Top New Orleans Day Trips

New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour with Transportation

5 hoursFree Cancellation

Special Offer

Discover a different side of New Orleans—and admire a new perspective from the water's edge—on this steamboat tour down the Mississippi River. Board the historic riverboat—either the Steamboat Natchez or her sister vessel—for a morning or afternoon tour. Stroll the deck, admire the iconic paddlewheel, enjoy live music, and snap photos of the picturesque shoreline. This family‐friendly excursion offers an optional lunch (additional expense).

New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise

2 hoursFree Cancellation

Gain a deeper understanding of American history on this visit to Louisiana’s only museum dedicated to enslaved people. After you are collected from your New Orleans hotel in a luxurious air-conditioned van, your driver will take you westwards towards the Whitney Plantation. On the way, expect to hear an overview on the history of American plantations before arriving to this impactful landmark.

Whitney Plantation (Guided Tour) with Bus Ride To & From N. O.

5 to 6 hoursFree Cancellation

Experience different sides of Louisiana and its complicated history on this plantation tour and swamp boat ride from New Orleans. On this full-day journey, visit Oak Alley Plantation or Destrehan Plantation (depending on the time chosen), where you learn about antebellum life. Next, head into the marshy swampland for a boat ride and some wildlife spotting. Enjoy guided commentary as you snap photos of alligators, raccoons, snakes, and native birds.

Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans

7 hours 45 minutesFree Cancellation

Experience New Orleans’ wild bayou country first-hand on an exciting, family‐friendly airboat ride. This boat tour winds through the mossy cypress swamp near Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, named for the 19th-century pirate and smuggler. While onboard, enjoy lively commentary from a local guide as you admire lush, forested shoreline and spot local wildlife. Gators appear most commonly in the summer months, so keep your eyes peeled.

2 to 4 hoursFree Cancellation

New Orleans Airboat Ride

Gain a deeper understanding of Louisiana—and combine two experiences in one—on this tour of the Whitney Plantation and a ride in the Manchac Swamp from New Orleans. Visit the plantation museum, view exhibits with an audio guide, and uncover the legacy of enslaved people as you explore. Afterward, ride a pontoon boat through a cypress swamp, look out for wildlife, and learn about Cajun culture from local guides.

Swamp Boat Ride and Whitney Plantation Tour from New Orleans

7 hours 45 minutesFree Cancellation

Visit the Whitney Plantation Museum—a former indigo and sugar plantation that is now dedicated to promoting an understanding of enslavement in Louisiana—on this hassle-free trip from New Orleans. Round-trip transit and admission tickets are included for your convenience. Upon arrival, learn about the brutal realities of plantation life through museum exhibits and an audio guide (6 languages available) as you explore the site independently. You can also choose to upgrade your experience to include a 90-minute swamp tour.

Whitney Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

5 hours 25 minutesFree Cancellation

Special Offer

New Orleans Sightseeing City Tour

2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Experience the grandeur of New Orleans’ antebellum south on a half-day tour of Oak Alley Plantation. Journey through time to the manicured estate and into the gorgeous home, built in 1839. View stunning architecture, oak-lined esplanades, and enduring sugar cane fields while learning about the plantation’s fascinating – and often somber – histories from local guides. Upgrade your experience to include a pontoon swamp tour.

Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

5 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Enjoy an only-in-New-Orleans experience when you embark on a paddle-wheel boat tour of the mighty Mississippi River. In the evening, hop aboard the Steamboat Natchez or her sister vessel, the Riverboat City of New Orleans, and admire views of the city from the water's edge. This cost-saving package additionally includes a Creole‐inspired dinner (if option selected), plus live jazz music to set the mood.

New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise with Dinner Option

3 hoursFree Cancellation

Special Offer

Experience the rich history and vibrant culture of New Orleans from two perspectives on a city tour and steamboat cruise that lets you escape the land-based crowds. Enjoy a narrated coach tour of historic landmarks, including the French Quarter, Jackson Square, and the Garden District. Then, step aboard Steamboat NATCHEZ (or its sister vessel) for a journey along the mighty Mississippi River, complete with live jazz and optional Creole dining.

New Orleans City Tour and Steamboat Natchez Harbor Jazz Cruise

6 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Exploring New Orleans in the evening can seem like an intimidating quest on your own, but this ghost, voodoo, and vampire walking tour takes you to the city’s eeriest sights at night in the safety of a group led by a guide. Stop by top attractions such as the LaLaurie Mansion and New Orleans Pharmacy Museum while listening to your guide’s detailed stories of the paranormal and beyond.

New Orleans Premier Ghost, Voodoo and Vampire Walking Tour

1 hour 45 minutesFree Cancellation

Experience the elegance of New Orleans’ antebellum south on this full-day historical plantation tour. In a small group, visit Destrehan Plantation, Whitney Plantation, then Houmas House Plantation, where you’ll view stunning architecture, oak‐lined esplanades, and former slave quarters while hearing fascinating – and often somber – pre‐Civil war histories from expert guides. You'll also enjoy a private, unlimited gourmet buffet luncheon, served exclusively for your group at Houmas House.

