Whitney Plantation Tour New Orleans: Slavery History Guide

Hear enslaved people's own words as you walk through restored cabins and the Big House

A 5-hour tour from New Orleans to Whitney Plantation, the only museum in Louisiana dedicated to slavery's history, includes round-trip transport and 2 hours to explore the grounds self-guided using the Whitney Plantation app. The audio tour draws from first-person slave narratives recorded by the Federal Writers' Project, and you can add a 90-minute swamp tour on the pontoon if you want. Wheelchair users have access to the gift shop, restrooms, and grounds, though the main house first floor only and the slave quarters are viewable but not enterable. Uneven gravel paths cover the plantation grounds.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each2 stops

1. New Canal Lighthousepassing by
2. Whitney Plantation MuseumEntry included3h

Visit Whitney Plantation from New Orleans

• Meet at New Orleans meeting point
• Travel to Whitney Plantation via Bonnet Carre Spillway
• Pass Evergreen, Felicity, and St. Joseph plantations
• Arrive at Whitney Plantation museum
• Explore museum exhibits and restored buildings
• Tour slave cabins and Big House
• Use audio app for self-guided tour
• Return to central New Orleans

The experience

How do you actually learn what slavery meant at a specific place? The Whitney Plantation answers that by centering the voices of enslaved people themselves. You start from central New Orleans and ride an air-conditioned vehicle across the Bonnet Carré Spillway (a flood outlet for the Mississippi River) passing Lake Pontchartrain and three other antebellum estates (Evergreen, Felicity, and St. Joseph) where sugar cane, cotton, and indigo once grew. The plantation itself dates back more than 260 years and sits along the river, and when you arrive, the tour is yours to set.

You spend roughly 2 hours on the grounds with the Whitney Plantation app, which you download to your phone or tablet before you go. The app guides you through museum exhibits, restored buildings, and original slave cabins: some of the 22 that once stood on the property. You'll see the Big House, one of Louisiana's finest examples of Spanish Creole architecture, and the audio narration pulls directly from first-person accounts the Federal Writers' Project collected from formerly enslaved people. The app works in six languages, so the experience adapts to how you understand it. The pace is entirely yours. There's no group moving through together, no guide waiting.

If you want to extend the day, you can add a 90-minute pontoon swamp tour (English-language guide) to see the ecosystem of the bayou. Either way, you're back in central New Orleans by the end of the afternoon. The vehicle is wheelchair accessible, and the plantation grounds are accessible too, though the paths are uneven gravel. The main house interior is not wheelchair-accessible, but the first floor is, and you can view the slave quarters from outside.

What’s included

• Round-trip transport in an air-conditioned vehicle from central New Orleans.
• 2 hours at Whitney Plantation to explore the museum exhibits, restored buildings, and slave cabins at your own pace.
• self-guided audio tour via the Whitney Plantation app in six languages.
• access to the grounds, gift shop, and restrooms.

Options for this experience

2 options

Whitney PlantationGuide in English · 10:00 and 12:00The self-guided audio tour of Whitney is offered in six languages.

Upgrade to a Whitney and swamp tour.Guide in English · 09:00 and 11:00Whitney Plantation plus swamp: a self-guided audio tour of Whitney Plantation (available in six languages), followed by a 90-minute pontoon boat ride on Manchac Swamp (English only). Duration: 8 hours, with 2 hours spent at Whitney Plantation and 90 minutes on the swamp tour. Six language options are available for the plantation tour. Beverages and snacks can be bought at the open-air pavilion at the swamp. You can see plants and wildlife on a privately owned wildlife refuge, which is great for photos.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 5h 25m, runs every day except Tuesday, 4 start times, from US$ 89 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesMonday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 09:00, 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00Thursday and Sunday: 09:00, 10:00 and 11:00Another day? ›

GroupUp to 55

Live guideEnglish

Audio guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.8 with pickup ›

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (1 to 12 years)

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Gray Line New Orleans

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to understand slavery through the words and experiences of enslaved people themselves, not through a plantation owner's perspective. The self-guided format and app-based narration let you spend as much time as you need at each cabin or exhibit, and the six-language option means you can listen in the language that feels right to you.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (1 to 12 years).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the Whitney Plantation and why is it different from other plantation tours in Louisiana?

The Whitney Plantation is the only museum in Louisiana dedicated entirely to slavery's history. Instead of focusing on the plantation owners' architecture and wealth, it centers the lives and voices of enslaved people, using first-person narratives recorded by the Federal Writers' Project and exhibits throughout the grounds and restored cabins.

Do I need a guide, or do I explore on my own?

The tour is self-guided. You download the Whitney Plantation app to your phone, tablet, or iPad before arrival, and the app provides audio narration in six languages as you walk the grounds at your own pace. No live guide leads you through. You choose where to spend your time.

How much time do I actually spend at the plantation versus traveling?

You have roughly 2 hours to explore the Whitney Plantation grounds and buildings. The remaining time in the 5-hour tour is round-trip transport from central New Orleans, which includes crossing the Bonnet Carré Spillway and passing other historic estates along the way.

Can I add a swamp tour to this, and what's included if I do?

Yes, you can upgrade to include a 90-minute pontoon swamp tour of the bayou. The swamp tour is guided in English only and is an add-on option at checkout. The base tour is the plantation museum and grounds alone.

Is the plantation accessible if I use a wheelchair?

The plantation grounds are wheelchair accessible, and you can access the gift shop, restrooms, and view the slave quarters from outside. The grounds have uneven gravel paths, and the main house interior is not accessible, though the first floor can be entered. If you need a wheelchair-lift equipped bus, contact the supplier 48 hours before your tour date.

What do I need to bring or download before the tour starts?

Download the Whitney Plantation app on your phone, tablet, or iPad before you arrive. The app provides the self-guided audio tour. Bring any personal items you need for a 5-hour outing. Food and drinks are available for purchase at the plantation, but are not included.