New Orleans plantations give visitors and residents a peek inside the history of the city and its development both commercially and culturally, especially during the periods before, leading up to, and directly after the Civil War. There are a wide variety of plantations near New Orleans as this was a typical way of living in years past. Now, preservation societies look after and maintain the most notable of all the New Orleans plantations. Some of them have even been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you are traveling to New Orleans and need a break from the pulsing streets of the French Quarter, consider touring places like the San Francisco Plantation or Destrehan Plantation for a tranquil time and engaging exploration of old world New Orleans.

Destrehan Plantation is one of the best known in the city and is a popular tourist attraction. Tickets are reasonably priced and cheaper for children. It is located on River Road just east of Route 310. History lovers are particularly susceptible to falling in love with the New Orleans plantations. A tour of the Destrehan Plantation details the legacy of the Destrehan family and takes visitors inside the various jobs performed on the plantation including cooking, tending to the land, carpentry, and metal working.

The Longue Vue House and Gardens is perhaps the most stately of all the plantations near New Orleans. It is set on eight acres of impressively manicured land. You can take tours of the grounds, explore the house, and witness the extensive collection of American and English antiques and art.

New Orleans Map

Antebellum New Orleans was a place of interesting and often volatile racial and cultural dynamics. It was one of the few cities in the deep South where free men and women of color could live outside the bounds of slavery. At the same time, many slaves were held against their will and many more were the virtual slaves of indentured service. Especially preceding the Civil War, New Orleans plantations played a vital role in the emerging economy of the city. The network of waterways that links up the city and especially the Mississippi River running right through the city positioned New Orleans as an exporter of goods, many of which were grown on plantations. In the late 1700s and first part of the eighteenth century this is how New Orleans grew economically to a large extent. This obviously required the work of many people and as history now shows us, the unfortunate aspect is that much of the work was performed by people held against their own free will. Exploring the plantations near New Orleans puts you inside the historical development of this vastly interesting city and helps you understand the role they played before and after the Civil War.

Just as the architecture, food, and music in New Orleans set the city apart and make it the unique destination it is, so too do the New Orleans plantations speak to the distinctive culture and history of the city. Exploring the best plantations in New Orleans is a journey worth contemplating on your next trip.