New Orleans Small-Group 3 Plantation Tour with Gourmet Lunch

New Orleans City Tour: French Quarter, Garden District & Cemetery

3 hoursFree Cancellation

Travel through Cajun Country on this full-day New Orleans city tour and swamp adventure. Journey with your professional guide in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus as you learn about the history, culture and highlights of southern Creoles. You'll see major city highlights, areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, and tour the inside of a cemetery to see the above-ground tombs. Afterward, you'll head to the bayou for your choice of a leisurely pontoon boat ride or thrilling airboat ride.

New Orleans City, Cemetery and Swamp Full-Day Tour

7 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Visit a former plantation and ride through the swamp during this two-in-one tour. Start with a visit to Oak Alley Plantation for a tour of the antebellum mansion. Follow the oak-shaded paths to the blacksmith shop during your free time. Lunch is available to purchase at the restaurant on-site. Next, head to the dock for your swamp tour. Search for alligators and other wildlife and stop for photo ops while aboard an airboat. Round-trip hotel transport provided from New Orleans.

Oak Alley Plantation and Large Airboat Swamp Tour from New Orleans

Visiting New Orleans' plantations and swamps in one day means coordinating drives out of the city, plantation entries, and airboat bookings across the river parishes. This tour combines all three into a single itinerary with hotel pickup, stops at Laura, Evergreen, and Whitney plantations, and an airboat ride through Bayou Segnette State Park, where alligators and other wildlife are commonly spotted.

Laura Plantation and Airboat Tour Combo with Hotel Pickup

Oak Alley Plantation and Small Airboat Tour from New Orleans

Take a break from the bustle of New Orleans to explore the lifestyles and complex history of rural Louisiana on a day trip to the Oak Alley Plantation. Take a guided tour the opulent antebellum mansion, gardens, and enslaved people's cabins, and learn about the lives of the free and enslaved families who lived here. During the drive to River Road, learn about the region's history, from the Civil War to Hurricane Katrina.

Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Hotel Pickup

6 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Whitney Plantation & Museum Tour | Pickups from New Orleans

4 to 5 hoursFree Cancellation

Save time with a full-day tour from New Orleans that combines a boat tour of the Louisiana swamp with a visit to either Oak Alley Plantation or St Joseph Plantation. Both plantations are located within a short drive of the swamp, so you can make the most of your excursion. Learn about the swamp’s ecosystem and wildlife from your boat captain, and hear about the plantation’s history during a guided tour.

Oak Alley Or St. Joseph Plantation Plus Swamp Tour Combination

7 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

New Orleans City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

1 dayFree Cancellation

Leave New Orleans behind for a half-day excursion to Laura Plantation—with all the driving and logistics taken care of. After being picked up from your hotel, travel to Laura Plantation to learn about what life was like on an old sugar plantation, both for owners and enslaved people. Hear the history and culture of Louisiana Creole women. On the roundtrip drive you’ll see several other plantations as well as scenic Lake Pontchartrain.

Laura Plantation Half-Day Tour from New Orleans

5 to 6 hoursFree Cancellation

Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Pickup from New Orleans

4 to 5 hoursFree Cancellation

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Must-Dos in New Orleans

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What are people saying about New Orleans

Swamp Boat Ride and Whitney Plantation Tour from New Orleans

Angela_L, Oct 2026

What a GREAT experience!...

What a GREAT experience! Our tour guide Robert S and Bus driver Alton were both excellent. Robert has great stories, immense knowledge and informative history. The vbus was extremely comfortable, clean, air conditioned andxwith a bathroom onboard. Of the two plantations, Oak Alley was more of a must see. The Whitney plantation was more historical from the perspective of slaves. The swamo boat ride was FANTASTIC! I have been on many airboat type toyrs but this one was by far the best I have ever been on. We saw many alligators, birds, turtles, fish, racoons abd wild boars. Our Captain was Dustin. He was just great in every way. We so enjoyed that part of the trip. What a great day for a great cost

Whitney Plantation (Guided Tour) with Bus Ride To & From N. O.

Donald_B, Sep 2026

Excellent tour!! Something that more people need to experience

I would recommend going to Whitney Plantation to everyone that goes to New Orleans. This is an excellent tour, and actually one of the highlights of my trip to New Orleans. They explain there experiences of the enslaved persons from a respectful and intelligent view. They don't make it touristy, or try to gloss over the experiences of the enslaved people on the plantation. Our guide was Amy and she was excellent. at explaining everything. I want to give Amy extra credit for explaining the experiences and the viewpoints, as well as they can document of the enslaved people that were on this Plantation, I cannot say enough good things about this tour. If you come to new orleans, please check this out!!

New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour with Transportation

Amy_L, Sep 2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10 stars if I could!

