5 Best Plantations in Louisiana: New Orleans, the River Road and Beyond
Add all of the best plantations in Louisiana to your must-see list!
I’m here to help you cut through the many options to tour plantation houses in Louisiana and decide which of the state's many sprawling properties should you visit.
I've done the hard work for you and have explored all over the Pelican State to find the 5 best plantations in Louisiana.
Make the most of your time around New Orleans, along the River Road, and beyond as you learn about the complicated history, architecture, and lives of the people at plantation houses in Louisiana.
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Updated 4/2022 | Written 1/2015
Why are these the best plantations in Louisiana?
Before we delve into the specifics of the list of Southern plantations to visit, it's worth asking why we should focus on antebellum history in the Deep South in the first place.
After all, it's been over 150 years since the heyday of the Southern plantations--and they're still some of the most popular sites to visit below the Mason-Dixon line. Why?
Maybe it's because their sprawling architecture is the closest thing we've got to the castles of Europe, and people love to look at a pretty house.
Maybe it's because we want to remember the history of slavery so we never repeat it again no matter how difficult the subject is to face head-on.
Maybe it's because we're still amazed that people could have had that much money to own such massive parcels of land.
No matter the reason, plantations are big business in the South.
I, for one, am amazed by the history that can be found on these plots--from the oral traditions and basketry skills of the enslaved people to the political machinations of the plantation owners, I want to better understand the people who lived here and made this slice of Southern life possible for over one hundred years.
PIN ME!
So, when judging each of these plantations, I looked at how many different stories were told at the properties:
- Was the narrative just of the typical wealthy white male owner, or were there stories of the enslaved people and the white women who lived there as well?
- Was there a balance in narrative between the antebellum period, the Reconstruction, and modern restoration?
- Was there a focus on history as well as architecture?
- And, was there something specific about this property that made it stand out from the others?
Ultimately, I am quite happy with the list that I've compiled.
Not only are these properties well kept and beautiful, but they do an excellent job of telling more than 300 years of history alongside the modern day interpretation of what a historic property such as these should be and do.
Houmas House and Gardens
restaurant (left) and the garçonnière (right)
Why Houmas House is one of the best plantations in Louisiana: incredibly well-kept gardens with fountains, on-site facilities, unusual features like the garçonnière
At its peak in the late 1800s, Houmas House produced over 20 million pounds of sugar a year (!!!), which was impressive even by the standards of most River Road plantations in Louisiana.
Only a few decades later, the Great Depression hit and caused the family who owned it to board the place up. A new owner took over in 1940, and over renovations inside and out, he opened the house and grounds to the public in the early 1960s.
The most recent owner, Kevin Kelly, bought to property in 2003 and has expanded the plantation's offerings to include a massive garden, restaurant, and inn.
Today, you can take a 1-hour guided tour through the main house, part of which still serves as Mr. Kelly’s private residence.
The exterior of the main house looks similar to Oak Alley Plantation (listed below), but the gardens here help to set Houmas House apart.
As you can see in the photos below, the Houmas House gardens are stunning and include walkways, water features, and a covered pavilion with a Chihuly glass chandelier inside.
Plan to spend plenty of time outside.
My family in the gardens
My sister and I in the gardens
Chihuly piece in the gardens
The current tour allows visitors in the main house, pointing out important architectural features and antiques.
You’ll also be able to wander in the garden, where you can see the original garçonnière, which is a separate house that the young men of the family would use to entertain before they were married.
The one at Houmas House is octagonal, which is an interesting design choice.
Houmas House is located just over an hour outside of the Crescent City, which makes this one of the best plantations near New Orleans, too.
Phone: (225) 473-9380
Address: 40136 LA-942, Darrow, Louisiana 70725
Hours: 9 AM-7 PM every day of the year except Christmas and New Year’s Day
Admission: the self-guided garden tour is only $20/adult, $10/kids 13-17, and $5/kids 6-12 (5 and under are free); you can visit the house with a guide plus the gardens for $35/adult, $25/teens, and $15/kids 6-12 (5 and under are free).
Laura Plantation
Exterior of Laura Plantation
Why Laura Plantation is one of the best Louisiana plantations: colorful and unique exterior, female-centric story, placement as a Creole heritage site
Built in 1805, this Creole plantation is only one of fifteen in existence with this particular building style.
This plantation is particularly interesting to me since it is:
1) named after a woman, Laura Locoul Gore, and
2) it was run by that same woman during its heyday.
Most of what is known about the plantation comes from Laura's journals.
Waiting for the tour to start in the shade of the front porch
It is rare to come across a plantation that focuses so completely on a female owner and operator, and thus, Laura Plantation is an excellent foil to the narratives that you'll see at many other Southern plantations.
In fact, I’ve been to many Southern historic homes, and this is the first tour I remember going on where a woman had a position other than only a wife or mother.
But that’s not where the interesting elements of Laura Plantation stop!
The Brer Rabbit folk tales were collected by Norman Marmillion, a preservationist who saw the value in recording the oral tales brought to America from Senegal by the enslaved population.
During his time finding and recording these stories, Marmillion spent a significant time at Laura Plantation, and, because of this, the plantation is considered to be one of the birthplaces of the Brer Rabbit tales.
Slave cabin at Laura Plantation
Additionally, the tour at Laura Plantation includes a walk through of one of the slave homes, and it is heartbreaking to see how little they were given in order to eke out some semblance of a life.
