Whitney Plantation

Nature & adventure tours

Step back in time as you visit the Whitney Plantation on this bus day trip from New Orleans. Gain a unique perspective on the enslaved people who lived and worked here through museum exhibits, memorial artwork, restored buildings, and hundreds of first-person slave narratives. In 2014, Whitney Plantation opened its doors to the public for the first time in its 262-year history, as the only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery.  The early owners of Habitation Haydel, later known as the Whitney Plantation, became wealthy producing indigo before the plantation transitioned to sugar in the early 1800s.  Whitney is also significant because of the number of historic outbuildings which were added to the site over the years, thus providing a unique perspective on the evolution of the Louisiana working plantation. The Big House is one of the finest surviving examples of Spanish Creole architecture and one of the earliest raised Creole cottages in Louisiana.  The Whitney Plantation Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. As a site of memory and consciousness, this site pays homage to the slaves on the plantation itself and to all of those who lived elsewhere in the United States.

Choose to visit the Laura Creole Plantation and see The Maison Principale (Big House), The French Jardin, The Plantation Kitchen Garden, The Banana Grove, and the original 1840s Slave Cabins where The Legendary Tales of Compair Lapin (known in English as Br’er Rabbit) were first recorded. Take time to browse through local arts, crafts, and souvenirs in the historic gift shop. Visit the new museum exhibit and learn about the daily lives of free and enslaved people on the sugar plantation. Take the option to explore the Oak Alley Antebellum Plantation, named after the avenue of 28 giant oaks which leads up to the house. Step inside to gracious interiors that echo the romance of another era, where gleaming hardwood floors and shimmering chandeliers reflect both streams of sunlight, and the venerable history of this magnificent home. Discover the story of those who were enslaved on this sugar plantation from approximately 1835 to the end of the Civil War. See The Confederate Commanding Officer’s Tent exhibit and The Sugar Cane Theater which tells the story of sugar's impact on the people of Oak Alley, through video and exhibit. Or take the opportunity to explore the Whitney Museum Plantation, a site of memory, with the focus on lives of the slaves and their legacies. Experience the world of an 1830's sugar plantation through the eyes of the enslaved people who lived and worked here. Enjoy a 90-minute walking tour and gain a unique perspective on the lives of the enslaved people, learning their stories through the real oral histories recorded by the Federal Writers Project during the Depression. See the earliest and best preserved raised Creole cottage in Louisiana, all built by slaves. Admire the original structures and authentic representations nestled in a working sugar cane field.

Discover the incredible stories of African survival in colonial Louisiana with the help of your guide on this tour from New Orleans. Travel the River Road route where the largest slave rebellion in United States history took place, as you make your way to the only museum in Louisiana devoted to slavery, the Whitney Plantation. Hop on board a comfortable and air-conditioned bus in New Orleans and be transported into the past as you journey down historical River Road. See some plantation homes and hear about the importance of this route before stopping at the Whitney Plantation. Begin your self guided tour of the Whitney Plantation, a former sugar plantation that has been converted into a museum and memorial to the slaves who lived and worked there. Learn about the hardships and resilience of those who were enslaved and brought to Louisiana from West and Central Africa. Gain a deeper understanding of the struggles and triumphs of enslaved people and their descendants, and the important role they played in shaping the culture and history of Louisiana. Return to your meeting point in New Orleans at the end of your tour.

