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Louisiana Plantations: Whitney and Laura Tour
4.6
407 Ratings
New Orleans
Experience the grandeur of Louisiana’s Mississippi River plantations on this small-group tour from New Orleans. Visit St. Joseph, Oak Alley, and Laura Plantations for a personalized and immersive journey into the history and culture of these iconic landmarks.
Experience the grandeur of Louisiana’s Mississippi River plantations on this small-group tour from New Orleans. Visit St. Joseph, Oak Alley, and Laura Plantations for a personalized and immersive journey into the history and culture of these iconic landmarks.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Lake Pontchartrain - Begin a journey back to the Antebellum South with a pickup from your New Orleans hotel. Travel with a small group by van along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, while the guide shares intriguing facts and stories about plantation culture.
- Whitney Plantation - Recently opened to the public, this site reveals the harsh…
- Lake Pontchartrain - Begin a journey back to the Antebellum South with a pickup from your New Orleans hotel. Travel with a small group by van along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, while the guide shares intriguing facts and stories about plantation culture.
- Whitney Plantation - Recently opened to the public, this site reveals the harsh realities and raw historical truths of this dark chapter in American history. On a self-guided walking tour, visitors can explore slave cabins, a freedmen’s church, a detached kitchen, and a 1790s owner’s house. Guests will use their cell phones to access a special Whitney Tour App, with a download link included in all ticket confirmations. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own headphones for hygiene purposes.
- Evergreen Plantation - Pause for a photo opportunity in front of Evergreen’s renowned oak-lined esplanade.
- Laura Plantation: Louisiana’s Creole Heritage Site - A brief ride through sugar cane fields leads to Laura, a Creole Plantation featuring historic slave quarters surrounded by sugar cane fields. The guided tour vividly transports guests into the captivating yet tragic lives of four generations of Creole owners and their slaves.
- Oak Alley Plantation - Drive by to admire the tree-lined alley leading to the mansion.
- St. Joseph Plantation - Pass by the location where “Django Unchained” and “Queen Sugar” were filmed.
What's Included
- Guided tour of Laura Plantation
- Fun and historical live narration by driver-guide
- Transport by air-conditioned 14-passenger van
- Exact pick up time provided
- Self-guided tour of Whitney Plantation
- Guided tour of Laura Plantation
- Fun and historical live narration by driver-guide
- Transport by air-conditioned 14-passenger van
- Exact pick up time provided
- Self-guided tour of Whitney Plantation
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks (available for purchase)
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks (available for purchase)
Additional Information
Go beyond New Orleans to tour two grand Louisiana plantations on the banks of the Mississippi River. At Whitney Plantation, see the harsh realities and raw historical facts of a dark side of American history. The slave narratives and artwork recreate the world of a pre-Civil War southern sugar plantation and memorial in honor of the lives of the…
Go beyond New Orleans to tour two grand Louisiana plantations on the banks of the Mississippi River. At Whitney Plantation, see the harsh realities and raw historical facts of a dark side of American history. The slave narratives and artwork recreate the world of a pre-Civil War southern sugar plantation and memorial in honor of the lives of the enslaved people who toiled there. Take a short drive down the Great River Road, admiring other plantations from afar and learning their unique stories. Pause in front of Oak Alley Plantation’s famous oak-lined esplanade before arriving at your last stop, Laura Plantation. Hear personal stories of those who lived there, surrounded by sweeping sugarcane fields and historically significant slave quarters. This small-group tour allows a limited number of people to ensure a more personalized attention from your guide.
- Child rate applies to all children and infants
- Service animals are permitted. Please advise at time of booking to arrange accommodations
- Tour cannot accommodate wheelchairs of any kind
Location
Lake Pontchartrain
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(407 Ratings)
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Brenna
Apr 27, 2025
Plantations, History, and Heart — All in One Day - What a day! Touring Laura and Whitney plantations with Tours by Isabelle was such a memorable experience. René, our driver/guide, brought the history to life with his stories and insights. The plantations were both stunning and deeply moving. We left with a better understanding and appreciation of history. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve
Apr 18, 2025
Incredible Experience at Laura and Whitney Plantations – Highly Recommend - We had an unforgettable tour visiting both Laura Plantation and Whitney Plantation & Museum, and I can’t recommend it enough. Our local guide, John, truly made the experience exceptional—he was informative and engaging, and we enjoyed his sense of humor immensely.
