide when to visit the Louisiana plantations, how to visit the plantations, and which plantation(s) to visit.  

Best time of year to visit Louisiana plantations? 

It really depends on what you mean by “best”, but we’ll break it down by best weather, best prices, and least crowds. In terms of weather, you’ll find relatively warm and mild weather most of the year in Louisiana. You’ll get the best weather between the months of November and May, expect it to be warm but not too humid. June to the end of November is hurricane season, so expect rain and possible storms and rain is also common in the spring.

Mosquitoes can exist in Louisiana all year, but are worse during the summer months and are generally fairly active from about March to October.

The most crowded times are around the New Orleans festivals and events, so avoid them if you are looking for smaller crowds and better hotel prices. The biggest events are the Sugar Bowl (early January), Mardi Gras (February/early March), French Quarter Fest (April), Jazz Fest (April/May), and Halloween.

The months of July, August, and December tend to be the least crowded but July and August are the most humid and hot. July and August also tend to be when hotels offer their cheapest rates.

Those looking for a good balance might consider December, May, or June. During the month of December, many plantations are decorated for the Christmas holiday season.

Cost of Louisiana plantation tours? 

Plantations tours vary in price but are not cheap. They generally range from about $15 to $25 per person and all include a guided tour. Tipping of plantation tour guides is appreciated and often expected if you enjoyed the tour, but is not obligatory.

Louisiana River Road plantation discounts?

Discounts are available at many plantations for AAA members, seniors, children, active military, and local residents. There are also some local discount cards, such as the New Orleans Pass, that may include free entry into some of the plantations.

The Go City New Orleans Pass currently (as of February 2020) includes free entry to both the San Francisco Plantation and the Oak Alley Plantation, as well as a number of other attractions and tours in and around New Orleans.

How to get to the River Road plantations? 

The best way to get to most of the Louisiana plantations is to drive there as public transit options are very limited in the area. If you don’t have your own car, you can join a group bus tour, a private tour, or hire a private car service to take you to the plantations of your choice.

There are a lot of options from New Orleans for tours (group and private) but almost no tour options from Baton Rouge (consider a car rental or private transfer option).

Here are several day tours we’d recommend checking out:

• This day tour from New Orleans give you the option to visit 2 plantations of your choice from the following: Oak Alley, Laura Plantation and Whitney Plantation.
• This tour from New Orleans includes St. Joseph and Laura Plantations
• This half day tour gives you a choice of visiting 1 of either Laura Plantation, Oak Alley or the Whitney Museum plantation.
• This small group tour from New Orleans visits Houmas House and Madewood Plantation and includes lunch.
• This small group tour from New Orleans visits Whitney Plantation and St. Joseph Plantation.
• This half day tour takes visitors along the River Road and then allows them to choose to visit one of the following plantations: Oak Alley, Laura Plantation or Whitney Plantation.
• This full day tour includes visits to Houmas House and Laura Plantation, lunch, and a Cajun swamp tour.
• If you want a private and customized tour (so you can visit whichever plantations you wish) you might consider this 6 hour  private tour .

To find more tour options, we’d recommend checking out  Viator’s tours as they offer lots of different day tours, both group tours and private tours from New Orleans. 

Private transportation services in the area include  Flagship Limousine LTD.   and  Five Star Transportation .

Note that there are taxis and Ubers; however, many people who have used Uber have found themselves stranded at plantations for long periods of time  because there are few drivers who will do pick-ups from this area. So you are better off arranging a day tour, private transfer, or scheduled taxi (with pick-up and drop-off arranged in advance).

How do I book a plantation tour?

Tour reservations are generally unnecessary (however, be sure to call ahead for tours at Poché Plantation or Ormond Plantation) unless you are traveling in a large group. However, a few of the plantations offer the ability to book tour times in advance online or by phone, such as Whitney Plantation, San Francisco Plantation, and Destrehan Plantation, and this is wise to do if you know when you want to visit and are limited on time.

If you do not have a reservation, I would advise showing up 30 minutes or so before the tour time you want to better ensure you get your desired time as tour times do sometimes sell out.

How many plantations can I visit on a day trip?

First I would recommend looking up tour times in advance, and you should allot at least 2 hours to visit each plantation plus travel time. Some plantations you may want to eat at or enjoy the grounds so you’ll want to allot more time.

Best to plan ahead about lunch, some plantations serve food, some allow picnics on property, and there are also a few other food options along the River Road.

In terms of how many plantations, most people are happy with visiting 2 plantations, but 3 plantations is definitely doable in a day if you plan ahead.

Note that many plantations are not open 7 days a week and all close for certain holidays. If you are really interested in exploring the plantation area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, I’d consider spending the night to have more time to explore. You can sleep overnight at one of the plantations or sleep at one of the area’s hotels, motels, or B&B’s. 

Being respectful and aware during plantation visits?

For most visitors, a plantation visit is about seeing a historical home, an entertaining tour, and learning a bit about plantation life. However, for many visitors, the tours can be more emotional and powerful and hearing about plantation life, especially information about slavery, can really have an impact (whether positive or negative).

Some visitors are going to be descended from plantation owners and some are going to be descended from former slaves; some may even be directly connected to the visited plantation. We met people who were both during our tours, some as visitors, some as owners, and some as staff. Some people are trying to learn or understand their heritage so it is good to be aware of this and try to be respectful with your questions, comments, and behavior. In no way should you feel guilty or afraid to ask genuine questions, but sensitivity would be appreciated by your fellow tour participants.

Sometimes the insensitive comments may come from the staff themselves who may promote a romanticized view of plantation life. Some plantation tours do gloss over the horrors of slavery, and while this may appeal to some visitors, it can feel very insensitive to some visitors. So be mindful and hopefully this guide will help you determine which plantation tours may be a good fit for you, whatever your interests or background.

Best plantations for wheelchair users and those with reduced mobility?

Few of the Louisiana plantations along the River Road are fully wheelchair accessible. As historical homes, many do not have step-free access to their second floors. But several do have ramps and some even have elevators. Many offer wheelchair accessible toilets on site.

Houmas House Plantation is probably the most wheelchair accessible plantation as it offers step-free access to both floors of the main house, restaurant, gift shop, and most of the buildings on the plantation property. There are even often golf carts with drivers who can help take those with limited mobility around the property!

Another notable property is Destrehan Plantation which can offer step-free access for visitors to its main house, gift shop, and almost all the buildings on its property.

Other plantations that those traveling with a wheelchair or reduced mobility may consider checking out are Nottoway Plantation, Oak Alley Plantation, Whitney Plantation, Ormond Plantation, and San Francisco Plantation as each offers partial wheelchair accessibility.

Many of the plantations that offer overnight accommodation, can accommodate wheelchair users in certain rooms or cottages.

For those with special needs or requirements in terms of mobility or accessibility, I’d call ahead to ask to see if needs can be safely accommodated. Tour guides in most cases can not provide assistance to guests (in terms of carrying wheelchairs, assisting people up stairs) during tours, and it is strongly recommended that guests who need assistance visit with a companion.

After getting several questions related to accessibility, steps, and wheelchair access from readers, we have tried our best to offer information related to accessibility for each Louisiana plantation. We now have a section on Accessibility under each plantation section listed later in the article. This information was provided to us by staff at these plantations and we do our best to keep it updated.

If you have visited any of these plantations as someone with reduced mobility, we’d love to heard about your experiences in the Comments section at the end of this article. Your info can help future travelers!

How to Decide Which Louisiana Plantations to Visit?

It can be difficult to choose which Louisiana River Road plantations you want to visit. Most people choose to visit two or three plantations. All are worth considering but all are different and will appeal to different people.

We go over the best plantations for those looking for grand homes, historical information, slavery information, antiques, fewer crowds, photography locations, gardens, filming locations, and dozens of other factors to help you decide which are the best plantation homes for you to visit!

Most grand and opulent Louisiana plantations?

Houmas House Plantation and Nottoway Plantation were probably the most grand with the most opulent furnishings. A third choice would be Oak Alley but it does not quite have the size or grandeur of the other two. These are the three plantations I would highly recommend checking out for those looking for grand plantations and those in search of something that will remind them of Tara or Twelve Oaks from Gone with the Wind . These are also three of the most popular and busy plantations.

Which plantations have tour guides in costumes?

For those who like costumed guides (all in antebellum period dress), I’d recommend considering Oak Alley, Nottoway Plantation, Houmas House Plantation, San Francisco Plantation, and Destrehan Plantation. For those who are not fans of costumed guides, I’d suggest avoiding the above. 

Which plantations offer in-depth information on slavery?

In recent years, plantation tours have begun to include more information about slavery into their tours and exhibits so the topic was at least mentioned in all of the house tours we took. For those looking to learn about slavery and its role in Louisiana plantation life, Whitney Plantation is the only plantation tour dedicated to the topic and there are some wonderful slavery memorials on the property. 

Other plantations tours that seemed to have more of a focus on slavery were Laura Plantation and Evergreen Plantation. Magnolia Mound Plantation also offers a  self-guided “Back of the Big House” tour focused on slavery and the role of African-Americans who lived at the plantation. Notable exhibits on slavery were also at Destrehan Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation.

Which plantations are still working plantations?

St. Joseph Plantation is a family-run working sugar cane plantation and has been run by the same family since 1877. The guided house tours and gift shop are primarily run by family members so you’ll like get the chance to speak to people who have a true connection to the house and property. Evergreen Plantation is also a working plantation with the land leased out for sugar cane production.

Which plantations have the best furnishings and antiques?

All the plantations houses are at least partially furnished and all contain at least some antique pieces, but few have many original furnishings. Magnolia Mound Plantation stood out for its authentic colonial, Louisiana, and French antiques (most not original to the house) and the great depth of knowledge the guide seemed to have on the collection.

Houmas House also had a lot of antique pieces on a much more opulent and elegant scale and several were pointed out during the tour, although few were original to the house. St. Joseph stands out as having probably the most original family pieces, many from the Reconstruction era. 

Which plantations are most intact with original dependencies? 

In addition to the main house, plantations would have historically had dozens of other buildings such as barns, slave cabins, overseer’s cottages, mills, etc. The most intact plantation on the River Road is Evergreen Plantation with numerous surviving dependencies (although some have been highly renovated), including 22 slave cabins. Laura Plantation and St. Joseph Plantation also have a number of original dependencies on the property that you can see.

Many of the other plantations have antebellum buildings on the property for viewing that have been moved from nearby plantations or reconstructed buildings using period-consistent techniques, including Magnolia Mound, Oak Alley, Destrehan Plantation, and San Francisco Plantation.

Which River Road plantations have the best gardens? 

Houmas House Plantation had by far the best gardens during our visit, featuring both native flowers and plants as well as exotic ones. Laura Plantation also had smaller but notable gardens and Evergreen has a formal hedge garden behind the house. Most of the rest of the plantations have only small gardens or no gardens at all, but most have landscaped grounds and majestic oak trees.

Which Louisiana plantations have the best oak alleys?

Both Evergreen Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation have gorgeous oak alleys. Oak Alley has two actually, with one being the famous one framing what would have originally been the front entrance to the main house. Evergreen Plantation has a much longer oak alley that is draped with the characteristic Spanish moss (missing at Oak Alley).

I think that all the plantations we visited have grand oak trees on the property, many of the trees being over 200 years old with the trees at Houmas House, Whitney Plantation, and St. Joseph’s standing out in my mind.

Best craft demonstrations?

Destrehan Plantation offers the most variety and most frequent period craft demonstrations, with demonstrations and lectures on about a dozen different topics including blacksmithing, cooking, bousillage, and carpentry. Oak Alley also regularly offers blacksmithing demonstrations using its original 1890’s forge. 

Which plantations have the best gift shops? 

Most of the plantations have gift shops. Those with the largest gift shops include Oak Alley, Nottoway, Houmas House, and Destrehan Plantation. St. Joseph was notable for its unique handmade items (I bought a pair of locally made earrings), Whitney Plantation for its selection of books, particularly on the subject of slavery, Oak Alley for its food items, and Destrehan for its on-site handmade blacksmith items. 

Best plantations for history buffs? 

All of the plantations have wonderful historical homes and information so I think all have some appeal to history lovers. The history of the plantations here spans the time when Louisiana was held by the French, Spanish, American, and Confederate governments, making for some interesting history. Destrehan Plantation stood out in terms of history as it is very well documented and visitors have access to hundreds of historical documents and artifacts, even a document signed by Thomas Jefferson.

Others that stood out a bit more were Magnolia Mound Plantation, Evergreen Plantation, San Francisco Plantation, Laura Plantation, Whitney Plantation, and St. Joseph Plantation. The majority of house tours focus on the antebellum period, with Magnolia Mound being the most focused on colonial history, Whitney Plantation on history from a slavery standpoint, St. Joseph on the Reconstruction era to present, and Laura Plantation on the history as experienced by one family over the generations. 

Best plantations for photographers? 

All of the plantations offer something for a photographer. Oak Alley is the most photographed of the plantations and the shot of the oak alley framing the house is stunning; however, just about everyone takes this photo. If you really want to photograph it, we’d highly recommend staying overnight so you have legal access to the property at sunrise and sunset as we did.

The Evergreen oak alley is also stunning and it shades 22 original slave cabins in their original positions. The statues of the slave children and angel memorial at Whitney Plantation are quite emotionally powerful. San Francisco Plantation is the most colorful and probably unusual in terms of architectural features, and you’ll also find some color at both Laura and Poché Plantation. Laura has a couple interesting looking derelict dependency buildings (especially the old mother-in-law).

The restored interiors of Nottoway, Oak Alley, and Houmas House are quite impressive, especially the White Ballroom at Nottoway. Houmas House has the most impressive gardens. Neither Magnolia Mound nor San Francisco allowed interior photos during the times of our visits. For those wanting to do professional or commercial photography or filming, most plantations can arrange for shoots outside visitor hours for a fee.

Best plantations for architecture lovers? 

This is a hard question and we are not experts in architecture, but the 12 plantations we visited represented a range of architectural styles and I would recommend choosing plantations with differing styles. Originally the most common style of the plantation houses in the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century was the raised French Creole style (or Spanish Creole or West Indies style). For examples of this style consider Magnolia Mound, Laura Plantation, St. Joseph Plantation, Ormond Plantation, and Whitney Plantation.

Then in the mid-nineteenth century many houses were built in the Greek Revival style and many of the Creole style houses were converted to Greek Revival. For Greek Revival houses (or those restyled in this manner) consider Houmas House, Nottoway Plantation, Oak Alley Plantation, Destrehan Plantation and Evergreen Plantation.

You also get a few unique houses built later in the nineteenth century that took on different styles such as Victorian Renaissance (Poché Plantation) and Steamboat Gothic (San Francisco Plantation). Other unique features include the painted ceilings in San Francisco Plantation and the original painted murals (interior and exterior) at Whitney Plantation.

Some of the plantation’s main houses have been heavily restored and renovated (e.g., Evergreen, Oak Alley, Houmas House), some have focused more on conservation and preservation (Magnolia Mound, St. Joseph, Whitney), and Laura was almost entirely rebuilt following a 2004 electrical fire. 

Best plantations for movie lovers? 

Almost all of the plantation houses or properties have been used for filming, whether it be commercials, TV series, films, or music videos. Oak Alley, Houmas House, Destrehan, Whitney, St. Joseph (and sister property Felicity Plantation), and Evergreen Plantation have all been used for major American movie or TV productions. Filming was happening or had recently happened at several of the plantations we visited during our trip.

Some popular films and series shot at River Road plantations were  Interview with the Vampire , 12 Years a Slave , Primary Colors , The S keleton Key ,  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , Django Unchained , and the 2016 Roots mini-series. See specific plantation guides below for which movies were shot where.

Most haunted River Road plantations?

Plantations are often considered to be haunted places, generally related to suicides or mysterious deaths of the plantation owners or wrongful deaths of slaves. Laurence and I are not very into haunted places or the paranormal, but since something related to hauntings or ghosts was mentioned enough in the tours I thought I’d mention it.

Oak Alley, San Francisco, and Houmas House all had mentions of the paranormal on the tours we did. However, the most interesting real-life mystery stories had to be at Ormond Plantation with the mysterious disappearance of one owner and the hanging of another!

If you want to learn more about the haunted histories and ghostly tales related to Louisiana Plantations, consider getting a copy of this book .

Least crowded Louisiana River Road plantations? 

The crowds at some plantations can make a visit much less enjoyable for some people. Some plantations we’d suggest considering for a less crowded experience would be Magnolia Mound Plantation, St. Joseph Plantation, Evergreen Plantation, and San Francisco Plantation. Whitney Plantation tends to attract a more serious traveler but is now a part of many bus tour stops so now has more visitors.

Ormond Plantation as a bed-and-breakfast and Poché Plantation as a bed-and-breakfast/RV park are also great bets for a crowd-free experience; free tours are included with a stay at either of these plantations.

Several of the plantations are very popular group bus tour stops, including Oak Alley, Laura Plantation, Whitney Plantation, and Destrehan Plantation. These can get very crowded at times.  If you are interested in visiting the busier plantations, best tip for avoiding huge crowds would be to get on the first or last tour of the day. You can also call ahead and ask the best times for a given day as big groups have to schedule in advance at most of the plantations.

Food, Drink, and Lodging in Louisiana’s Plantation Country

We’ll share where to eat, drink, and stay in Louisiana’s Plantation Country along the River Road. We share lots of options between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Many plantations offer on-site restaurants, cafes, and even accommodation options.

Where to eat between Baton Rouge and New Orleans?

The predominant type of cuisine served in the area is Cajun (or Creole). You’ll also find general American and Southeastern favorites. We recommend trying local Cajun favorites like jambalaya, gumbo, rice and gravy, etouffee, Andouille sausage, crawfish, and boudin. Po’ boys, fried catfish, fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, cornbread, pecan pie, and other Southern and New Orleans dishes are also very typical here.

Here is a partial list of some local cafes and restaurants (ordered by location from Baton Rouge to New Orleans):

• Grapevine Cafe in Donaldsonville – Quirky and colorful restaurant featuring local art, live music, and Cajun foods. Serves Cajun classics as well as steak and seafood. Full bar. Lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch.
• Spuddy’s Cajun Foodsd  in Vacherie – This well-loved simple place serves homestyle Cajun favorites like po-boys, gumbo, and fresh handmade sausages. Serves lunch, coffee, and snacks.
• Nobile’s Restaurant and Bar in Lutcher – A restaurant in a historical building serving a mix fo Cajun and American dishes. Baba is their signature dessert. Serves lunch and dinner.
• Fatty’s Restaurant in Garyville – Casual spot serving Cajun dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, and stews along with the typical American food. Serves lunch and dinner.
• Buddy B’s  in Garyville – This long-time local family restaurant serves up casual Cajun and American dishes. Serves breakfast and lunch.
• Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse & Restaurant in LaPlace – Best known for their smokehouse Andouille sausage, brisket, and other meats. Also serve a number of other Cajun and American classic dishes, including burgers, po’boys, salads, and fried catfish. Serves lunch and Sunday brunch.
• Truck Farm Tavern in St. Rose – Family-friendly restaurant serves homestyle and comfort American food as well as seafood and BBQ. Serves lunch and dinner.
• Many of the plantations also have on-site restaurants and dining options (see next section)

Although there are several of dining options in the area, many are not open daily so check current hours before deciding where to go! Note that many of these are not open for dinner and most close fairly early. Many are also not open on weekends. So it is always a good idea to figure out what you plan to do for dinner before evening comes around if staying in the area. Sometimes the nearest option may be a 30 minute drive away.

For those visiting this area on a day trip, I’d try to do lunch at one of the plantations to save time as several have dining options for lunch.

There are also grocery stores in the area where you can pick up food for picnics and meals if you have a self-catering accommodation.

Which plantations offer places to eat?

Currently, the following plantations have at least one on-site eatery or restaurant: Nottoway Plantation (all 3 meals and snacks), Oak Alley Plantation (breakfast, lunch, drinks), Houmas House Plantation (all meals, drinks, dinner reservations needed), and Ormond Plantation (lunch and dinner, dinner reservations needed, not daily).

Reservations are not usually necessary for lunch, but they are typically needed for dinner. Plantation restaurants are not typically open 7 days a week so do check ahead.

Both Oak Alley Plantation and St. Joseph have picnic tables that you can use if you bring your own food and Laura Plantation offers some vending machine food and refreshments in its gift shop. If you are staying overnight at a plantation, breakfast is normally included in the room rate.

Which plantations offer overnight accommodation? 

The following plantations currently offer some form of overnight accommodation on the property, either in a cottage, an inn, or in the main house from north to south: Nottoway Plantation, Houmas House Plantation, Poché Plantation, Oak Alley Plantation, and Ormond Plantation. See next section for links to each.

There is also a 13th plantation, Palo Alto Plantation which is not open to public tours (although they do weddings and special events) but they do rent out the Kitchen Cottage on the plantation. See Where to Stay section below for a description and links for each.

If you want to stay overnight in an actual main plantation house, Ormond Plantation, Poché Plantation, and Nottoway Plantation offers rooms and suites in the main house. Poché Plantation is also a RV resort and offers spots and facilities for those traveling by RV or campervan. You can also read about when we stayed overnight at Oak Alley Plantation .

There is also Madewood Plantation near Napoleonville – this plantation is not along the River Road but it is not too far away (about 40 to 45 minutes). It doesn’t offer public tours but does offer accommodation in a 1846 plantation home plus another house on the property. A good option if you can’t find availability in any of those along the River Road.

Where to stay along the River Road between Baton Route and New Orleans?

If you are planning to stay a night (or two) along the River Road, there are a number of accommodation options. In addition to the plantations that offer on-site lodging mentioned above, there are also several traditional hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, and  vacation rental spots along the route. The towns along the route are fairly small in size so most have limited accommodation options, so it is good to book in advance if you can.

Vrbo can be a good option for those wanting to stay in a house, cabin or apartment, although options are more limited than in a city. You can check out Vrbo options in this area here .

In terms of where to stay along the road, I’d decide on based on what plantations you want to visit, your route, and your destination. Here are some places to consider, north to south along the route. 

One place to consider is the Donaldsonville, LA area lodging, which is within about a 15 minute drive of both Nottoway Plantation and Houmas House Plantation. The Baton Rouge airport, Oak Alley Plantation, and St. Joseph Plantation is about 30 miles away. Some recommended options:

• The Inn on the River  in Donaldsonville – Hotel located in the historic downtown area that includes continental breakfast and has a pub. The hotel is in a converted 1911 brick building that originally housed a local department store. The single and double rooms have a modern feel while the suites have a historic feel.
• Holiday Inn Express  in Donaldsonville – A well-rated chain hotel with an outdoor seasonal swimming pool.
• 170 year Old Plantation Kitchen Cottage  in Donaldsonville – A renovated self-catering cottage that was once used as the kitchen dependency for the main house on Palo Alto Plantation. The main house and kitchen cottage are believed to date to circa 1847.
• Nottoway Plantation  in White Castle – A plantation offering both rooms within the main house as well as within cottages on the property. Offers an on-site restaurant and resort style facilities. 
• Houmas House Plantation  in Darrow – This plantation offers rooms and suites in cottages on the property and has an on-site cafe and restaurant.

