06 May 2025
We took this tour because we couldn’t decide which plantation to see on our trip to New Orleans. Laura, Whitney, and Oak Alley are pretty close to each other, but all about an hour drive out of New Orleans. So when we saw this tour where you can see two plantations it was a perfect solution! We went to Whitney and Oak Alley.
Whitney has been turned into an educational monument to all of the people forced into slavery. The displays are well done and do a good job of explaining the horrors of the slave practice that occurred in our country not that long ago…. This part of the tour was unguided and you get two hours at the plantation.
We then went to Oak Alley which is 1/2 guided (in the big house) and 1/2 on your own to explore the slave quarters and grounds. This plantation has a beautiful “big house” and garden. The oak trees are the star of this site. The trunks are 10 feet across the branches are so heavy they touch the ground.
The tour company had planned it so that you would get lunch at Oak Alley first (not included in the price), and then take the tour. Because this was a fairly new tour, my husband and I were the only ones on the tour, and we decided to skip lunch, so Brian, our driver, was able to get us on an earlier tour group, so we didn’t try the restaurant at Oak Alley, but Brian said it’s really good.
We appreciated very much that this tour company didn’t cancel on us, even though it ended up just being the two of us. They are trying to get this tour going, so I think that’s why. (I don’t think it’s standard practice to keep the tour going if it undersells). If you want to see the plantations though, this tour makes the most sense because you get to see more than one and it’s a long drive out of town. I recommend taking this tour!
Brian, our driver, was also super friendly and nice. He explained some of the history on the way out to the plantations, and pointed out historical sites we passed by.
Thanks everyone for a great tour.