Destrehan Plantation
Destrehan Plantation
4.5
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Built in 1787, Destrehan Plantation is the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley. The plantation is open seven (7) days a week with the exception of major holidays from 9am to 5:30pm. The first tour begins at 9:30am.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
855 reviews
Excellent
596
Very good
175
Average
60
Poor
18
Terrible
6
Becky H
25 contributions
Jun 2022
We stumbled onto this property mostly by accident while in the NOLA area. We learned to our delight, that a tour would soon start, so we jumped in for the ride. Our guide Beverly was knowledgeable and entertaining. She clearly loves what she does. So many details from history were shared and we left having our curiosity peaked and wanting to know even more about this property and the history it holds. The grounds were well kept and we really enjoyed this happy accident destination. :)
Written 27 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lenchen A
2 contributions
May 2024 • Family
My husband and I went to Destrehan Plantation on a spur of the moment. Having it closest to New Orleans was a great +++. Are we glad we did! What a wonderful tour: 45 minutes jam packed with information given by our beautiful guide Ann. Her enthusiasm and knowledge of the property and the period was captivating and transported me back to that time in history. The rest of the grounds was available to meander through without time limit. Thank you Ann. We had a lovely time!
Written 21 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan
Luanda, Angola39 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
The tour was excellent and gave a good overview of all aspects of the history of the plantation. Beverly was an excellent guide and was very engaging for our 7 and 5 year old children. The oak trees were also amazing to see, over 200 years old.
Written 1 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikaF
4 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
My family and I visited on Monday and learned so much from our guide Evelyn. She is a wonderful storyteller. She catalyzed as well as humanized enslavement, providing multiple perspectives, both historical and narrative.The educational model is excellent with guided and independent touring. It was a humbling and reflective experience and I recommend it to all.
Written 29 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve t
Colorado392 contributions
Feb 2020
There's more here than just the house and tour...which are wonderful. They usually have a "local flavor" experience also, ours was "how they dressed back then" type and it was well-paced and interesting. Several outbuildings to explore so allow extra time here.
Staff member in gift shop recommended Honeydoux Cafe...great bakery and sandwiches.
Staff member in gift shop recommended Honeydoux Cafe...great bakery and sandwiches.
Written 12 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for touring Destrehan Plantation. We appreciate this review and will share it with our staff. Best, Melissa
Written 14 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jcook92
New York City, NY161 contributions
Arrived early and the gift shop opened right on time. We walked the grounds and met our guide, Mary, at 9:30. She was informative and told the story of the Destrehan family in an exciting and lively way. She didn’t gloss over the history of the plantation and how and why it came to be. She was open about how hard and unfair life was slaves, the role of the family in New Orleans and US history, and how much work women had to do in running a home.
The guided tour lasted about 45-50 minutes and then we walked the remaining buildings on our own.
Bathrooms in the gift shop and main house.
Go across the street to see the levee.
Nothing to eat there. Bring snacks and water.
It’s utterly beautiful. Take your group photos here.
The guided tour lasted about 45-50 minutes and then we walked the remaining buildings on our own.
Bathrooms in the gift shop and main house.
Go across the street to see the levee.
Nothing to eat there. Bring snacks and water.
It’s utterly beautiful. Take your group photos here.
Written 3 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jkfahy
1 contribution
May 2014
Well. After calling two of our group "stupid people" I shouldn't have been surprised by our short tour with minimal explanation, irritation at being asked questions, complaints that she couldn't climb the stairs with us, shaking her finger while shouting "NO NO NO!" as one person innocently began to take a picture (without having been informed of this rule ahead of time). Jane, our irritable tour guide, appeared to be annoyed by our questions and uninterested in her job. She should retire. The lovely house and grounds don't stand a chance with her as guide
Written 19 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EmilyRhymesWithFellony
New Orleans, LA7 contributions
Sept 2013 • Friends
I've toured almost every plantation along the river road of Louisiana, but this review is about Destrehan, my favorite for many reasons. It's the closest to New Orleans, and also the oldest in the lower Mississippi River valley. This is also the only handicap accessible plantation since I've been touring. Sadly, a lot of these reviews here reek of hurt pride. Only a few houses open for tours are privately owned. This house (as well as Oak Alley, the review below me is mistaken) is owned by a non-profit group. At least when I toured, every house required admission to even walk around the grounds, this house included. To assume otherwise shows you haven't been on any other tours.
As far as the tour was concerned, I was very impressed. Our guide talked about more than just the house and Destrehan family, she talked about life for everyone on the plantation. Perhaps my southern roots make me a tad defensive, but there is no way to "apologize for slavery." History happened, we can only learn to not repeat the mistakes. Our guide explained how the Creole system worked, which used Stockholm syndrome and mental abuse to control slaves. This is very different from the English system. I also learned about the plantations owned by Free People of Color back then and the 1811 Slave Revolt. And this was all before we entered the main house!