At Laura Plantation, we heard vivid stories of the families who lived there. The house and grounds are beautifully preserved.
Whitney Plantation focused heavily on the perspective of the enslaved people who lived and worked there, and it was incredibly moving.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Corissa_j
Apr 11, 2025
Great Experience. Sad but necessary - René our driver was very good from Isabelle tours. He was very knowledgeable, funny, kind and a great driver. He gave us a good history of New Orleans on the way to the plantations and opportunities to stop and take photos along the way (from inside the van) of other plantations. The tours themselves were good to experience. I had done the whitney before which is the best one to go see, (told from the perspective of the slaves), and the Laura, I had not done, but it was a good learning experience and to hear the stories there too. Definitely would recommend this one!
Review provided by Viator
Derek
Apr 10, 2025
Excellent Tour!! A must do… very eye-opening and impactful! - This was an excellent tour and the small group is well worth it!! 👍 Our tour guide, Rene’, was a 12 out of 10! He is SO knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. He is so personable and super fun! 🙌 You will be amazed at what you think you know (from what we have been exposed to on TV and movies) versus the reality of these plantations. The tour was also very informative on the way there and back! Wondering which plantation tour to do? Pick this one! Tours by Isabelle is the way to go!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eterni2023
Apr 9, 2025
on top!! - a very pleasant day with a visit to 2 very different plantations in mini van (any comfort).
Gisèle accompanies you in French or English in a good mood and picks you up at your hotel or the place of your choice, you need not worry about anything.
Very complete explanations, well dosed.
Guide attentive to small care and positive.
Controlled organization with communication by Whatsapp upstream to organize the pick up and keep up to date live.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bethanycr7166kx
Mar 31, 2025
Highly recommended! - Laura & Whitney Plantation Tours with driver, John- Highly recommend! He gave a great history of the area as well as humorous anecdotes that made the ride really pleasant. The tour pickup was prompt and everything was very well organized. The plantations themselves were beautiful and heartbreaking. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lorrainery504ut
Apr 10, 2025
Thank you to Gisele ! - The tour was very interesting, especially the Withney Plantation that was similar to a museum with audio guide. Gisele, our guide is very nice and knowledgeable. My husband and I had a great day ! Thank you Gisele.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G7186zrmarcp
Apr 6, 2025
Great plantation tour - The tour left at a decent time to cover two
plantations with additional photo stips on the way. Well organized and informative. All credit to Muriel, our driver and guide. The price was also reasonable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alliebrotz
Apr 14, 2025
Accommodation Pickup Should Be Taken Lightly - I’d like to start by saying the service was friendly and the tour locations were well worth the visit. We however found ourselves a bit disappointed in the explanation we received as to why we couldn’t be picked up at our accommodation. We were told that it was too far from central New Orleans and that we couldn’t be picked up at an Airbnb. We were asked to walk to our pick up location, which we were fine with until we realized that nobody else had to walk to a pick up location even though some of the people in our tour group were located farther than we were and others were also staying in Airbnbs. My partner and I also noticed that the very van that did the pick ups was located only a few blocks from our accommodation a few days prior. We understand that not everyone can be picked up but it seemed to us that we were treated unfairly in comparison to the other people in our group, even though we paid the same price. I hope in the future the rules are applied equally to all guests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N9283fklindad
Mar 24, 2025
Not with the cost - Definitely not worth the cost and the tour guide was a driver not a guide! I’ve had uber drivers more versed about their surroundings. I booked “small tour” and 14 people were added to the Laura plantation tour. Our “guide” said we would have a tour guide at Whitney, but it was audio which is what the website stated. Whitney Plantation is a must!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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