You'll spend an unforgettable three hours on our comfortable air conditioned Mini-bus while getting an overview of New Orleans, and experiencing the history and culture of the Creoles with your licensed tour guide. No trip to New Orleans would be complete without seeing the highlights of our city and the some of the areas affected by Katrina’s flood waters. Your tour guide will also give you an overview of the “French Quarter”, pointing out areas of interest, so that you can explore them later, at your own pace.
You will see Jackson Square, the site where the Louisiana Purchase was made.
Pass the oldest Cathedral in North America.
See the Cabildo, which was the seat of Spanish colonial city hall of New Orleans.
Pass this outdoor market spanning 6 blocks.
On the way to the “Dueling Oaks” of New Orleans’ City Park, you will view 100 year old homes along Esplanade Avenue. You'll visit an above ground cemetery, where you will be given a short guided tour. Your tour guide will explain how the people of New Orleans bury their dead above ground in re-usable tombs. This tradition was by necessity, not by choice.
Tour the cemetery and learn of New Orleans' unique above ground burial process.
You'll take a drive slowly down St. Charles Avenue, the American side of New Orleans, and see some of the homes of the Garden District. You will pass Ann Rice’s home and Governor Claiborne’s Daughters home, circa 1840.
See the Elms Mansion, and much more. You'll witness the diverse Architecture of the American side of New Orleans.
In addition to the city tour, you'll take a drive out to the Oak Alley Plantation. This is one of the most magnificent plantation tours because of the 28, evenly spaced, huge Oak Trees that go from the river road to the Plantation House. Built in 1837 in the style of Greek Revival architecture, this house could to be straight out of the movie “Gone with the Wind”. Along with the antique farm equipment, the grounds also feature a restaurant, blacksmith shop and a souvenir shop. The choice is yours how you would like to use your free hour. It is a comprehensive plantation experience. The tour of the Oak Alley’s house is conducted by guides in authentic plantation style apparel. Walking is required for this tour. The distance from the plantation house to the restaurant and souvenir shop is about 1 block. There are benches along the path, shaded by the Oaks. The tour will be educational and enlightening, so that you can revisit and explore New Orleans’ attractions and points of interest. This is a must for anyone coming to the city. Your driver is a licensed “City Tour Guide” that will narrate along the way, during the course of the tour. This tour is an overview of New Orleans and the areas affected by Katrina. You will stop at a local cemetery for a short tour. We will have a 20 minute restroom/snack break in the middle of the tour. Tour times may run longer due to parades, traffic or road restrictions. The tour is conducted on a minibus and the guest(s) may stay aboard the vehicle for the duration of the tour. The only stops will be (1) the rest stop (2) the cemetery. Lunch is not included.
It’s a very good Tour that takes you throughout the city. The garden district was excellent and all the way to Lake Pontchartrain, which was a beautiful ride going out to see Oak Alley was a great experience.
The tour was exceptional. I wish we had done this tour upon arriving in the city. The tour guide Gary was very knowledgeable, the history was wonderful. He also gave many great places to eat. We could have enjoyed more of the cuisine if we had done this tour earlier. I would highly recommend this tour.
It's over an hour bus ride to the plantation but our guide gave us such great information on the way. She was wonderful.
I didn't give it 5 stars because of the plantation tour. The city tour with Gary was superb. I took a similar tour years ago and remember the one hour drive to the plantation entertaining with the guide offering lots of history and bits of information that you won't get in history books. I wanted my husband to experience the same, but instead, we just got a silent drive all the way there and back. The plantation itself is impressive with beautiful gardens, but again, the tour of the house was given by a human recorder. Just one run on sentence after another. After the return to the city we switched buses and that's when Gary took over. Oh what a treat! He was lively, funny and frankly, saved the day. If you have to pick, skip the plantation and go on the city tour with Gary K. Trust me on this, it will be the highlight of the trip.
Both tours were amazing. Laraine picked us up bright and early for the Oak Valley tour. She was so pleasant that early in the morning. A bright ray of sunshine is the best way to describe her. Gary showed us around the city and he was amazing as well. His knowledge of the city was great and helpful.
Oak alley is beautiful but can be slow as tours are every 15 minutes and if task questions in the group in front then there may be delays
This was 2 tours in 1. First, Oak Alley had a lot of history on old plantation life in New Orleans, growing sugar cane. The second part of the tour was an in-depth look at New Orleans and its founders. If you like history - this tour will not disappoint.
