Top New Orleans Day Trips

Soak up the atmosphere of the bayou on this 8-hour cultural tour from New Orleans. Visit the Oak Alley Plantation House, dating from 1837, and view the stately row of 28 evenly spaced mature oaks that line the driveway. Follow your guide, dressed in period costume, through the mansion, the blacksmith shop and the onsite restaurant. Then, learn about life in the bayou's waterways aboard a swamp and wetlands boat tour. See the amazing variety of flora and fauna native to the area and hear about life in the Barataria Swamps from your native guides. Round-trip transportation from New Orleans is included.

Go beyond the French Quarter and discover the unique Cajun and Creole cultures of New Orleans during this full-day swamp and plantation tour. Venture deep into the bayous, with a small group limited to 8, to see Cajun living and spot wildlife like alligators and pelicans. Then, admire the beautiful architecture and learn about the history of Houmas House and Laura Plantation. Upgrade your ticket to include a high-speed airboat ride through the bayous.

Steep yourself in American history on this half-day tour of Oak Alley and Laura plantations that comes with convenient transport from downtown New Orleans. Both 19th-century plantations offer fantastic views of the Mississippi River. Snap shots of the famous canopied path of southern oaks that give Oak Alley its name, and gain insight into the women-run Laura plantation, where slave cabins still stand.

After a New Orleans hotel pickup, relax on board an enclosed, air-conditioned bus to the Plantation of your choice. You will be given a guided tour through the main house and some time to walk the grounds . You will then take a short ride and your at the swamps. Your invited to join us for an educational journey back to the early days of Louisiana bayou and swamp explorations.  Swamp creatures, seeing our boats daily, recognize them as part of their normal environment. Unafraid and responsive to their boat captain's call, they peak out from underbrush and between moss-draped trees and shrubs, frequently coming directly to the boat. In the safety and comfort of the boat, you can actually come within a few feet of jumping alligators.

Experience the grandeur of New Orleans’ rich and conflicted past on a small‐group plantation tour. Take a journey through Laura Plantation and St. Joseph Plantation, spying other historic plantations as you travel the Great River Road. View stunning architecture and enduring sugar cane fields while learning about the plantations’ fascinating—and somber—histories from expert guides.

Explore Louisiana’s unique history and ecology on this combo day tour from New Orleans. Travel along the oak-lined River Road to Destrehan Plantation, where you can tour the 1787 sugar plantation home, grounds and slave quarters while learning about life in the antebellum South and the site’s changing role during the Civil War. Then, venture into the bayou on a narrated swamp cruise through wild wetlands that are home to turtles, otters, snakes and famous Louisiana gators.

Visit the Whitney Plantation Museum, a former indigo and sugar plantation on the River Road now dedicated to promoting an understanding of slavery in Louisiana. Learn about the realities of plantation life through museum exhibits and recorded narratives as you explore the restored structures and historical slave cabins. Download the Whitney Plantation app for the self-guided tour of Whitney Plantation Museum.

Discover more of Louisiana on a small-group half-day tour to the Whitney Plantation from New Orleans. Ride by minivan past the marshes of Lake Pontchartrain and along River Road, passing filming locations for the popular TV series ‘Queen Sugar’ and other productions. Then, join a guided tour of the Whitney Plantation and learn about the history of the enslaved and free people who once lived on the plantation.

Experience the civilized and the wild on a plantation tour and educational swamp boat ride from New Orleans. On this half-day journey, visit Oak Alley Plantation where you'll learn about antebellum life and stroll down its iconic tree-lined esplanade. Next, head into the marshy swampland for a boat ride and some wildlife spotting. Enjoy guided commentary as you snap photos of alligators, raccoons, snakes and native birds.

Experience the elegance of New Orleans’ antebellum south on this full-day historical plantation tour. In a small‐group, visit San Francisco Plantation and Houmas House Plantation, where you’ll view stunning architecture, oak‐lined esplanades, and former slave quarters while hearing fascinating – and often somber – pre‐Civil war histories from expert guides.  You'll also enjoy a private luncheon, served exclusively for your group at Houmas House.

The picturesque beauty and architecture of the Louisiana plantations are a “must” for any visitor to New Orleans. Many of these breathtaking homes are within an hour’s drive from the city. Your tour will begin with a comfortable ride out of New Orleans where your guide will share with you the origin of the Louisiana plantations, along with the effect they had on the city of New Orleans, and its residents. Along with discovering beautiful buildings, luscious gardens and historic artifacts, these homes also represent some of the darker chapters of Louisiana history. Many of the plantations will provide a focus on the lives of the slaves that brought these homes to life, and share some of the realities of the rural south during this time in our nation’s history. Upon arrival, each plantation home has its own guide to bring you through the main house, and share its specific story. Following your home tour, we will escort you around the grounds and answer any questions that may arise.

