Oak Alley Plantation Tour
Overview
- Tour of Oak Alley Plantation
- One of the most photographed plantations ever
- Guided tour reveals the fascinating stories of the home and history of the Oak Valley Plantation
- Experience a bygone era in one of the South's most beautiful settings - Oak Alley Plantation
From $65.00 USD
Lowest Price GuaranteeUpon arrival, stroll though a postcard‐perfect canopy of 28 knotty oak trees – each over 250 years old! – that line the promenade to the mansion. Built in 1839, the ‘Big House’ is a perfectly restored example of antebellum elegance and Greek Revival architecture. Your knowledgeable guides, donning period costumes, will provide colorful commentary about the estate and some of its former inhabitants. Tour the opulent rooms of this classic southern home that has been the setting for Interview with a Vampire and Primary Colors, then continue on your own to wander the enchanting grounds or grab a refreshment in the cafe and ice cream parlor (own expense). Then relax as your coach returns to the French Quarter, arriving by late‐afternoon.
Reviews
Viator Traveler's Reviews
Once we arrived at Oak Alley plantation we were given a map of the property and our time to meet at the main house for the guided tour. We had two hours on our own to explore the property which included a 30 minute tour of the main house. We tried to familiarize ourselves with the rather large map and then took off! Sadly we weren't able to see everything before the house tour started. We were lucky to catch the first 15 minutes of a tour guide who was speaking about slave stories at the slave houses but we had to leave early for our house tour and didn't get to hear the end of the fantastic presentation. We also didn't have time to visit the gift shop, blacksmith house, garden, or walk down the oaks to see the Mississippi river. I wasn't aware this was a self guided tour, and i wish we had received the maps on the bus so we could better plan our route around the plantation to try to see everything. It is such a gorgeous plantation, but wondering around on your own doesn't have the same impact as listening to an experienced historian tell the stores. We left wishing we had more time to really appreciate it. I did enjoy that the driver took a different route to and from the plantation so that we could see and learn about different areas. The drive each way is about an hour and 15 minutes. The tour guide on the bus talked the whole time but had a pretty monotone voice so the majority of the bus was sleeping. I wish the tour guide on the bus also walked you around the property for how expensive this tour was. Also we changed seats on the bus a few times because it was either hot or you were being blasted by the A/C. Overall - this was the most expensive tour we booked during our week stay in New Orleans and was the only tour we left not feeling satisfied by our experience.
I got what I wanted from the tour, but the site was understaffed on a day with several tour buses. Several in our group felt shorted on the house tour. We didnt as we took advantage of local staff telling us to just get in line and ignore the assigned time because of all of the buses and the up staffing problems. I felt more time at the site should be offered - maybe one more hour. We got back to the bus early because the other things we wanted to see would have taken too long. The Grayline representative was excellent with a great deal of information provided to and from New Orleans. The bus ride was pleasant and the bus was in very good condidition.
My husband and I enjoyed the tour very much. The ride each way was about 1 hr and 15 min and was very pleasant, especially because of our tour guide Gerald. When we arrived at Oak Alley we were told we would have over 2 hours there including the tour, which would take about 40 minutes. We thought that would be too long a time to spend there, but we needed the time to explore the exhibit buildings, gift shop, snack bar, and tour the main house. Ann was our tour guide of the main house, and was extremely knowledgeable actually she knew the family that lived there, and spent time there as a young girl. The only negative about this tour was that we thought it would take 4 hours, but was actually about 5 hours. I would definitely recommend touring Oak Alley Plantation.
Really enjoyed the trip. It's about an hour by bus from New Orleans, which gives you about 2 hours on the estate which is about enough. The slavery exhibition is a bit sugar coated. Conditions and the lives of the slaves were miserable but they appear to have lived in a bit of a holiday camp. The house is lovely but the exhibits are a bit thin.