Another place to consider is lodging around Vacherie, LA, which is close to Laura, St. Joseph, Oak Alley, Poche, Evergreen & Whitney Plantations. This area may also fit well for an overnight stop people driving between New Orleans and Baton Rouge as it is around the midpoint. A few options:

• Auberge Du Chene Vert  in Vacherie – A family-run bed-and-breakfast with a large front porch and hot cooked breakfast.
• Cottage on the Farm   in Vacherie – A 2 bedroom private cottage with continental breakfast. Currently only takes reservations by phone.
• Poché Plantation  – This plantation offers B&B rooms in the main house and cottages, and is also a RV, campervan, and camping park.
• Oak Alley Plantation – Oak Alley offers accommodation in both historical and modern self-catering cottages on the same property as the plantation house. Breakfast included in restaurant and dinner can be arranged.

Finally, you might consider the Luling, LA area which is close to Destrehan and Ormond Plantations and is not far from the New Orleans airport. A good location for those arrive or leaving the next day from the airport in New Orleans. A few options:

• Motel 6  in Luling – A budget motel with a seasonal outdoor pool. Diner located next door.
• La Quinta Inn & Suites in Boutte – A well-reviewed hotel with free breakfast and a seasonal outdoor swimming pool. 
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites  near Saint Rose – A 3-star hotel located 2 miles from the airport. Hotel provides free airport transfers and has a sun deck, outdoor swimming pool, and on-site restaurant.
• Ormond Plantation – This plantation offers rooms in the main house and includes breakfast. Dinner is sometimes available, depending on the day of the week.
• Destrehan Plantation – This plantation offers 2 guest cottages on site.

Further resources about the River Road Plantations? 

Each plantation has its own website that will offer all you need to know about admission prices, tour times, whether tickets can be booked in advance, closure dates, restaurant openings, lodging booking, contact information, etc. and these links are all included below in this post.

If you are looking for more information on planning your trip consider the Baton Rouge tourism website , New Orleans tourism website , Louisiana River Parishes website (includes 8 of the 12 plantations included in this post), and Louisiana State Tourism website for those traveling further afield in the state.

For plantations to visit beyond the River Road, check out this list of plantations located throughout the state. For books about plantations in Louisiana, you can check out Vestiges of Grandeur (beautifully photographed book of the past and current River Road plantations) and this Pelican Guide guidebook  (plantations and grand homes throughout Louisiana).

Laurence has also written a great posts about top things to see in Baton Rouge and our experience visiting New Orleans during Mardi Gras . 

Guide to 12 Louisiana Plantations along the River Road

We have created a short guide to each of the 12 River Road Louisiana plantations that lists the same criteria for each plantation for easier comparison. We also share our own personal impressions about our own visit to each of these 12 Louisiana River Road plantations.

The plantations line the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, and plantations are listed from north to south, starting with plantations closest to Baton Rouge and ending with those closest to New Orleans. Note that when driving, plantations are on both sides of the river so it is not a linear route. If driving, have a GPS or good map with the plantations marked as some are not well signed from the road.

Below is a map of the River Road plantations. You can double click on the map photo or click here to see or interact with the detailed map.

Magnolia Mound Plantation

Magnolia Mound Plantation was originally built as a fairly humble settler’s home in the late eighteenth century, but was soon expanded to be the main home of a wealthy landowner. The plantation is an easy visit from downtown Baton Rouge and is known for its collection of Federalist, Louisiana-made, and French furniture and decorative art objects.

Magnolia Mound may not be the grandest plantation home, but it is a great attraction for those who love historical homes and antiques. The focus here has been on the preservation and conservation of the property.

Address:  2161 Nicoholson Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802 Magnolia Mound Plantation Website: www.brec.org/magnoliamound Original Date of Main Plantation House: circa  1791 (exact date unknown) Architectural Style: French creole Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners:  The house was built in the 1790s by John Joyce, an Irish immigrant who had purchased the property from James Hillin . This house was originally built as a small 4-room settler’s house and later expanded to suit the needs of a plantation owner and his large family. It is currently run by The Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge ( BREC ) which operates a number of parks and recreational sites in the area. Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can only be visited with a guided tour, but the gardens and other buildings are self-guided. For those interested in slavery, a special tour focused on slavery and plantation life is available but must be booked in advance. Tour guides are  not costumed.  Main House Furnishings: Few are original, but items are period consistent and many are notable antiques. Magnolia Mound is considered to have one of the best collections of Louisiana-made objects from the colonial period. It also includes French pieces from the same era.  Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains a reconstructed kitchen, a slave quarter house (antebellum, but moved from another former plantation River Lake Plantation), an original overseer’s house (c. 1870), an old well, and a pigeonnier (c.1820, but from another plantation).   Slavery Information:  There is a small amount of information on slavery on the main tour, but there is a self-guided “Back of the Big House” tour focused on slavery and the role of African-Americans who lived at the plantation. There is also an antebellum slave quarters building on the property for viewing. Gardens: There is a small kitchen garden, a small crop garden (sugar cane), and some grand 200+ year old live oak tress on the property. Photography Allowed:  Photography was not allowed inside the main house, but was allowed outside and inside the kitchen and minor buildings. Food: No Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility: The main historical home at Magnolia Mound Plantation requires 10 steps to enter and exit; however all other main buildings on property have step-free access and are wheelchair accessible. These include the kitchen and gift shop. There are wheelchair accessibility toilets on site. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: We were not able to find any regularly operated day tours from New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Lodging: No Crowds: Small – this is not typically a busy property and is not very well-known in comparison to many of the other plantations. However, can get busy when school or bus groups arrive. Most Unique: The age of the property, state of preservation, antiques, and impressive knowledge of the guides of the house and antique furnishings.

Our Impressions of Magnolia Mound Plantation

This is a great historical gem of a property located on the outskirts of Baton Rouge. On the day we visited, we were the only visitors for the next tour but we were joined as we started by another couple. The guide was very knowledgeable about the house and the furnishings. My favorite quote from the tour was “This floor [the original cypress floor] was laid while George Washington was president”.

The period furnishings in this house and the attention to them made this tour stand out to all the others; we would highly recommend this tour to those interested in historical properties and antiques. We recommend leaving time to do the self-guided “Back of the Big House” tour focused on slavery.

This is not a flashy Greek Revival mansion so it would likely not be a great fit for those looking for the most photogenic grand plantation homes. It is perfect for those looking for a more rustic plantation house where you can get a sense of the late 18th/early 19th lifestyle. Magnolia Mound Plantation is a great plantation to visit if you want to avoid the crowds you’ll find at many of the other plantation homes.

Nottoway Plantation

Nottoway Plantation, known as the White Castle, is believed to be the largest surviving antebellum plantation in the American South. Built just 6 years before the Civil War, it is also one of the youngest and grandest of the Louisiana River Road plantations. Nottoway Plantation is perfect for those day tripping from Baton Rouge and looking for a grand plantation house.

Addr ess: 31025 Highway 1, White Castle, LA 70788 Nottoway Plantation Website: www.nottowayplantation.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: 1 859   Architectural Style: Greek Revival and Italianate styles Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: The house was built by sugar cane magnate John Hampden Randolph and he lived here with his wife and 11 children. The Randolph sold the plantation in 1889 and it was then in the possession of a series of owners. It is currently run and maintained as part of the larger resort and conference center that are also on the property. Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can only be visited with a guided tour, but the gardens and museum are self-guided. Tour guides are  costumed in antebellum period clothing.  Main House Furnishings: Some house furnishings are original, but most are period consistent pieces.    Other buildings to visit on property: There is a 2-room museum that provides more information on the house, family, and slavery at the plantation as well as a short film. There are no other historical places to visit on the property except a family cemetery.  Slavery Information:  There is a small amount of information on slavery on the main tour, and some additional information can be found in the small museum. Gardens: There are small flower gardens and some large 200+-year-old live oak trees on the property near the mansion. A path to a Mississippi River viewpoint is located near the front entrance to mansion, and is worth walking as you don’t see the river from most of the plantations as the levee blocks the views that these plantations once had. Photography Allowed:  Photography is allowed throughout.  Food: Yes, a cafe and a restaurant. Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility: The  Nottoway Plantation tour has 4 steps to reach the 3rd floor of the main house. However, the house has an elevator and the other floors are wheelchair accessible. A visitor who cannot climb the steps can still hear the guide from outside on the 3rd floor. The gift shop, cafe, museum, and most of the garden paths are accessible. The cemetery is not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair accessible toilets are available. Some of the overnight accommodations are wheelchair accessible and have roll-in showers. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: We were not able to find any regularly operated guided day tours to Nottoway, but should be able to arrange a private tour from New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Lodging: Yes, guests can stay in cottages on the property near the house or even in a few of the bedrooms in the main house. Resort facilities are also on the property. Check prices here . Crowds: Medium to Large  – Many visitors come here to tour the opulent mansion (close to Baton Rouge) but the property also hosts a number of conferences and events.  Most Unique: Opulent large furnished mansion, beautiful white ballroom, and guests have ability to stay in main house (or cottages). Nottoway Plantation is the largest antebellum mansion in the American South.

Our Impressions of Nottoway Plantation

Nottoway Plantation is large, opulent, and beautiful–the 53,000 square foot mansion boasts massive exterior columns, hand-carved Italian marble fireplaces, detailed plaster frieze moldings, and modern conveniences. The main house tour contains a number of beautiful rooms, perhaps the most memorable being the White Ballroom.

The tour guides are costumed but the atmosphere was fairly relaxed as we were even allowed to sit on some of the furniture. During the tour, there were interesting stories about how the green velvet curtains may have inspired Selznick for Gone with the Wind , how the youngest Randolph son ran off to New Orleans with the enslaved cook’s daughter and was all but written out of the family history, and how the plantation house managed to survive the Civil War with only a grapeshot hitting one of its columns.

We definitely recommend visiting the small museum and watching the video before or after your tour. We had gumbo and jambalaya at the small cafe and found the food to be both tasty and a very good value.

We’d recommend Nottoway Plantation for those looking for a grand and beautiful plantation house, some interesting stories of the Randolphs lives before and during the Civil War, and opulent furnishings. However, it is not going to be the best fit for those seeking information on slavery or plantation life; it also does not have any additional historical buildings to visit other than the main house.

It is very convenient for those basing in Baton Rouge as it is the closest of the more grand plantation houses. Nottoway Plantation may also be a good choice for those wanting to spend the night in a plantation house as only a few plantations houses allow guests in their main house.

Houmas House Plantation & Gardens

Houmas House Plantation is one of the beautiful restored Greek Revival plantation homes, nicknamed the Sugar Palace. However, the house is actually two houses connected by a carriageway and the dates of the original older house are still a mystery. Many believe, and we were told on the tour, that it is the original Latil house that was originally French colonial (circa 1775) but it was expanded and updated into a more Federal style over the years. It is known that the larger newer main house built in the Greek Revival style was built around 1840.

The house is sumptuously furnished and the costumed guides tell the story of what it was like to live in the house during the time of the wealthy sugar barons. The plantation also has beautiful gardens, three restaurants, and overnight accommodations.

In 2015, Houmas House was voted #2 of top historic homes to tour in America by USA Today. The plantation is also a private residence and is known for being the setting for many scenes from  Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte  starring Bette Davis.

Address:  40136 Highway 942, Darrow, LA 70725 Houmas House Plantation Website: www.houmashouse.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: c.  1775? (older French colonial house with Federal additions?) & c. 1840 (Greek Revival main house) Architectural Style: Greek Revival (also Federal) Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: The plantation was originally bought by two New Orleans businessmen, Maurice Conway and Alexandre Latil, from the Houmas Indians. Latil built a modest house here which may be the existing smaller house. General Wade Hamilton from South Carolina was the next owner and his son-in-law, John Smith Preston, built the present Greek Revival mansion. It then went through a succession of owners, being purchased by Dr. George Croza in 1940 who restored the house. In 2003, it was purchased by current owner, dog-loving businessman Kevin Kelly, who actually still lives in the house. Tours/Tour Guides: The main house and kitchen can only be viewed on a guided tour, but the grounds and gardens are self-guided. Tour guides are  costumed in antebellum clothing. Main House Furnishings: The house is furnished, some pieces are original but most are period pieces. House is sumptuously furnished and has a lot of antiques. Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also has the kitchen (visited on the tour) and two matching brick octagonal two-story garconnières (c. 1840s), although these were not open for viewing during our visit.  Slavery Information:  There was a small amount of information about slavery during the mansion tour. Gardens: Yes, almost 38 acres of gardens that include both indigenous Louisiana plants and exotic plants and flowers. There is the Hampton Garden, Upper Garden and Neptune Pavillion Fountain which surround the Fountain Courtyard. There are also eight 200-year-old grand live oak trees on the property, these were once part of a 24 oak tree oak alley leading all the way to the Mississippi river until most were cut down by the Works Progress Administration levee crew during the Great Depression. Photography Allowed:  Photography is allowed outside and inside. Food: Yes, there is a cafe (Cafe Burnside) offering lunch, The Turtle Bar (located inside one of the garconnières) serving drinks, a restaurant (Carriage House Restaurant) serving breakfast, cocktails, and dinner, and a more formal restaurant serving dinner (Latil’s Landing Restaurant). Reservations are required for dinner.  Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility: Houmas House is probably the most accessible of the River Road plantations. Although there are a number of stairs within the main house, the house has a ramp and elevator offering step-free access. The elevator can hold wheelchairs and most mobility scooters. The gift shop, cafe, and restaurant are wheelchair accessible and there are wheelchair accessible toilets available. Much of the grounds has sidewalks and drivers with golf carts are regularly available to take guests around the grounds. Houmas House also offers two ADA overnight rooms, one of which has a roll-in shower. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: Yes, a few options are this tour  (Houmas House only),  this tour  (Houmas House plus lunch and Madewood Plantation), and this private tour (also includes Destrehan Plantation). Lodging: Yes, there are 21 rooms and suites in modern cottages on the property. Breakfast and a tour of the Houmas House mansion are included with an overnight stay.   Check prices here . Crowds: Medium to Large  – This plantation was not that busy the day we visited, but it can get large crowds. It is well-known and popular. Most Unique: The flair and knowledge of the costumed guides (they really are good at acting like they are Southern antebellum ladies/gents), the sumptuous furnishings and antiques, tour is pet-friendly, and the extensive gardens. Houmas House is also well-known in the area for its food, especially the fine dining experience at Latil’s Landing Restaurant.

Our Impressions of Houmas House Plantation

Houmas House Plantation is one of the most opulent of the Louisiana River Road plantation homes, beautifully restored and filled with elegant furnishings and antiques. The costumed guides aim to take you back to the height of the antebellum period and show you what it would have been like to be part of a sugar baron’s family and live a lavish lifestyle. Our guide was not only entertaining, but also very knowledgeable about the house, history, and furnishings.

The tour included visits to the main Greek Revival mansion and the smaller older house that contains the kitchen and restaurant. Some of the antiques are quite remarkable and you even get to see the owner’s bedroom (if he’s not in it) and you’re likely to see his dogs. This is a private residence as well as a house museum and you are allowed to touch many of the objects and even sit on the furniture, and since the owner loves dogs, well-behaved pets are allowed on the tour.

Be sure to check out the short video in the gift shop before or after your tour and leave time to walk around the gardens and grounds. We were sad to not have time to dine here as dinner at Latil’s Landing Restaurant was highly recommended to us, even by staff at other plantations.

Houmas House is a great plantation for those looking to hear about what it was like to live as an owner of a wealthy sugar plantation, see elegant furnishings and antiques, and stroll through beautiful gardens. However, this is not going to be a good fit for those looking for slavery information or those looking for a more intact plantation complex with lots of historical buildings to visit. However, it was one of the most entertaining house tours we took and the best plantation to visit if you are looking for gardens or a pet-friendly house tour! 

Poché Plantation

Poché Plantation is the youngest of the Louisiana River Road plantations we visited, and the existing main house was actually built after the Civil War in 1867. The house is unique for its architectural style, Victorian Renaissance, and is also significant for its association with its original owner, Judge Felix Pierre Poché. In addition to being a founding member of the American Bar Association, Poché is also known for keeping a diary in French detailing the Civil War in Louisiana. It is one of only a handful of existing printed accounts of the Civil War as a Confederate in Louisiana.

However, perhaps the most unique thing about Poché Plantation is that it is also a motor coach RV park (as well as a B&B). This is an ideal spot for those exploring the Louisiana River Road in a campervan or RV!

Address:  6554 State Highway 44, Convent , LA 70802 Poché Plantation Website: www.pocheplantation.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: circa 1867  (some time between 1867 and 1870) Architectural Style: Victorian Renaissance Revival Main Cash Crop: Originally a sugar cane plantation, later Perique tobacco (rare and unique tobacco grown in St. James parish) Working plantation today?: No Owners: J udge Felix Pierre Poché built the house after the Civil War on what was a sugar cane plantation, but he primarily used it as a summer home for him and his family until selling it in 1892. It is currently owned and run by Mark and Yvette Anderson Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can be visited with a guided tour, please call ahead for tour times. There is also a small museum focused on post-Civil War local history. Tours are typically given by the owner.     Main House Furnishings:  The house includes some original furnishings and some period specific pieces. Other buildings to visit on property:  T he other historical building on the property is the  Judge’s Office which is a 4-room building built in 1830 which may or may not be open during your visit. St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church is just a short 5-minute walk from the plantation. Slavery Information:  You won’t likely find a great deal of information about slavery here. The current plantation home was built after the end of slavery. Judge Felix Pierre Poché came from a planter family, but spent his life working as a lawyer, judge, and politician. Gardens: Extensive grounds but no formal garden.  Photography Allowed:  Photography is allowed inside and outside. Food: No, but picnic area and group kitchen facility available on site for campers. Gift Shop: No Accessibility: The main house at Poché Plantation is not wheelchair accessible. Some of the RV park amenities are wheelchair accessible including the shower rooms, and at least one of the overnight cottages is wheelchair accessible. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: No Lodging: Yes, Poché Plantation is a RV park and also rents bed-and-breakfast rooms and cottages. The RV park is a full-service site designed to accommodate about any type of modern RV, campervan, or fifth wheel home with large concrete spaces, tower hook ups, WIFI, showers, coin laundry, hot tub, and a swimming pool.   Crowds: Low. The RV park is popular , but typically visitor numbers for house tours are low compared to nearby plantations.  Most Unique: The architecture style and being the only plantation that allows RV overnight stays (state’s only destination RV resort) . The youngest property open for tours in the area.

Our Impressions of  Poché Plantation

Poché Plantation is a bit of a surprise for most visitors as a RV park and a plantation house are not normally located side by side. We did not actually tour Poché Plantation as we arrived just after the daily tour times, but we did walk around the property a bit in our search to see if tours were still available. We recommend calling or emailing ahead for those wanting to tour the plantation house.

This house is probably not likely going to wow those looking for a grand plantation house or those searching for historical information about plantation life, slavery, and/or life in antebellum Louisiana. However, the architecture is unique and the story of Judge Felix Pierre Poché and his family is quite interesting.

A couple of rooms in the main house (as well as guest cottages) can also be rented out for those looking for a plantation house stay. RVers wanting to explore the Louisiana plantation homes should definitely check this place out.

Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation is often referred to as the Grand Dame of the Great River Road with its lovely Greek Revival style mansion and famous 300-year-old alley of oaks. It is certainly one of the most photogenic and has been featured in several films, including Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , Primary Colors , and Interview with the Vampire . Guests also have the option to eat, shop, and/or stay overnight at this plantation.

However, the beauty and amenities here come at the price of being one of the most visited plantations in Louisiana and it can get quite crowded. Despite potential crowds, it can be a hard plantation to resist, and you can read our full Oak Alley review .

Address:  3645 Highway 18, Vacherie, Louisiana 70090 Oak Alley Plantation Website: www.oakalleyplantation.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: 1839  (built between 1837-1839) Architectural Style: Greek Revival Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: J acques Télesphore Roman built the Oak Alley mansion as a gift for his wife Celina. The Roman family would run the sugar cane plantation until 1866 when it was sold to a long succession of owners, slowly falling into disrepair. The house would be restored in the 1920’s by Texan cattle ranchers Andrew and Josephine Stewart.  Today, the Oak Alley Foundation, set up by Josephine Stewart, runs the plantation. Tours/Tour Guides: The m ain house can only be visited with a guided tour, but the outdoor exhibits, gardens, and other buildings are self-guided. Tour guides are costumed in antebellum dress. Main House Furnishings: The house is sumptuously furnished. Only a few pieces are original, but most are period consistent items from the mid-1800’s.  Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains 6 reconstructed slave cabins which contain a slavery exhibit, an Overseer’s Property (original building, private), sugar kettles, old plantation bell, Roman family tombstone, and a blacksmith shop that includes a 1890’s forge (demonstrations are sometimes done here). There is also a Sugar Cane exhibit and an interactive Civil War exhibit.  Slavery Information:  There is a small amount of information on slavery on the main tour. There is quite a bit of additional information available about slavery at Oak Alley in the self-guided slavery exhibit housed in the 6 slave cabins that were built using period consistent techniques and materials.  Gardens: There is an English garden and small flower gardens. There are two oak alleys, one in the front of the house and one in the back. The famous Alley of Oaks is a 800-feet-long alley of 300-year-old mature Virginia Live Oaks located on what would have been the front of the house. An alley of younger oaks in the back alley were planted in the 1830’s and 1930’s. Photography Allowed:  Photography is allowed inside and outside. Food: Yes,  there is both a sit-down restaurant and a cafe at Oak Alley. There is also a Spirits Bar located across from the restaurant. There are also some picnic tables located near the parking lot. Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility: The Oak Alley Plantation main house has step-free access (with a movable ramp that can be placed over the 1 step) into the ground floor but the second floor is not wheelchair accessible. There are 22 steps to reach the second floor of the house. Guests who cannot climb the steps will be led by the guide to the media room to watch the tour on an individual iPad after seeing the ground floor. There are 3 steps up to access slave cabins. There are wheelchair accessible toilets in the Oak Alley restaurant. There are disable parking spaces near the restaurant which visitors should ask about at the booth upon arrival. The gift shop, restaurant, and outside paths are accessible (made of concrete or brick). One of the overnight cottages is wheelchair accessible. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: Yes, there are several options including this tour (Oak Alley only), this tour (also includes Laura Plantation),  this tour  (choice of 2 plantations), this well-rated full day tour (also includes Laura Plantation, lunch, and swamp tour), and this private tour (Oak Alley only). Lodging: Yes, there are currently 8 guest cottages on the property; some are historical plantation cottages, some are newly constructed modern deluxe cottages. Read about our Oak Alley Plantation visit and overnight stay. Crowds: Large – this is one of the most visited plantations in the area and crowds can be very large at times.  Most Unique: The oak alley and the grandeur of the house and its furnishings. It is also known for its restaurant’s Creole and Cajun dishes and its mint juleps.