Laura Plantation is located about half an hour from Houmas House and Gardens (above) and about an hour and 15 minutes from New Orleans. It is another of the home on the River Road route.
Phone: (225) 265-7690
Address: 2247 LA-18, Vacherie, Louisiana 70090
Hours: 9:30 AM-3:30 PM year round except Easter Sunday, Mardi Gras Day, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
Admission: grounds and house tour with guide, $25/adult, $15/teens, $10/kids 6-12, free 5 and under. Very limited tickets sold on-site: reserve below to ensure your place on a specific tour.
Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site
My sister and I at Rosedown Plantation
Why Rosedown Plantation is one of the best Louisiana plantations: excellent guided tour of residence, glimpse into cotton production, extensive gardens and grounds
From a purely architectural view, this plantation house is inviting, and it's clear why it makes the list of best plantations in Louisiana.
It's all white clapboard and hand carved spindles and huge porches. Inside, visitors can see the antique decor which once belonged to the Turnbulls, the original owners of the house.
These antiques are particularly important since they stayed at Rosedown instead of being sold in the economic disaster that was post-Civil War in the South.
Agriculturally, this property is also unusual. Unlike the other plantations on this list, Rosedown's crop of choice was cotton.
More than 450 enslaved people made the massive production possible as the property hit its peak output in the years just before the Civil War.
The original owners' descendants decided to sell the entire property in the mid-1900s, and an avid gardener named Catherine Fondren Underwood bought it. Underwood revitalized the gardens to their former beauty using heirloom seeds and cuttings.
Today, the property is preserved in a state park.
Strangely, one of the things that I remember most from the guided tour that we took on our visit was that Rosedown has built in closets, something that was nearly unheard of during the early 1900s.
Most people kept their clothes in wardrobes or trunks!
Rosedown Plantation is around 2.5 hours from New Orleans and about 40 minutes from Baton Rouge.
Phone: (225) 635-3332
Address: 12501 Highway 10, St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775
Hours: 9 AM- 5 PM year round except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
Admission: grounds-only for $7/adult, $5/kids 4-17, and free 3 and under; guided house tour for $12/adult, $10/seniors, $6/kids 4-17, and free 3 and under
Oak Alley Plantation
The exterior of Oak Alley
Why Oak Alley is one of the best River Road plantations: exceptionally large main house, stunning line of mature oak trees
One of the most iconic of the historic mansions along the River Road, Oak Alley continually tops lists of the best plantations in Louisiana--and for good reason.
The line of oak trees that lead visitors to the main house are more than 300 years old and are beautiful. Don’t miss the opportunity to walk among them and wonder at all of the things they’ve seen and heard on the property.
[As a side note, if you like this oak allée, I’d suggest reading up on my visit to Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.]
You can see the massive lines of trees behind my family below:
My family and I at Oak Alley Plantation
Oak Alley was a sugar plantation on River Road like Laura Plantation and Houmas House (above), but it fell into disrepair after the Civil War and passed through many hands before Andrew and Josephine Stewart bought it in 1926.
Because of their restoration efforts (the first of the major restoration projects in this area), the plantation remains in the excellent condition that it is today.
After Josephine died, the entire plantation went into a trust so that the property would remain open to visitors.
As a pop culture aside, there have been SO many things filmed at Oak Alley, the most well-known of which is a portion of Interview with a Vampire.
More recently, Beyonce chose this plantation to shoot both her "Deja Vue" video and photo inserts for the "B'day" album.
NOTE: Oak Alley is quite close to Houmas House, so if you’d like to see both, they made a great day trip from New Orleans.
I recommend a guided tour like this one, which also includes a swamp airboat tour!
Phone: (225) 265-2151
Address: 3645 LA-18, Vacherie, Louisiana 70090
Hours: 8:30 AM-5 PM daily
Myrtles Plantation
The Myrtles Plantation from the front yard
Why Myrtles Plantation is one of the best haunted Louisiana plantations: spooky atmosphere, beautiful architectural detailing, on-site bed and breakfast
One things you’ll quickly learn about the Myrtles Plantation when you’re there is that there’s a long tradition of ghost stories associated with the property.
While I'm certainly not here to refute or support that claim, I can tell you that this place just feels creepy.
Dating from the late 1700s, Myrtles Plantation was built by a guy named "Whisky Dave"--and you know the place is exciting just because of his moniker!
In the mid-1800s, the house exchanged hands; these new owners put in specially etched glass with crosses in it in order to ward off the evil that was in the house.
I didn’t see anything definitively supernatural on our tour, but the crosses everywhere, the dark wood panelling, and the compelling stories from the guide all lead to a distinctly spooky atmosphere.
So spooky, in fact, that this plantation made it onto my list of the best places to visit for Halloween!
Beautiful etched glass in door
Creepy statue out front
Most recently, the ghost of Chloe, a former house servant, has taken center stage with her appearance in a 1992 photograph.
Honestly, given the fact that this entire region was built on the backs of enslaved people, I’m surprised that more hauntings and curses aren’t woven into these properties’ stories.
[On a side note, if you’re interested in a literary look at the idea of a ghost story within slavery, I highly recommend Toni Morrison’s Southern Gothic novel Beloved.]
The author in front of Myrtles Plantation
For those brave enough, the Myrtles Plantation also serves as bed and breakfast.
This property is literally 5 minutes from Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site (above), so you could easily combine them for a full day of touring.
Both are around 40 minutes outside of Baton Rouge.
Have you visited any plantations, either in Louisiana or elsewhere across the South? What do you think are the best plantations in Louisiana?