Inside, it was explained why the house isn't as opulent as other homes. The older the house, the simpler. This family didn't live in the plantation house all year. We talked about the architecture and the family from there.
The tour was a little over an hour in the house, from there we went to see the blacksmith on site. He was wonderful and actually made a candle holder for us.
Overall, this tour stuck with me the most. I usually keep my reviews to my travel blog, but seeing so many closed-minded reviews prompted me to change my stance. Bottom line, if you want history, take an open mind to Destrehan Plantation. Just give yourself a good 2 hours to get your money's worth.
As far as the tour was concerned, I was very impressed. Our guide talked about more than just the house and Destrehan family, she talked about life for everyone on the plantation. Perhaps my southern roots make me a tad defensive, but there is no way to "apologize for slavery." History happened, we can only learn to not repeat the mistakes. Our guide explained how the Creole system worked, which used Stockholm syndrome and mental abuse to control slaves. This is very different from the English system. I also learned about the plantations owned by Free People of Color back then and the 1811 Slave Revolt. And this was all before we entered the main house!
Inside, it was explained why the house isn't as opulent as other homes. The older the house, the simpler. This family didn't live in the plantation house all year. We talked about the architecture and the family from there.
The tour was a little over an hour in the house, from there we went to see the blacksmith on site. He was wonderful and actually made a candle holder for us.
Overall, this tour stuck with me the most. I usually keep my reviews to my travel blog, but seeing so many closed-minded reviews prompted me to change my stance. Bottom line, if you want history, take an open mind to Destrehan Plantation. Just give yourself a good 2 hours to get your money's worth.
Written 28 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SaraMBrawley
Saint Louis, MO22 contributions
May 2012 • Friends
This is a beautiful plantation that deserves better tour guides. Our guide acted like she didnt want to be there, didnt know very much about life at the plantation, and left us with a sense of "Thats it?!"
I think the guides name was Amy or Becky, not sure, but she was terrible. They need to take a trip to Laura Plantation to see how a plantation tour should be done. People pay alot of money for these tours and to step back in time, not to be made to feel like their presence is a nuisance and get rushed through an old beautiful house and leave not knowing anything about it. Even if you just want to take pictures, they make you pay the full tour price just to look around. Ridiculous. I bring visitors to New Orleans on a regular basis and show them around. We will not be returning here. They boast #1 attraction in Louisiana?? #1 in what exactly?
I think the guides name was Amy or Becky, not sure, but she was terrible. They need to take a trip to Laura Plantation to see how a plantation tour should be done. People pay alot of money for these tours and to step back in time, not to be made to feel like their presence is a nuisance and get rushed through an old beautiful house and leave not knowing anything about it. Even if you just want to take pictures, they make you pay the full tour price just to look around. Ridiculous. I bring visitors to New Orleans on a regular basis and show them around. We will not be returning here. They boast #1 attraction in Louisiana?? #1 in what exactly?
Written 23 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Myrna B
Saskatoon, Canada84 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Carol was our tour guide and did a great job of telling the stories of the Destrehan family and the slaves too. She also was able to fill us in on many of the antiques and out buildings. Very interesting.
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for touring Destrehan Plantation. We appreciate this review and will share it with our historical interpreter, Carol.
Written 6 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
How easy is it and how do you get to the Destrehan plantation from central New Orleans ?
Written 24 August 2019
It's very easy to find if you are driving yourself and it may be included on some organized tours. Take I10 past the airport and then take I310 towards the river. Exit before crossing the bridge and take a left at River Road. It's very close after the turn.
Written 24 August 2019
what's the great tip on eating/lunch around the area! I'm keen :)
Written 23 May 2019
Locals eat at Port Side Restaurant. Good Po-Boys and Hot Plate Lunches. About 4 miles away from Destrehan Plantation on 11698 River Road.
Written 23 May 2019
Don't want to purchase advance tickets but will only be in area for one day. Is it too risky to wait to buy tickets directly at plantation for same day tour?
Written 9 May 2019
Not at all. Our tours begin every 30 minutes. You can purchase your ticket that day in the plantation store. Even if you purchase in advance and cannot make it. We give a 100 percent refund.
Written 23 May 2019
Raceland
Lafayette, Louisiana
Is this across the river from Luling? What year did renovation start? I think I used to go to a swimming pool nearby owned by Texaco in the late 40's and think this old home was still in disrepair.
Written 19 February 2016
This property was small refinery owned by Standard Oil (Indiana)/Amoco. The mansion was the admin building for the site. When Amoco closed down the refinery (in the 70's as I recall), they created a trust and turned over the site as a non-profit to manage it.
Written 21 February 2016
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