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Review of New Orleans Plantations Tours

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Updated: February 10, 2025
 By Sarah Hester

This post reviews the top plantation tours near New Orleans and reviews the tour operators that can transport you there in comfort. 

This guide includes overviews of several plantations, provides tips on how to save money with discount admission, whether a tour includes hotel pickup and other helpful details.

If you have arrived at this post, you probably have questions about the plantations around New Orleans.

Some plantations you may have heard of are Oak Alley Plantation, Laura Plantation, Whitney Plantation, and St. Joseph Plantation.

Luckily, several of our tour guides have worked at one of these plantations below, so we can offer insider perspectives in this post.

LAURA PLANTATION

Known as a top travel attraction in Louisiana, Laura Plantation will educate guests on the traditional Creole plantation.

Built in 1805 and a working plantation for over 180 years, you will see the inside of this practical home that was run by four generations of Creole women.

It is one of just 15 plantation complexes with several complete structures in Louisiana.

Due to its historical significance, Laura Plantation is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

A view of a house on the grounds of Laura Plantation near New Orleans

The “Tales of Br’er Rabbit”, a famous American folktale, were based on folklore told by the West African freedmen working on the Laura Plantation in the 1870s.  

You will get to tour the “Big House” of this sugarcane plantation, the tropical gardens, and also the slaves' quarters that are still included in the property.

Below are our 3 recommended tour companies. All prices included admission to Laura Plantation.

Read below about visiting Laura on your own.

CAJUN ENCOUNTERS

Laura Plantation + Oak Alley Plantation

Tour Price:

Cajun Pride Tours

Tour Price:

  • $62 - Adult 
  • $40 - Child (3-12 years old)
  • Tour Not Currently Available

GRAY LINE TOURS

Plantation Life (Choose 2 of 3 plantations - including Whitney)

Tour Price:

OTHER LAURA PLANTATION TOURS

If you're looking for even more options, there are a few other tour companies that currently offer tours of Laura Plantation.

N'awlins Luxury Tours

Crescent City Tours

Southern Style Tours

Before you buy… Laura Plantation offers its own tour with admission, should you travel on your own to the site. Note that taxis/Ubers do not travel here).

No self-guiding is permitted, but the tour guides have excellent reviews for their engaging history anecdotes.

Laura Plantation Admission/Tour costs for self-travel:

Dates/Times: Daily 10 am to 4 pm

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Tour Price:

  • Adult (18+) $30.00
  • Youth (13 - 17 years old) $20.00
  • Child (6 - 12 years old) $12.00
  • Infant (0 - 5 years old) FREE
  • Click here to learn more.

OAK ALLEY PLANTATION

Originally called Bon Sejour (pleasant sojourn), this plantation is another elaborate home you can tour.

Oak Alley was renamed after its standout feature, the canopied path (alley) of 28 live oak trees planted in the early 18th century.

The ‘oak alley’ occupies a quarter-mile of the property and predates the house. The Greek Revival home is one of the most impressive in the southern United States.

The entire property was designated a National Historic Landmark for its landscaping and architecture.

Many guests recognize it as being the location of several scenes from the iconic film Interview With a Vampire.  

Read more on our full post dedicated to Oak Alley Plantation.

a view of the main house of Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans

This tour is great for families, your children will learn about the customs of the Southern part of the United States while adults will appreciate the impressive grounds and architecture.

See the Blacksmith Shop, Civil War Encampment, “Slavery at Oak Alley” exhibit, and over a dozen more!

They also have breakfast and lunch dining options.  

Pro tip: Have a car? You can drive to this plantation on your own! Free parking is available onsite. See below for admission costs/tour information.

Read our post dedicated to Oak Alley Plantation. 

Popular Tour Companies for the Oak Alley Plantation:

GRAY LINE TOURS

Tour Price:

CAJUN ENCOUNTERS

Tour Prices:

Oak Alley (Stand-alone)

Oak Alley + Laura Plantation

Cajun Encounters offers hotel pick-up.  Read our post reviewing all of Cajun Encounters offerings.

Cajun Pride Tours

Tour Price:

OTHER OAK ALLEY PLANTATION TOURS

In addition to all the other companies offering outings to Oak Alley Plantation, these services are also available from other tour operators.

N'awlins Luxury Tours

Louisiana Tour Company

Southern Style Tours

Legendary Tours

Crescent City Tours

Before you buy… The Oak Alley Plantation offers its own tour with admission price, should you travel on your own to the site (taxis/Ubers do not travel here). No self-guiding is permitted without admission.