Our Impressions of Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley is a crowd pleaser with its beautiful Greek Revival mansion, dreamy alley of stately live oaks, and sumptuous furnishings. The plantation is lively, busy, and has dining and lodging opportunities. It is popular and crowds can be large here, so try to visit in the early morning or late afternoon if you can.

Oak Alley can be visited for free with a New Orleans Pass , so we strongly recommend visiting here for pass holders.

The house tour focuses on the lives of the first owners (Romans) and last owners (Stewarts), antebellum life in the house, and the decline and restoration of the house. The house seems smaller inside than it does from the outside. Towards the end of the house tour, you get a nice view of the oak alley from the verandah.

Interesting tidbits from the tour that stuck with me was the mystery of why there is no Spanish moss on the live oak trees, the use of the courting candle, and that the plantations enslaved gardener Antoine was the first person to successfully graft pecan trees and his work resulted in the first named variety. Be sure to spend time at the Slavery Exhibit; we do wish a guide-led tour focused on slavery was also offered here at Oak Alley for those wishing to know more on the topic.

Our overnight stay at Oak Alley was a wonderful experience with a nicely furnished modern cottage and the privilege to stroll the grounds peacefully after all the visitors were gone. We ate three meals at Oak Alley, including dinner in our room, and we really enjoyed all the dishes we tried and we also enjoyed sipping on mint juleps (three types to choose from!) while walking around the grounds.

Oak Alley Plantation is a great fit for those travelers seeking a grand richly furnished plantation house and photogenic views. The view of Oak Alley Plantation house from the oak alley may be the best view on the entire River Road.

St. Joseph Plantation

St. Joseph Plantation is a working 1,000 acre sugar cane farm that has been owned by the same family since 1877. Family members still manage the property and even lead many of the house tours. St. Joseph is described as “authentic”, and plantation house tours focus on the lives of those who lived at the plantation with a special focus on Creole culture and the Reconstruction period.

St. Joseph Plantation (when a part of it was known as Priestley Plantation) is also the birthplace of Henry Hobson Richardson, a prominent 19th American architect, probably best known for designing Trinity Church in Boston.

The family also owns the adjacent Felicity Plantation, which is not open to the public but is regularly used for filming, including 12 Years a Slave , The Skeleton Key , Oprah’s Queen Suga r, Underground series, and the 2016 remake of Roots mini-series . 

Address: 3535 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 70090 St. Joseph Plantation Website: www.stjosephplantation.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: c. 1830   Architectural Style: Raised  French creole Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: Yes, still a working sugar cane plantation  Owners: St. Joseph Plantation was built by the Louis Scioneaux family, then sold to a  French doctor Dr. Cazamine Mericq and then to Alexis Ferry and his wife Josephine (daughter of the immensely wealthy sugar planter François-Gabriel “Valcour” Aimé). In 1877, the house was purchased in a sheriff’s sale by Joseph Waguespack who named it St. Joseph Plantation and it is still owned by descendants of the Waguespack family today. About 200 Waguespack and Simon family members currently own stock in the family-run sugar cane plantation. Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can only be visited with a guided tour, but the other buildings are self-guided. Special themed tours, such as a Creole Mourning tour, are sometimes offered. Tour guides are  not costumed.  Main House Furnishings: Rooms are furnished and m any of the objects are original to the house and/or family. Many of the pieces are Reconstruction era (post-Civil War period). Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains original slave cabins (c. 1830-1840), detached kitchen (c. 1880’s), blacksmith’s  shop, carpenter’s shed, and a small schoolhouse. Some buildings have been moved closer to the house but most remain where they were built. There is also a short video on sugar cane production that you can watch. There is also a former plantation store on the property (currently a flower store), that was the longest opened store on the River Road, only closing in the 1990’s! The family also owns the next door Felicity Plantation house, built in 1850, which is currently not open to visitors but is often used for filming.  Slavery Information:  There is a small amount of information about slavery on the main tour. There are original slave quarters buildings on the property for viewing. Gardens: No gardens, but t here are small pretty flower beds and a number of trees on the property, including some grand 300 -year-old live oak trees on the property. Photography Allowed:  Photography is allowed outside and inside. Food: No, but picnic tables under the oak trees are available for use by visitors who bring a picnic lunch. Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility:  Only the first floor of St. Joseph Plantation has step-free access and is accessible for wheelchairs. There is no step-free access to the second floor which includes a large portion of the tour rooms. The film room, farm tools, and gift shop are on the first floor and are wheelchair accessible. Day Tour Available from New Orleans: Yes, this tour includes a visit to St. Joseph Plantation and Whitney Plantation. You could also arrange a private tour. Lodging: No Crowds: Small – this is not typically a busy property and is not very well-known in comparison to many of the other plantations.  Most Unique:  Working family-owned sugar cane plantation, focus on Creole customs, owned and run by family (most guides are family), and authentic furnishings.

Our Impressions of St. Joseph Plantation

St. Joseph is a family-run working sugar cane plantation that feels more authentic than most of the other properties. The house is not nearly as grand as its finely furnished restored next door neighbors Oak Alley or Houmas House, but the lack of heavy restoration helps add to the experience here. We also enjoyed that we were able to touch many of the pieces of furniture/artifacts in the house; Laurence even had a go at the pump organ. It was one of my favorite visits as it felt less commercialized than some of the others and it does not get the crowds of some of its better-known neighbors.

The main house was lived in until 1997 and the guides are able to give you plenty of interesting details about family life here following the Civil War. There is of course also information about the antebellum period and Civil War history of the house and inhabitants, but what is more interesting here is hearing from the family of life following the Civil War. Many of the former slaves stayed on as tenant farmers and some of their descendants continued to live on the plantation for generations. Tenant farming, especially in the 19th and early 20th century, was still a tough life and tenants lives were heavily dependent on the weather, crop conditions, and the goodwill of plantation owners.

The descendants of Joseph Waguespack have continued to run the farm through good and bad times. The tour guides and gift shop staff are normally family members. It is interesting to hear stories of those who remember growing up or visiting the plantation and to see items such as the christening gowns worn by generations of family members (including some of the guides).

Don’t forget to leave some time to explore the outside buildings (e.g., slave cabins, kitchen) on your own (pick up a leaflet for some information on the buildings). If it is a nice day, consider picking up some food from a local grocery store or deli and eating under one of the oak trees here.

This is a great bet for those looking to visit a family-owned working plantation and those wanting to hear a bit more about what happened on plantations after the Civil War!

Laura Plantation

Laura Plantation is a French creole plantation that is known for being run by four generations of the Duparc-Locoul family, with the women of the family being primarily responsible for running the plantation. The last owner from the family, Laura Locoul, would sell the plantation and later in her life write a memoir, Memories of the Old Plantation Home: A Creole Family Album , focused on her time growing up and running the plantation. It is now this memoir that provides the main material for the guided house tours at Laura Plantation.

Laura Plantation is also known for being one of the locations where folklorist Alcée Fortier  (born at Petit Versailles Plantation) recorded the African stories of the trickster Br’er Rabbit from the slaves (known as Compair Lapin in French Creole).

In 2004, the plantation house suffered extensive damage due to a fire (now restored), but numerous original outbuildings from the antebellum period survive on the property. 

Address: 2247 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 70090 Laura Plantation Website:  http://www.lauraplantation.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: 1805 (80% of house was destroyed by a fire in 2004 so rebuilt and heavily restored) Architectural Style: French creole Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: This house was built by Frenchman Guillaume Duparc and was then passed onto 4 generations of his family who worked and live on the plantation, ending with Laura Locoul who sold the plantation in 1891. The plantation was then sold to the Waguespack family (owners of St. Joseph Plantation) who farmed the sugarcane and lived at the plantation until 1984. It is currently owned and run by the Laura Plantation Company as a Creole cultural attraction.  Tours/Tour Guides: Main house and grounds can only be visited with a guided tour; guided tour includes main house, slave cabins (c. 1840), gardens, and a view of some of the other buildings (barns, overseer’s cottage). Tours are available daily in both English and French. Tour guides are  not costumed. You can book your tour in advance here . Main House Furnishings: The house is furnished but the furnishings are not original, but are era specific.  Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains a number of other buildings, including slave cabins, barns, overseers’ cottages, and the Maison de Reprise (1829; mother-in-law house). You can’t visit these buildings on your own but on the guided tour you get to go inside a couple of the slave cabins and get exterior views of some of the other buildings. Slavery Information:  Moderate. There is a substantive amount of information provided about slavery, life of slaves on the plantation, and part of the tour takes place in the slave cabins.  Gardens: Yes, there is a small formal French garden, a kitchen garden, and a banana tree grove.  Photography Allowed:  Photography was allowed outside and inside. Food: No restaurant, but snack food and drinks were available in the gift store. Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility: The basement of the main house of Laura Plantation is at ground level and is step-free; however, t here are 15 steps up/down into the main floor of the house. There are 3 steps up/down into the slave cabin. The house can accommodate a wheelchair or walker (although not a scooter) if visitor has a companion who can assist them up the stairs and carry the wheelchair. The gift shop and museum are wheelchair accessible but the 1840’s slave cabin is not. There is a wheelchair accessible toilet on site. Paths through the grounds are graveled or bricked. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: Yes, there are several tours options, including  this tour (also includes Oak Alley Plantation),  this tour (also includes either Whitney Plantation or Oak Alley), this full day tour (also includes Houmas House, brunch, and swamp tour), and this private tour (also includes Houmas House, lunch and an airboat ride). Lodging: No Crowds: Moderate to Large  – This is a popular plantation and can get quite busy.  Most Unique: The focus on the lives of Laura and her family, emphasis on Creole culture, connection to the Br’er Rabbit tales, tours provided daily in French, and a moderate amount of information on slavery.

Our Impressions of Laura Plantation

Laura Plantation is a popular plantation and the tour focus on the story of Laura Locoul and her ancestors make it unique from the other plantations. In the past, plantation tours focused on the house and the Br’er Rabbit connection, but today the focus here is very much on the four generations of the Duparc family, particularly the women who all heavily contributed to the running of this plantation. I would recommend reading the actual book the tour is based on either before or after your tour.

Laura grew up in a strict French-speaking Creole family and did not want to run the family plantation but did her duty running it for a while before deciding to marry a non-Catholic man, sell the plantation, and move to St. Louis. Late in her life she would write her memoir after a return visit to the plantation and questions from her children about her life on the plantation.

The tour also focused on Creole culture and the lives of the slaves at the plantations, and we liked that part of the tour took part in the slave cabins with a focus on the lives of some of the known slaves. These cabins were actually lived in until 1977, first by former slaves and their descendants and then by lumber company workers. We also appreciated the colorful facade of the Creole main house; however, the majority of the house is not original and so there is not very much focus on either the house or the interior furnishings on the tour. So this would not be a great fit for those looking to learn a lot about the house, the furnishings, or general plantation life.

This tour is a great fit for those wanting to learn about a Creole family and its story of running a plantation across multiple generations. It also has quite a bit of information on both Creole culture and the lives of slaves at Laura. Also, this a great place for anyone wanting a tour in French as it is the only plantation that we know of that regularly gives daily tours in French.

Whitney Plantation

Whitney Plantation is the only plantation in Louisiana to focus on the story of slavery. In fact, it is credited as the first (and currently only) museum dedicated to slavery in the United States.

Tours here focus on slavery and try to communicate the harsh realities of slave life on a Louisiana plantation. It was the practice of slavery that made the great wealth of the plantation owners possible, and it was forced slave labor that harvested the fields and built the majority of these beautiful homes. The plantation includes artwork dedicated to slavery as well as three memorials: one dedicated to the slaves at Whitney, one dedicated to the slaves of Louisiana, and another to slave children.

Much of the information used in the tour, including many of the quotes, come from the  Slave Narratives Collection  that was part of the Federal Writers Project where former slaves (mostly children and young adults at the time of slavery) were interviewed between 1936-1938 across 17 states and most of these interviews are available online and in print in the Whitney Plantation gift shop. 

Significant historical buildings on the property including the Spanish Creole main house with original painted murals, the only French Creole barn in the United States, and the oldest detached kitchen in Louisiana. The plantation is also known for being the setting of some scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained .

Address: 5099 Highway 18, Wallace, LA 70049 Whitney Plantation Website: www.whitneyplantation.com Original Date of Main Plantation House: c.  1790 (expanded in early 1800’s) Architectural Style: Spanish  creole Main Cash Crop: indigo, then sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: The plantation, originally known as Habitation Haydel, was first owned by Ambroise Heidel, an immigrant from Germany who purchased it in 1752. The main house is believed to have been built by his son Jean Jacques Haydel. It was sold to a succession of owners over the years. The plantation gets its current name from owner Bradish Johnson (who purchased it in 1867) who named it after his grandson Harry Whitney. Today, it belongs to John Cummings, an attorney from New Orleans, who was the person who decided to open it for the first time to the public and to dedicate it to understanding the facts of slavery.  Tours/Tour Guides: Whitney Plantation can only be visited on a guided tour.  Tour guides are  not costumed.  Main House Furnishings: The house is furnished but the pieces are not original, but they are period furnishings from the early 19th century. Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains a number of other historical buildings on the plantation, many of them original, including a pigeonnier (c. 1820, the other one is a reconstruction), mule barn, overseer’s house, detached kitchen (c. 1790), French Creole barn, blacksmith shop (rebuilt in 2005 to original design), and slave quarters cabins (original cabins brought from other nearby plantations), and a baptist church (moved here from Paulina, LA). Other buildings and memorials are relatively new and have been constructed to house the slavery museum and exhibits. The memorials include the Wall of Honor (Whitney slave memorial), Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall (memorial to slaves in Louisiana) and The Field of Angels (slave memorial to Louisiana slave children).     Slavery Information:  Large. This is the only plantation, and only museum in the country, currently solely dedicated to sharing information about slavery and stories of former slaves. There are several memorials, artwork, and original slave quarters on the property to view. There is also a large number of books in the gift shop on the subject of slavery.  Gardens: No, but there are some great old live oaks in front of the main house.  Photography Allowed:  Photography was allowed outside and inside. Food: No, but there is a vending machine with snack food and drinks at the visitor center. Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility: The majority of the guided tour at Whitney Plantation is accessible for mobility scooters and wheelchairs, as most takes place outside. The visitor center, gift shop, church with introduction video, memorial area, and bottom floor of the Big House have step-free access and are wheelchair accessible. The second floor of Big House has 10 steps and is not wheelchair accessible. There are 2 steps each to get in and out of slave cabins and kitchen. Outside paths are mostly made of tight gravel. Tour is 1.5 hours long so may not be a good fit for those who have difficulty standing for longer periods of time although you can bring a walker, cane, or collapsible chair with you. The visitor and information center has a wheelchair accessible toilet, and there are 4 disabled parking spaces. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: Yes, there are several tours options, including this tour (Whitney only),  this tour  (also includes choice of Laura Plantation or Oak Alley), and  this tour (also includes St. Joseph Plantation). Lodging: No Crowds: M oderate – opened in 2014 this is becoming a more popular plantation as it becomes more well-known to the public.  Most Unique: The focus on slavery, slavery memorials, Spanish Creole architecture of main house and its decorative wall paintings, oldest detached kitchen in Louisiana, and last known surviving French Creole barn in the United States.

Our Impressions of Whitney Plantation

Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana dedicated to slavery, and the tour is strongly focused on providing factual information about slavery as well as stories from former slaves. First, we checked out the small museum at the Visitor Center where there is some good information on slavery around the world–I was quite surprised about the Catholic church’s role in both encouraging and later ending slavery, Portugal’s large role in the slave trade, and the large number of slaves brought to Brazil.

Our tour started with a visit to the church where we watched a good introduction film and the we were each given a card with information about a former slave. There are 40 excellent slave children statues made by artist Woodrow Nash and you can locate the one made to represent the slave you are given; these really help to made a more personal connection.

After this, we were taken outside and given some more information and taken through 3 slavery memorials (the bronze sculpture depicting a crying angel carrying a slave baby to Heaven is quite evocative) which was about 2/3 of the tour. There was some great information here, including some truly heart wrenching stories, but we would have liked to have just been introduced to the memorials and left to explore the memorials on our own rather than exploring them on a time limit as a group.

The final part of the tour was exploring the buildings, which included slave cabins, an iron jail, the kitchen, blacksmith’s shop, and the master’s main house. There was some great information on the jobs and work of some of the slaves. The main house tour is quite quick as it is not the focus of the tour but the house is significant for its age, architecture, and the painted murals on the interior and exterior of the house which are original and quite rare. Be sure to leave a bit of time to browse the gift shop, which has a particularly large collection of books related to slavery.

Whitney Plantation is obviously not a place for those wanting to focus on the tales of the wealthy owners, sumptuous house furnishings, or a detailed information about the plantation buildings themselves, as the focus here is primarily on slavery and the memorials. It should also be noted that the majority of the 1.5 hour tour takes place outdoors and involves quite a bit of walking so plan accordingly. However, for anyone wanting to truly learn the harsh facts about slavery, especially slavery in Louisiana and the American South, they should definitely pay a visit to Whitney Plantation. The story of plantation life is not complete without the history of slavery.

Evergreen Plantation

Evergreen Plantation is one of the largest and most intact plantation complexes in the South with 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The majority of the buildings are antebellum, including the 22 slave cabins in their original sites; however, some of the buildings have been rebuilt or heavily restored. Evergreen Plantation and Whitney Plantation were both originally owned by German farmer immigrant Ambroise Heidel, and his sons would build the currently standing main houses at both plantations.

Evergreen also possesses a beautiful alley of live oak tress, estimated to be about 200 years old. Evergreen Plantation is also known for being the setting of some scenes from Django Unchained   and the 2016 remake of the Roots mini-series.

Address:  4677 Highway 18, Edgard, LA 70049 Evergreen Plantation Website: evergreenplantation.org Original Date of Main Plantation House: c. 1790 (expanded 1803, drastically remodeled & expanded in 1832) Architectural Style: Greek Revival (originally  French creole) Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: Yes, land is currently leased by the owner for sugar cane production Owners: This house was built by planter Christophe Heidel (son of Ambroise Heidel, his brother built Whitney Plantation) and his wife Charlotte Oubre as a 2-story raised French Creole villa and it was later covered to a Greek Revival house and expanded in 1832 by later owner Pierre Clidamant Becnel. The Becnels would sell it to the Creole Songy family in 1894, the Songys would lose the plantation to the bank during the Great Depression, and then in 1946 it was purchased from the bank by Louisiana oil heiress Matilda Gray who used it as a second home. She restored, updated, and furnished the house, and at her death it was inherited by her niece Matilda Gray Stream who still owns it today.  Tours/Tour Guides: Main house and grounds can only be visited on a guided tour . Tour guides are  not costumed.  Main House Furnishings: The house is furnished with period pieces from the 19th century, but also contains some modern pieces and elements as it was used as a residence until the end of the 20th century and is still sometimes used for entertaining.  Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property contains 37 buildings on the National Register of Historical Places and is one of the largest and most intact plantation buildings in the American South. The buildings include 22 original antebellum slave quarter cabins, a domestic slave quarter, a detached kitchen (c. 1790, heavily restored), 2 garçonnières, 2 pigeonniers, a barn, and a Greek Revival privy (a.k.a. outhouse, 1832). Some buildings you can tour inside, and some you can view only from the outside. There is also a museum/interpretive center at the visitor center. Slavery Information:  Moderate. A portion of tours at Evergreen Plantation are dedicated to the lives and work of the slaves on the plantation. There is also the 22 slave quarters buildings on the property for viewing and you get to go inside a couple of them. Gardens: Yes, t here is a formal hedge garden behind the house.  Photography Allowed:  Photography is allowed outside and inside. Food: No Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility:  The main house of Evergreen is two story accessible by stairs only, and has approximately 15 steps total. The first floor does have 1 step up to enter. There are no ramps to this one step although a wheelchair can, with assistance, may be pulled up this step but would have access to the ground floor only. Most paths and roadways are gravel, grass, or brick. The kitchen has 2 steps and the slave quarter house has 4 steps, neither have ramps. The welcome and information center has a ramp providing step-free access, a wheelchair accessible toilet, and a disabled parking space. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: Yes, there are few tours options, including this tour (also includes Oak Alley, lunch, and swamp tour), this tour  (also includes Oak Alley), and this private tour (private drive along River Road and visit to plantation of choice). Lodging: No Crowds: Small to moderate – this is not typically a busy property and is not as well-known in comparison to many of the other plantations.  Most Unique: The number of historical buildings on the property including the 22 slave cabins in their original configuration, being one of the most intact plantation complexes in the South, and the photogenic alley of live oaks. It is also a working sugar cane plantation; however, the owner is not involved in the sugar cane plantation but leases the land out to others.

Our Impressions of Evergreen Plantation

Evergreen Plantation is the most intact of the Louisiana River Road plantations so there are a lot of buildings to view, although many have been heavily restored on the inside. The most significant is the 22 antebellum slave cabins still in their original position (at least one has been rebuilt, many restored) that sit underneath a portion of the picturesque alley of live oaks. The oak alley here is interesting in that it along the side of the house rather than in front of it. This oak alley has Spanish moss draping the trees (missing at Oak Alley) which helps give it a mysterious and eerie feel.

Laurence and I did not actually have a chance to do the full tour here but we did visit the interpretive center/visitor center and spent 45-minutes with one of the tour guides at the center. The interpretive center is great to see before you start the tour so you can get an idea of the history of the plantation. After you buy your tickets at the museum center and get an introduction here, you’ll follow the guide by car to park nearer to the actual plantation house to start the walking tour. The plantation complex is amazingly symmetrical and the tour includes visits to some of the outbuildings (slave cabins, kitchen) as well as the main house.

We can’t comment on the actual tour since we didn’t take it or visit any of the interiors. We were also told by both visitors and guides that there is an emphasis on slavery on the tours, although obviously not nearly as much as next door at Whitney. This tour is great for those wanting to see a largely intact plantation property (although furnishings are not original)  with multiple outbuildings, a beautiful oak alley, and hear the history of the past owners, slaves, and current owners. 