Our group of 8 had an absolute blast on this swamp tour! Captain Tony was fantastic—funny, entertaining, and incredibly informative about all things Louisiana, gators, and swamp life. And that Louisiana accent? Well…that just made the tour even better. 😉 I was definitely surprised by how FAST that boat could move, but with the Louisiana heat and humidity, that breeze felt AMAZING! We saw lots of gators, although Elvis—the big guy we were hoping to see—apparently decided he wasn’t accepting visitors that day. We did find his lady, though! And the raccoons were such an unexpected bonus. SO cute and definitely one of my favorite surprises of the tour. We laughed, learned a ton, saw plenty of wildlife, and had such a great time. We would absolutely do this again—and would happily ride with Captain Tony again too! 10/10…or 10 stars if they’d let me! 🐊🚤

Whitney Plantation and Airboat Tour from New Orleans

Beverly_S, Sep 2026

Very educational and...

Very educational and moving. The tour guide was excellent in explaining everything. In the visitors center they had a wall for guests to leave post-it notes; asking to leave a message what the tour MEANT to you. I walked away, reflecting on how we need to CHERISH everything we have and HOLD ON to everyone we LOVE.

Oak Alley Plantation and Swamp Boat Tour from New Orleans

Jennifer_H, Aug 2026

Plantation & bayou tour

Our drivers Barbara & Keith were fantastic & great drivers. The plantation tour was very interesting & informative. The bayou cruise with captain Bobby was great & a highlight. Only one thing from the whole day I’d like to see change -I found it disturbing the feeding of marshmallows to the wildlife to encourage interaction. Personally I’d prefer less interaction to protect their health, wellbeing & environment. That aside the tour was a great day out & will recommend.

Oak Alley Plantation Half-Day Tour from New Orleans

Lachele_B, Jul 2026

Great visit

I visited Oak Alley Plantation over the weekend, and I really enjoyed my experience. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and well maintained, making it a great place to explore and take photos. The first part of the visit was self-guided, which gave us time to walk around and take everything in at our own pace. The guided tour of the Big House was the highlight of the visit. Our tour guide, Anthony, was incredibly informative, friendly, and welcoming. He shared so much history and answered questions in a way that kept everyone engaged. Overall, I had a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend visiting if you’re in the New Orleans area. The beautiful scenery, fascinating history, and excellent tour made it a memorable visit.

New Orleans Small-Group 3 Plantation Tour with Gourmet Lunch

Lon_V, Jun 2026

Great time on the three plantation tour!

This is a great tour! Our tour guide, Giselle with Tours by Isabelle, was oustanding. Lots of history and local information during the drive and at the plantations. Visited three plantations, each one was different so we got a wide range of experiences on one tour. The time at each plantations was good; not too long and not too short. The included lunch at Houmas House was very good. Very enjoyable day, I would recommend this tour.

Whitney Plantation Tour with New Orleans Hotel Pickup

Anna_S, Apr 2026

The best and most informative tour ever!

First, pick a nice day. You'll be outside 95% of the time. Second, pick your tour package carefully. Some may just be a ride, others, like mine with Crescent City Tours, was fun filled and very informational not only on where we were going but what has happened in the area. Being at the plantation was an amazing experience. To be able to see and walk among where so many had been before and learn what actually happened to them and not some watered down version was very impactful. The last stop in the church was the hardest for me. When I was in there and everyone had left, the weight of the place came down on me and I was not able to stay longer. If you are at all sensitive to the blight of others, this will have a profound affect on you and your outlook on life from thereafter.

Oak Alley Plantation and Small Airboat Tour from New Orleans

Laura_M, Mar 2026

Oak Alley Plantation is...

Oak Alley Plantation is beautiful. The grounds are lovely. It seems funny to mention this but the public restrooms are the cleanest I've been in. The Best part of the tour was the Airboat ride. Rocky, our guide, was amazing. He got us up close to gators and let us touch a baby one. It was awesome. I would definitely recommend.

New Orleans City, Cemetery and Swamp Full-Day Tour

Samantha_D, Jan 2026

Best alligator tour!

This was the BEST tour. It was so much fun and we learned some fun facts. Our airboat captain, Captain Bebop was awesome. He was funny and nice. We toured end of December so chances of seeing alligators was slim. He found us 2. We also got to hold a baby. It was so exciting. He was personable, polite but damn he was funny. We had the best time.

Airboat and Plantations Tour with Gourmet Lunch from New Orleans

Carolyn_T, Nov 2025

Fantastic Day out!!

We really enjoyed this tour. Giselle was our tour guide and was fantastic. She was very informative all through the tour even we while we were travelling between locations she continued to tell us about the history of New Orleans. We started the day with an airboat ride where we met many of the alligators inhabiting the swamp and our operator was very entertaining and informative. We learnt a lot about the swamp and experienced a fun ride as well. We then headed to Laura plantation where we had a lovely guide who was extremely knowledgeable, and we learnt a lot about Lauras family history and their life on the plantation as well as some of the known history of the slaves who lived there. Houmas house was our next destination where we had a lovely buffet lunch where I (who is usually a bit fussy) was pleasantly surprised with how nice it was. The tour of the house was great which is full of antiques and interesting pieces from a bygone era. The tour guide took us through the home explaining life in this house and we then explored the beautiful gardens complete with beautiful old Oak Trees hundreds of years old and fantastic sculptures throughout to be discovered as you walk through. We even encountered peacocks, swans and turkeys along the way. The van was comfortable and the small group who were lovely was a great way to do this type of tour. We would highly recommend this tour.