About this experience
Visit the Whitney Plantation of New Orleans and step back in time as you explore the 18th-century plantation museum, the only one of its kind in Louisiana. On this 5-hour tour (including travel time from New Orleans,) you’ll see museum exhibits, memorial artwork, and restored buildings. Learn about an important part of American history as recorded from first-person slave narratives.
The Whitney Plantation is a self-guided audio tour experience. Please make sure to download the Whitney Plantation app on your cell phone, tablet, or iPad to listen to an audio tour.
You can also upgrade your experience to include a 90-minute swamp tour.
At a glance
- Duration: 5 hr 25 min
What is included
- Round-trip transport from central New Orleans
- 2 hours to spend touring Whitney Plantation
- 90-minute pontoon swamp tour (if option chosen)
- Audio Tour Via Whitney Plantation App
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Not included
- Food and drinks (available for purchase)
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Itinerary and highlights
Start the tour at the designated meeting point in New Orleans and journey to the historic Whitney Plantation, one of the antebellum estates located along the Mississippi River.
You'll cross the Bonnet Carre Spillway, a flood outlet for the river, and see a panoramic view of Lake Pontchartrain on your way to the plantation. Pass by the Evergreen, Felicity and St. Joseph plantations, where rich crops of sugar cane, cotton, and indigo from these fertile lands once traveled to various ports of trade.
Arrive at the Whitney Plantation, which dates back more than 260 years and is now a working museum dedicated to the understanding of slavery in the American South. Visit museum exhibits and restored buildings including historical slave cabins, some of which remain from the original 22 on-site. See the Big House, which is one of the finest surviving examples of Spanish Creole architecture in Louisiana, and learn about the daily life of former slaves at Whitney as recorded by the Federal Writers' Project. Tour at your own pace, and if you choose, download the Whitney Plantation app for the self-guided tour of the plantation.
At the end of your experience, you're returned to central New Orleans.
Meeting and pickup information
- Departs from the Gray Line Lighthouse Ticket Office at Toulouse St. and the Mississippi River, just one block from Jackson Square in the French Quarter. Please arrive 15 minutes before boarding.
Languages and tickets
- German — Audio
- cmn — Audio
- English — Audio
- English — Guide
- Italian — Audio
- French — Audio
- Spanish — Audio
- Mobile Only
Tour operator
- Gray Line New Orleans
Accessibility and practical details
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Check-in is 15 minutes prior to start time.
- If the guest needs a wheelchair lift equipped bus, then special arrangements need to be made with the supplier. This must be arranged 48 hours prior to tour date. Contact details will be on your voucher.
- Guests visiting Whitney using a wheelchair will have access to the gift shop, restrooms, and museum. The plantation grounds are accessible; however, there are uneven gravel paths. The main house tour is not accessible to guest traveling in wheelchairs and is not required to be modified as it is a historic home; however, the first floor is accessible. Guests would be able to view the slave quarters, but would not have access to enter.
- Tour at Whitney Plantation is self-guided and available in 6 languages. Swamp tour is English only.
- This tour includes 2 hours dedicated to exploring the grounds of Whitney Plantation. The remaining time consists of travel to and from the destination.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Available tour options
- Whitney Plantation + Swamp : Self-guided Whitney Plantation audio tour (6 languages) then a 90-minute pontoon boat ride on Manchac Swamp (English only.) Duration: 8 hours: Time spent at Whitney Plantation is 2 hours. Swamp tour duration is 90 minutes. 6 language options for the plantation tour. Food and drinks for purchase: Beverage and snacks can be purchased from the open air pavillion at the swamp. Encounter plants and wildlife: Privately owned wildlife refuge. Great for pictures!
- Language Options: Self-guided audio tour of Whitney is available in 6 languages
Traveller reviews and photos
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