Plantations

[margord]

Has any one been to any of the plantations around New Orleans? If so what ones do you recommend?

[selucrey]

Has any one been to any of the plantations around New Orleans? If so what ones do you recommend?

 

We have toured many.

I recommend the following...

Destrehan

San Francisco

Oak Alley

Houmas House

Nottoway

[mr&mrscruiselover]

We loved Oak Alley when we visited pre-Katrina.

[margord]

We have toured many.

I recommend the following...

Destrehan

San Francisco

Oak Alley

Houmas House

Nottoway

 

 

Thank you so much are these in any order? Do you recommend an order? We only have one day for touring the planations.

[margord]

We loved Oak Alley when we visited pre-Katrina.

 

 

I put it on our list. Thanks

[World Gallery]

Probably our most favorite is Laura Plantation because it is different from the rest in that it belonged to a Creole Family. We found the information and tour guide at this one to be excellent and since it gives a completely different prospective compared to say, Oak Alley, I suggest that people try to do this one also. It is right down the street from Oak Alley in Vacherie. They even give some information on how the two are different. Laura Plantation is brightly painted because it is a Creole Plantation. We made a day out of it visiting Oak Alley and its grounds (beautiful) in the morning, then lunch at Oak Alley, then on to Laura down the road. Laura Plantation also has the slave quarters in the back that give a pretty realistic view of what life may have been like. Also, they have a list of the "slave owner" rules in the back carriage shed, which the rules differ for Creole owners slightly. Overall, very informative with some very dramatic information about the family that lived there. There is also the book you can read before visiting to really make it become alive. The book is called:

Memories of the Old Plantation Home and the description reads:

In 1936, Laura Locoul Gore compiled an account of nearly 100 years of life on a Louisiana sugar plantation named after her:"Laura Plantation." Her manuscript, only recently discovered in St. Louis, Missouri, details the daily life and major events of the inhabitants, both free and enslaved, of the plantation that she and her female fore bearers ran.

if taking children with you to visit, you may want to read:

Br'er Rabbit: The Classic Tales - Seven tales recount the rascal Br'er Rabbit as he wiles and guiles his way through the old plantation South in this colorful adaptation. Hardbound. 56 pages.

[selucrey]

Thank you so much are these in any order? Do you recommend an order? We only have one day for touring the planations.

 

Destrehan and San Francisco are closest to New Orleans.

There are companies such as Grayline Tours that offer bus tours to each of the Plantations and may offer a better opportunity to visit those further from The City.Houmas House and Oak Alley are my favorites but Nottoway is the largest. You could do them all in one day by car but you really need to spend a couple of hours at each.

[margord]

Probably our most favorite is Laura Plantation because it is different from the rest in that it belonged to a Creole Family. We found the information and tour guide at this one to be excellent and since it gives a completely different prospective compared to say, Oak Alley, I suggest that people try to do this one also. It is right down the street from Oak Alley in Vacherie. They even give some information on how the two are different. Laura Plantation is brightly painted because it is a Creole Plantation. We made a day out of it visiting Oak Alley and its grounds (beautiful) in the morning, then lunch at Oak Alley, then on to Laura down the road. Laura Plantation also has the slave quarters in the back that give a pretty realistic view of what life may have been like. Also, they have a list of the "slave owner" rules in the back carriage shed, which the rules differ for Creole owners slightly. Overall, very informative with some very dramatic information about the family that lived there. There is also the book you can read before visiting to really make it become alive. The book is called:

Memories of the Old Plantation Home and the description reads:

In 1936, Laura Locoul Gore compiled an account of nearly 100 years of life on a Louisiana sugar plantation named after her:"Laura Plantation." Her manuscript, only recently discovered in St. Louis, Missouri, details the daily life and major events of the inhabitants, both free and enslaved, of the plantation that she and her female fore bearers ran.

if taking children with you to visit, you may want to read:

Br'er Rabbit: The Classic Tales - Seven tales recount the rascal Br'er Rabbit as he wiles and guiles his way through the old plantation South in this colorful adaptation. Hardbound. 56 pages.

 

 

Great information, thank you so much. It is on our list.

[margord]

Destrehan and San Francisco are closest to New Orleans.

There are companies such as Grayline Tours that offer bus tours to each of the Plantations and may offer a better opportunity to visit those further from The City.Houmas House and Oak Alley are my favorites but Nottoway is the largest. You could do them all in one day by car but you really need to spend a couple of hours at each.

 

 

We are renting a car and will try to do as many as possible. Thanks for the information.

[World Gallery]

My suggestion is to take you time and visit two plantations instead of going to many. They will all "run together" and you won't remember which one is which. You can spend about 2 hours (or more) at both Oak Alley and Laura plantation (there is one other close to these two in Vacherie but can't remember the name), plus about 1 hour for lunch, plus travel time. Another reason, you can spend more time walking around the grounds and not feel rushed. Oak Alley has a blacksmith shop you can visit on the ground, some old farm equipment, a nice gift shop, and beautiful grounds under the Oaks. Laura Plantation also has a gift shop and a video that plays over and over throughout the day that you can watch before your tour.

Visiting two makes a very nice, full day!