3 Best Day Trips to Oak Alley Plantation from New Orleans

Oak Alley is an almost magical place, a must-see on your list of things to see and do in New Orleans. Don't miss it if you want your trip to be complete.

To get to know it and get the best impression, it's best to book one of the tours with stops at the most interesting sites. For the more adventurous, a complete experience includes the famous swamps and a close encounter with their enormous alligators. You can also visit independently, and there are several ways to get to this wonderful place.

To discover this beautiful plantation, the best option is to take a guided tour of the plantations of New Orleans, learning more about these landscapes that have been the setting and inspiration for many films and stories.

The best thing about going on a tour like this is that you don't have to worry about transfers or tickets, just enjoy the experience.

The ground tour usually starts at the hotel. The guide will explain the history of the plantation and the era of the great sugar mills along the way.

Upon arrival, you will take a tour of the Grand House, where characters dressed in period costumes will add even more charm to the walk. To finish off, you can take a stroll through the magnificent grounds and visit the souvenir shop.

Don't forget to stop at the old slave quarters and see the curious agricultural machinery and the blacksmith's workshop.

Before you leave, you will probably be able to sample some of the typical dishes of this area of New Orleans in the plantation restaurant.

Details of interest

• Price: just over £50 per person
• Duration: about 5 and a half hours
• Transport: bus

For the more adventurous, we recommend the tour with a boat ride. In addition to touring the iconic gardens of Oak Alley, you'll enjoy a high-speed ride through the swamps, learning about the wildlife, especially the alligators.

This way, you can do two of the most recommended activities in New Orleans in a single day: visit the plantations and take a tour of the swamps.

Expert guides will take you to inaccessible places in vehicles so you can take the best souvenir photos.

Again, the tour usually starts at your hotel, where an air-conditioned vehicle will take you to your destination. First, you'll take a high-speed boat and tour the swamps to observe the local wildlife and learn even more about the incredible vegetation of the area.

You will also pass by a cemetery and see a Cajun village up close, giving you a glimpse into the lives of the locals.

The next stop is Oak Alley, where you will have plenty of time to admire its attractions and discover what life was like for the former inhabitants of the plantation. The tour inside the Grand House, whose architecture is as impressive as it is beautiful, is one of the best experiences of the trip.

Interesting details

• Price: from £119
• Duration: approximately 8 hours
• Transport: bus and boat, although there is another option that uses a more peaceful boat

A great way to learn about two different aspects of American history is to visit two of its most iconic plantations.

Oak Alley is renowned for its incredible beauty and age, as well as its excellent state of preservation. For its part, Laura Plantation offers a very different atmosphere, although equally beautiful.

At Oak Alley Plantation, the centrepiece is the imposing natural bridge formed by ancient trees, which stand guard over a house that has many stories to tell and has witnessed 300 years of history.

The Laura plantation has a very different colour scheme, with an architectural style that betrays its French influence.

During its 200-year history, the large house was home to folklorist Alcée Fortier, who wrote about African slaves in 1870. It was also the setting for Joel Chandler Harris's Brer Rabbit stories.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately £90
• Duration: approximately 8 hours
• Transport: minibus

There are five ways to get to Oak Alley Plantation. Of course, each has its advantages and details to consider. First, you should take into account the times of each option and the price before making a decision.

Also remember that you will have a schedule for guided tours inside the Grand House, as these are limited, and you must purchase your tickets upon arrival.

Although tickets are sold until 4:00 p.m., many people arrive at 8:30 a.m. to reserve their spot. If you don't arrive early, you run the risk of missing out on this part of the tour.

There are five options for getting to Oak Alley on your own. Two include the bus, one includes the train, and the last two include a taxi or private vehicle.

Keep in mind that the first three options do not go all the way to the plantation, so you will still need to complete the trip by taxi. Here is a comparison of each option.

There is a wide variety of accommodation near Oak Alley, many of which even offer tours of the plantations and marshes in the area. The advantage of staying a few days in these places begins with the ease of getting to the sites of interest in less time, some even on foot.