Oak Alley Admission/Tour costs for self-travel:

Dates/Times: Daily. 9 am - 5 pm (exception: M-F closes at 4:30 pm Nov-Feb). Tours are offered every half hour beginning at 9:30 am.

Duration: Times vary. Guided tour of the Big House. Self-guided tour of grounds.

Tour Price:

  • $25 - Adults (19 yrs & older)
  • $10 - Youth (13 to 18 yrs old)
  • $7 - Children (6 to 12 yrs old)
  • Click here to learn more.

TIP: AAA Members, Military, and Seniors all receive a 10% off on tickets.

Read our detailed post reviewing all of Cajun Pride tours.  

WHITNEY PLANTATION

Originally known as Habitation Heidel (Heidel Plantation), this plantation was established on land purchased by a German immigrant in 1752.

It was renamed Whitney Plantation in 1867 when the plantation was sold to a new owner, Bradish Johnson, who named it Whitney for his daughter.

Whitney Plantation is unlike any other experience you will find in Louisiana.

A wooden house on the Whitney Plantation used as slave quarters

Focusing on the history of slavery, you’ll get a personal look at the life and conditions of slaves at this plantation museum.

In addition to the architecture and newly restored spaces, there are exhibits, artwork, narratives, and more than describe first-hand experiences at Whitney.

Pro tip: Have a car? You can drive to this plantation on your own! Free parking is available onsite. See below for admission costs/tour information.  

Popular Tour Companies for the Whitney Plantation:

GRAY LINE TOURS

You can visit Whitney Plantation on its own or through Gray Line's Plantation Tour which includes Whitney and a choice of one other plantation. 

Whitney Plantation

Tour prices:

Plantation Life (Whitney + Laura or Oak plantations)

Tour prices:

Its separate tours of Whitney Plantation and Oak Alley are still available.

We recommend checking their website to see if the tour is available because it could be added back onto their itinerary at any point in time.

CAJUN ENCOUNTERS

As we mentioned above, Cajun Encounters offers a combination of Oak Alley and Whitney Plantations every day at 12:30 pm.

OTHER WHITNEY PLANTATION TOURS

N'awlins Luxury Tours

Tours By Isabelle

Crescent City Tours

Legendary Tours

2nd Line Tours

Whitney Plantation Admission/Tour costs for self-travel:

Dates/Times: Daily. 9:30 am - 4:30 pm every day but Tuesday. Tours are given every hour between 10 am and 3 pm.

Tour Price:

  • $22.79 - Adult
  • $20.97 - Seniors, Students, Military Personnel
  • $10.03 - Youth (6-12)
  • $13.67 - St. James Parish Residents
  • Click here to learn more.

OTHER PLANTATION HOMES

Whitney, Laura and Oak Alley are the most well-known plantations to visit, but here are a few others that may interest you.

HOUMAS HOUSE PLANTATION AND GARDENS

The Crown Jewel of River Road, Houmas House reflects the history of the original Houmas Indian landowners through the Louisiana Purchase.

The plantation was established in the late 1700s and was named after the native Houma people, who originally lived in this part of Louisiana.

It became a working sugarcane plantation by 1803 and continued production through the Civil War.

This gorgeous property has 8 buildings and a main house erected in 1840.

It was designed in the elegant Greek Revival style and is surrounded by 14 monumental Doric columns on three sides.

Read our in-depth review of Houmas House.

the large main house of the Houmas House Planatation and Gardens in New Orleans

Houmas House Daily Tours

For visitors with vehicles, Houmas House staff provides a tour to their guests.

Dates/Times: Daily, 9 am - 7 pm

Duration: personalized and variable times

Tour Price:

  • Mansion + Gardens
    • $35 + Tax – Adults (18 & older)
    • $25 + Tax – Teenagers (13-17)
    • $15 + Tax – Children (6-12)
    • Kids 5 and under are free
    • Click here to learn more.

Guided Tour from New Orleans

This day trip includes admission to both Houmas House and the Destrehan Plantation, as well as a stop for lunch in a grand dining hall.

  • Ticket Prices: $179 for Adults | $89.50 for Children (3-11) | $30/Infants (1-3)
  • Duration: 7 ½ hours total for both plantations.
  • Availability: Almost every day at 8:30 AM
  • Click here to learn more.

DESTREHAN PLANTATION

Located just outside of New Orleans, is one of the oldest homes in the state, Destrehan Plantation was constructed beginning in 1787 and completed in 1790.

When Louisiana became a U.S. territory after the Louisana Purchase, the Destrehan Plantation was one of the sites of a major slave revolt, the 1811 German Coast Uprising.