San Francisco Plantation

San Francisco Plantation is the most colorful of the Louisiana River Road plantations and although built during the antebellum period, it was built in the Gothic Steamboat style. Viewed from some angles, the house resembles the ornate and yet graceful structure of a Mississippi riverboat. The house was so architecturally distinctive that it inspired novelist Frances Parkinson Keyes to write Steamboat Gothic , a novel about a steamboat gambler who moves his family to Louisiana.

The plantation also has an interesting history of ownership, it first become a sugar plantation when owned by Elisée Rillieux, a free man of color and businessman. He quickly sold it to Edmond Bozonier Marmillion and his partner Eugène Lartigue for a large profit, and it would be Edmond who would build up the plantation and construct the current main house. Sadly, Edmond would die soon after the house’s completion and only one day before the arrival of Valsin and his new German wife Louise on a visit from Europe. Instead of returning to Germany, they were forced to take over the sugar plantation and were stopped from selling it by the onset of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

The name of the plantation is believed to derive from Valsin’s comment on the debt and cost of the estate, the French slang phrase “sans fruscins” which means “without a penny in my pocket”, becoming St. Frusquin. The name would be Americanized to San Francisco Plantation by future owner Achille D. Bougère. The house interior is distinctive for its painted ceilings and Southern German accents and motifs. 

Address: 2646 Highway 44, Garyville, LA 70051 San Francisco Plantation Website: www.sanfranciscoplantation.org Original Date of Main Plantation House: 1856 (built from 1853-1856) Architectural Style: Steamboat Gothic Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: This house was originally built by Edmond Bozonier Marmillion and then the plantation was run by his son Valsin Bozonier Marmillion and daughter-in-law Louise. The house then had a succession of owners. In the early 20th century, the house was purchased by the Ory family who lived here for about 50 years. In 1954, the Ory family leased the house to Clark Thompson and his wife who maintained the premises and opened the mansion to the public, living here until 1974. It was then purchased by the ECOL Company and later by Marathon Oil. The San Francisco Plantation Foundation was created and the home underwent a massive restoration, and is still funded and maintained by Marathon Oil and the trust today.  Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can only be visited with a guided tour, but the grounds and other buildings are self-guided. Tour guides are  costumed in antebellum period dress. Main House Furnishings: The house is furnished but none are original (except the wine racks), but the furnishings are period pieces.  Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains a slave cabin (c. 1840, moved here from another plantation) and a one-room school house (c. 1830’s) that can be visited. Slavery Information:  There is a small amount of information on slavery on the main tour. There is also a slave quarters building on the property for viewing with more information. Gardens:  No. Property does have flower beds and some majestic oak trees. You can see the oil refinery buildings in the distance which can detract from the beauty for some. Photography Allowed:  Photography was allowed outside but not inside the main house.  Food: No Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility:  There is step-free access to the main floor of the San Francisco Plantation house but only the first floor of the house is wheelchair accessible. It is about 15 steps to reach the second floor of the house. Those who cannot do the second floor portion of the tour will receive a book about the history of the plantation that includes photos of all the rooms. The gift shop is wheelchair accessible. Paths on the property are concrete and there is a toilet on site that is wheelchair accessible. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: There used to several day tours available that included San Francisco Plantation, but they seem to no longer be taking part in any of the regular scheduled tours. You can arrange a private tour such as this one . Lodging: No Crowds: Small to m edium – this is a popular plantation but not as well known as some of the other area’s plantations.   Most Unique: Steamboat Gothic architecture,  colorfulness of the house, and painted ceilings.

NOTE: As noted by one of our readers, San Francisco Plantation discontinued its tours in 2022 and has sadly closed to visitors. The owner (Marathon Petroleum Corporation) has at least temporarily closed it and it is unclear when and if it may open in the future. Both the house and grounds are closed to the public. For more information, see the news story by WDSU about the plantation’s uncertain future here .

Our Impressions of San Francisco Plantation

San Francisco Plantation is a sort of microcosm of this area, a beautiful historical home surrounded by an industrial complex. The San Francisco Plantation Trust, funded by Marathon Oil, has spent millions of dollars researching, restoring, and maintaining this house. We think it is a great example of a modern industry helping to preserve a piece of history although some visitors may not enjoy glimpses of the oil refinery in the distance. The house itself has been restored to its antebellum look and it is quite unusual in its architecture and color; it really stands out among all the other River Road plantations.

San Francisco Plantation can be visited for free with a New Orleans Pass , so we strongly recommend visiting here for pass holders.

The guide was quite knowledgeable and some of the furnishings were unusual (copper freestanding shower), but one of the highlights of the house’s interior is the four painted ceilings which are in various states of restoration.

The most fascinating aspects of the tour to us was the history of the family and imagining how difficult it must have been for Valsin Bozonier Marmillion to come for a visit to find his father had just died and that he was heir to a sugar plantation he never wanted. It was particularly difficult for his German wife Louise who wanted to return to her home in Germany. Louise would only do this many years later after losing both her husband and brother-in-law. It is also interesting that Louise’s German descendants only reconnected to the house in the 1980’s, not being able to locate it with its new Americanized name, and they provided Louise’s letters, photos, and documents that help provide richness to the current tour.

Definitely make a little time for walking around the exterior to take photos of this architecturally unusual house with its two flanking water towers and to visit the slave cabin and school house. This is a great plantation for those looking to visit a more nontypical plantation that has an unusual architecture and an interesting family story.

Ormond Plantation

Ormond Plantation is currently a fully operating bed-and-breakfast and one of the few plantation houses on the River Road that allows you to spend the night in the main house. The house also has a bit of a spooky past. The first owner, Pierre D’Trepagnier, was called away one evening from his family dinner by men who allegedly worked for the Spanish government (reminder that Louisiana was once held by Spain) and disappeared that evening to never return.

In 1898, State Senator Basile LaPlace, Jr. bought the plantation and legend has it that in 1899 he was shot and hung in one of the large oak trees at Ormond Plantation by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Today’s owners however are a friendly hard-working family running the house as a bed-and-breakfast, restaurant, and also offering historical house tours by appointment. 

Address: 13786 River Road, Destrehan, LA 70047 Ormond Plantation Website:  http://www.plantation.com/ Original Date of Main Plantation House: 1789  (exact date unknown) Architectural Style: French Creole/ West Indies Style Main Cash Crop: sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: The house was built around 1789 by Pierre D’Trepagnier, who was awarded a tract of land by Spanish Governor Don Bernardo de Gálvez. After D’Terpagnier’s mysterious disappearance in 1805, it was sold to Colonel Richard Butler who would name the plantation Ormond after his ancestral home, the Castle Ormonde in Ireland. In 1898, State Senator Basile LaPlace, Jr. bought the plantation but died in 1899. The house would then be owned by a series of owners and became in quite a state of disrepair until being restored and renovated by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Brown. Today, Ormond Plantation is owned by the Carmouche family who run it as a bed-and-breakfast.  Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can only be visited with a guided tour unless you are staying at the bed-and-breakfast. Tours for non-guests are given by appointment, just call ahead. Tour guides are  not costumed.  Main House Furnishings: The furnishings are not original, but many are antiques. Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains two garconnières (c. 1830). There is also a collection of dolls on display in the main house. Slavery Information:  There is a small amount of information on slavery on the main tour, but not much is known about any specific slave information at Ormond Plantation.  Gardens: No, but there are a few grand old live oak trees on the property. Photography Allowed:  Photography was allowed outside and inside. Food: Yes, the Ormond Plantation Restaurant serves lunch and dinner. Dinner is served on limited days and by reservation only. Gift Shop: No Accessibility: The main house at Ormond Plantation has step-free access to the ground floor and there is an elevator that can be used to take visitors to the second floor. The garconnieres do have two small steps and are not wheelchair accessible. The paths are wheelchair accessible and there are wheelchair accessible toilets available in the house. Some of the overnight guest rooms are wheelchair accessible. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: No Lodging: Yes, 5 en-suite rooms are rented out in the main house and garconnières. The rooms come with breakfast and access  to most of the house. Crowds: Small – this is not typically a busy property and is not very well-known in comparison to many of the other plantations.  Most Unique: Architectural style and that there is a bed-and-breakfast housed in the main plantation house .

Our Impressions of Ormond Plantation

Ormond Plantation was one of the plantations we were lucky to be able to see during our trip as it was closed that week for renovations, but one of the kind owners invited us to come by to take photos and do a quick tour. It ended up being convenient since there were no guests staying at the time.

We did not stay here, but the rooms looked wonderful and inviting and we would love to return for a stay and a meal. Everyone we encountered was also very friendly and we could imagine ourselves sitting outside on the back patio sipping drinks in the evening. The history of the plantation owners was quite fascinating, almost unbelievable, from the mysterious disappearance of Pierre D’Trepagnier to the alleged hanging of State Senator Basile LaPlace, Jr. by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

This plantation is not a showroom for tour groups like many of the others, but a working, lived in bed-and-breakfast, so while it does not have the “wow” factor of some of the grand mansions and has been modernized, it felt authentic, relaxed, and comfortable. We recommend that those wanting to either have an overnight stay or a meal at a plantation house, check out Ormond Plantation. It is also a perfect place to escape the crowds of the more popular and busy plantations and is one of the closest plantation homes to New Orleans.

Destrehan Plantation

Destrehan Plantation is one of the oldest and best-documented buildings from the state’s colonial period; the house was built while Louisiana was a Spanish colony. The house was completed in 1790 as a French Creole house and was later expanded and renovated into a Greek Revival home in 1840. Its history is fairly well-known and the main house has somewhat miraculously survived even after a multitude of owners and the property being turned into an oil refinery and company town.

The plantation was saved by the River Road Historical Society and American Oil Company (now Amoco) and today the plantation features house tours, numerous educational exhibits, and period craft demonstrations. The plantation’s collection of historical artifacts includes a document signed by both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison assigning four men, including Jean Noel Destrehan, to the Orleans Territorial Council. 

Destrehan Plantation has also been used as a filming location, including for  Interview with the Vampire (main house interiors) and 12 Years a Slave  (1830 mule barn).

Address: 13034 River Road, Destrehan, LA 70047 Destrehan Plantation Website:  www.destrehanplantation.org Original Date of Main Plantation House: 1790 (built from 1787-1790) Architectural Style: Greek Revival   Main Cash Crop: indigo, then sugar cane Working plantation today?: No Owners: The house was built for owner Robin de Logny by an enslaved man of color and master builder named Charles Paquet. After de Logny’s death, his daughter Celeste and her husband Jean Noel Destrehan took over the plantation. It would stay in the Destrehan family and extended Rost family until 1910. Louise Odele and Pierre Rost would renovate and restyle the house in 1840 to the Greek Revival style. It was then sold to the Destrehan Manufacturing Company and then to an oil company, which is now Amoco. They built an oil refinery and company site on the town and it was used as such from 1914 to 1958. In 1971, the house and about four acres of the plantation was deeded from Amoco to the non-profit River Road Historical Society from Amoco, who still manage and run the plantation today.   Tours/Tour Guides: Main house can only be visited with a guided tour, but the gardens and other buildings are self-guided. Demonstrations are also given at various places on the property by staff and volunteers (see schedule in visitor center). Tour guides are costumed in antebellum period clothing. Main House Furnishings: Only a few of the furnishings are original, including a heavy marble bathtub; however, the rest of the furnishings are period consistent.    Other buildings to visit on property:  T he property also contains a number of other buildings, but most are not original to Destrehan, but have been brought in from nearby plantations. The garconnières (part of the house tour), wash room, and water well are original. Other buildings include 2 antebellum slave cabins (original to Helvetica Plantation), a mule barn (c. 1830, original to Glendale), and an overseer’s cabin (original to Caire-Graugnard). Other buildings have also been constructed to hold the educational exhibits and demonstrations.  Slavery Information:   There is some information about slavery on the main tour. There are documents in the education center related to slavery, an exhibit dedicated to the 1811 Slave Revolt in the educational center, and there are two original slave/sharecropper cabins on the property (original to Helvetia Plantation) for viewing. Gardens: There is a rose garden and a heritage garden with sugarcane plants. There are also some grand  live oak tress on the property. Photography Allowed:   Photography is allowed outside and inside. Food: No Gift Shop: Yes Accessibility:  Within the main house at Destrehan Plantation, there is one step down into the plantation and then one step into the foyer, but there is a portable ramp available and an elevator to provide step free access. The inside of the plantation house can accommodate wheelchairs but not scooters. Scooters are limited to the carriageway. The plantation store has a ramp. There is enough space to maneuver and place a wheel chair inside the gift shop, plantation, education center, and outdoor kitchen. The slave cabin has stairs and limited space and are not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair accessible toilets are available in the gift shop and near the plantation house inside the cistern. Day Tours Available from New Orleans: Yes, there are a few tour options, including this tour , this tour (also includes swamp tour), this small group tour (also includes airboat swamp tour), and this private tour  (also includes Houmas House for East Bank option). Lodging: Yes,  there are two self-catering Creole cottages for rent on site that recently were refurbished as guest lodging. You can see them here . Crowds: Large  – Destrehan Plantation is the closest plantation to New Orleans and because of its proximity, it gets a lot of crowds.  Most Unique:  The period craft demonstrations, focus on history, and historical documents, including one signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Our Impressions of Destrehan Plantation

This is a great historical plantation property and of all the River Road plantations we visited, this is the closest one to New Orleans. It is less than 10 miles from the New Orleans airport and less than 30 miles drive from New Orleans. This proximity makes it convenient but more crowded as it is popular with day trippers and bus tours from New Orleans.

We were lucky to arrive just after most of the bus tours and school tours had left for the day, so we actually had a tour that was just the two of us. Our guide was very knowledgeable and there are a lot of historical documents that have been recovered about the plantation, which gives a depth to the tour that will appeal to history lovers. Many documents, photos, and artifacts are available for viewing (many electronically) in the artifact room and the document signed by Thomas Jefferson is kept for viewing in a separate climate-controlled room, which we visited at the end of our house tour.

Destrehan Plantation is a great source of information not only on the owners, but also the enslaved. For instance, we learned that the builder of the original French Creole house was an enslaved man of color named Charles Paquet, slaves from the Destrehan Plantation took part in the 1811 Slave Revolt and three were executed (Gros Lindor, Petit Lindor, and  Jasmin), Jean Noel Destrehan was appointed on the tribunals after the revolt, and from 1865 to 1867 the plantation was used to establish a Home Colony for newly free slaves. Hundreds of former slaves were housed and fed on the Destrehan Plantation property following the end of the Civil War.

We also were able to attend two of the period craft demonstrations that were going on during our visit, one on open hearth cooking and one on blacksmithing. We ended up buying one of the demonstrated blacksmith pieces from the gift shop. There are about a dozen different craft demonstrations and lectures that happen each week which also include candle making, indigo dyeing, use of the laundry, weaving, and African American herbal remedies.

We felt that Destrehan Plantation offered a very well-rounded experience complete with a guided house tour, a lot of historical information, antebellum outbuildings (although most not original to Destrehan), educational exhibits, and period craft demonstrations. 

There you have it, probably the most complete online guide to Louisiana plantations along the River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans! Feel free to ask us any questions about any of the Louisiana plantations we visited.

Have you been to any of these plantations or have any of these on your bucket list? Feel free to share any advice or tips of your own and please share any information updates. Also, if you found this guide helpful in your trip planning, we’d love to hear from you! 

**Disclosure: We received complimentary entry into the majority of the above plantations in order to review them for this article; however, this article contains only our own honest thoughts and opinions. Some complimentary media entries were covered by press passes provided by the  New Orleans Convention and Visit Baton Rouge. You can read more in our Ethics Code about how we accept work.**

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NADIA Post author

August 30, 2023 at 4:40 pm

Voglio farvi i complimenti per questa esaustiva guida, ne farò buon uso il prossimo marzo. In particolare vi ringrazio per le informazioni riguardo le piantagioni accessibili alle persone con problemi di deambulazione come me. Ho apprezzato tantissimo, grazie

Translated to English: “I want to congratulate you on this comprehensive guide, I will put it to good use next March. In particular, thank you for the information about the plantations accessible to people with walking problems like me. I really enjoyed it, thank you”

Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

August 31, 2023 at 3:48 pm

So glad that you found our Louisiana planation guide useful in planning your upcoming trip in March.

Yes, we tried to put the latest information about wheelchair accessibility, steps, and mobility concerns but I would try to double check the info if there is anything that you definitely need to be in place. If you have specific concerns, you can always send an email to the specific plantation or feel free to ask us any questions and we are happy to try to help!

Wishing you a wonderful trip to Louisiana!

Best, Jessica

Charlene Post author

May 16, 2023 at 12:46 am

I’m planning a road trip to visit several plantations and this guide is a big help. Such great information in one place! One update: San Francisco permenantly closed in early 2022.

From the news story ( https://www.wdsu.com/article/san-francisco-plantation-faces-uncertain-future/38684922# ) : In a statement to WDSU, Marathon said, “The San Francisco Plantation House was included in Marathon Oil Company’s purchase of the Garyville Refinery in the mid-1970s. Since that time, we (now Marathon Petroleum Corporation) have taken seriously our responsibility to help preserve its historical significance as a museum. However, as a fuels manufacturing company, we also recognize that museum ownership is not part of our core business. Given this, we have decided to discontinue operations of the plantation as of 2022 and continue to evaluate proposals from third-party stakeholders. We will keep our parish and key stakeholders apprised of any developments, if applicable.”

May 18, 2023 at 1:10 am

Hi Charlene,

Glad that our Louisiana plantations guide has been helpful in helping you to plan your visit!

Thanks so much for sending us that update about San Francisco Plantation, we have added this update above. I am sad to hear that the San Francisco Plantation house and grounds have closed to visitors. I hope that it does reopen in the future with new owners/managers as the tours here were good and the architectural style is quite unique.

Just let us know if you have any questions as you plan your trip! Also do send us other updates as a lot has probably changed due to COVID-19 since our last visits to this area.

May 31, 2023 at 3:37 am

Unfortunately, Evergreen Plantation is also closed to tours. It was one of the top three I wanted to visit. However, they do still have an excellent web site for learning more about the enslaved people who lived there.

June 2, 2023 at 4:54 am

That is a shame to hear that Evergreen Plantation is closed, the intact complex and information here is amazing. Do you know why tours have closed and if it expected that they are completely stopping tours indefinitely? I knew they stopped tours for COVID, but it was then expected they would eventually reopen.

Yes, Evergreen has always had a lot of research and a large archive of documents, when we visited it was mostly on paper but I believe they put a large slavery database online a couple of years ago. They also have a really nice photo gallery so you can see most of what you would have seen on the tour at least in photos.

Shiela Post author

January 9, 2023 at 9:31 am

Thank you for your informative blog. My husband and I had one day in New Orleans, and your blog was the inspiration I needed to rent a car and visit three of these sites.

Shiela from Alberta, Canada

January 11, 2023 at 1:05 am

So glad you found our Louisiana Plantations guide helpful for your trip to New Orleans. Hope you had a wonderful time in NOLA and the nearby area!

Gale potter Post author

February 21, 2022 at 3:10 pm

I would like to buy a paper copy of the information u have provided on the plantations . We are traveling to the plantations in April and the information would be so helpful. Thank U Gale Potter

February 22, 2022 at 5:41 am

Hello Gale,

Glad that our Louisiana plantations post has been helpful in planning your April trip so far.

We don’t have any printed guides available for sale, but all our advice and information is free to use on our websites. You can also print them off yourself although many of my posts are very long (hundreds of pages printed) so I’d recommend using them online rather than printing them! But also since there are a lot of links, you won’t be able to see/use these on a paper copy.

If you still want to print the article, you can do so as long as you are a member of our monthly newsletter (which is free). This also allows you to take part in our monthly travel giveaways . To print the article in a printer-friendly format (with all ads and images removed) or save them as a clickable PDF, you just need to subscribe to be subscribed to our monthly travel newsletter (it is free and easy to subscribe).

Once you are subscribed (check your email and click the link to confirm the subscription) then you just need to go to the article you want to print, click on the print icon (at the side or at the end of the article) and put in your name and then the email address you used to subscribe to the newsletter.

Hope this helps and do let us know if you have any questions as you plan your trip!

Kelly Butcher Post author

January 24, 2022 at 8:26 am

I absolutely loved this article! This is the most comprehensive information on the La. plantations that I have ever read. I have been on one visit to the plantations, but I plan on going back to visit those that I missed. I was happy that you didn’t just jump all over the map. I liked that you would list them N to S. I loved that you listed places to stay. Last time, I had to study a map, and try to figure out how long I would stay at each plantation, so that I could plan accommodations. I didn’t get it quite right. Now, I can plan and book ahead to places I did not know existed. Thanks for this article. It was awesome!

January 25, 2022 at 3:20 am

I am so glad you really enjoyed our guide to the Louisiana plantations along the River Road and found it helpful for planning your future return trip. If you have 2-3 days it definitely allows you time to visit more places. I would recommend 2-3 plantations per day max. There is definitely more to do at some plantations than others so some you may only spend 1 or 2 hours whereas others you can spend 3-4 hours if you stay for a meal. Nice to stay locally along the way, and you even have the option to stay at a couple of the plantations overnight.

If you have any questions, just let me know! Wishing you a great trip.

Sandy Post author

December 22, 2021 at 1:04 am

This guide is wonderful. My family (parents) and I took the River Road tour in the early 198o’s as we were looking for Emilie Plantation, an original part of San Francisco Plantation. The reason being, my Grandmother and her family had lived there for many years prior to WW1. Her Uncle Doctor Chauff was the owner and had his medical practice below the house (raised Creole Cottage) . The relatives in New Orleans gave us vague but findable directions, and we were able to contact the owners (small towns are/were quite agreeable to helping you find people), who turned out to be cousins of ours, and of each other!! They bought the house in dilapidated condition from the oil company who owned it at the time. The cousins basically restored the house, raised their family there, and lived there for many years. At Emilie’s 100th Birthday (1986or7 I think), they held a party and sent hand drawn pictures of the house on the announcement. The Lavets eventually sold the plantation back to the oil company, who then not too long ago sold it to one of the descendants of one of the enslaved people who worked there prior to the house being built. I read that gentleman’s story online in an historical writing from a New Orleans paper. The cousins are long since gone I’m afraid, but the wife did extensive genealogical research on the house and Chauff families connected to all. I have been priviliged to have copies of her research. Interestingly, we visited Oak Alley at that time , along with a couple other of the Plantations along River Raod, none of which had been restored to better than new condition as they sit today.

