During your visit to New Orleans, you’ll find no lack of attractions and activities. One of the area’s most popular activities is a visit to one its majestic plantations, where guided tours make history come to life.

Tour operators offer transportation from New Orleans to a variety of nearby plantations. Some of these tours combine other activities as a package.

Be sure to see our reviews of Swamp Tours, Food Tours and River Boat Dinner Cruises.

Best Plantation Tours From New Orleans

	Small-Group Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans	Oak Alley & Laura Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans	Small-Group Louisiana Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans
Departure:	Hotel pickup and drop off included	317 N Rampart St, New Orleans	Hotel pickup and drop-off included
Start:	8:00 AM	10:00 AM	8:30 AM
Duration:	8.5 - 9 hours	8 hours	7.5 hours
Includes:	Transportation to and from New Orleans, guided tour of Laura Plantation, plantation gourmet lunch and tour of Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, swamp tour with native Cajun guide	Admission to two plantation homes, guided tours, live commentary, round-trip coach transportation from New Orleans	Hotel pickup and drop-off, transportation to Destrehan Plantation, Houmas House Plantation, guided tour and admission ticket, gourmet lunch at Houmas House
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated New Orleans Plantation Tours

1. Small-Group Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans
2. Oak Alley & Laura Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans
3. Small-Group Louisiana Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans
4. Oak Alley Plantation Day Tour from New Orleans
5. Oak Alley Plantation and 3 Hour New Orleans City Tour

We have reviewed the 5 top rated plantation tours from New Orleans to help you select which one best fits your interests and needs.

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New Orleans Plantation Tour Reviews

1. Small-Group Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans

We recommend this tour for those who prefer a small group dynamic. It’s a perfect fit for romantics, foodies, and adventurers alike.

You’ll be whisked back into time on this tour that takes you from New Orleans to Louisiana Creole country. Your guides will point out historical sites and provide interesting facts about the area en route to your three separate stops.

The boat ride to the Manchac Swamp is narrated by friendly locals who go out of their way to make sure you see plenty of gators up close and personal; but don’t worry, your safety is their first concern!

After your exciting tour through the swamp, you’ll be guided through the 200-acre Laura Plantation where you’ll get an in-depth look into the Duparc family, the original owners of this plantation, and their slaves. Laura is celebrated for its early 19th-century Créole-style big house. Several of its structures are on the National Historic Registry.

Finally you’ll finish at the Houmas House Plantation and Gardens where you will dine on scrumptious creole brunch items like chicken and smoked sausage gumbo and crawfish etouffee.

Meander beneath the moss-draped oaks on this plantation, which has been the filming site for several productions, including the movie “Interview with a Vampire”. You’ll have a guided tour of the inside of the plantation big house.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

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2. Oak Alley & Laura Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

We recommend this trip for those who’d like to squeeze in two of New Orlean’s stately plantations into a one-day outing. It’s ideal for those who are comfortable in larger groups and looking for a full day of history.

While this tour will take you from New Orleans to two plantations: Oak Alley Plantation, Laura Plantation. These are the two most popular and well known plantations in the area.

You’ll start your day by boarding a comfortable coach which will transport you alongside the Mississippi River to the two plantations of your choice. Your driver will offer informational and amusing tidbits, which makes the short ride fly by!

Oak Alley Plantation sits on 25 acres and is located 55 miles west of New Orleans. Once a functioning cattle ranch, it was purchased in the 60’s and renovated to its previous splendor. At Oak Alley visitors will meander through its lovely gardens and under majestic oaks, explore the antebellum mansion, and learn about the plantation’s history as working sugarcane plantation.

Laura Plantation, formerly known as “Duparc Plantation”, is a 200-year-old sugar cane plantation, boasting a big house, several surviving outer buildings, including 2 slave cabins, and three gardens. It’s also situated less than 60 miles west of New Orleans. Laura Plantation provides guided tours and a self-guided exhibit that details the Duparc family history.

Borrowing from first-person slave narratives, memorial artwork, and restored buildings, informative tour guides will give you a moving perspective into that dark time period of American history. This tour may not be appropriate for younger children.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

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3. Small-Group Louisiana Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans

We recommend this tour for those travelers who are looking for a small group experience to a restored historic Creole plantation, especially those who are interested in the personal accounts of plantation slaves.

