History & heritage · Louisiana

River Road Plantations day trip

River Road Plantations

A day up the Mississippi River Road from the French Quarter, led by Whitney Plantation, the museum that tells plantation history from the side of the people enslaved there, then Laura's Creole farmstead and its 1840s cabins, lunch in Vacherie, and Oak Alley's oaks and slavery exhibit, home over the high Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Time: 9–10 hour day
Driving: About 2½ hours of driving in total, on I-10, I-310 and the two-lane River Road (LA 18)
Best time: All year except Tuesdays; best late October–April
Updated: October 14, 2026 at 1:00 AM Pacific

$4 USD

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A dirt lane under huge, moss-draped live oaks at Evergreen Plantation, with a small white cabin from the rows of former slave quarters at the left — John Cummings · CC BY 3.0. March 2014 photograph of the quarters lane at Evergreen Plantation, passed on LA 18 just before Whitney; resized and displayed with crop.

Suggested times, not bookings

Your day at a glance

9:30 amWhitney Plantation
12:00 pmLunch in Vacherie
1:05 pmLaura Plantation
2:45 pmOak Alley Plantation
4:45 pmVeterans Memorial Bridge and I-10

Highlights

Worth the trip

Whitney Plantation, where the tour follows the lives of the enslaved people rather than the families who held them
Laura's original 1840s slave cabin and the story of four generations of one Creole family, free and enslaved
Oak Alley's 28 oaks and its self-guided exhibit on the people enslaved there and life after emancipation

What’s in the guide

Detailed stop guidance, rules, practical pitfalls, a route map, Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps links and weather alternatives. Read it online any time, or keep it offline in the Greg’s Guides app for iPhone and iPad. See an example guide →

Plan for the conditions

Expected seasonal weather

From late October to April, the river parishes usually bring mild to warm afternoons and cool mornings, with occasional cold fronts and rain that can make gravel paths muddy. From May to September, expect heat, high humidity and afternoon thunderstorms, and from June to November hurricane season can close the sites. Shade comes mostly from the old oaks, and much of each tour is in the open. These are seasonal expectations, not a forecast for your travel date; check the NWS forecast.

Admission and parking are separate. Check current conditions before departure.

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