Oak Alley Plantation Tour

The tour was amazing and had a good balance of retelling the stories and acknowledging the experiences of the enslaved people of the time as well as the plantation owners. The grounds are ofcourse breathtakingly beautiful. The only negative is the time on the property (2hrs) was not long enough to really enjoy it all.

The grounds are amazing to walk they with knowledgeable staff within earshot to answer any questions. The big house was beautifully maintained with great staff who are very knowledgeable and care.

After going to the Whitney Plantation last year with my Mom where we learned all about what the life of a slave was like in Louisiana. From details to working in the sugar cane fields, the threats of not only the labor intensive work and the extreme heat but the other challenges and dangers that they faced while working in the fields from wild animals and the injuries that slaves often endured from the swinging machetes used to harvest the plant. We learned about how far away the slave houses actually were from the main house and that they were only on property for convenience of the slave tour. We learned about the very dangerous job of cooking down the sugar cane and the average life expectancy of a slave in Louisiana no matter what age you entered the plantation ( around 7 years). They had a beautiful memorial for the hundreds of slaves who lost their lives on the land. They gave detailed descriptions about the other various jobs that slaves had and had exhibits that also were very eye opening to the torture that they also endured sometimes daily. While we were personally GUIDED through the ENTIRE plantation offering different facts and answering questions. Finally when we got to the main house we were told all about the slaves who were basically engineers building the house specifically so that they basically have natural air conditioning and the level of details and skills the slaves had centuries ago. Finally offering some information about the family that owned the plantation. After we got on the bus to head back to New Orleans they drove us past the Oak Alley Plantation, so picturesque I knew that when I came back I would take some friends there with me to be able to have the experience that I just had at the Whitney Plantation, stunned with silence, overwhelmed with emotion and so grateful for the sacrifices many made before me so that I could be here today to take that tour. When arriving at Oak Alley, the group on the bus was dropped off and given a map and were told to find the starting point. Once we found the starting point 6 slave home exhibits stood that featured stories about the slaves that lived there, their favorite foods, their parents and sleeping conditions. One small exhibit was on display that featured a few shackles that were used to restrain slaves. The ONLY artifact that shed some form of light on how slaves were treated as less than human. While we guided ourselves through the stories I was so disappointed that I was basically leading my friends through the exhibit and sharing them all of the rid bits that I learned while at the Whitney Plantation. Finally making it to the main house after 20 minutes because that how long it took to get through the stories I think finally we will get a guide ( the main house if the only guided part of this plantation tour) once inside I spent 30 minutes talking about the family’s dinner table, their money and how they spent so much money building the house, the baby crib, and a bunch of other facts about the family that built the home, but not about the slaves. Finally I walked down Oak Alley, heart heavy that my friends did not get to have the same experience that I had at the Whitney Plantation. I wish I would have known that before I booked. If you want to take pictures on Oak Alley for $65, just pay a photographer because that’s the only highlight.

Learning about the history, the slave quarters, and the big house was fantastic. I very much enjoyed walking through the old oak trees as well.

No guide on the bus and its a good hour each direction. Mostly highway and nothing interesting to see, bring a book or something. The docents at the Big House at Oak Alley are great. Very knowledgeable and friendly. The trees are amazing.

On time and efficient! The bus was a little cold, I’d suggest a wrap. The plantation was beautiful and the tour guide was very informative! Had lunch, the fried green tomatoes are outstanding!!!

Great tour! Oak Alley is beautiful. The guides were very knowledgeable. The oak trees were gorgeous.

I’d like to start by saying that the tour of Oak Alley itself was great. The guides were knowledgeable and entertaining. The estate is beautiful. The downfall came on our return to New Orleans. The provider of the transportation is Grayline and it had no AC on the return trip. This is with over 90 degree weather on a sunny Louisiana day. The driver did not make an announcement that the AC was no longer functioning and proceeded to open the emergency hatch at the back of the coach to let in some air. This made for an incredibly hot, muggy, and noisy 1.5 hour drive back to New Orleans. I understand things are sometimes out of our control but the company should make every effort so that the travelers feel comfortable or at least compensated for not providing what was detailed in the trip inclusions.

Oak Alley is so interesting and an important lesson of our US history. The bus driver was horrible. The area is beautiful and they actually take time to acknowledge the slaves and how the lived.

We enjoyed our tour. Walked through the main house and visited some outbuildings. We saw a video about harvesting sugarcane and visited the gift shop and ice cream gallery. Fun tour!