The plantation is full of historical exhibitions and provides informative tours with costumed guides to help immerse visitors into the experience.

a wooden house on the Destrehan Plantation surrounded by trees and plants

This plantation is a bit closer to the city than most of the others, so it's easier to reach in under an hour.

If you're short on time, this is an excellent option.

Among the most interesting items on display here is an original document signed by both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Fans of American history will be well rewarded for making a trip to this noteworthy site.

Destrehan Plantation Daily Tours

Whether you're visiting with a vehicle or taking a shuttle/guided tour from New Orleans, this plantation offers tours every day except holidays.

Dates/Times: Every 30-60 minutes, 9:30 am - 3 pm

Tour Price:

Tour Price w/ Transportation:

SAN FRANCISCO PLANTATION HOUSE

As of Feb 2025, San Francisco Plantation House is no longer open to the public.

This antebellum sugar plantation was built in 1854 and the schoolhouse, slave cabins, and large estate remain open to over 100,000 annual visitors.  

Built between 1853 and 1856, San Francisco Plantation House is one of the most architecturally distinctive plantation houses in the southern U.S.

The intricate and ornate house inspired novelist Frances Parkinson Keys to write “Steamboat Gothic”.

the ornate San Francisco Plantation House near New Orleans.

It became a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

The name ‘San Francisco’ comes from a mispronunciation of the French phrase “sans fruscins“ or “without a penny in my pocket”, which was the initial nickname of the plantation based on the cost of the estate for the proprietor.

EVERGREEN PLANTATION

Evergreen Plantation is no longer open to the public. It is now a research facility. Find out more here.

The Greek Revival property constructed in 1832 is expansive. It was an active sugarcane plantation until 1930.

Evergreen is the most intact plantation complex in the South with 37 buildings, including 22 slave cabins.

Though no longer open to the public, Evergreen maintains a digital slave database of the more than 400 individuals that were purchased and put to work here over 150 years.

a former wooden slave cabin on Evergreen Plantation.

The database includes a large collection of primary source documents that put together the story of those enslaved here.

The Evergreen Plantation rose in popularity after being used in the film Django Unchained directed by acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino in 2012.

Today the plantation is used for research.

WHAT DOES REDDIT THINK

With the information above, I hope you can decide which plantation to visit.

I think it is helpful for you to hear from other travelers and what they thought were the best plantations to go to.

Here are some replies answering Reddit user WrongTemporary8's question.

What Plantations Near NOLA are worth Visiting/Supporting? Are there Specific One's you Should Not Support?
byu/WrongTemporary8 inAskNOLA

Here Reddit user CaptainDRon says that Whitney and Oak Alley plantations are the only two worth visiting.

He says that the experience at Whitney is unique and highly educational.

He was deeply moved by stories of how slaves were treated and says that visitors may get very emotional.

a comment from Reddit user CaptainDRon saying that Whitney and Oak Alley are the two plantations worth visiting. He says that the experience at Whitney is unique and highly educational.

He adds that Oak Alley provides the best photo opportunities and that the canopy of oak trees is gorgeous.

Reddit user not-alemur agrees saying that Whitney Plantation is the best to visit.

She states that the emphasis of the tours is to educate guests about the history of slavery rather than focusing on the history of the owners.

Reddit user not-alemur asays that Whitney plantation is the best to visit as the tours emphasis the history of slavery rather than focusing on the history of the owners.

Reddit user mitch51166 agrees that Whitney is worth the visit, but that Laura is the next best for those who want an accurate depiction of the lives of slaves.

Reddit user mitch51166 says that Whitney Plantation is worth the visit, but that Laura is the next best for those who want an accurate depiction of the lives of slaves.

He says that you may want to do both since they are very near to each other.

Importantly, he recommends that you make reservations in advance as Whitney sells out frequently.

While Reddit user leafyrebecca has not done a plantation tour recently, she recommends Laura Plantation, especially for those of you who know the story of Br’er Rabbit, as I discussed above.

Reddit user leafyrebecca has not done a plantation tour recently, she recommends Laura Plantation, especially for those of you who know the story of Br’er Rabbit,

Whichever plantation you visit, I hope that you have a wonderful experience.

About The Author

Sarah Hester

Sarah first moved to New Orleans in 2001 and immediately fell in love with the unique culture of the city; it's food, music, architecture, wildlife, and most of all history. Read More... Sarah began her career with New Orleans Tours by Foot, first as a guide, then as an owner/operator. She believes every day is a good day if she gets to impart her love of her beloved New Orleans with her tour guests. She especially likes to convert new Who Dat Saints Fans!
Updated: February 10th, 2025
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