New Orleans · NEW ORLEANS PLANTATION TOURS

Plantation Tours from New Orleans: The 15 Best Days Upriver

46 tours  ·  from $24

The houses are an hour upriver and they tell very different stories, from the oak alley postcard to the museum built around slavery itself. The 15 below compare the houses, the driving time and what the day costs with transport.

Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans - Oak Alley’s 28 oak trees and plantation story
Cruises & Boat Tours, New Orleans Plantation Tours, New Orleans Swamp Tours, Oak Alley Plantation Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans

1.Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,303 reviews · 7 hours 45 minutes (approx.) · from $131Our pick

Ride from the French Quarter to Oak Alley or Destrehan Plantation, then cruise a private Manchac-area swamp on a covered pontoon boat. Local guides such as Dionne, Jane, Robert, and Captain Justin have led especially memorable outings, but guide assignments vary.

“Great to view animals from the boat. Justin boat captain was entertaining and knowledgeable. Cute boat landing store.”

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Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans - Lake Pontchartrain and the road to the plantations
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Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

2.Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,747 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $89

Leave the French Quarter with a Gray Line guide such as Alton, Robert, or Melinda, then spend about 2.25 hours at Oak Alley. Tour the 1839 mansion, walk its 28 ancient oaks, learn about plantation life, and add a 90-minute pontoon swamp trip if you want more.

“Guides could have been a little more elaborate. I think there was much more to talkabout/describe. May have ben depending on the guide.”

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Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans - Cabins, Memorials, and the Big House
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Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

3.Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,351 reviews · 5 hours 25 minutes (approx.) · from $89

Travel from the French Quarter to Whitney Plantation along Louisiana’s River Road. Your Gray Line driver may add local history on the ride, while the plantation’s app guides you through cabins, the Big House, memorials, and first-person accounts. An optional 90-minute swamp tour is also available.

“Very comfortable. Driver was knowledgeable. This is a must see site on the enslaved peoples experiences. The first person interview were moving.”

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Laura Creole Plantation Guided Tour - The main house: architecture with people attached
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Laura Creole Plantation Guided Tour

4.Laura Creole Plantation Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,279 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $32

Walk through Laura Plantation with a local guide and explore its furnished main house, 1840s slave cabins, gardens, and sugar fields. Hear the stories of free and enslaved people tied to four generations of a Creole family. The 70-minute tour runs in English and French.

“Pam was amazing and informative, it was nice to do the tour in an intimate setting . Definitely will visit again.”

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Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans - Laura Plantation and the lives behind Creole culture
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Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans

5.Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,246 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $279

Spend nine hours with a small group exploring Cajun country, riding an airboat through cypress swamps, touring Laura Plantation, and eating an unlimited buffet at Houmas House. Guides such as Giselle, Robert, Rene, and Steve add local history and humor along the way.

“The alligator bayou boat ride was excellent. Go early morning for the best temperature. The guide was most knowledgeable and friendly. The guides at both Laura and Houmas plantations were excellent, most informative, and interactive. The histories of both plantations should enlighten all visitors and hopefully encourage mankind not to make the mistakes of our past. The luncheon was most enjoyable, and our main guide, Steve, was impeccably knowledgeable about the history of New Orleans and its culinary delights! Thank you for a tour of tours.”

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New Orleans: Bayou Swamp Tour and Oak Alley Plantation Tour - Hotel pickup requires serious punctuality
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New Orleans: Bayou Swamp Tour and Oak Alley Plantation Tour

6.Bayou Swamp Tour and Oak Alley Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,147 reviews · 7h 30m · from $125

Spend about 7.5 hours with Cajun Pride Swamp Tours, combining a 1.5-hour Manchac Bayou boat ride with a guided visit to Oak Alley Plantation. Expect alligators, raccoons, wild pigs, live oaks, plantation history, and lively commentary from drivers such as Big Joe.

“Great experience, I got to hold a baby alligator and that’s something I thought I’d never do. Big Joe was great driving us around and pointing out beautiful historical sites and interesting facts. Would absolutely recommend 10/10”

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New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour - Pickup from New Orleans and the road west
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New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour

7.Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 906 reviews · 8h 30m · from $160

Travel from New Orleans to Oak Alley Plantation for a guided house tour, oak-lined grounds, and slavery-era interpretation, then ride an open airboat through Barataria Basin. Captains such as Ernie, Dewey, and Bee Bop are known for spotting alligators and explaining the swamp. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

“Fabulous day, interesting to learn about the sugar cane plantation and insight into slavery, really knowledgeable, guides. We followed this with a swamp tour with Dewey as our guide. What an awesome experience. Dewey was fun, engaging, and nothing too much trouble, he took us to where he knew the gathers would be and he didn’t disappoint, we even held a baby gator! Great day !!”

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Oak Alley Plantation and Large Airboat Swamp Tour from New Orleans - Oak Alley’s famous tree-lined approach
New Orleans Airboat Tours, New Orleans Plantation Tours, New Orleans Swamp Tours, Oak Alley Plantation Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Oak Alley Plantation and Large Airboat Swamp Tour from New Orleans

8.Oak Alley Plantation and Large Airboat Swamp Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 712 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $160

Spend a full day visiting Oak Alley, touring its 1837 Greek Revival mansion, and riding a 16-passenger airboat through the swamp. Guides such as Presley, Captain Dewey, Kenny, and BeBop bring local color, wildlife knowledge, and plenty of gator stories.

“Plantation score: 8/10 Airboat ride: 100/10 Plantation was informative and eye opening to see the disparity between haves and have nots of the time period. Airboat was awesome. Seeing gators up close in the wild is an amazing experience.”

