USA · PLANTATION TOURS
These are historic sites built and worked by enslaved people, and the tours differ sharply in how they tell that history. Whitney Plantation is organised entirely around the lives of the people enslaved there; others lead with the house and the grounds. Listed below are the 15 available to book, with what each visit covers, how long it runs and what the transport from New Orleans or Charleston adds.
Oak Alley or Destrehan plus Manchac Swamp wildlife cruise from New Orleans. Private boat, oak-tree views, history and alligators.
“Beautiful tour of a plantation. Restaurant there was delicious. Swamp boat ride was fun. Lots of wildlife to see.”
See Oak Alley by air-conditioned coach from the French Quarter, guided through the Greek Revival Big House, with an optional 90-minute swamp tour.
“Scheduled tour was cancelled. Rescheduled tour was lacking — driver not fully engaged with necessary information—little to no help in explaining or pointing things out along the route. Not enough time to fully see everything at Oak Alley Plantation.”
All-access Boone Hall Plantation admission with cabin exhibits, first-floor home tour, tractor and garden stops, plus a live Gullah culture program.
“The was quit interesting. The tour guide was very engaging. We were free to explore many areas of the plantation from the house, slave quarters, horse stables, gardens etc.”
Self-guided Whitney Plantation from New Orleans with round-trip transport and admission, plus an optional 90-minute pontoon swamp tour.
“The trip was well timed. The tour driver (Alton) was friendly and courteous and shared interesting facts about New Orleans and the plantations over the entire trip. We had a great time.”
Guided Laura Plantation tour near New Orleans covers four generations of Creole life, with furnished house, cabins, gardens, and honest slavery history.
“The guide was very knowledgeable! Pam took the time to explain the entire details of the plantation to each and every one of the tourists!”
New Orleans day trip combining a narrated Manchac Swamp wildlife boat tour and guided Oak Alley Plantation visit, with hotel pickup.
“Great experience in both the swamp and Oak Alley tours. Two must see experiences close to NOLA, don’t miss them! Big Joe the bus driver was amazing too!”
New Orleans combo day trip with a narrated Manchac Swamp boat ride and Oak Alley Plantation, including hotel pickup and timed entry.
“I really loved everything about the tour. Our driver BigJoe was nice and told us a lot about New Orleans and eveyrthing we saw on the way. The swamp tour with Tom was very fun, we saw a lot of alligators, turtles, racoons and birds. He knew a lot about the life there! Then the Oak Alley Plantation tour was short but intense, it's gorgeous out there. The house tour is a bit crowded.”
Oak Alley Plantation and a Barataria Basin airboat ride from New Orleans. Guided history, gator sightings, and door-to-door transport.
“Our guide Ernie was really entertaining and joyfull !! We enjoyed our swamp tour even more thanks to him 😘”
Waikiki day trip to Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, North Shore sights, and Polynesian Cultural Center, with pickup and admissions included.
“Ask for Papa P. The tour was amazing and he went well above and beyond for everyone on board. Highly recommended!”
Take round-trip transport from New Orleans to Whitney Plantation for a self-paced audio visit, plus an optional Manchac Swamp pontoon tour upgrade.
“Maybe a newer bus that had facilities and a better air conditioning. The windows actually shook when we hit a bump. Bus driver was very nice and informative. Tour itself was a self walking tour. Which was nice as we could take our time and Re listen if something was missed. It’s was definitely heart wrenching what these poor people went through. The cruelty to these people is and was unacceptable. Was quite emotional; sad and angry at the same time. How could one human do that to another!”
Take a 5-hour bus trip from New Orleans to Whitney Plantation, a slavery-focused museum with audio tour, memorials, and Spanish Creole architecture.
“Melinda our bus driver was amazing!! She provided us with historical facts about New Orleans and the plantations. A great sense of humor and displayed a lot of patients for the tourist that didn’t make it back in a timely matter.”
A small-group, 4-hour Charleston tour with transport to Magnolia Plantation, including a guided house visit and wildlife tram ride.
“Actually, everything went quite nicely. It was well organized. Three different parts to the tour (the house tour with excellent docent, a “train“ driving to her through some of the grounds with outstanding guide narration, and an excellent lecture on the “From slavery to freedom“ portion explaining the background behind the plantation from its origin to today. Even the available lunch was good and reasonably priced.”
A 75-minute Laura Plantation guided tour near New Orleans with Creole family stories, enslaved quarters, and gardens, $32 per person.
“Very informative tour learning of plantation life from an owner & slave perspective. Highly recommended”
Oak Alley Plantation meets a Manchac Swamp pontoon ride on one guided day from New Orleans, with transport, Big House tour, and narrated wildlife cruising.
“Great and interesting trip with Kate as guide and Nicolas behund the wheel.”
Oak Alley Plantation tour from New Orleans with round trip transport, guided Big House and slavery exhibits, plus optional Manchac Swamp cruise.
“Guide was very knowledgeable on the bus. The plantation was beautiful. Do not miss the house tour and take the time to walk down the alley from the house to get the best pics. Stay for the lecture in the slave/share croppers area, most interesting.”
Every kind of day out, and the best of each.