Sit back and relax while your driver transports you 75 minutes from New Orleans to Destrehan Plantation. The drive out will be a learning experience in itself, as your driver is knowledgeable about the area’s history and highlights.

Destrehan Plantation is a 200-year-old Creole plantation. With it’s many structures that have been preserved and renovated, you will get a good sense of how life was for its inhabitants when the sugarcane plantation was in its heyday. A guided tour will take you through the Big House, three vibrant gardens and the kitchen potager.

You will be moved by the focus on slaves’ experience during this plantation tour, where you will visit an authentic slave cabin that dates back to the 1840’s. Destrehan Plantation is the only one in this area that has an exhibit dedicated to sharing the stories of enslaved individuals.

After your tour you will then head over to the Houmas House Plantation and Gardens for an authentic gourmet lunch consisting of dishes like Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, Red Beans, Sausage and Rice with White Chocolate Bread Pudding for dessert. After your delicious lunch you will have a tour of the stately mansion and its artwork.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

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4. Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans

We recommend this tour for those visitors who are looking for a half-day trip to take in one of southern Louisiana’s most picturesque plantations.

On your way to Oak Alley Plantation, once known as Bon Séjour, you’ll be entertained by your friendly, informative driver as you travel alongside the Mississippi River.

Once you’ve arrived at the plantation, experienced docents will lead you on a tour that will take you back in time to the days when the property functioned as a sugarcane producer. You’ll be captivated by plantation’s Big House, a Greek Revival-style mansion; the canopied-pathway that’s lined by enormous southern oaks; and the property’s onsite garden.

Learn about the history that landed Oak Alley on the National Historic Registry. A slave exhibit educates visitors and pays tribute to the enslaved men, women, and children who were responsible for building the Roman family’s wealth.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

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5. Oak Alley Plantation and 3 Hour New Orleans City Tour

We recommend this tour for those who are short on time but don’t want to scrimp on sightseeing and learning about the fascinating history of New Orleans and its grand sugarcane plantations. The two parts of this tour may take place on two separate days.

Your day will start with a 3-hour tour in a mini-bus. Visit all the must-see locations throughout historic New Orleans. Get a better sense of how the area was affected by Hurricane Katrina and how the community has forged ahead to rebuild.

Some of the key areas you’ll visit in the city include: Jackson Street, the French Quarter, the French Market, St. Louis Cathedral, and the Cabildo Museum. Your licensed, informative tour guide will share interesting tidbits about the St. Louis Cemetery, an above-ground cemetery, while you wander among the tombs.

The second portion of this tour takes visitors to Oak Alley Plantation, the 25-acre restored sugarcane plantation that lies approximately one hour from New Orleans. At Oak Alley you will be given a professional guided tour of the Big House, a Greek Revival-style mansion.

The sugarcane exhibit offers a glimpse into how the original owners built their empire on sugarcane production. The slavery exhibit relates how the plantation was built and supported by enslaved men, women, and children.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

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FAQs About New Orleans Plantation Tours

How do I get to the plantations?

Most plantations are about an hour or so from downtown New Orleans. There is no public transportation so you will need a car or take a tour bus. We recommend booking a guided tour to get the most of the experience as well as the convenience.

How long are the tours?

The duration of the tours may vary depending on the plantation and the tour operator. Generally, they last between 4 to 8 hours, including travel time. Some tours may also include lunch or other attractions, such as swamp tours or food tours of New Orleans.

What will I see on the tours?

You will see the plantation house and its rooms, which are usually furnished with antiques and artifacts from the period. You will also see the gardens, outbuildings, slave quarters, and other features of the plantation. The tours will give you the history of the plantation owners and the enslaved people who worked the plantations. Most of the plantations have exhibits, museums and demonstrations that how life was for the enslaved people.

What is the history of the plantations?

The plantations along the Mississippi River were built by French, Spanish, and American settlers who established large estates for growing crops with the labor of enslaved Africans. Today the plantations have been preserved as museums that showcase the history of the people that lived and worked them.

What is the cheapest New Orleans plantation tour?

To get a cheap tour to a plantation you will have to go to the closet plantation and go on a bus with a large tour group. If you don’t mind getting a less personal experience, we recommend the Oak Alley Plantation Day Tour from New Orleans.

What is the best New Orleans plantation tour?

If you don’t mind spending a little more money you can go on a private tour with only your group. You will travel in a minivan and get a much more personal experience.We would recommend a Oak Alley Plantation and 3 Hour New Orleans City Tour.