The plantation tour was educational and everyone was professional and informative. The city tour was generally good and had a knowledgeable tour guide, but I don't think he enjoyed his job very much. He made several comments throughout the trip that suggested he was in a hurry to finish, and at the end he made me and my family feel uncomfortable with like some off handed aggression. We unfortunately did not tip at the end which I felt bad about, but to be clear I didn't know that was a thing since I don't typically take tours and was not prepared with cash. As we stepped off the bus he was very upset that we did not tip him and tried to verbally shame us, as if it was intentional. I ALWAYS tip when it's expected because I have been a service worker and understand that it provides for peoples' livelihoods, and if I had money at the time I would have, but the shaming comments were excessive. I wish the driver the best of luck, hopefully he finds peace in what he does someday.
Darren, the driver on the city tour was the most amazing part of this trip! He was fun, engaging and so knowledgeable! His passion for NOLA and his job is contagious! The pick up from the hotel was a mess! Our instructions were to look for a bus that said Alert Transportation. The first driver told us to wait for a different bus. The next driver accepted us on but didn’t reference her list and it turned out we were on the wrong bus. We had to switch again and then we set out for the long, bumpy, scary drive to the plantation. The driver for this horrible. He drove SO FAST and carelessly—it was scary (he even ran through a stop sign)! On top of that, the roads were horribly bumpy and we felt like we had been in a two hour car accident by the end. To add insult to injury, the air conditioner started leaking water all over us due to the rough roads. Additionally, his paperwork was wrong and we were down for the swamp tour instead of the city tour, which meant yet another bus switch. The plantation tour was amazing overall but a little disappointing with only being 30 mins in the house. It seemed rushed and we didn’t get much information. Additionally, the groups were too big so you didn’t get time or space to really look at anything. The time outside the house was sufficient and the views were breathtaking! The history of this place is so interesting and the grounds were gorgeous. Overall, I would recommend the tour, but be prepared for the disorganization and rough ride!!
Actually seeing sample of plantation life with HUGE difference between quarters of owners and slaves. The city tour was also very interesting covering a lot of the New Orleans parishes.
The lovely building, lunch at the restaurant were excellent and the gift shop had an incredible wealth of items and watching the lady make pralines was entertaining.
I really enjoyed this tour, the Oak Ally plantation was beautiful, and the trees are amazing. I didn't like that we could not take pictures inside the plantation. Our driver had to be reminded that we were doing the city tour after but dropped us off with the driver just in time for the 2nd tour. The city tour was also good it would have been better if the driver was not also the guide providing the details as it was kinda hard to hear him sometimes.
This was a wonderful tour with friendly and knowledgeable drivers/guides. Oak Ally was great history and exhibits. The City tour was a great testament to the strengths of the people
We were waiting for pick up in hotel lobby and had to run out to catch the bus to pick us up. The drive to the plantation with Gary was great. He was able to get people quiet so we could hear him talk about his hurricane Katrina experience. We had just enough time to tour the plantation and eat lunch before meeting up with our bus the the city tour. Our guide was highly knowledgeable of the city. This was a great way to really understand the different neighborhoods in the city and what happened during Katrina. Highly recommend this but be prepared for it to take up the day until 5
Picked up at hotel. It was a very long drive to the plantation, not enough time after the tour of the house to visit other places, I.e. museum, should have at least half an hour more. Boat on swam with the alligators fun. A good but long day
The Oak Alley plantation and city tour was great. Transportation pickup went well, air conditioned, clean and comfortable.
You was rushed through and there was no true exhibits, except the main house and you was not able see all the house. The slave quarters did not look the way you presented. The slaves live poorly and Shame on you to represent my ancestors that way. You represented a lie to the public and your visitors. I will never return!
Way. Way too much time on bus due to swamp tour group taken to their destination, then we were backhanded to start of our city tour. Waste of our time.
The plantation was amazing, loved the tour, the restaurant, and the gift shop. Tour guide was knowledgeable and fun to listen too. Driving out to the plantation was an experience. Road had huge pot holes so we weaved and dodged or hit them. A little scary but not the tours fault. City tour was great too. If your going to be in NOLA a short time this is great to see and hear everything you need.