Take a guided narrative tour down to Plantation Country in a 14-passenger bus and explore Laura, Oak Alley, or Whitney Plantation. Enjoy a convenient pickup between 8:00 and 8:30 AM from downtown hotels and head out for a 90-minute tour of the plantation of your choice. At the Laura Plantation, awarded the title of top travel attraction in Louisiana, you’ll visit the Big House, the French Garden, the Kitchen Garden, the Banana Grove, and the original 1840s slave cabins. Take time to browse through local arts, crafts, and souvenirs in the historic Laura Plantation gift shop. Don’t forget to visit the new museum exhibit about the inhabitants’ daily lives on the sugar plantation.   Oak Alley Plantation includes visits to the gracious interiors of the Big House as well as to the Oak Alley exhibit, that shares the stories of those who were enslaved on this sugar plantation from approximately 1835 to the end of the Civil War. Learn about health care, punishment, and life after Emancipation, as well as sugar’s impact on the people of Oak Valley. Finally, visit one of the few remaining 1890s-era forges of its type in Louisiana.   Whitney Plantation is the site of the last surviving example of a true French Creole Barn, what is believed to be the oldest detached kitchen in Louisiana, and an excellently-preserved Creole cottage. Through restored buildings, museum exhibits, memorial artwork, and thousands of first-person slave narratives, Whitney Plantation gives a voice and respect to the slaves who lived, worked, and died here.   Finish your day with a Louisiana swamp tour. The Cajun Captains will navigate their way through the back swamp. Learn about Louisiana Wetlands, the inhabitants of the swamp, and the history of the Louisiana Bayou and swamp exploration days.

Begin with a convenient pickup from your hotel and set out on your guided tour – a trip back in time to the Antebellum South. Drive along the Mississippi River and cross a suspended bridge high above the water for scenic views as you make your way to your first stop for the day, the Whitney Plantation. The only plantation museum in Louisiana exclusively dedicated to understanding slavery, the Whitney Plantation features restored buildings and museum exhibits that expose the harsh realities and historical facts about this dark period in American history. Follow your guide as you explore the plantation, delving into the world of a pre-Civil War sugar plantation, and hear the stories of the slaves who lived and worked here. Then, make your way back downriver as you head to the 200-year-old Laura Plantation. Discover the restored historic Louisiana Creole plantation surrounded by sugarcane fields with the help of your guide. Get an insight into what life on the plantation was like as you visit parts of the house and grounds, see preserved furniture and slave quarters, and listen to the stories of the family who lived here and those of their slaves. Leave your tour with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the beauty of this area, the pain caused by slavery, and the region's path toward freedom.

• Day 1: Nashville Welcome to Nashville, Tennessee! Your adventure kicks off with a welcome meeting at 10am, where you’ll meet up with your local leader and the other travellers joining you on your journey. Then dive straight into the city’s history with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Then cruise across town to Studio B where Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and “The King” Elvis Presley have all laid tracks, and today you’ll be joining this prestigious list. Meet with a professional sound engineer for your own recording session and find out what it takes to create the Nashville sound. Enjoy a free afternoon to explore the city. Get back together in the evening for an optional dinner (at your own expense) with your group and leader at a local restaurant. • Day 2: Memphis Hit the road this morning and make tracks for Memphis, Tennessee, a city overflowing with musical history and legends. Your first stop on arrival will be Sun Studio. This studio may be tiny, but its impact on the world of music is immeasurable. BB King, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley have all recorded here, and the studio claims to be the 'Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll' (and they may just be right!). The rest of the day is yours to discover the sights and sounds of Memphis. • Day 3: Memphis After breakfast this morning, head to Memphis’s most iconic site – Graceland! Elvis’s former home and his final resting place, a visit to Graceland is like stepping back into the 1970s, with a glamourous and kitschy twist. Then it’s time for a change of pace as you leave Graceland and visit the National Civil Rights Museum at the former Lorraine Motel – where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated – for a dose of history that is both confronting and inspirational. The rest of the afternoon is free for your own discoveries. • Day 4: New Orleans Today you’ll be road-tripping from Memphis to New Orleans, arriving in the afternoon. Jazz is not just a part of the city’s history – it’s alive and kicking today. Your local guide will show you some of their favourite venues, with time to grab a beer along the way. The evening is yours to further explore this fascinating city – your leader will have some great recommendations on where to grab a bite to eat and listen to more live music. • Day 5: New Orleans This morning, pay a visit to the Whitney Plantation where you’ll learn about what life was like for those enslaved on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation. Then you’re in for a real treat – not only famed for its music scene, the food in New Orleans is some of the best in the country. Today you’ll learn about Creole and Cajun cuisine at a local cooking school and find out how to create one of the region’s most beloved dishes, then tuck into the finished product for dinner. • Day 6: New Orleans Just like a good song, your adventure must come to an end, with things wrapping up this morning.