I’m a big believer that you can’t fully grasp a place until you venture outside of its touristy hub. And the best way to do that is with a day trip. In New Orleans, the best outside-the-city adventures are to swamps and plantations, providing you with the full story of the Big Easy. The swamp is much like you’d expect, but a plantation day trip from New Orleans is much more impressive.
New Orleans wouldn’t be what it is both in the past and present without the slave trade. Home to the largest slave market in the country, New Orleans became the biggest and richest city in the South before the Civil War. Plantations lined their way up the Mississippi River growing sugar cane, indigo, pecans, and cotton. It’s a dark part of American history, no doubt, but one worth visiting.
Here’s how to take a plantation day trip from New Orleans and what plantations to visit.
Guide to a Plantation Day Trip from New Orleans
How to Take a Plantation Day Trip from New Orleans
Most of the plantations in the region are about an hour’s drive from New Orleans. You can easily rent a car and drive yourself without any problems. Or you can take a guided tour with transportation from the city center. There are half and full day tours visiting one plantation or several. One benefit of a tour is the guides provide information about the city and surrounding region. Our guide, Ken, told us funny and informative tidbits as we drove to the plantations. (Our plantation tour included both Laura Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation.)
What Plantations to Visit
There are a dozen remaining plantations outside of New Orleans. Each one showcases a unique aspect of plantation life or the plantation itself, like life from the slaves’ point of view or the history of the slave owners. Below are some of the most noteworthy and best plantations in the New Orleans area.
Creole vs. American Plantations
Typical plantation mansions, especially those depicted in movies, are large white houses lined with pillars and double-decker balconies. Those are actually American-style plantation houses. Creole-style plantation houses, on the other hand, were painted bright, contrasting colors. Two Creole plantations remain today: Laura Plantation, which focuses on the lives of the four generations of Duparc women who lived there, and San Francisco Plantation, one of the “most opulent” plantations showcasing antiques.
Plantations Seen in Movies
Speaking of movies, several plantations outside of New Orleans were filming locations for 12 Years a Slave and Django Unchained. In addition to the French Quarter, 12 Years a Slave was filmed at Destrehan Plantation, the oldest house in the lower Mississippi River Valley and the site of the famous slave revolt known as the 1811 German Coast Uprising (all included in the tour), and St. Joseph Plantation, still a working sugar cane plantation. Django Unchained was filed at Evergreen Plantation because of its authentic look and original buildings.
Slave Life on a Plantation
The American slave industry is a dark part — if not the darkest part — of United States history. And because of that, it must be remembered. And yes, part of a plantation day trip from New Orleans is to see big, beautiful houses, but it’s worth remembering how majority of people lived in the region. If you want to tour a plantation focusing on the slaves, visit Whitney Plantation. Whitney Plantation doubles as a museum focusing on life from the slaves’ point of view, with restored buildings, historical artifacts, and a memorial. (Check out this 5-hour guided Whitney Plantation tour with transportation from New Orleans.)
Plantation Oak Trees
As weird as it sounds, the southern oak trees surrounding some of the plantations are worth a day trip from New Orleans by themselves. First, they are massive. Supposedly they can get 66 feet tall and spread out nearly 90 feet! Second, they live for hundreds of years. Many of the trees surrounding the iconic — and aptly named — Oak Alley Plantation were planted in the 1700s before the house was built. And they are stunning! When the line to tour inside the mansion was too long, we decided to wander around the giant trees and tour the reconstructed slave quarters instead of seeing inside the house. Evergreen Plantation, mentioned above, also has a beautiful tunnel of southern oak trees. (Our tour included Oak Alley and Laura Plantations but Evergreen and Oak Alley Plantations can be done together.)
Plantations to Stay In
If a plantation day trip doesn’t seem like enough time, many plantations double as bed and breakfasts. Oak Alley Plantation, Nottoway Plantation (the largest mansion in the region), Ormonde Plantation, Destrehan Plantation, and Madewood Plantation all have guest rooms or cottages. Most also double as special event venues with restaurants, too.
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Related :: Experiencing New Orleans Beyond Bourbon Street, What to Eat in New Orleans, and What to Do in the Big Easy.