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New Orleans: Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation - The ride from New Orleans to the River Road
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New Orleans: Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation

9.Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 619 reviews · 5 hours - 465 minutes · from $89

Travel from New Orleans to Whitney Plantation by comfortable coach, with local commentary on the way. Explore 14 stops at your own pace using the app or an audio device, then add a 90-minute Manchac Swamp boat trip if you wish.

“This was a great overall experience. Our bus driver Stacy was absolutely phenomenal and made the experience that more fun and informative. The bus was clean and newer and very comfortable”

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Destrehan Plantation Tour - Inside the Main House With a Costumed Interpreter
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Destrehan Plantation Tour

10.Destrehan Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 501 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $29Best value

Visit Destrehan Plantation near New Orleans for a guided tour with interpreters such as Jim, Beverly, Jordan, and Kelly. Expect stories of free and enslaved people, a focused exhibit on the 1811 Slave Revolt, original documents, historic outbuildings, and time to walk the grounds.

“Our family really enjoyed the tour. The plantation and the grounds were very picturesque. Our guide was very informative and she did a great job portraying someone from that era. Highly recommend!”

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Small-Group Laura and Whitney Plantation Tour from New Orleans - Whitney Plantation puts the people first
Laura Plantation Tours, New Orleans Plantation Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whitney Plantation Tours

Small-Group Laura and Whitney Plantation Tour from New Orleans

11.Small-Group Laura and Whitney Plantation Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 446 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $159

Travel from New Orleans in a 14-passenger van with guides such as Gisele, Isabelle, or Renee. Whitney Plantation offers a moving self-guided audio tour focused on enslaved people, while Laura Plantation brings Creole stories, gardens, and West African folklore to life.

“The plantations were thought-provoking the guide Renee was fabulous. Isabella was helpful and was prompt to return any messages”

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From New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation Tour - Entering the Greek Revival Main House
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From New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation Tour

12.Oak Alley Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 443 reviews · 5h 30m · from $75

Ride from New Orleans to Oak Alley Plantation with hotel pickup, then tour the Greek Revival house and explore the grounds, slave quarters, machinery, restaurant, and shop. A costumed guide leads the house visit, while about two hours at the site gives you time to walk beneath the famous oak avenue.

“Oak Alley is absolutely stunning! The tour guide was very knowledgeable. You get the full experience of what life for everyone must have been like.”

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New Orleans: Swamp Boat Ride & Oak Alley Plantation Tour - Walking beneath Oak Alley’s 28 ancient trees
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New Orleans: Swamp Boat Ride & Oak Alley Plantation Tour

13.Swamp Boat Ride & Oak Alley Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 383 reviews · 7h 30m · from $131

Spend about 7.5 hours exploring Oak Alley Plantation and Manchac Swamp. A live English-speaking guide handles the road commentary, while local captains share Cajun traditions and search for alligators, raccoons, and wild boars.

“very interactive. our guide always knowledgeable and full of humor. We even got to hold a baby gator. A++ will do again”

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Oak Alley or Laura Plantation Tour from New Orleans - Why the history matters
Laura Plantation Tours, New Orleans Plantation Tours, Oak Alley Plantation Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Oak Alley or Laura Plantation Tour from New Orleans

14.Oak Alley or Laura Plantation Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 377 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $69

Travel from New Orleans to Oak Alley or Laura Plantation on a roughly four-hour tour with hotel pickup, admission, and a guided visit included. Expect about two hours on the road, a 40-minute plantation tour, and a close look at slavery, Creole culture, architecture, and grounds.

“This was a worthwhile excursion. It was interesting to tour Oak Alley & learn about its history. Pick up and drop off was very easy too.”

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Oak Alley Plantation and Swamp Boat Tour from New Orleans - Reaching Oak Alley from New Orleans
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Oak Alley Plantation and Swamp Boat Tour from New Orleans

15.Oak Alley Plantation and Swamp Boat Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 376 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $130

Spend about eight hours visiting Oak Alley Plantation and cruising Barataria Swamp from New Orleans. Expect a Greek Revival house, moss-draped waterways, native captains, and possible alligator sightings. Guides such as Ernie and Dewey add humor and local detail, while round-trip transport keeps the day simple.

“Just as described. Distance a pain but not able to be adjusted. Driver very nice and humorous. Well done.”

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New in New Orleans Plantation Tours

★ 4.8Whitney Plantation & Museum TourFrom $7959 reviews
★ 5.0Whitney Plantation + Soul of New Orleans TourFrom $1204 reviews
★ 5.0Whitney Plantation Half-Day Tour (Guided Tour)From $8619 reviews
★ 4.7Whitney Plantation Audio Tour with TransfersFrom $813 reviews
★ 4.6Single Plantation and Pontoon Swamp Day TripFrom $1408 reviews
★ 4.4Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Hotel TransfersFrom $813 reviews
★ 4.8Oak Alley Plantation Tour and Airboat TourFrom $1594 reviews
★ 3.4Oak Alley Plantation Tour and TransportationFrom $758 reviews
★ 3.3Oak Alley Plantation and Katrina City TourFrom $1205 reviews
★ 4.7Oak Alley or Laura Plantation & Airboat TourFrom $17515 reviews
★ 4.5Oak Alley & Laura Plantation Tour w/TransportFrom $11133 reviews
★ 4.8Laura Plantation Tour with TransportationFrom $8113 reviews
★ 5.0Destrehan Plantation & Airboat Combo TourFrom $17927 reviews
★ 4.8Destrehan Plantation TourFrom $2952 reviews
★ 4.9Whitney Plantation and Airboat Tour ComboFrom $15946 reviews

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