The owner of Oak Alley was still living in the main house, an elderly woman then. Her Housekeeper, who had been there her whole life, gave us the tour. No one else was there. It was wonderful. Destrehan, as I recall, was almost unlivable then…paint gone, roads overgrown, and certainly not open for viewing! And I very much remember the artistically muralled walls in San Francisco, which are never mentioned any more, and seem to have been done away with. They were more like greeneries or wallpaper, but handpainted when the house was built.

The saving and restoration of these old homes is invaluable, but I think they make people think the homeowners actually lived like that…clean, spotless rooms, beautiful furnishing and not as life truly was in the mid nineteenth century. Think – no electricity, running water, indoor toilets, electic stoves and gas ranges. No fast foods for dinner!. It was not an easy life no matter how much money you had or how many attendants.

But again, thank you for this article. It was evocative, and fascinating to see what might have been, even if it wasn’t. and I signed up for your Blog.

December 22, 2021 at 7:39 am

Thanks for sharing your story and your family connections to one of the plantations along the River Road. It is great that you were able to visit Emilie Plantation in the 1980s given its connection to your family. Do you know if the Baloney family (the family who were descendants of enslaved people who worked at San Francisco plantation) still own the plantation as it looks like it may have been sold after his death?

If you haven’t seen it, there is a National Register for Historic Places document for Emilie Plantation (the house was was registered in 1988) you can download and it has a lot of information about the plantation, its construction (built in 1882 according to the document), and its history.

So glad you enjoyed our blog post on the Louisiana plantations along the River Road. I hope you get a chance to visit the River Road again. I am sure so much has changed, but you can still see the murals at San Francisco (most are on the ceiling if I remember correctly)! There are also some nice murals at Whitney Plantation and it is also the first plantation to focus on slavery. Destrehan and Oak Alley are definitely going to be much changed.

Thanks again for sharing your story!

Robyn Post author

December 4, 2021 at 11:31 am

This is such a fabulous account of the plantations! I was there in 2015 and saw several of the more well-known ones, in addition to others in different parts of Louisiana, and one in Mississippi as my route took me through it for one day. I’ve probably seen 25 or 30 plantations altogether in several states. As you mention, they’re not redundant as each one has a different feeling. Of course, THE most different is Whitney, which I was privileged to learn about from a brochure picked up on the road, elsewhere in Louisiana. Whitney wasn’t in any of the guidebooks that I had checked out of libraries, because it was brand new at the time, only open a couple of months. I’ll mention, that I discussed it with the costumed guide at one of the other plantations I later went to. She hadn’t visited it herself, but knew persons who had, and who were appalled by it. I suspect there are still some such persons around within what you might call the “plantation community” who live in denial of the truths presented at Whitney. Thankfully, they’re a minority.

The last plantation I saw (anywhere in the South) was Rippavilla in Tennessee in 2018. Due to a personal reason, I traveled for a total of 4 days in 2019, then, due to the pandemic, not at all in 2020 or 2021. I’m itching to get back on the road. Your website has got me fired up.

By the way, one thing lacking on it. You mentioned that Houmas House is dog-friendly. I didn’t notice any dogs when I was there (and the owner wasn’t home). You omitted that a lot of plantations have one or more cats on the grounds, not strays but ones cared for by staff. As a cat person (I like dogs, but I LOVE cats), I am always enchanted by any cats seen on the grounds of a plantation, and think such a life must be about as close to heaven as a cat can get.

December 5, 2021 at 8:38 am

I am so glad that you enjoyed our article about the Louisiana plantations along the River Road and that it has got your excited to explore more!

When we were at Houmas House we met the owners’ dogs and it accepted visitors with dogs as well as of course any type of service animals. I just checked and according to their website, it still says it is dog-friendly so it seems visitors travel with dogs can still bring well-behaved dogs (most do not allow dogs with the exception of service dogs of course). I don’t remember seeing cats at the plantations (as a cat lover I generally notice them!) but I am sure some of them do have indeed have cats living on the grounds. Most of the plantation houses are not lived in, which is what makes Houmas House unique as it is still, as far as I am aware, still being used as a private residence.

I hope you get a chance to return to LA and visit Whitney Plantation and any others that you missed on your visit. Whitney was definitely novel when it opened (the first museum dedicated to slavery in the USA) and is still very unique in the area. Another one you may want to check out if you are in South Carolina is McLeod Plantation Historic Site in Charleston, SC which we discuss in our Charleston plantations article. In the last 10 years, there has been a big increase in discussions about slavery and African American experiences at plantations as well as other sites and museums. The changes have been quite notable and most plantations now include information on slavery and many now include special tours, exhibits, or presentations. Hopefully, this will continue to evolve.

I hope you get a chance to travel again soon. We know that the pandemic as well as the recent hurricanes (particularly Ida) have been really hard on many of the plantations. Most have reopened, but many do require pre-booking and reservations and have implemented COVID measures (limited numbers, face mask policies, etc.) so do check before visiting.

Wishing you safe and fun future travels, Jessica

Meagan Kiel Post author

January 11, 2021 at 3:15 pm

This is such an amazing article! Thank you for the thorough break down of each of the plantations. We are traveling with our four kids- age 4-11 and hoping to visit a couple plantations while staying in the area. Were there any particular plantations or tours that you feel would be better suited to kids? Even ones that had plenty of info without having to have a guided tour.

January 12, 2021 at 8:14 am

Glad you are finding our Louisiana plantations guide helpful in planning your visit to this area!

I would say most of the guided plantation tours won’t likely be that interesting for children, especially the younger ones. Almost all the plantations only offer guided tours of the interior parts of the homes.

I would say that Oak Alley’s tour is pretty short and the guides here (and at many of the plantations) like to add talking points to try to keep kids entertained, and then there are areas on the grounds for them to run around, as well as a gift shop, unguided slavery exhibits to visit, and a restaurant. Laura Plantation also had a more kid-friendly tour I would say, although not too much else to do on the property. Destrehan caters to a lot of school groups and may be another one to consider.

Houmas House has some lovely gardens, so one idea would be that if you’re traveling with a partner, you could take turns doing the house tours, perhaps with the interested older kids. Then the other could be exploring the gardens and doing other things on the estate (getting food, gift shop, outdoor buildings that don’t require tour). I think Houmas House also has a video you can watch. Destrehan House also normally has a lot of other things going on like craft demonstrations and such which would be of interest to kids. So it could be a good place to split up as well.

Some of the plantations can arrange pre-booked private tours. I would suggest perhaps seeing if you can book a private family tour of one of most interest. Letting them know that you are looking for a tour for X number of people that is more kid-friendly. So that could be another option.

If you are traveling soon, I’d check the plantations’ COVID-19 policies on their website (or give them a call) as some plantations may be closed or have restricted openings. Some may require pre-booked reservations and many have changed the nature of the visits during the pandemic.

Hope that helps, and would love to hear where you decide to go and about your experience.

January 22, 2021 at 7:48 am

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your helpful response!

Sue Post author

October 4, 2020 at 5:03 pm

I am planning to visit plantation country next month. I see that Evergreen is closed due to Covid. Is it possible to photograph that oak alley from the road without going on to their property?

October 5, 2020 at 5:27 am

That is a shame that Evergreen Plantation will be closed during your visit, but I know some of the plantations are still closed or have added restrictions or shorter hours due to the pandemic. No, the oak alley at Evergreen Plantation is not visible from the main road and you would only be able to photography it during a tour of the property. People still work and live on the plantation, including some older folks, so that may be why it is closed for their health and safety.

However, if you are interested in an oak alley, I’d recommend visiting Oak Alley Plantation instead as it has a beautiful oak alley. The plantation is currently open to visitors but with reduced capacity and added safety procedures. I think most of the exhibitions and attractions are open there. Just be sure to bring along your face mask. There is an oak alley on both sides of the house with the front one being the more photogenic. Given the reduced numbers allowed on the tours, you should be able to get some good photos.

Patricia Ladner Post author

May 21, 2020 at 9:15 am

Do you have a louisiana guide i can get that helps to see the plantations

May 21, 2020 at 9:20 am

Hi Patricia,

What do you mean by a Louisiana guide? If you are looking for printed materials about Louisiana, I’d contact the state tourism board, Louisiana Travel, as they offer a free Louisiana travel guide to people who request it.

But this post should provide all the information you need to know to help you visit the plantations in Louisiana that are located along the River Road. It can be printed, if necessary, by clicking the print icon on the sidebar or at the bottom of the article.

If you are planning a trip and have any questions, please feel free to ask and we’ll be happy to help!

Leslie Robinson Post author

September 19, 2019 at 3:18 pm

Thank you Jessica for this wonderful blog about the River Plantations in Louisiana. We have seen several of these plantations before, but we are planning a “first trip” to NOLA and the plantations for some friends. Your writing is clear and concise and the information is exactly what I needed. I rarely leave comments, but just wanted to be sure to say “Thank you” for your efforts!

September 20, 2019 at 6:04 am

Hi Leslie, So happy you found our River Road plantation helpful in assisting your friends in planning their visit to New Orleans – we appreciate you taking the time to leave us a comment! We are excited that we will be back in the area in Spring ourselves 😉 Best, Jessica

J Lawson Post author

July 11, 2018 at 5:18 am

I really enjoyed this article. I did this river road drive in 1987 so reading this brought back some great memories. We did only tour 2 plantations, Oak Alley & Nottaway, but we stopped & took photos outside all the others. I also took pics of each historical sign. I did notice you did not mention Indian Camp. I had never heard of it till the day we drove that road. Though a tour would not be on the agenda, it is def. worth stopping for a photo & pic of the historic sign. Thanks for the memory refresh with this read.

July 11, 2018 at 5:30 am

Hi there, Yes, so happy you enjoyed our River Road Planatations post and that it brought back some good memories. Many of these plantations have been restored and opened to the public since 1987, and the tours have definitely changed a bit over the years.

I think for Indian Camp, you are referring to the old Woodlawn Plantation (often called Indian Camp). The sugar plantation would later become part of the leprosy hospital in Carville which is definitely an interesting place to visit! It was open until 2015 but since then part of it has been opened to the public as the National Hansen’s Disease Museum . We actually saw a play about the hospital museum performed a couple of years ago at Edinburgh Fringe. So if you ever go back, it would definitely be worth a stop!

Patty Soriano Post author

August 1, 2017 at 1:33 pm

Hi! I’m glad I found a link to your information on Pinterest. When I have a little more time I will go back and read everything more carefully. When we first decided to take a trip to louisiana, one thing on our list was visiting a plantation. I started reading on TripAdvisor about those we might choose. Although there were a lot of good reviews, there were also enough terrible reviews for each place that couldn’t be ignored. There were many issues, which disturb me, but one consistent was that people felt like they were being herded through the house quickly. Sometimes the tour groups were so large that the last people to reach a room did not get to hear what the guide was saying because they wouldn’t wait for the people to get there. I’d like to know if you ran into any issues where you would warn us against that particular place. I apologize if I am asking something that someone else has already asked, or if you have addressed it elsewhere. You have given us so much to digest and I hope to get through it as soon as I can. I appreciate your information.

August 1, 2017 at 2:00 pm

Hi Patty, Glad you found our Louisiana Plantation guide from Pinterest! Yes, there is a pretty comprehensive guide to the 12 plantations we visited along the River Road, and can take a while to read and digest, but it should give you a good idea of the plantation(s) that you might want to visit on your trip. Now we never experienced not being able to hear or have time to see rooms during any of our tours, but I could imagine that happening in a couple of plantations during their busiest times. In terms of crowds, some of the plantations get a lot more visitors than others. For instance, Nottoway, Oak Alley, Laura, Houmas House, & Destrehan Plantation are probably the most popular and draw the biggest crowds and run back-to-back tours throughout the day. In the article, we’ve tried to indicate the crowd sizes under each plantation but of course this is going to vary a bit by day and time of the year. I will say that Oak Alley has one of the shortest and busiest house tours so that may be one you want to avoid and Laura was also busy although the tour lasted longer. We were alone or only joined by a couple of other people at some of the plantations: Magnolia Mound, St. Joseph, Evergreen, San Francisco, and Destrehan but all these can also be very busy at times, especially if a bus of people arrive for a tour. If you stay at Ormond Plantation, you can ask to arrange a personal tour for free – lovely walk around the house and property. Our advice would be to choose the plantation(s) you really want to go to and try to make their first tour of the day (or alternatively their last tour of the day) as these tend to be less crowded and the bus tours are not normally there yet. If you find that you are joining a very crowded tour, ask to wait and go on the next one. Being flexible with your time can be key as when we were at Destrehan, a giant group of schoolchildren had just arrived and were put on the tour in front of us, but we were given a tour just to ourselves as we were the only ones left for the last tour of the day. Hope this helps! Best, Jessica

August 5, 2017 at 12:44 pm

Thank you, Jessica. I’ll be taking everything you say into consideration. Chances are we won’t ever have another trip to NOLA, so we want everything to be as good as we can plan it for this time. Living in Texas, we have the same nasty hot, humid weather that Louisiana has, so we know not to go during the worst months. We’re hoping to find some cooler weather in the fall, and maybe the crowds and tour groups won’t be as large then either. Thanks so much for all the information. Wish we could see all of them as you did, but maybe we’ll do two since we’ll be out there!

August 5, 2017 at 6:58 pm

Wishing you a wonderful trip to Louisiana and NOLA! ~ Jessica

Joanie Long Post author

July 11, 2017 at 1:47 pm

Traveling through this area on my way to Fort Walton Beach, Florida for a beach vacation. Wanted to tour one or two plantation homes, but had no idea which. Other articles I read didn’t help me much at all, but this one was perfect! I read every word of it, and I have now narrowed down my choices somewhat. Thanks so much for such a fun and informing article. Wish I was a travel writer!!!

July 12, 2017 at 5:58 pm

Hi Joanie, Glad you found our guide to Louisiana plantations along the River Road helpful – we put a lot of research & time into the article. Hope you have a wonderful trip through Louisiana on your way to Florida – and thanks for taking the time to comment. We always love to hear that our information or photos helped someone! Best, Jessica

Nicole Post author

April 30, 2017 at 1:11 pm

I’ll be in New Orleans for a couple of days next month and a trip to a plantation house is definitely on the list and this makes it so much easier to choose. So, thank you so much for writing it all down so nicely — the excitement is growing even more.

Greetings from Germany!

April 30, 2017 at 1:25 pm

Hi Nicole, Glad that this article helped boost your excited for your upcoming trip to New Orleans! It is easy to plan a trip to a plantation house if you will be in New Orleans for 2-3 days – you can either rent a car, join a bus tour, or hire a driver. Coming from Germany, you might want to visit one of the homes with a Germany connection like San Francisco Plantation (many of the families had German or French ancestry). Within New Orleans itself (can be reached via public transit or car), you might also want to visit Longue Vue House and Gardens which is not a plantation house but a nice historical home with pretty gardens. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Happy travels, Jessica

Candice Post author

April 14, 2017 at 7:52 am

Thank you so much for your wonderful post! I was especially happy to see a photo of Susan, a guide at Houmas House!! She was our guide several years ago, and she was a blessing to spend time with. SO happy to see she is still a guide at Houmas House and doing well!

April 14, 2017 at 7:55 am

Hi Candice, Glad you enjoyed our post on the Louisiana plantations! Yes, Susan is still guiding at Houmas House (or at least as of last Feb.) and was a delight. She was recommended to us by others as well and is definitely an entertaining guide! Happy travels, Jessica

Ann Post author

April 4, 2017 at 4:04 pm

Wow! So glad I found this. You have done such a wonderful job and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the fascinating information.

I would love to see some of the plantation homes with my daughters. Perhaps a future trip.

I have only visited Houmas House. It was many years ago. Of course I was terrified by “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte” as a child & this was part of the lure. I am sad to say that I don’t think I like the remodel of the house, from what I can see in the photos. When we visited I remember wallpaper? Not sure if it was original, but I believe it was in the foyer or area with the staircase. Some sort of mural type wallpaper. The current owner’s taste looks rather tacky (good southern word). A shame. I would still love to revisit the place.The tour sounds like it has improved.

I picture our trip being on a long weekend. We live outside Houston and I am wondering if we could fly into Baton Rouge and leave via New Orleans.

Also wondering out of all the plantations where you can stay overnight, which two you most recommend?

We may have to narrow it down a bit. Not sure we can cover this many plantations in such a short time. If we had to choose only six, which would those be? I know, very hard decision.

Thank you again for your wonderful article.

April 5, 2017 at 4:30 pm

Hi Ann, Glad you found our article on the River Road plantations in Louisiana helpful in planning your next trip. Yes, I think that the Houmas House has definitely changed with the new owner and he is a dog lover and a collector of lots of things – I think it would be interested for your to revisit the property to see it again.

Let’s see – yes I think flying into one city and out another (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) is a good way to do it or since the two aren’t too far apart you could probably do a round trip if it saves you on rental car return. I would definitely not recommend visiting all of these, especially if you only have a few days to visit. If your trip is only going to concentrate on plantations (not visiting New Orleans or Baton Rouge) you could easily do six plantations in 2-3 days but you’ll need to plan ahead as not all are open daily. But I would choose 2-3 each day you want to visit and then really spend time visiting them with leisurely meals in between. For an overnight stay, I would choose one of the grander and more popular plantations for one night (Oak Alley, Houmas House, or Nottoway Plantation) and a lesser known plantation for the other (Ormond or Poché) – I would base this partially on your route and where you plan to visit each day so you don’t have to backtrack too much. You might also want to do at least one stay where you actually get to stay in the main house (e.g., Nottoway, Ormond, or Poché).

In terms of which six, it really depends a lot on your particular interests. Are you interested in romanticized plantations, costumed guides, slavery, antiques, craft demonstrations? Looking for lesser visited plantations to escape the tour buses? I would recommend trying out ones that are going to be different from one another – so for example Magnolia Mound Plantation for its history and antiques, Destrehan for its history and craft demonstrations, San Francisco for its unique architecture, Laura for its focus on the people that lived in the house, Houmas House for its gardens and restaurant, St. Joseph for being a working plantation, Whitney for its focus on slavery, Nottoway or Oak Alley for its beauty, Evergreen for most intact plantation, etc. Read my descriptions and just choose the ones that sound best to you, no reason to go to a plantation that doesn’t look or sound interesting to you personally! I have good memories from all of them actually as I love learning new thing and visiting new places – they are just different. One place that sticks in my mind is probably St. Joseph Plantation, just because you often get a tour from people whose family lived in the house and still work on the plantation. It felt very authentic.

Happy travels! Jessica

Col. William Thornton Post author

March 29, 2017 at 3:09 pm

I am very intent on acquiring an enlarged c-print of your evening photograph of Oak Alley Plantation’s Great House, as seen through the darkening entrance of its magnificent oak trees. When convenient, please provide a cost for a minimum crop size of approximately 19″w x 17″h mounted to a masonite panel.

Col. Will Thornton, USMCR, Ret.

March 30, 2017 at 3:20 am

Dear Col. Thornton, We are happy to sell you a copy of the Oak Alley photo although it would probably be best if you had it printed locally rather than us printing it here. We have emailed you about buying the Oak Alley print. Please let me know if for any reason, you do not receive that email. Best, Jessica

Olivia Maddox Post author

March 20, 2017 at 5:49 pm

Thank you for such an informative, well-written guide on these homes. You provide much more detailed information than the tourism bureaus. My husband and I–plus our dog–are RVing to Mississippi and Louisiana to visit Vicksburg, Natchez and the River Road plantations in April. Oak Alley was definitely on our list but we were unsure which other homes to visit. Your guide will be so helpful as we make our picks. I appreciate that you took so much time to write and compile this much information, particularly noting special interests such as history, architecture and photography. I look forward to reading more from you in the future–you ‘re now a “go-to” reference!

March 22, 2017 at 1:56 pm

Hi Olivia, Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, we greatly appreciate people taking the time to provide feedback. We are so happy you enjoyed this blog post and found the information so useful! Those are some great places to visit and we hope to get to Vicksburg and Natchez soon but did not have time to include Mississippi on our last road trip. There are a number of River Road plantations in Louisiana and being able to see a few different ones I think gives you a broader perspective than only visiting one of them. Oak Alley is definitely one of the most popular, but we also enjoyed visiting some of the lesser known ones (St. Joseph Plantation was one of our favorites) and ones that focused more on things like history & the lives of the slaves and tenants. Best of luck on your road trip! Happy travels, Jessica

Bohuna Hendrych Post author

February 13, 2017 at 5:40 pm

What a fantastic article. We were planning to see only one plantation. After reading your detailed information we will have to book one more night in New Orleans and see more plantations. Thanks for helping us to make decision.

February 13, 2017 at 7:22 pm

Hi Bohuna, Glad you found our River Road Plantation guide useful! Yes, there are a lot of plantations that you can visit. You can’t see them all in 2 days, but you should be able to visit several of them and get some variety 😉 Enjoy your trip to New Orleans! ~ Jessica

Jo Post author

November 26, 2016 at 6:05 pm

Thank you for a thorough review of our area. I will be sharing on our social media. I have the pleasure of working with the majority of these homes and owners. Thank you for sharing our history and the beautiful pictures! This is wonderful – you really did your homework!

travelcats Post author

November 26, 2016 at 10:27 pm

Thanks Jo, glad you enjoyed this post and thanks for sharing it on social media. We did definitely take our time and visited most of the area’s plantations to make this New Orleans Plantation Guide! Best, Jessica

Debbie Carter Post author

August 14, 2016 at 10:39 pm

When can I find a map to plot our trip.

August 15, 2016 at 11:05 am

Hi Debbie, First I figured out which plantations I wanted to visit and then I used all the addresses (all are included in the blog post) and plotted it out on Google Maps first to get a sense of the order and how long between each plantation. Then we used a combination of GPS and a paper map from the New Orleans Planation Country to get around. You can get a copy of the visitor guide with area map here (they can mail it, you can pick it up, or download a digital copy): http://visitnopc.com/request-a-visitors-guide/ Hope this helps! Best, Jessica

beatravelling Post author

July 17, 2016 at 1:31 pm

Always wanted to visit this part of the US. Looks amazing!

July 17, 2016 at 1:54 pm

Earlier this year, we did a month long road trip through parts of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana and had a great time. Can’t wait to return! ~ Jessica

Clare (Suitcases and Sandcastles) Post author

July 10, 2016 at 4:06 am

Such a useful and fascinating guide to the plantations of Louisiana. Your pictures are as wonderful as ever. I think your tips are particularly helpful especially with regard to the sensitivity needed when visiting these plantations. I’m surprised to read that most don’t focus much on the slavery aspect of plantation life. I would love to visit some of these.

