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After visiting New Orleans countless times over the years, it has become one of my favorite places — but on a recent visit, I was itching to get out of the city and explore a little more of Louisiana! I had heard about the historic plantations along the Mississippi River that were just a day trip away from New Orleans and decided it was time to visit.
Oak Alley Plantation is one of the most well-known and beautiful plantations to visit and you can even stay overnight – how cool is that?!
Here’s what you need to know about visiting and staying overnight at Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana!
Getting to Oak Alley Plantation
The plantation is located along the Mississippi River in Vacherie, Louisiana. The area is home to several plantations including Laura Plantation, St. Joseph Plantation and Felicity Plantation, along with Oak Alley Plantation.
From both New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the drive to Oak Alley is a quick 1 hour trip. Once you arrive, there is plenty of parking for both personal cars and tour buses. If you don’t have a car, joining one of the many tours leaving from New Orleans is another great option!
About Oak Alley Plantation
The plantation is aptly named after the majestic oak trees that form an alley leading up to the mansion.
While the plantation was built in 1837, the 28 oak trees that lead up to the plantation are almost three hundred years old and still standing!
The plantation was originally built to produce sugar cane and, while it was run as a plantation, nearly 200 enslaved people lived and worked on the property. While none of the original slavery cabins exist today, Oak Alley Plantation has reconstructed several cabins that help to depict daily life as a slave.
After the Civil War and the end of slavery, the plantation was sold and used as a cattle ranch until its owner passed away and left the house and grounds to the Oak Alley Foundation in 1972.
Today, the former plantation is open to the public as a historic landmark. It has also been featured in several movies and music videos — such as Interview with the Vampire starring Brad Bitt and Tom Cruise as well as Beyonce’s ‘Deja Vu’ music video.
Planning your Visit to Oak Alley Plantation
The plantation is open for visitors daily from 9am – 5pm except for major holidays (like Mardi Gras day!). Visitors need to purchase an admissions ticket upon arrival that is valid for access to the Big House, Slavery at Oak Alley, Blacksmith Shop, Sugarcane Theater, and East and West Gardens exhibits. The admissions price is $25 per adult (19 years and older).
The Big House exhibit is only available for guided tours which run every 30 minutes. And I would highly recommend the guided tour because it was very informative about the interesting history of the plantation!
We arrived in the early afternoon to allow a few hours to view the exhibits and do the guided tour of the Big House before checking into our cottage for the evening. I would definitely recommend allowing for a minimum of 2 hours to check out the whole plantation.
Dining at Oak Alley Plantation
Yep, Oak Alley Plantation has its own restaurant! As you could probably guess, the Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant serves up delicious Louisiana cajun classics like gumbo, poboys, and crawfish etoufee.
Along with the restaurant, there is the Plantation Cafe with casual options like sandwiches, ice cream and malts, as well as the Spirits Bar where you can order cocktails like their famous Mint Julep.
It was my first time trying a Mint Julep and I was delighted to find it was minty and refreshing!
Staying Overnight at Oak Alley Plantation
I don’t think too many people can say that they’ve spend the night at a historic plantation! Oak Alley Plantation has 9 one- and two-bedroom cottages where guests can stay overnight and enjoy the grounds of the plantation before and after regular visiting hours.
We absolutely loved this because unlike during the day time when the grounds are crowded with tours, there was virtually no one around; having the place to ourselves was very cool and we were able to get some great photos of the Big House and beautiful oak trees!
The cottages themselves are cozy and have all the amenities you could need — a kitchen, TV, internet, hair dryer, etc.
We stayed in the “Milkshed” — which we loved! — and the staff arranged a dinner to be left for us along with a bottle of champagne for a ‘romantic stroll under the oaks.’ Amazing!
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