What are the most common visited plantations near New Orleans?

• Whitney Plantation: This plantation is unique in that it focuses on the lives of the enslaved people who worked on it. It has original slave cabins, a slave jail, a slave memorial and a museum that displays artifacts and documents related to slavery. It also has a restored Creole-style plantation house.
• Oak Alley Plantation: This plantation is best known for its alley of 300-year-old live oak trees that lead to the Greek Revival-style mansion. It has guided tours of the house and grounds. There are exhibits on slavery, sugarcane cultivation and Civil War history. If you are interested in staying overnight there are bed-and-breakfast cottages.
• Nottoway Plantation: This massive plantation is the largest antebellum mansion in the South. It has 64 rooms with 53,000 square feet. It was constructed in 1859 by John Hampden Randolph who was a wealthy sugar planter. At its peak there were over 800 slaves working the plantation. It has a mix of Greek Revival and Italianate styles, with elaborate details and furnishings.
• Laura Plantation: This plantation is a Creole-style plantation that was owned by four generations of women all from the same family. It was built in 1805 by Guillaume Duparc who received the land as a grant from Thomas Jefferson. It has a colorful exterior and interior and still has original furniture and artifacts.
• Evergreen Plantation: This plantation is one of best preserved plantations in the South. There are 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction on it started in 1790 by Pierre Clidamant Becnel, a French settler who grew indigo and sugar cane. It has a French Creole-style plantation house with a double-pitched roof and a wraparound porch. There are 22 original slave cabins that form a double row along the oak alley.

Travel Guide For New Orleans

Getting There

Flights arrive at the Louis Armstrong International Airport from all over the U.S. and international destinations. Rental cars from the airport are one of a few options. Traveling from the airport to the French Quarter will take 25 minutes by car.

The area’s regional transit system offers an airport bus from the airport to two locations: mid-city and downtown. Catching a taxi or other car-for-hire service such as Uber or Lyft are other options.

Amtrak has a station in New Orleans and the route runs from Chicago through Memphis.

Planning Tips

Consider what you’d like to do before packing your suitcase. Do you plan to explore the area’s swampy bayou, perhaps by taking an airboat tour? Will your trip focus on other outdoor activities like attending a Jazz Festival? Maybe you see yourself enjoying fine dining on the area’s unique Creole cuisines. In that case, make sure to pack your most elegant attire.

Having a general idea of your preferences and plans will help you plan what to bring and what to leave behind. Consider whether you’ll be outdoors a good amount of time. New Orleans can be muggy and hot during the summer months, so dress accordingly.

Not only should your plans guide you in what to pack, you should also purchase tour tickets and make reservations in advance for the things you definitely don’t want to miss out on.

Restaurants & Eating Out

Heavily influenced by Cajun and Creole cuisine and soul food, New Orleans-style fare is a must try while you’re there. For authentic local food we recommend the following establishments.

The Atchafalaya Restaurant is a cute, quirky place with a lot of excellent food options at reasonable prices.

The Commander’s Palace is an upscale (no shorts allowed!) eatery that’s well-known for its local cuisine and specifically for its bread pudding soufflé.

For a bite on a budget, give Faubourg Bistro a try. They have your standard burgers and pizza and some southern options, like fried catfish sandwich; or consider Cajun Mike’s Pub & Grub where you can get po’boys, crawfish kickers, and seafood gumbo.

Nightlife & Entertainment

No trip to New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the French Quarter, but the city is so much more than the 13 block area, originally known as Vieux Carré. Try out these other hot spots to get a better perspective of the city.

Performances at the The Jazz Playhouse, located on Bourbon Street, wow their audiences with the quality of musicians and nice ambience. The drinks can be a little pricey, but we feel the expense is worth the experience.

If you’re looking for a bar that’s gay-friendly, the Good Friends Bar & Queens Head Pub is worth checking out. Bartenders and friendly and fun. There’s an upstairs bar that is smaller, with a good sized balcony. Their creamy drinks are fabulous.

Why not bowl while you enjoy a few drinks? At Rock n Bowl – Mid City Lanes you can do just that. And the fun isn’t limited to bowling. There’s a music venue and a dance floor as well.

If you plan to make room for some culture during your visit to New Orleans, the Saenger Theatre features a nice variety of concerts and shows. The theater itself is worth seeing for its beautiful architecture alone.