Day Trips from New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain

Uncover Louisiana’s rich and complicated past on this small-group plantation tour. Travel along Lake Pontchartrain to the Whitney Plantation, where a self-guided app offers powerful insight into enslavement and history. Then explore the Creole heritage of Laura Plantation with a guided visit. Along the way, stop for photos at Evergreen and other historic sites, passing through scenic sugar cane fields and iconic oak-lined roads that tell stories of the South.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Swap the bustle of New Orleans and gain a deeper understanding of American history on this two-in-one experience, with a visit to the Oak Alley Plantation and a Louisiana swamp tour with round-trip, air-conditioned transportation from your hotel. At the plantation, view exhibits and discover the powerful legacy of enslaved people—the setting offers context and understanding beyond what any guidebook can provide. Then, explore the swamp on a pontoon boat and look out for alligators and other wildlife.

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.

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.

Learn more about a side of Louisiana’s history that should never be forgotten. Tour plantations with a guide who can share more about what life was like for enslaved people in the South. Admission to Oak Alley Plantation is included, and you can feel free to pick your guide’s brain about the things you see on the tour.

Explore one of Louisiana’s last protected wetlands on a 2-hour boat tour that includes round-trip transport from New Orleans. Depart in the morning or afternoon for Honey Island Swamp, a wildlife preserve teeming with critters such as 'gators, wild boar, snakes and birds. Ride through the swamp dripping with lush foliage and visit a boat-accessible Cajun village with an informative local guide who sheds light on the area’s inhabitants.