July 10, 2016 at 4:24 am

Hi Clare, Thanks, yes, we found in reading plantation reviews that there were many comments about people (especially African American visitors) feeling uncomfortable during tours or feeling like other guests (or even staff) made ignorant/inappropriate remarks. Until relatively recently, most plantations focused very little on slavery and most of the slavery related exhibits at plantations are fairly recent. The opening of Whitney Plantation has increased focus on the role of slavery at many of the other River Road plantations. But I think many visitors don’t want to focus on the heavy topic of slavery while on holiday and they just want to tour a pretty house which is fine, but I do think a good amount of information about the subject should be available for interested visitors at many of the plantations. I would love to see optional guided tours that focus on the role of slavery and African American life (the history of blacks on plantations after the Civil War is often missing) on plantations at some of the plantations with the largest visitor numbers. This is an area that some of these plantations could definitely improve, but there are a handful that do a good job and Whitney is probably the best in the country. Hope you get a chance to explore this area some day! ~ Jessica

Eileen g Post author

July 9, 2016 at 3:34 pm

12 is a lot of plantations to visit! You do a great job differentiating them so this is a great guide. Those with grounds are sometimes the best ones for younger kids, who don’t do so well on house tours.

July 9, 2016 at 4:26 pm

Hi Eileen, Yes, 12 plantations was so many, but I am glad all the work went into making such a comprehensive guide! Yes, I think younger kids may get bored during a house tour but many older kids seemed to be enjoying them when we visited. I think some of the longer tours may be difficult especially. Houmas House has a lot of area to run around in and some beautiful gardens and you can pay to just visit the gardens. However, most plantations the entry price includes everything so if you don’t do the house tour, it would be paying a lot to gain entry to just the grounds. We don’t have children but a few others that come to mind: Oak Alley has a lot of space to run around and the tour is fairly short, Destrehan has the craft demonstrations and outdoor space, and St. Joseph is quite laid back and has picnic tables and areas to run around outside. Families may also enjoy an overnight stay as the cottages on some of the plantations are very well suited for families. ~ Jessica

Ruth Post author

July 9, 2016 at 10:29 am

I have enjoyed the tour through all these plantations. How long it took you to visit them? I know people will visit the plantations for different reasons but I will be interested in the historical aspects of them. You mentioned there were visitors/owners descending from owners and slaves. It will be interesting to heard their stories about the time when plantation where prospering.

July 9, 2016 at 3:59 pm

Hi Ruth, Glad you enjoyed reading about the palntations. We visited these over the course of 4 days I believe. You can easily visit 2 in a day, 3 if you are only spending about 2 hours per plantation as many of them are very close together. We visited these 12 for the purposes of writing this as travel writers but I think as normal visitors, seeing 2-3 would probably be quite enough for one trip:-) Yes, you’ll find that people who are descendants of former owners, staff, slaves, tenant farmers, etc. will sometimes come back and many of course still live in the area. Some are even employed at the plantations. The point is really that you never know. There are some great books out there on plantation life from all sorts of perspectives (the plantation gift shops are full of them) and you might want to check out the WPA Slave Narratives (these are free to read online, although sadly Louisiana did not take part) and the memoirs of Laura Locoul that I mention in the post, as it talks about her experience growing up and running the Laura Plantation. Today, an example of a still working sugar plantation is St. Joseph and many of the staff members are the family owners and the same family has been running it since 1877! ~ Jessica

Stephen Garone Post author

July 6, 2016 at 10:26 am

That is one thorough post! I’ve been to three of these plantations, but you made me want to see the rest! Thanks for sharing.

July 8, 2016 at 11:26 am

Hi Stephen, Yes, I think most people visit 2-3 of the most famous Louisiana planations and never hear about the others. Hope you get a chance to return to the area! ~ Jessica

Randy Post author

July 5, 2016 at 8:09 pm

Thank You for including the lesser known plantations such as Poche Plantation and it’s RV Resort. Camping on an actual plantation is an experience greatly enjoyed. There is a resturant on Poche grounds as well as an official US Post Office.

July 8, 2016 at 11:24 am

Hi Randy, You’re welcome and sounds like you had have had a good stay at a plantation before! The Convent Post Office is within the fencing of Poche Plantation; however, there is actually not a restaurant at Poche Plantation (at least not when we were there a few months ago). But there are several within a 5-10 minute drive (Hyman’s Seafood Restaurant, Nobile’s Restaurant, B&C Seafood Market & Cajun Restaurant, Subway). Best, Jessica

Anda Post author

July 4, 2016 at 10:02 pm

Thank you for this comprehensive guide of the 12 River Road Plantations. I didn’t get to see but some of them when I was there, but I have to say that reading your post I felt like I visited all of them. This post will definitely be bookmarked for future reference and shared on my FB and Twitter. Lots of valuable information in good photos.

July 5, 2016 at 4:47 am

Hi Anda, You’re very welcome 🙂 I know you have been to New Orleans several times and visited Oak Alley and some other plantations along the River Road. If you return, maybe some of the lesser known plantations may appeal. Thanks so much for sharing, greatly appreciated! ~ Jessica

Seana Turner Post author

July 4, 2016 at 6:42 pm

I’ve not been to the Louisiana plantations… what a thorough review of all there is to see! I have been to a couple in SC, and I have to say that I found the experience remarkable. It touched me in a variety of ways, from learning about the lifestyle, to seeing the truth of what it took to run these operations, and to simply experiencing the way many Americans lived their lives. They are both beautiful and touching at the same time. History never disappoints!

July 5, 2016 at 4:45 am

Hi Seana, Yes, there are some great historical plantations and homes in SC as well! I love historical homes of any kind and learning about the history of each of these places–the good, the bad, and the sad–was very interesting. I would definitely not recommend visiting all 12 of these (we did it for the purposes for writing this guide obviously) but I would definitely recommending visiting more than one as they each have a different feel. People have such varying interests (e.g., architecture, gardening, photography, history of slavery, Creole culture) and hopefully this guide will help visitors choose the places that are best for them rather than just choosing the most popular ones. ~ Jessica

Marcia Post author

July 4, 2016 at 1:45 pm

Wow, this is an amazing post, chock full of valuable information! I read about the Whitney earlier this year and have been thinking of visiting, hopefully before the summer ends. Thanks for such a detailed post, I’m bookmarking it to help me plan my trip. Thanks again!

July 4, 2016 at 4:40 pm

Hi Marcia! Thanks, glad this was helpful and I hope you make a visit to Whitney Plantation. It can be a really powerful experience and a very sad one at the same time, but also quite informative. Whitney has one of the longer tours and the majority of the tour is outdoors, so if you can time it so that it is not unbearably hot and humid, it can make for a much more pleasant experience:) You can carry water bottles during the tour but no other drinks/food. If you do have a date and time in mind, you can book tickets to Whitney in advance on their website as they do sometimes sell out a tour time, especially in high season. Happy travels! ~ Jessica

J R (Bob)Brown Post author

August 2, 2018 at 3:08 pm

Can I get your opinion on the best 3 day tour. Friend and I are very interested in visiting, especially from a historical perspective. Probably in September. What’s a good starting point? Somewhat familiar with the area. Bob Brown

August 2, 2018 at 4:22 pm

It would be easy to see a lot of these Louisiana plantations in 3 days.

-If you are asking about a guided tour, you’d have to arrange a private one as the group ones offered are just day tours from New Orleans.

-If you are asking about a self-guided tour, I’d recommend starting in either Baton Rouge or New Orleans and then just following the River Road, to the other city. The map in the article shows you all the locations so you can plan your route. In terms of time, you can visit 2 to 3 plantations each day without being too rushed, and just choose the ones that sound most appealing. All of the River Road plantations offer some great historical info, but the ones that stood out a bit more from a historical perspective were Destrehan Plantation (probably the one with the most documented history), Magnolia Mound Plantation, Evergreen Plantation, San Francisco Plantation, Laura Plantation, Whitney Plantation, and St. Joseph Plantation.

-I’d also recommend taking in some of the other local history as you go through by stopping in the some of the towns. One great history stop is the National Hansen’s Disease Museum in Carville which is located on a former plantation. The site is across the river from Nottoway Plantation. There is also the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsville. Some great historical sites in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans as well of course!

Hope this helps – let me know if you have further questions!

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3 Unforgettable New Orleans Plantations to Visit Along the Great River Road

No visit to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, or Lafayette in south Louisiana would be complete without exploring the New Orleans plantations, some of America's most interesting, and tragic, history. 

Mixed in with present day farms and scattered houses are the restored Antebellum-era "big house" plantations, some with refurbished outbuildings and slave cabins.

To visit here is to venture into the opulence, wealth, and power of the plantation owners.

It's also a glimpse into the exploitation, dehumanization, and horrific brutality that was American slavery. It’s impossible to see one without the other — or should be — and the contrast between the two is stark, poignant and heartbreaking.

It's America's history — a difficult story to tell and hear, but nonetheless an experience that shouldn't be missed. 

New Orleans Plantations

Of the dozen or so sites you can visit in New Orleans plantation country, seeing 2-3 in one day is ideal depending on how long you like to linger.

But keep these things in mind when planning your day:

Most plantations offer guided tours on the hour - so if you arrive at 10:25 am, you'll have to wait :35 minutes until the next tour begins. So plan accordingly.

If you can, call ahead to reserve a tour or put your name on the tour list as soon as you arrive . Some tours are capped or limited to a certain number of participants and you don't want to miss out if there are too many people on that hourly tour.

We opted to see 3 plantations in our day of exploring: Laura Plantation , Oak Alley Plantation , and Whitney Plantation . Laura and Oak Alley are practically next door to each other, and Whitney is just 7 miles down the road. These three, among all the New Orleans plantations, have some of the most unique tours and we felt they were a good mixture for one day.

New Orleans Plantations Along the Great River Road

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click through and purchase, we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Oak Alley Plantation

Oak alley plantation tours.

3645 Hwy 18 (Great River Road), Vacherie, St. James Parish, LA

Guided Tours - Begin at 9:30 am -5 pm with groups of 35-45 depending on the number of visitors. Second floor is not handicap accessible, however an iPad video is available for viewing the second floor tour. All other exhibits open 9 am - 5 pm.

Our first plantation visit was to Oak Alley Plantation , the most famous and photogenic of them all for the double row of live oaks gracefully arching across the main entryway leading to the mansion. It's instantly recognizable from photos, TV, and films like Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Interview with a Vampire . That long lane of 28 beautiful trees nearly a quarter mile long  personifies what many think the antebellum south must have looked like. Oak Alley is certainly unique with its handsome Gone With The Wind good looks.  

Dating to 1839 and situated on the west bank of the Mississippi River, it was originally called Bon Sejour Plantation and was established to grow sugar cane. The mansion, built in the Greek Revival style and now a National Historic Landmark for its architecture and landscaping, is imposing but fits perfectly into the setting. 

Across the two lane road in front of the property is a high levee to control the mighty Mississippi River when it rises. We were surprised to see the tall stacks of a large paddle wheel cruise ship docked at the levee which explained the hordes of tourists we were seeing. 

Visitors are free to roam the grounds on their own which we did, and it gives you time to visit the Sugarcane Theater and the Slavery Alley exhibit with its small rustic cabins.  At the end of Slavery Alley is a large Blacksmith shop with a rare 1890s era forge where demonstrations of smithing are done on certain days. 

We took our time wandering through this area, imagining what life must have been like for those enslaved here. Looking at cabins alone is such a small part of the history of these plantations and tells us little about the people themselves.

To help satisfy some of our curiosity we decided to take the tour of the "big house". This turned out to be worthwhile, and we encourage you to take the tour.

Next to a side porch is the Plantation Bell. Cast in 1848, it was used to signal things like meal time or calling the slaves in from the fields. Today it's rung to signal the start of each guided tour. So once you've signed up, listen for the bell.

Our guide was excellent, sharing historical fact and anecdotal perspectives of both the owners and slaves. After a brief description of each room and its mostly original furnishings, he shared stories of the "house slaves" and what their lives must have been like, including the ongoing tension and anxiety over the failing health of the Master of the house, and the impending War Between the States.

The guide even included some juicy gossip about the family and the many skeletons in their closet. The tour took just an hour, and we could have easily spent several more trying to understand the people and how their lives were so different, yet intertwined. 

Of the generations of slaves at Oak Alley, many were already skilled craftsmen in their native lands, and those skills were sought after by opportunistic slavers looking to expand their stable of talent. Such skills like carpentry, masonry, farming and iron work built these plantations and kept them running.

A great example of how skilled they were is the perfect grafting of pecan trees on this plantation in 1846 by a slave gardener known only as Antoine. Those thin-shelled pecans of Louisiana became known as the Centennial Variety, but sadly all of the original trees were cleared to make room for the more profitable sugarcane.

All historic references aside, the setting at Oak Alley is lovely and picturesque - and highly romanticized to be sure. It's easy to see why it's one of the most popular plantations to visit, and therefore very crowded at certain times. Along with an onsite restaurant and B&B cottages, the visitor experience and tour of Oak Alley Plantation is definitely worth a visit.  

PHOTO TIP: Stay Until Sunset

If you're staying overnight nearby and want the ideal photos of Oak Alley with the late afternoon lighting and no people, come back at sunset and stay until the blue hour fades.

Better yet, just stay overnight at Oak Alley !

Laura Plantation

Laura plantation tours.

2247 Hwy 18 (Great River Road), Vacherie, St. James Parish, LA

Guided Tours - 75-80 minute guided tours hourly 10am-4pm (last tour).

Originally called l'Habitation Duparc after its 1804 owner Guillaume Duparc,  Laura Plantation  became the first historic attraction in Louisiana to include stories of slaves as part of a tour. Four generations of one Creole family lived here with four generations of women running the plantation.

The "big house", or manor house, was built by skilled slave craftsmen in the raised Louisiana Creole style. It must have been magnificent in its day with its bright colors and unusual U-shape, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The plantation was named for Laura Locoul in the late 19th century by her father. Born on the plantation in 1861, we found her a very intriguing personality. In 1892 she sold the property with the stipulation that it would remain Laura Plantation as it was then, and still is today.

In 1993, her 1936 unpublished handwritten manuscript,  Memories of the Old Plantation Home,  was recovered.  Her anecdotes and stories of Creole life on the plantation are shared daily by tour guides, adding a personal feel as you walk along where she once walked.

The guided tour takes around 75-80 minutes and involves a good bit of walking, about a quarter mile. The tour winds around the grounds, slave cabins, and through the big house.

For a self-guided tour on your own, there's a museum-style exhibit in the restored overseer's cottage which opened in 2017  - "From the Big House to the Quarters: Slavery on Laura Plantation."

There's a lot of information to absorb in the exhibit - stories about the lives of slaves, plantation life, and interaction with their owners. But for me, it was the photographs, being able to see a face, their expressions and their eyes. This is an amazing collection so don't pass up seeing it.

We enjoyed the Laura Plantation tour and thought the setting at Laura Plantation was more relaxed than at Oak Alley. Both were very informative but the cruise ship crowds at Oak Alley seemed to detract from the experience, though it may not be like that every day.

For us, the pace at Laura Plantation was better, and the tour more comprehensive. We also really enjoyed the personal perspective from which is was told from the women and slaves. 

Whitney Plantation

Whitney plantation tours.

5099 Hwy 18 (Great River Road), Wallace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA

Guided Tours - 90 minute guided tours hourly 10am-3pm (last tour). Advance ticket purchase recommended.

Just 7 miles down the historic River Road from Oak Alley is Whitney Plantation, an excellent contrast to Oak Alley, and must see on your visit. 

Nearly 20 years ago, the property was purchased by wealthy New Orleans lawyer John Cummings, who spent 8 million dollars of his own money and nearly 15 years after purchasing the property turning it into the first museum of its kind dedicated to telling the story of slavery in Louisiana. 

Originally called Habitation Haydel after the German family who owned it, the plantation and museum are now on the National Register of Historic Places.

We took the 90 minute tour with our guide, Ali, and (spoiler alert) it was one of the best New Orleans plantation tours we took - unlike any tour we've taken. A tour of Whitney is not a touristy walk through the romantic south with its gentility and excess. Here, the story is presented completely from the perspective of the slaves, their lives on the plantation and their experience.

Upon registration, you're given a lanyard to wear with the name of a slave and a photo of a sculpted statue located on the property. Everyone's card had the name of a slave who resided at Whitney Plantation. On the back of the card was a brief quote along with the person's age at the time their story was transcribed (ca. 1940).

These quotes, along with others seen throughout the property were taken from the 1936-40 Federal Writer's Project which documented life on southern plantations through first-person narratives of former slaves. It was a poignant start to our tour. 

My card depicted Ceceil George, age 94.  My wife's card had Carlyle Stewart, age 87.

Antioch Baptist Church

The first stop on the tour was a restored freedmen's church , which was erected after the Civil War on the east bank of the Mississippi River, but is not original to the Whitney Plantation. The church's local congregation donated it to Whitney and it was floated across the Mississippi and restored onsite where it stands today.

A short film on the slave history of Whitney is shown inside to start, but perhaps the most compelling feature of the church are the sculpted clay statues of slave children standing, sitting, staring. The eerie gaze of the ghostly eyeless statues made the film all the more poignant. 

We left the church feeling sad, and angry.

“ Everybody worked, young and ole; if you could only carry two or three sugar cane, yo’ worked. No school, no church... ”

The Children of Whitney   

Whitney Plantation owner John Cummings commissioned artist Woodrow Nash to create a series of sculptures that represented the former slaves who lived here. The Children of Whitney presents the experiences of these children as told in their own words, and you’re brought into their lives as enslaved children. 

The statues - modeled using original photos - are set in the church, the cabins, sitting on porches and outside of buildings. It's impossible to look away. Mr. Nash intentionally left empty the space where their eyes would be to convey a sense of utter hopelessness. And it works. The statues leave an indelible impression on you.

“ Yo’ has to put yo’ candle out early and shut yo’self up, den get up while it’s still dark an’ start to work. ”

The tour winds through the property past the last surviving example of a true French Creole barn , the pigeonniers (roosting houses for pigeons that were eaten regularly), huge copper sugar kettles , and what is believed to be the oldest detached kitchen in Louisiana. Inside this kitchen, meals were prepared for all the workers returning from the fields as well as for the Big House. 

The 7 restored slave cabins  (2 original and 5 from area plantations) are haunting. They are simple one room wooden cabins with a fireplace, small table and sometimes a simple rope bed built into a corner of the room. At times up to 15 or more people were housed in one small room. It's hard to imagine living in such crowded conditions in the sweltering heat and humidity of the long Louisiana summer, not to mention the mosquitos.

Maybe it was enough to just be able to lie down and close your eyes after working to near exhaustion in the cane fields everyday.

Nearby and on full view of the cabins is the cage - or jail - a witness to the sheer brutality of plantation life. The large iron crate had previously been used to hold slaves during auctions with only small holes throughout for air. The day we visited was hot and sunny and I went inside and closed the door behind me. I could barely breathe.

“ I was born in 1853.... I worked, carrying sugar cane, I could only tote 5 stalks at a time....they had straps and a whip....and they better not catch you praying to God. ”

The Big House is considered the earliest and best preserved raised Creole cottage in Louisiana. Slaves made the bricks and built the Big House from the mud of the Mississippi River and were experienced farmers who knew how to control water from flooding to optimize the planted fields - most important when growing sugar cane. From the buildings to the crops, all of this was built by skilled craftsmen, who now were slaves.

The various memorials on the property are sobering. The Wall of Honor is dedicated to all those who were enslaved here. Documented from remaining records, their 354 names - some with the country of origin, skill, and approximate date of birth - are engraved on granite slabs along with first person narratives which give a sense of life to the names.

The Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall memorial garden and the Field of Angels are   also dedicated to the area slaves and infant children who lived and died in St. John the Baptist Parish.

The 90-minute tour at Whitney Plantation was our favorite presentation of the three New Orleans Plantations we visited. They delve much deeper on the back stories of plantation life and tell the story of slavery from a humanistic and economic standpoint. It's arresting and provocative - and horrifying when you're reminded again and again whose words are being spoken.  

Cage at Whitney Plantation

What to Expect From Your Tour of the New Orleans Plantations

The three tours at Oak Alley Plantation, Laura Plantation, and Whitney Plantation all tell fascinating stories, and all three are unique in their presentation. You can easily visit all 3 if you have one day or a weekend in New Orleans . Here are tour details to remember as you plan:

The tour at Oak Alley Plantation is of the Big House only - the grand spectacle of all Louisiana plantations - and while the guides do weave together perspectives from both owners and the enslaved, the rest of the grounds are left for you to explore on your own.

At Laura Plantation, the presentation is told largely through the manuscript of Laura Locoul, making for a fascinating and personal account of life on the plantation.

The Whitney Plantation tour tells the "Story of Slavery" in an arresting way from the words of those who lived it, which makes for a compelling tour that may likely be uncomfortable or awkward at times.

There is plenty written and portrayed about life on the River Road plantations, the lavish lifestyle of the southern aristocracy, the brutality of slavery. Most of us could never empathize with the idea of being enslaved, or describe the brutality and inhumanity which these human beings endured. 

What we can describe is how seeing this made us feel, and made us think. Perhaps most disturbing is the norm which deemed it perfectly acceptable and desirable to own men, women, and children as property. It's sickening to comprehend the notion of children as 'natural fruits' (as defined by the Louisiana Slave Code photo at the beginning in case you missed that abhorrent idea). 

Many attempts at engaging in meaningful dialogue about race and slavery so often fall short because we often don't know the questions to ask, or the best way to ask them without fear of offense, hurt, or embarrassment.

Without a doubt, the New Orleans plantations were built on the backs of these enslaved individuals. And the subject is awkward, confusing, uncomfortable, and painful. But taking a tour of these plantations along River Road opens the door and at least begins an important conversation - even if it's just with yourself.

Where to Stay in New Orleans

If you want to spend more time in the plantation country, we recommend staying at one of the Plantations for an unforgettable overnight experience. There are several with on-site Inns you can stay in:  Nottaway Plantation ,  Oak Alley Plantation , and Destrehan Plantation.

We loved the historic Inn at Houmas House Plantation — it’s a perfect place to stay to explore most of the plantations, and has an on-site restaurant (we thought this was a big plus, as there aren’t many restaurants along the River Road). 

Check availability and more details  at Houmas House . 

If you want to kick it up at one of the fun New Orleans hotels , there are plenty of good ones.

French Quarter

Four Points Sheraton

You might recognize the expansive wraparound balcony of the Four Points Sheraton but don’t let its grand exterior fool you - its a terrific value with a perfect Boubon Street location!

Check out their rates and more details here .

Hotel Provincial

For a bit more quiet than staying squarely on Bourbon Street - and a lot more elegance - try the Hotel Provincial . This is such a beautiful property with a sublime pool for you or the kids. Plus its in the heart of the French Quarter, just steps away from the action.