The cost of these accommodations is around £100 per night, with some off-season deals available. In general, all offer breakfast and the best amenities, and come highly recommended by customers.

The Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant & Inn is one of the most recommended accommodations, not only to enjoy the plantation and its surroundings, but also to get to know the whole of Louisiana. It consists of renting a picturesque cottage that has been refurbished to offer the best modern amenities.

What will you see on a tour or excursion to Oak Valley Plantation?

The first thing that will catch your eye when you arrive at Oak Alley is a road or alley lined with a magnificent row of oak trees, which in turn creates a wonderful tunnel with the historic mansion visible in the background.
Its impressive architecture and surrounding landscape have made it a National Historic Landmark.

The oak trees have been there since the 18th century, much longer than the house, which was rebuilt in 1925. The property, which was once a sugar cane plantation, later became a large estate and is now an important site that tells part of the history of the plantation owners of New Orleans.

The plantation is as important to the city as the famous tours of the famous French Quarter, which, by the way, you should also add to your list of interesting places to visit during your stay.

Among the attractions of this tour are a restaurant, a historic blacksmith shop, the family cemetery of the Stewarts, who were the last owners before the property was donated to the Oak Alley Foundation, the Grand House, and the unforgettable free trails through the 25 acres of grounds.

Before visiting Oak Valley Plantation, I recommend reading a little about its history. Although the guides are more than happy to answer all your questions and tell you about much of its past, this property is over 200 years old.

As you will see, the duration of the visit would not be enough, at least not if you only go once, so some prior knowledge will help you enjoy it even more.

You will find a curious fact in the famous "paper-shell nuts," a novelty in walnut cultivation achieved by a slave named Antoine in 1846. The gardener managed to create a graft between the trees on the plantation, resulting in a fruit whose shell could be broken with bare hands and without effort.

What life was like for slaves during this period of history, the houses where they lived and other details are part of the wealth of information that tourists often find at Oak Alley.

The plantation is recognised as one of the most legendary places in New Orleans, and you can learn about many of these legends on a ghost tour.

In addition, both the surrounding swamps and the Grand House itself have been the location for films such as Interview with the Vampire and The Long, Hot Summer, and famous series such as True Detective.

Things to keep in mind

• Duration of the visit: the complete tour lasts 2 hours, with or without the Grand House.
• Hours: Open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, tickets can be purchased until 4:00 p.m. Closed on New Year's Day, Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
• To visit the Grand House: Tickets must be purchased in advance, as capacity is limited. In addition, a visiting time is assigned, and visitors must arrive at the site half an hour in advance.

In addition to its historical significance, Oak Alley's main attraction is its magnificent natural landscape.

The charm of walking among the towering trees, taking the best photographs, and enjoying the delightful climate and fresh scent of nature. For this reason, it is very important to choose the best time to travel carefully.

The best months to visit New Orleans are April, May, and June, at least in terms of climate.

For a tour of Oak Alley, we recommend June, when the rains have brought the greenery to its peak and the oak tunnel, one of the main icons of this place, is at its most beautiful.

It is also a good time of year to take an exquisite gastronomic tour of New Orleans and sample some local recipes.

During this month, the warm temperatures ensure greater wildlife activity, so alligator sightings are guaranteed.

Visits to the Oak Alley Plantation are suitable for all ages, so you can easily add it to your list of things to see and do in New Orleans with children.

In fact, it is accessible for pushchairs throughout most of the site, except for the areas of the gardens where the terrain is more rugged. Children under 3, who can ride on their parents' laps, are free on most tours.

The green areas are incredible and will delight young children, with plenty of space to play outdoors in a true paradise. However, I don't recommend signing them up for the tour inside the house, as they may find it a bit monotonous. On the other hand, there is plenty to explore outside, so it is still a highly recommended visit.

For older children, it is a perfect opportunity to learn a lot of valuable details about the era of slavery in the United States, the management of large plantations and much more about the history of this country.

They will enjoy the indoor tour and have the opportunity to ask questions to the guides, who will be happy to answer them. Don't forget to sign them up!