Explore the famous Oak Alley plantation and its surroundings on this half-day tour. Learn about life on the plantation during the 1800s as guides in era-appropriate clothing show you around the Big House, the slave cabins, and the grounds. Discover the films and TV shows that the plantation was featured on and then spend some time exploring the exhibits before heading back to the city.

Travel into the bayou on this combination swamp and plantation tour by 6 or 9 passenger Airboat. See the oldest documented plantation in the Mississippi Valley and visit the slave revolt museum located on the grounds. After the tour explore the grounds on your won and enjoy lunch (own expense) if time permits.

Catch a glimpse of the Mississippi Valley's rich and conflicted past on a historic tour of Laura Plantation from New Orleans. Take a 5.5-hour journey through this renowned site, a Creole plantation notable for colorful manor house and considered by some to be the best historic plantation in the region. View unique Creole architecture, vibrant gardens, and enduring sugar cane fields while learning about the plantation’s fascinating — and often somber — history from your expert guide.

Travel through the bayou on this three-hour New Orleans city tour with optional swap adventure. Journey with your professional guide in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus as you learn about the history, culture and highlights of southern Creoles. You'll see major city highlights, plus areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and have the opportunity to add an optional swamp tour to this already comprehensive trip.

This is not just another drive out to the river road to visit plantations. Your driver/guide will enlighten and educate you along the way on such things as the Louisiana swamp, Lake Pontchartrain and an over view of what the Corp of Engineers have done to prevent the next hurricane Katrina catastrophe. And host of other surprises along the way.

Tour the Oak Alley Plantation, named for the alley of centuries-old oaks leading up to the antebellum Big House. Follow the oak-shaded paths to the blacksmith shop and a souvenir shop during your free time. Alcoholic drinks and lunch are available to purchase at the restaurant on-site, with round-trip hotel transport provided from New Orleans.

Discover New Orleans’ top attractions and the grandeur of antebellum history on this combined city and plantation sightseeing tour. Start with a bus tour, including the French Quarter, the Garden District, the Ninth Ward, and City Park. Absorb the sights and sounds of the city as you learn about its fascinating history from your friendly local guide. Then head to Oak Alley Plantation to view stunning architecture, oak-lined esplanades, and enduring sugar cane fields.

Travel into the bayou on this combination swamp and plantation tour by 16 passenger Airboat. See the oldest documented plantation in the Mississippi Valley and visit the slave revolt museum located on the grounds. After the tour explore the grounds on your won and enjoy lunch (own expense) if time permits.

Visit a former plantation and ride through the swamp during this two-in-one tour. Start with a visit to Oak Alley Plantation for a tour of the antebellum mansion. Follow the oak-shaded paths to the blacksmith shop during your free time. Lunch is available to purchase at the restaurant on-site. Next, head to the dock for your swamp tour. Search for alligators and other wildlife and stop for photo ops while aboard an airboat. Round-trip hotel transport provided from New Orleans.

Delve into the history of slavery and the plantations of Louisiana on this small-group tour from New Orleans. Drive past Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River to the Whitney Plantation’s Louisiana Museum of Slavery. Learn about the lives of the enslaved people who worked there and on plantations throughout the South during a tour of the museum and restored buildings. Next, head to the Creole-style St Joseph Plantation for a tour of the working sugar plantation where the movie ’12 Years A Slave’ was filmed.

Spend three hours getting an insider's look at this historic city. Rout the famous cemeteries, iconic plantation homes and Hurricane Katrina landmarks with you professional guide. Learn about Creole history and tradition as you explore the city during this tour that's perfect for first-time visitors, families and history lovers.

This is a half day tour of the Whitney Plantation and a Tour of the Louisiana swamp in a 16 to 20 passenger airboat through the marsh and swamps of southeast Louisiana.

Explore Louisiana wildlife and culture outside of the Big Easy on this full-day trip from New Orleans to the country town of Vacherie. Zoom across a swamp on a 6 or 9-passenger open-air speedboat with ample opportunities for viewing wild animals in their natural habitat, and then tour an antebellum plantation home with a classic alley of oaks when you return to shore.