See more details and availability here .

Garden District

Hotel Indigo New Orleans Garden District

One of the best boutique hotels in New Orleans also happens to be our favorite place to stay in the NOLA Garden District — the Hotel Indigo New Orleans Garden District.

We didn't expect to love the modern design since we were looking for something a bit more historic, but we enjoyed the location and the cool design. Plus the reasonable rates make it a great value .  

Check rates and availability here .

Have You Been to the New Orleans Plantations?

There's a dozen or so plantations to visit in New Orleans Plantation Country, and no right or wrong way to visit them. I'd love to hear your experience if you've visited - share with us below.   

New Orleans Plantation Tour

Venture beyond the city in a private vehicle to a historic plantation with the New Orleans Plantation Tour. This excursion offers a superb opportunity to view the rural landscapes of the Mississippi River Delta, understand the economic and architectural aspects of a sugarcane plantation, and delve into the lives of the many individuals who were enslaved there.

Itinerary – New Orleans Plantation Tour

First, we will travel away from the city through the scenic wetlands of the Mississippi River delta.

Outside the city, we make our way to the banks of the Mississippi River.

In the areas upstream of New Orleans, we will explore one or two antebellum plantation homes of your choice.

During the plantation visit, you will learn about the history and architecture of the main home and have the opportunity to explore its grounds and structures.

We will spend a good amount of time delving into the struggle of millions who were enslaved on plantations in the area.

We will learn about the economics of how a sugar farm operated before modern machinery and the lifestyles of rural South Louisiana.

We can either visit one plantation or two plantations. One plantation is a simple half-day experience. Two plantations is a full-day experience.

If you would like to visit two plantations, then we will be sure to include a wonderful local lunch spot.

Then, we will drive along River Road to view other large plantation homes in the area.

Lastly, we will return to the city, where I can drop you off at your hotel or any other location you prefer.

Price & Details

One plantation: half day option.

4 Hour duration; $500 up to 4 guests; $65/pp additional.

Admissions are included.

Two Plantations: All Day Option

9:30 AM departure to avoid afternoon interstate rush hour traffic.

7-8 Hour duration; $750 up to 4 guests; $85/pp additional.

Lunch stop in between plantations. Food/beverage not included.

What Plantation to Visit?

If you're not particular about the choice, I often recommend visiting Laura Plantation on the New Orleans Plantation Tour. This unique Creole Plantation provides a 70-minute tour grounded in 5,000 pages of French National Archives documents pertaining to the free and enslaved families who resided there. Visitors gain insight into the compelling, true stories of seven generations of Laura Plantation's Creole residents. Featuring 11 structures on the National Register, Laura Plantation invites guests to discover its recently restored Manor House, the formal and kitchen gardens, Banana-Land grove, and the original Creole cottages and slave quarters.

Among the plantations in the vicinity is Oak Alley Plantation , renowned for its breathtaking beauty and meticulous upkeep. Oak Alley boasts an outstanding slavery exhibit alongside a remarkable assemblage of historic live oaks. The slavery exhibit at Oak Alley features six cabins, each housing a distinct display that illustrates the living conditions, medical care, inventories, valuations of enslaved individuals, and more. Furthermore, the plantation's namesake alley is lined with twenty-eight ancient live oak trees, some of which are almost 250 years old.

The Houmas House Estate, sprawling over tens of thousands of acres, was once the nation's largest sugar producer, earning the nickname "The Sugar Palace." The mansion, now restored to its antebellum splendor, showcases the wealth and luxury of the 1880s sugarcane farm. Visitors can explore the 16 magnificent rooms adorned with antique furnishings and artworks that capture the estate's historic grandeur. The grounds feature 38 acres of stunning gardens, continually replanted to mirror the changing seasons.

Destrehan Plantation , founded in 1787 and recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, stands as the most ancient documented plantation house in the lower Mississippi Valley. The estate showcases a historic document bearing the signatures of President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison. Situated along the storied River Road, this pre-Civil War residence, with its verdant lawns and Spanish moss-covered live oaks, presides over the Mississippi River's edge, a short distance from New Orleans.

Arrival / Transportation

Tour will begin at your hotel in New Orleans, or other area of convenience in the city.

Tour will end back at your hotel or other place of your convenience.

The vehicle is a full-size SUV with leather interior, 2nd row Captain’s chairs and a 3rd row of seats.

The SUV can accommodate 6 passengers.

Add-Ons for the Single Plantation

Add a Swamp Tour with optional stop for lunch

Includes luxury transportation and a private chartered airboat swamp tour with captain

Includes plantation admission fees

Stop for lunch at a local restaurant

7 hours in duration

$1195 for up to 6 guests

Does not include food or beverage

Add a City Tour with optional stop for lunch

Stop for lunch at a local restaurant and a Private Citywide Driving Tour

7.5 hours in duration

$850 for up to 4 guests; $50/pp additional for up to 6.

Reservations: If you are interested, then please email me , text me or call me  to check availability!

Payment / Refunds

Reserve Now Online!

I typically take full payment up front.

If you cancel at least 72 hours in advance of the tour, then a full refund (minus any expenses incurred) will be provided.

For add-on reservations or payment requests, please email me , text me or call me !

Live Oaks of Oak Alley

Houmas House

Laura Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation

Whitney Plantation

Nottoway Plantation

Destrehan Plantation

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French Quarter Tours du Jour

While the French Quarter is a fascinating place to simply sit and stare, it becomes ever more so when you make the effort to learn a bit about its history, quirks and secrets. A veritable panoply of guided tours are available to address all manner of subjects specific to the French Quarter and a knowledgeable, enthusiastic tour guide can peel back the wrappings and allow you to see what’s really inside. French Quarter tours are quick crash courses that take the form of everything from polite, informative walking tours to pub crawls, paddle wheeler sojourns, horse-drawn carriage rides and bizarre nocturnal romps in search of ghosts and vampires.

Some tour guides work independently and offer their services almost as a “friend in New Orleans” – for hire. Some of them are highly specialized and offer a microscopic look at one area of interest. Others touch on a little bit of everything, like City Sightseeing New Orleans – New Orleans’ Hop-On Hop-Off tour that traverses four distinct neighborhoods in classic red open-top double-decker buses. At the other end of the spectrum is Gray Line Tours, a comprehensive one-stop shopping Mecca on the tourism front with numerous tour options available from one brochure. The company offers investigative tours of the French Quarter and Garden District as well as a sweeping look at the entire city. Specialty tours include a cocktail tour, swamp and bayou tours, plantation tours and ghosts and spirits tours.

At the other end of the spectrum is Gray Line Tours, a comprehensive one-stop shopping Mecca on the tourism front with numerous tour options available from one brochure. The company offers investigative tours of the French Quarter and Garden District as well as a sweeping look at the entire city. Specialty tours include a cocktail tour, swamp and bayou tours, plantation tours and ghosts and spirits tours.

Due to its status as the epicenter of the New Orleans, many tour companies offer transportation from French Quarter hotels and landmarks for exploration of other parts of the area.

Highlighted below are a few of the many tours available. Some are noted for their outstanding reputations, others are noted for the unique nature of their offerings.

Hop-On Hop-Off Tours

For French Quarter tours and beyond, a tour that offers a few days of sightseeing is a great option for exploring. City Sightseeing New Orleans is New Orleans’ most flexible tour, with options for 1-Day and 3-Day  unlimited Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing  . Visitors can view New Orleans from a red open-top double-decker bus while enjoying live narration from a guide. These tours also include walking tours and “City Deals” throughout the city for those who want to Hop-Off and enjoy its many attractions.

Walking Tours

This is the very best way to familiarize yourself with the French Quarter. Get a comfortable pair of shoes, some sunscreen and a hat for the walk.

Friends of the Cabildo French Quarter Walking Tours – two hours long and led by highly trained volunteers with the Louisiana State Museum System who educate on architecture and historical fact. The tour visits Madame John’s Legacy as well as the 1850 House.

Nola Tour Guy – Offers a free “pay what you feel” tour experience of the Quarter and St Louis Cemetery. Well known and respected by both locals and repeat visitors to the city.

City Sightseeing New Orleans boasts several walking tours along with their 18-stop route, including one starting at the New Orleans French Market. Learn about the French Quarter’s history and see some of its most popular attractions, then hop back on the tour bus to explore beyond the French Quarter!

National Park Service – These popular 90-minute walks are free and led by rangers from the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park. These tours are hugely informative and focus on history and architecture.

Gray Line French Quarter Walking Tour – These tours make up at the River and Toulouse Street then range throughout the Quarter visiting all the key points including Jackson Square, the Old Ursuline Convent, the Pharmacy Museum, Washington Artillery Park, Royal and Bourbon Streets.

Carriage Tours

Every day from about 8 a.m. to midnight, mule-drawn carriages line up on Decatur Street in front of Jackson Square. These tours are a staple in New Orleans tourism. Some carriages hold four people, others hold six. They roll through the French Quarter, rain or shine, pointing out all of the expected sites. For something more substantial than the standard nickel tour, carriage drivers can be engaged for private tours of the city.

Riverboat Tours

See the city from the body of water that made it all possible.

Steamboat Natchez Cruise – Riding the last steamboat on the Mississippi River recalls an era when steamboats were the main source of transportation, communication, and commerce. It cruises downriver to Chalmette (7 ½ miles) and back twice daily, and once in the evening for a Dinner Jazz Cruise with the Grammy nominated Dukes of Dixieland. During the day there is live jazz and optional food and beverage in addition to the historic and port narration.

Cemetery, Voodoo, Vampire and Haunted Places Tours

These tours range from highly educational and informative, such as those offered by the reputable Save our Cemeteries, to absolutely ridiculous to the point of insult. Due to their popularity, there are so many vampire, voodoo and whatnot tours currently available that over-competitive guides have been known to engage in battle over customers in Jackson Square. Note that due to vandalism issues, only approved docents who are registered with the Archdiocese of New Orleans can lead tours into St Louis Cemetery No. 1.

Gray Line Ghost & Spirits Walking Tour – Includes several ghost tour operators, which means no two tours are exactly alike. While the sites you visit will vary, expect to take in destinations including haunted hotels.

Historic New Orleans Walking Tours : Cemetery & Voodoo Tour – The guides at this blue chip touring outfit have a talent for sprinkling just enough intrigue and mystery over the facts to keep them compelling.

Save Our Cemeteries – This outstanding non-profit group works to preserve the city’s fragile, crumbling burial places. The tours are led by Save Our Cemeteries-trained volunteers who unveil the mysteries of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District as well as St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which is adjacent to the French Quarter. The wise folks at Save Our Cemeteries are wise to the reality that these places are compelling enough without the mythical embellishments some others place on the Cities of the Dead.

Flat, warm New Orleans is a perfect city for casual cycling.

Confederacy of Cruisers – The original godfathers of the local cycling tour scene, the folks at Confederacy offer several wryly funny tours of the city’s iconic neighborhoods (including the Quarter). Some rides take in the city’s distinctive architecture, and some focus on the great cocktails of Creole culture – any way you slice it, you’ll bike away happy.

Music Tours

Learn serious facts about the history of jazz or bang your head at a nightclub. The offerings are diverse.

Cradle of Jazz Tour – Visit the birthplaces of JellyRoll Morton and Buddy Bolden with jazz aficionado and historian John McCusker during his 2.5-hour Friday and Saturday tours into the heart and history of the city’s definitive musical style. The tour also visits cemeteries, old jazz clubs and other significant musical sites.

New Orleans Music Tours – Offers three different walking tours that range from a tour hour stroll past some of the Quarter’s seminal musical sites to a nighttime walking itinerary that takes in the live music scene on Frenchmen Street.

Photo courtesy of Pe arl River Eco Tours on Facebook

Swamp Tours

Though there are days when the French Quarter may feel like a swamp, to really see one you have to leave the neighborhood. Several of the numerous swamp tour companies distinguish themselves for their quality while others merely ride along on ridiculous bits of pseudo-Cajun folklore and pantomimed accents, which people seem to eat up. The Louisiana bayous and swampland are stunning, majestic and mysterious. In summer, when the heat can be brutal, a morning tour is recommended. Insect repellent and sunscreen are a must. Reservations are required. These tours offer transport from many French Quarter hotels.

Pearl River Eco-Tours – While Swamp Tours may be numerous, this one, located 45-50 minutes from downtown New Orleans, distinguishes itself in a number of ways. The folkloric approach is avoided in favor of a learning adventure that is richly informative and exciting in its own right. The company’s president and founder is a lifelong resident of the area. The tour which heads deep into the Honey Island Swamp and White Kitchen Nature Preserve has become a favorite for its intelligent focus and quality experience. The site’s attention to detail – such as comfortable, well-appointed flat boats; a large, covered dock seating area; clean handicap accessible restrooms; complimentary insect repellant and sunscreen; and available refreshments – are unique bonuses not often encountered at this type of facility.

Gray Line Swamp & Bayou Tour – After a short motorcoach ride across the Mississippi River, take a fascinating boat trip into the Louisiana Swamps & Bayous. Experience the timeless beauty of South Louisiana in a custom built, all weather swamp boat. Native guides will reveal the mysteries of the swamps and bayous and the Cajun “joie de vivre”. Hear how the Cajuns turned soup into gumbo, the washboard into a musical instrument, and the swamps of Louisiana into a paradise. Alligators! Observe the nesting grounds of alligators, egrets, raccoons, nutria, and many species of snakes. Some wildlife are more numerous during the warmer months of the year. Swamp Boat You will be treated to a Bayou Nature Wildlife Show by a local naturalist. Snakes, alligator snapping turtles, raccoons and nutria will be among the animal guests.

Whitney Plantation by Michael McCarthy

Plantation Tours

Gray Line’s Whitney Plantation Tour Motorcoach guided tours leave from the Gray Line ‘Lighthouse’ in the French Quarter at Toulouse Street and the River. The Whitney Plantation, besides being a fine example of Creole architecture, is the only plantation museum in the state that focuses on the history of slavery.

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Featured Tours

Swamp boat cruise & oak alley plantation tour from new orleans, swamp boat cruise & destrehan plantation tour from new orleans, small airboat tour, large airboat tour, swamp boat cruise with transportation from new orleans, oak alley plantation tour, whitney plantation tour, new orleans city & cemetery tour + garden district stroll, new orleans interactive ghosts and spirits walking tour, new orleans craft cocktail walking tour, new orleans cooking class and cocktail walking tour, steamboat natchez harbor jazz cruise, steamboat natchez jazz brunch cruise, steamboat natchez jazz dinner cruise, new orleans city tour and steamboat natchez jazz cruise, group rate: swamp boat ride & destrehan plantation tour from new orleans, group rate: swamp boat ride & oak alley plantation tour from new orleans, group rate: swamp and bayou sightseeing tour with transportation from new orleans, group rate: large airboat tour, group rate: small airboat tour, group rate: oak alley plantation tour, group rate: new orleans cooking class & new orleans original craft cocktail walking tour, group rate: new orleans city & cemetery tour + garden district stroll, group rate: new orleans interactive ghosts and spirits walking tour, culinary & cocktail experience, swamp tours, plantation tours, haunted, city & cemetery tours, food & drink tours, riverboat cruises.

Come experience our diverse culture and incredible heritage on the best tours in New Orleans.  Take a swamp boat ride to see alligators or enjoy the thrill of an airboat tour through the bayou. Discover our rich history on our New Orleans city bus tour, Louisiana plantation tours, haunted ghost tours, or cocktail and culinary experiences . Enjoy the ambiance of the mighty Mississippi on our riverboat jazz cruises on the Steamboat NATCHEZ or Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS.

New Orleans awaits you!

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  contact info, (504) 569-1401, [email protected], gray line new orleans, 400 toulouse st new orleans, la 70130 usa, useful links, let's connect.

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5 Best Plantations Near New Orleans, Louisiana That Are A Must To See

The plantations near New Orleans are more than lavish mansions and gorgeous gardens but filled with history and stories to be told. Wondering which New Orleans plantations to visit? In this guide, I share the best plantations in Southern Louisiana to explore on your next trip.

Visiting the plantations in New Orleans and anywhere in the South, you will learn about the complex and dark history that is entailed.

Plantations have been romanticized in movies for their decadence, architecture, and sipping Mint Juleps.

And yes, no question I found the plantations beautiful! But it was incredibly educational to hear the facts and perspectives of those that had been enslaved.

They are stories I had never heard before and I felt honored to hear their voices. Personally, it was eye-opening to learn about them and leave with a new understanding.

READ MORE: New Orleans Bucket List: Top Things To Do !

Brief New Orleans Plantations History

During the 1800s, the area along the Mississippi River where all of these plantations are located happened to have had the most millionaires of any region in the United States.

With the usage of slave (free) labor it isn’t surprising why the plantation owners were making such a good profit.

One of the main reasons there was such a high concentration of plantations along the Mississippi is due to the very fertile land.

With great soil, growing a variety of crops was profitable. The star crop in the Mississippi River Valley was sugarcane.

In the South, sugar was often referred to as “white gold” as crops of it usually led to becoming very wealthy.

Keep in mind that prior to the early 1700s, there were hardly any Africans in the South. But that all changed once ships of indentured servants (slaves) were brought from West Africa to work, build, and develop the plantations beginning around 1720.

Slaves became the workforce that made these plantations profitable with only the owners seeing the profit.

In contrast, slaves lived in primitive housing, were not treated well, and lacked the freedom that most of us take for granted.

The stories that I found both heartbreaking and the most interesting to hear were those of the slaves, not the plantation owners themselves.

Note: You may hear the term antebellum which refers to the time before the Civil War In the United States.

The reason the term antebellum or the Antebellum South has a negative connotation is that it was a period where slavery was legal and a lot of wealth was built on the backs of slaves.

Anything built in the antebellum era was done so by slaves who had no choice in the matter.

Where To Stay In New Orleans

There is an unlimited number of hotels to choose from but staying within walking distance of great restaurants, bars, and New Orleans attractions is key.

The three areas I would recommend staying in New Orleans are the French Quarter, CBD (Central Business District), and Lower Garden District.

Here are the top places to stay in each neighborhood:

French Quarter

• Hotel Monteleone
• Omni Royal Orleans
• Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter
• W Hotels French Quarter

Central Business District (CBD)

• JW Marriott New Orleans
• Four Seasons New Orleans
• Le Pavillon Hotel
• Moxy Hotel New Orleans Downtown

Lower Garden District

• Henry Howard Hotel
• Hotel Indigo
• St. Charles Coach House, Ascend Hotel Collection

Can I Stay Overnight On A Plantation?

Yes, you can! If you like staying overnight in unique locations, you can spend the night on a plantation right here in Southern Louisiana.

The   Inn at Houmas House has a number of charming cottages on the plantation property for you to stay.

Another option is the   Oak Alley Restaurant & Inn . They have multiple cottages just steps from the sights at the plantation! Read more about each of these plantations below.

Best Plantation Tours In New Orleans

If you happen to have a car, you can tour each of these plantations at your leisure which I recommend.

But if you don’t have a car, then these tours are excellent options for seeing the top New Orleans plantations ! Each of the following tours includes transportation and entry into the plantation.

Whitney Plantation Tour – visit the plantation and transportation to and from New Orleans.

Oak Alley Plantation Tour – a half-day tour of the plantation and transportation to and from NOLA.

Laura Plantation Tour – a half-day tour of plantation and transportation to and from New Orleans.

Houmas House & Destrehan Tour – a full day of touring two plantations plus lunch and transportation.

New Orleans Destrehan Plantation Experience – entrance to visit the plantation and transportation.

Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Tour – this is a great option as you get a combo of visiting a plantation and going on an airboat ride!

Best Plantations Near New Orleans To Visit

1. whitney plantation.

Of all of the plantations, I think the Whitney Plantation has done the best job of focusing on the life of slaves rather than on the plantation owners.

At the entrance, there is a small museum where you get your ticket before heading out on a self-guided tour with an audio headset.

As you begin your tour, start with pressing #1 and follow the numbers around the plantation. Take the time to stop and listen to the significance of what you are seeing.

While walking the grounds, you will see the Antioch Baptist Church, the Slave Quarters, where they worked, and the Wall of Honor.

You will quickly learn about slavery in the South and how the success of the sugarcane plantation in Louisiana would never have occurred if it wasn’t for those enslaved.

Opening to the public in 2014, the Whitney Plantation had during its operation around 350 slaves living and working on the plantation.

Many realize that adults were slaves, but I think many forget the children. At Whitney, you get a glimpse into what it would have been like for a slave child.

It is a life no child should ever have to experience… As you can imagine, many didn’t make it past childhood.

I can’t speak for everyone but learning about the life and treatment of black slaves was eye-opening and heartbreaking.

Just know that visiting might ignite both emotions of anger and sadness at the injustice that not only happened on the Whitney Plantation but all plantations in the area.

I was horrified to learn what had actually gone on but even more so that I was never taught any of this in school.

Even though it is a dark period in our American history I don’t think it should be forgotten and it is important to understand what life was really like on a plantation and not just the romanticized version seen in movies.

Hours: Open to tour Wednesday – Monday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed Tuesday.

Note: The Whitney Plantation is part of the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail .

Book A Tour To The Whitney Plantation Today

2. Laura Plantation

I enjoyed my visit to Laura Plantation as my guide did an excellent job of telling the history from the perspective of both the plantation owners and slaves.

The main house is a bright yellow with accents of green and orange with huge oak trees surrounding it.

The Laura Plantation is a Creole Plantation built in 1805 and named after Laura, the granddaughter of the original owner Guillaume Duparc.

Unlike the rest of her family, you will learn why Laura was against having slaves on the plantation.

Interestingly, the Laura Plantation was run by four generations of women and not the men.

In 1830, Laura’s grandmother purchased several teenage girls and had them impregnated to produce her future labor force.

At the peak, there were 65 cabins to house close to 200 slaves and their families with only one left to view today.

It wasn’t uncommon for male plantation owners or their family members to rape slave women on the property.

Many of these women became pregnant and started new family lines of biracial children.

It was Laura’s great-uncle Flagy who had children with the slave Henriette Jean-Pierre. On the tour, you can see a detailed family tree of their descendants.

Take notice of the transactions when selling a slave. Men and those that were skilled were valued much more than women and children.

It is astonishing how any person could have a price tag but even more so to see what the US dollar equivalent would be today.

As with many of the plantations along the Mississippi River, the primary crop at Laura Plantation was sugarcane.

The guided tour will take you through the inside of the house, outside, and to the slave quarters where you can clearly see the contrast in how life was depending on your race.

Note: I found it interesting and sad to learn that many of the black descendants of those enslaved lived in the slave cabins until 1977.

I asked the guide why and was told that as horrible as it might sound, that was all they knew. It was their home and that of their parents and grandparents.

