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Photo: Scott Oldham, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Famous for the beautiful alley of multi-century old oak trees at the front of the property), this plantation includes a historic "big house" (where the owners lived), gardens, and reconstructed slave quarters. Interpretative signs explain the exhibits, except for the "big house," which can only be entered on a guided tour. Guided tours of the big house cost extra and are timed, so booking tickets in advance is recommended.
Oak Alley Plantation is a historic plantation located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the community of Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana, U.S. Oak Alley is named for its distinguishing visual feature, an alley or canopied path, created by a double row of southern live oak trees about 800 feet long, planted in the early 18th century — long before the present house was built. The allée or tree avenue runs between the home and the River. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture and landscaping, and for the agricultural innovation of grafting pecan trees, performed there in 1846–47 by an enslaved gardener. It was first known as Bon Séjour.
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Unique in that it is still a working sugar cane plantation, and tours are mostly given by members of the family, who tell very personal stories.
Respected for the quality of its tour, and it uniqueness in that it was run by women, which was virtually unheard of at the time.
The only plantation museum (and perhaps the only museum in North America) with a focus on slavery. Originally known as “Habitation Haydel”, this sugar cane plantation intertwined the lives of German immigrant owners and African-American slaves. Part museum, part art gallery, part living history, visitors report that the Whitney engaged them with a painful but central part of American history, and left them changed. The main house is on the National Register of Historic Places. Self-guided tours are available and guided tours are available throughout the day. Guided tours at this museum are well worth the extra expense, as self-guided tours cannot replicate the impactful experience of the guided tours. Guided tours are timed and space limited, so booking tickets in advance is recommended.
A plantation house constructed in 1790 with a grand staircase and 22 slave quarters are part of this sugarcane plantation that can be viewed from state highway 18, \and has guided tours incorporating both sides of plantation life.
"The Most Opulent Plantation in the South". A national historic landmark that is open for tours.