Hours: Open daily from 9:30 am to 3:20 pm. Tickets are required in advance .

Book A Tour To Laura Plantation Today

Discover Fun Tours Around New Orleans!

3. oak alley plantation.

Oak Alley Plantation might be the most famous plantation near New Orleans and as far as the grounds go the prettiest.

What makes Oak Alley the most photographed is its gorgeous old Live Oak trees that are between 200 and 250 years old.

Two parallel rows of oak trees form an alley or pathway up to the main house and the same looking out from the back of the house.

It is quite stunning to walk underneath them and the canopy they form as one row meets another.

Covering 63 acres, Oak Alley Plantation was built in 1837 and as with other nearby plantations, the main crop was sugarcane.

Touring the grounds and slave quarters is self-guided but as you make your way to the mansion, small groups are taken in for a guided tour at a time.

The slave quarters were located between the mansion and the sugar mill. At its height, there was a community of 20 double cabins that housed over 100 slaves and their families.

The original slave cabins were destroyed but replica ones were placed in the same spot. In each cabin, you can learn the stories of the slaves that lived on the plantation and how difficult life was.

As you make your way to the mansion, you can get a mint julep if it is hot out and you need something refreshing to cool off.

The mansion was built in a Greek Revival architectural style with its distinctive large pillars and balcony.

Inside you can see furniture, artifacts, and décor of how the 14 owners over a 250 year period lived in elegance.

Hours: The grounds are open daily from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. But tours are from 9:00 am to 4:30pm. Tickets can be purchased onsite or in advance.

Book An Oak Alley Plantation Tour Today

4. Houmas House

Located in Darrow, Louisiana and about 1 hour upriver from New Orleans is the bright yellow and white Houmas House.

On a tour of the Houmas House plantation, you can imagine what life was like in the 1800s antebellum era.

The main house or mansion was originally a cottage but in 1829 it got a major upgrade to the Classical Revival Mansion you see today.

Originally built and owned by General Wade Hampton, the plantation has seen many owners over the years.

In 1858, John Burnside purchased the Houmas House for $1,000,000. That is a lot of money for today’s standards, I can’t even imagine having that kind of money in the 1800s.

He not only purchased Houmas House but other nearby plantations and became known as the “Sugar Prince” as the main crop was sugarcane.

Several owners and years later, a local businessman by the name of Kevin Kelly purchased the home, restored it, and opened it up to the public in 2003.

Inside guided tours take about 1 hour and display the lavish furnishings and lifestyle of a plantation owner in the sugarcane heyday.

As beautiful as the mansion is, the gardens are just as stunning. Take your time to wander through the grounds of lovely oak trees, ponds, and manicured gardens.

Houmas House is one of the few plantations where you stay overnight in one of their cottages. And they have not one but three restaurants to dine on Louisiana cuisine …

Many shows, movies, and commercials have been filmed here too so it might look familiar once you arrive.

Note: The name Houmas comes from the Native Americans who lived in this region known as the Houma tribe.

Hours: Open daily from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Book A Tour To Houmas House Today

5. Destrehan Plantation

Created in 1787, the Destrehan Plantation is the oldest documented plantation in the Mississippi River Valley outside of New Orleans.

Owned by Jean-Noel Destrehan known as one of the most successful sugar barons during the antebellum era.

It also happens to be one of three sites where trials took place after the 1811 Slave Revolt, the largest revolt in the history of the United States.

The trial resulted in the beheading of 45 slaves for their involvement in killing two plantation owners. Their heads were placed in front of the plantation to discourage any further revolting.

A guided tour will take you through the main house and then you can explore the gardens at your own pace.

For your tour, you can choose from the Plantation Tour or the Unheard Voices Tour .

The Unheard Voices Tour provides a historical narrative of people treated as second class such as German farmers, Acadians, enslaved Africans, and Native Americans.

It is on this tour that you will get the perspective of slave life and the conditions in which they lived and worked on the plantation.

Hours: Open Friday – Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm or Monday – Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Note: For fans that loved the movie Interview with the Vampire (1994), Destrehan Plantation was featured in it.

Book A Tour Of Destrehan Plantation Today

6. San Francisco Plantation

During my visit and while I started writing this post, the San Francisco Plantation was open for tours. But as of January 2022, it appears that it is closed.

Since there is no report on when or if it will open back up, I will give a brief summary in case you are able to visit one day.

Like many of the other plantations listed, the San Francisco Plantation has a Creole-style main house surrounded by gorgeous Live Oak trees that are hundreds of years old.

The turquoise and cream-colored exterior are bright and distinct from the other plantations you might see.

It is estimated that 152 slaves worked at the San Francisco Plantation during its operation.

If you are wondering why the plantation is called San Francisco? It is thought that when built in the mid-1850s, the name came from Edmond Marmillion’s son.

His son claimed that the huge amount of debt to run the plantation when he took over was “sans fruscins” or “without a penny in my pocket”!

Somehow the name evolved into San Francisco Plantation…

Tips For Visiting New Orleans Plantations

• Stay hydrated and carry a reusable water bottle or a filtered water bottle .
• I’d recommend eating a good breakfast before heading to the plantations.
• At most you can buy snacks at the plantations, so don’t go hungry… Except for Oak Alley or Houmas.
• Carry mosquito spray or wipes especially if you are going out to a swamp or bayou.
• You will do a lot of walking at the plantations so wear the most comfortable shoes in the world!
• Bring a rain jacket in case it rains as most events and tours keep on going!
• Use this great travel backpack to hold your belongings to keep your hands free to take photos.
• Don’t forget to wear sunscreen and a hat especially during the summer months!
• Rent a car or go on a tour with transportation as Uber/Lyft will not pick you up . You don’t want to get stuck at a plantation…
• It is recommended to purchase your tickets ahead of time especially on weekends or around festivals.
• The main house or mansion on each plantation was often referred to as the “Big House” .
• For those coming from outside of the United States, slavery was not officially abolished until 1865.

Where Is New Orleans?

New Orleans (NOLA) is located in Southern Louisiana on a crescent-shaped piece of land right along the Mississippi River and minutes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Louisiana is tucked between Texas to the west, Mississippi to the east, and Arkansas to the north.

New Orleans is considered part of the South and the Gulf Coast of the United States.

All the plantations that I list in this post are anywhere from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours away from the French Quarter of New Orleans.

When looking at the map, all the plantations are along each side of the Mississippi River west of New Orleans.

How To Get To New Orleans

If you are flying into New Orleans , the best airport to fly into is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) .

Do you need a car in New Orleans? If you plan to stay primarily in New Orleans, you can easily do without renting a car and choose walking, the streetcar, or an Uber/Lyft to get around.

But if you plan to see surrounding areas or want to visit a plantation or nearby city of Lafayette then yes renting a car is best.

Search For The Best Car Rental Rates Today!

If you would rather take a tour to the plantations and avoid getting a car, keep reading to find out more info on tours.

If you are on a road trip or driving in from another state, the drive times from the following cities are:

• Baton Rouge, Louisiana – 1.5 hours
• Lafayette, Louisiana – 2.5 hours
• Houston, Texas – 5 hours
• Gulfport, Mississippi – 1.5 hours
• Mobile, Alabama – 2.25 hours
• Pensacola, Florida – 3 hours

Note: If you are looking for what to do in New Orleans, check out best things to do in New Orleans !

Plantations Near New Orleans Map

FAQs On Plantations In New Orleans

Is visiting the plantations worth it.

I say yes. There is a huge amount of history and a perspective of what life was like on the plantations that you might not have heard before.

Even after slavery was abolished many slaves stayed on the plantations as they did not have many options when they had no money, education, or means.

Just because they were officially free didn’t mean they lived a truly free and equal life.

What The Most Famous Plantation In New Orleans?

The most famous plantation in New Orleans is Oak Alley Plantation . Mainly for its stunning row of Oak trees that form a tunnel on each side of the mansion house.

It is captivating to see in person and see why it is the most photographed plantation.

What Is The Oldest Plantation In New Orleans?

The oldest plantation close to New Orleans is Destrehan Plantation .

Built in 1787, It is the oldest documented antebellum plantation along the lower Mississippi River Valley about 35 mins from New Orleans.

The plantation is open to visit and if you are looking for a tour with transportation, consider taking this Destrehan Plantation tour !

When Is The Best Time To Visit The Plantations?

You can visit the plantations near New Orleans any time of the year but for optimal weather, I’d plan for winter, spring, or fall.

During the spring and fall, you have great weather which is ideal for exploring the outdoor grounds.

The next best time to visit is surprisingly in the winter!

Overall, the weather in the winter is fairly mild with many nice days to visit a plantation. But of course, always bring an umbrella or rain jacket just in case!

The plus to visiting in the winter is that you can also attend Mardi Gras!

I visited in June and although it was very nice and sunny, it was extremely hot and humid. I still enjoyed my visit but plan on wearing sunscreen and bringing extra water.

Can You Stay At A Plantation In Louisiana?

If you like staying overnight in unique locations, you can spend the night on a plantation right here in Southern Louisiana.

The Inn at Houmas House has a number of charming cottages on the plantation property for you to stay.

Or if you can’t get enough of Oak Alley’s oak trees then book a stay at the Oak Alley Restaurant & Inn . They have multiple cottages just steps from the sights at the plantation!

Enjoy learning about the history of the plantations in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Riverboat City of New Orleans

Welcome Aboard

The Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS will be taking some time off for renovations - check back soon for updates as to her return.

RESERVATIONS

Please enable javascript in your browser to book The newest addition to the New Orleans Riverfront & sister vessel of the Steamboat NATCHEZ, the CITY OF NEW ORLEANS operates sightseeing, lunch, Sunday Brunch, and Dinner Jazz cruises down the Mississippi River.

Experience a spirit of adventure aboard the newest vessel to the French Quarter riverfront, the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS as she takes you on a journey down the mighty Mississippi.  See captivating views of the French Quarter fade into the distance as the joyful tunes of traditional jazz carries you down the river.  Stroll the multiple decks, explore the beautiful refinished interiors and savor the leisurely two-hour cruise that will give you panoramic views of the Mississippi River and the many unique sites along the way, with live narration.

JAZZ LUNCH & SUNDAY BRUNCH CRUISES The Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS is home to the "Best" Lunch/Brunch cruises on the Mississippi River.  Fun and scenic, our cruises feature live jazz music, New Orleans style cuisine, and a cash bar for cocktails.  

DINNER JAZZ CRUISES In a city full of great places to dine, dinner aboard the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS is truly a unique dining experience.  Our dinner features a buffet of New Orleans classics in a relaxing atmosphere for enjoying a memorable evening on the Mississippi River.  Sip a refreshing cocktail while live Jazz brings refined sophistication to our onboard entertainment. 

WEDDINGS The Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS is a perfect venue for your special occasion.  - Did you know our Captains can officiate your wedding?  Check out our wedding page for more details!

SPECIAL OCCASIONS Celebrating something special?  Let us know - we specialize in proposals, anniversaries, and birthday parties.

The Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS is uniquely New Orleans - WELCOME ABOARD!

Floor Plans

New Orleans: Daytime City Helicopter Tour

Explore the vibrant cityscape of New Orleans from an unparalleled vantage point with the Daytime City Helicopter Tour . Soar above the historic French Quarter , marvel at the iconic Jackson Square, and gaze upon the city’s diverse landscapes. This aerial adventure offers two captivating flight options, ensuring an unforgettable experience tailored to your interests. With expert pilot narration , noise-cancelling headsets, and guaranteed window seats, you’ll gain a unique perspective on the Big Easy’s rich history and cultural heritage. Prepare to be swept away by the breathtaking aerial views that will leave you eager to discover more.

• Aerial sightseeing tour of New Orleans’ landmarks, including the French Quarter, St. Louis Cathedral, and Bourbon Street.
• Two flight options: 15-mile City Tour (7-9 minutes) and 30-mile City and Swamp Tour (18-22 minutes).
• Includes noise-cancelling headsets, window seats, on-site parking, and professional pilot narration.
• Experienced pilots ensure a safe and informative experience, with weight restrictions and safety protocols in place.
• Highly rated by passengers for its comprehensive views and unforgettable bird’s-eye perspective of New Orleans.

More tours and experiences nearby.

• Adults-Only New Orleans Ghost, Crime, Voodoo, and Vampire Tour
• Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour in New Orleans
• French Quarter Historical Sights and Stories Walking Tour
• New Orleans Adults-Only Ghost, Voodoo and Vampire Tour

Tour Overview

The New Orleans Daytime City Helicopter Tour provides visitors with an aerial sightseeing experience of the city’s iconic landmarks and attractions. Priced from Kč3,022 per person, the tour offers a choice of two flight options:

A 15-mile City Tour lasting 7-9 minutes

A 30-mile City and Swamp Tour lasting 18-22 minutes.

Both tours depart from the Lakefront Airport, with the meeting point at the Messinas at the Terminal.

The tour includes noise-cancelling headsets, pilot narration, a window seat for each passenger, on-site parking, and taxes and fees.

However, the tour isn’t suitable for individuals over 300 lbs or wheelchair users.

Customers can also purchase an optional digital photo package.

Flight Options

Travelers can choose between two distinct flight options: a 15-mile City Tour or a longer 30-mile City and Swamp Tour.

The City Tour offers aerial views of iconic landmarks like Jackson Square, the St. Louis Cathedral, and the French Quarter, as well as the Central Business District and Caesars Superdome.

The City and Swamp Tour takes passengers on a 30-mile journey, including:

• An abandoned theme park
• NASA’s rocket facility
• Swamps along Lake Borgne and the Chalmette Battlefield, before returning over the Mississippi River.

Each option provides a unique perspective of New Orleans, allowing visitors to explore the city’s diverse landscapes and attractions from above.

Inclusions and Amenities

The tour package includes noise-cancelling headsets , allowing passengers to clearly hear the pilot’s informative narration throughout the flight.

A window seat is provided for each passenger, ensuring an unobstructed aerial view.

Plus, on-site parking and all taxes and fees are included in the tour price.

Travelers also have the option to purchase a digital photo package for an additional $25.

However, the tour isn’t suitable for individuals over 300 lbs (136 kg) or wheelchair users, as there are weight restrictions in place to ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers.

Safety and Requirements

To ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers, the tour has specific weight limits in place. Individual passengers are limited to 295 lbs, and the maximum combined weight for groups of 2-3 is 575 lbs.

Plus, a valid photo ID or passport is required for identification purposes.

The tour’s weather policy is designed with passenger safety in mind. Flights canceled due to inclement weather can be rescheduled or refunded, allowing guests to enjoy the tour when conditions are optimal.

Lastly, the tour adheres to strict safety protocols, including:

Use of noise-cancelling headsets for passenger comfort during the flight.

Experienced pilots providing informative narration throughout the tour.

Comprehensive safety briefings before each flight.

Customer Experience

With an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 50 reviews, the New Orleans Daytime City Helicopter Tour has captivated passengers with its exceptional customer experience .

Guests consistently praise the pilot’s professionalism and extensive knowledge , highlighting the comfort and safety they felt throughout the flight.

Many reviewers recommend opting for the longer City and Swamp Tour , as it provides a more comprehensive aerial exploration of the region, including an abandoned theme park and the majestic swamps along Lake Borgne.

Whether traveling as a couple, with friends, solo, or as a family, the tour caters to a diverse range of travelers, offering an unforgettable bird’s-eye view of the iconic sights of New Orleans.

Booking and Availability

Visitors can easily book the New Orleans Daytime City Helicopter Tour, with available start times readily accessible on the provider’s website. The tour’s convenient Lakefront Airport location, just a short drive from the city center, makes it an accessible choice for both local residents and travelers.

To book the tour, customers can:

Select their preferred flight option, either the 15-mile City Tour or the 30-mile City and Swamp Tour.

Choose their desired departure time and date, with tours running throughout the day.

Complete the booking process and secure their reservation, taking advantage of the free cancellation policy up to 24 hours in advance.

With straightforward booking and flexible scheduling, the New Orleans Daytime City Helicopter Tour offers an effortless way for visitors to experience the city from above.

Pilot Expertise

The helicopter pilots leading the New Orleans Daytime City Helicopter Tour are highly experienced, ensuring a smooth and informative journey for passengers. With thousands of flight hours under their belts, these seasoned aviators provide comprehensive narration throughout the tour, pointing out the city’s iconic landmarks and sharing fascinating historical insights. Their expert handling of the aircraft allows passengers to sit back, relax, and fully enjoy the breathtaking aerial views.

Scenic Highlights

From the airborne vantage point, passengers on the New Orleans Daytime City Helicopter Tour are treated to sweeping panoramic views of the city’s most iconic landmarks and historic districts.

The 15-mile flight showcases the grandeur of the French Quarter, including the majestic St. Louis Cathedral, the lively Bourbon Street, and the charming Jackson Square. The tour also provides aerial perspectives of the Central Business District, the mighty Mississippi River, and the Caesars Superdome.

For those opting for the extended 30-mile tour, the experience expands to include:

The abandoned theme park

The NASA rocket facility

The picturesque swamps along Lake Borgne and the Chalmette Battlefield.

Here's a few more nearby tours and experiences we think you'll like.

• New Orleans Airboat Ride
• New Orleans Demonstration Cooking Class With Meal
• New Orleans Food Walking Tour of the French Quarter With Small-Group Option
• New Orleans Garden District Walking Tour Including Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
• New Orleans Ghost, Voodoo and Vampire Combo Tour
• New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour With Transportation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Possible to Book the Tour for a Specific Time?

Yes, the tour can be booked for a specific time. According to the information provided, the availability and starting times of the tour can be checked, allowing customers to book their preferred time slot.

Can the Helicopter Accommodate Infants or Small Children?

The helicopter tour has a weight limit of 295 lbs per passenger, so it can’t accommodate infants or small children. Passengers must be able to climb in and out of the helicopter independently.

Are There Any Restrictions on the Use of Personal Cameras?

There are no restrictions on the use of personal cameras during the helicopter tour. Passengers are free to take photos and videos throughout the flight using their own cameras or mobile devices.

Is the Tour Available Year-Round, or Are There Seasonal Closures?

The tour is available year-round, though flights may be canceled or rescheduled due to inclement weather. There are no known seasonal closures for this helicopter tour.

Can I Bring My Own Snacks or Beverages on the Flight?

Passengers can’t bring their own snacks or beverages on the flight. The tour provider offers bottled water and prohibits outside food and drinks to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for all passengers aboard the helicopter.

Not for you? Here's more of our most recent tour reviews happening neaby

• New Orleans: Sightseeing Flex Pass for 25+ Attractions
• New Orleans: Destrehan Plantation & Swamp Combo
• New Orleans: Private Airport Transfer With Luxury Car
• New Orleans: Private Guided City Tour
• Majestic Oak Alley Plantation Tour
• New Orleans Airport (MSY): Private Transfer to New Orleans
• New Orleans City Walking Tour
• Crescent City Chronicles: The Heart of New Orleans
• Culinary Crossroads A Triple Cuisine Food Tour
• Eternal Echoes: A Cemetery Tour of New Orleans
• New Orleans Dark History Walking Tour
• New Orleans City Driving Tour
• Crescent City Christmas: A Festive Tour of New Orleans
• Romantic Rendezvous: A Love-Filled Journey in New Orleans
• City of New Orleans and Katrina Recovery Tour

The Daytime City Helicopter Tour offers a unique perspective of New Orleans’ iconic landmarks and picturesque landscapes.

Guests can choose between a 15-mile City Tour or a 30-mile City and Swamp Tour, both of which provide breathtaking aerial views and informative pilot commentary .

With guaranteed window seats, noise-cancelling headsets, and a focus on safety, this tour promises an unforgettable aerial adventure over the vibrant city of New Orleans.

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2024-2027 RIVER CRUISE AND AIR FARES:  Offer applies to bookings made from September 1-30, 2024. Terms & conditions for select promotions may vary. $25 deposit is applicable to all River itineraries. Special fares plus up to FREE International airfare valid on select departures of Grand European Tour, Lyon Provence & the Rhineland, European Sojourn and Capitals of Eastern Europe, Paris to the Swiss Alps, Cities of Light, London, Paris & D-Day, Rhine & Main Explorer . Airfares may vary on other gateways & departures. Airfare does not have to be purchased to get cruise\cruisetour offer. All prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Additional restrictions may apply. 2024 : Pay in full by September 30, 2024 or at time of booking if within 120 days of departure. 2025 : Pay in full by October 31, 2024. 2026 : Pay in full by April 30, 2025. 2027 : Pay in full by January 15, 2026. Offers expires September 30, 2024.

$25 DEPOSIT:  For itineraries 35 days or less, a $25 deposit applies to February 2025 & onward departures; for itineraries greater than 35 days, a $25 deposit applies to April 2025 & onward departures; World Cruise products excluded; call for details.

AIR UPGRADE:  Upgrade to Premium Economy air from $799 per person or Business Class air from $3,499 per person based on select gateways and dates. Additional airline-imposed baggage charges may apply; for more information visit  Airline Luggage Restrictions  . Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received. For more information about customized air services and US gateways, visit the Viking Air Plus page.

GENERAL RESTRICTIONS:  Cruise fares listed are cruise only in U.S. dollars, per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement savings are off applicable rates. Cruise fares listed are valid for U.S. residents only. All fares and offers are for new bookings only and are subject to availability, may not combinable with other offers except Viking Explorer Society Travel Credits and Viking Referral Rewards, are capacity-controlled and may be withdrawn at any time without prior notice. Special fares are based upon published full brochure fares; cruise fares do not include pre-paid charges, optional facilities, and personal charges, as defined in the terms and conditions of the  Passenger Ticket Contract  which may be viewed elsewhere on this website. Full brochure fares may not have resulted in actual sales in all stateroom categories and may not have been in effect during the last 90 days. Promotional fares may remain in effect after the expiration date. Air promotion applies to roundtrip flights only from select Viking Cruises U.S. gateways and includes airport-to-ship or hotel transfers, air taxes and air fuel surcharges. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately. All transfers must be in conjunction with a Viking-purchased cruise, cruisetour, land extension or extra hotel nights. Viking reserves the right to correct errors or omissions and to change any and all fares at any time. For up-to-date prices, please call Viking or your Travel Agent. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Complete terms and conditions may be found in the  Passenger Ticket Contract .

AIR OFFER RESTRICTIONS:  Offer expires September 30, 2024.

NOTE: U.S. flights depart one day prior to check-in date. Paid Business or Premium Economy Class may require travel in economy on flights within North America or Europe. Premium economy is limited to specific airlines and we may not be able to accommodate based on aircraft type and availability. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately. All transfers must be in conjunction with a Viking-purchased cruise, cruisetour, land extension or extra hotel nights. Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received.