Our tour guide and bus driver was awesome very friendly and informative during city bus tour i would totally recommend him Thanks so much make our trip ao enjoyable
I would recommend this “tour” if you are looking for transportation to Oak Alley and nothing more because that is exactly what it was. There is no way to call it a tour because all it did was drive you to the plantation and then back. A tour would of explain the things you were passing along the way and maybe a brief history of the plantation. A tour would of given you more information, instead of a quiet ride there and back. Therefore this was a ride, not a tour! Read below for the experience. I originally booked an Oak Alley Plantation with 3 hours City tour with Viator. They handed us off to the Louisiana Tour Company. The after I booked they called to inform me that the city was not allowing tours yet and gave me several options to choose from. They young lady that contacted was very helpful and professional. On the day of the tour we were pick up at our hotel. Once we got on the bus, we sat there for 15 to 20 minutes waiting for another bus to bring guests from other hotels. Once we were off, we rode in silence all the way to Oak Alley. Upon arriving there, the bus driver got out and got the tickets and drive around back to park. Once parked, he said these are the out buildings but due the main house first and be on the bus at 12:20. We were sent off to do our own thing. Next we left to return, again in silence after he explained that we were going to meet another bus on the way back and drop off 5 guests (us included) and the rest would be going to the swamp. After a very bumpy hour and 30 minute ride we stopped on the side of a busy highway in the rain and were told to get out and go to the bus a 100 yards ahead. This new bus took us back to the hotel.
First tour was Oak Alley Plantation, everything was good except the bus. The bus looked like it had no shocks, we could feel every bump from the road and the air condition was terrible. The heater and the air conditioner were on all the time and the heater was located in the middle of the bus, so if you seat in the middle of the bus, you will get burnt and the air conditioner was at the back of the bus above our head, so you had cold air blasting from above. We were transftered to another bus for the city tour. City tour was good.
It was a fiasco trying to get from one tour to the next. That caused the second tour to start late and end late. The one bathroom break on the city tour was a portable toilet. The snack truck was closed. The plantation was fun and the food there was good. The guides did a good job.
Oak Alley - Tours every ten minutes, so you never wait long. Informative. Unlike years back, we don't pretend that the slaves were servants. The property has done a great job with the study in contrasts. Tour the big house with staff, self tour of the slave quarters. If you are hungry, you can grab a bite. I enjoyed the Praline Cream liqueur - samples available. Suitable collection of books for all ages. Glad I came. Three Hour City Tour - informative, especially about the lasting effects of Hurricane Katrina (engineering changes, 100,000 people who never returned, changes Red Cross has made to evacuation procedures, etc.), history of Mardi Gras, settlement in the area by French Canadians (Acadians), birth of jazz, cajun and creole cuisine and people. Fantastic. Enjoy the beignets when you stop in the park. Fantastic tour of the city. Included a cemetery stop.
This review pertains only to the Oak Alley Plantation itself. Although some would say if you have seen one Plantation, you've seen them all...isn't quite accurate. Some have more original furnishings than others; different stories regarding the history of the Plantation and other have more of the original settings than others. Oak Alley has giant magnificent Oak trees; interesting Plantation House tour and slave quarters too. For physically challenged, rather than stairs to the second floor of the Plantation House, a video is available. Also, there is sporadic "golf cart" transport making the rounds of the ground. If you are "into" historic Plantations, then visit Oak Alley.
<p>Well worth doing! Provides great information on American history.</p>
Oak Alley was everything I was wanting and more, it was a wonderful plantation and so worth the trip. Our guide was great on the drive there and back and very amusing. The City Tour was O.K., except I couldn't understand our guide, as he spoke so fast and muffled into the microphone.
We did the combo Oak Alley and City Tour. It was split up into two different days, which made it very nice. Both were extremely informative on comfortable buses. The City tour did have some drawbacks as there was a group of noisy people together, that sat together in the back of the bus. They laughed and talked among themselves which made it difficult for those of us that wanted to listen. I feel that the guide should have said something to them rather than let it go on. We still enjoyed the tour but it would have been more enjoyable without this group.
<p>Two tours in one day is very tiring but a good way to understand the city and southern history if you have limited time and the stamina. The two drivers were very knowledgeable and great story tellers. The Plantation trip was excellent and we could have spent at least another hour there. We had a great driver who gave us an education and laughter on the journey. The city tour was a little rushed but did cover all of the New Orleans sites and the story of Hurricane Katrina. The stop in the park for a drink was very short and not really required after stretching our legs at the cemetery stop.</p>
<p>I was hoping to see long row of Oak tree or a huge area of Oak tree, but it didn't. The tour was just okay, kind of disappointed</p>
<p>Loved our driver out to the plantation, Brian. Plantation was great, very beautiful, learned a lot.</p>
<p>We were called approximately a week in advance of the tour to notify us that we would not be able to do the city tour because of street closures related to Mardi Gras. We were given reimbursement for this portion of the tour. We ended up touring the Laura plantation instead of Oak Alley though we did visit Oak Alley briefly. It was a really interesting tour and our driver was fantastic. We also had a really interesting group that made the tour even more fun.</p>
<p>Visiting Oak Alley was a dream come true! It was beautiful and so captivating! The 3 hour city tour was amazing. I wish I could have had more time to spend at Jackson Square, but the trip was great. Visiting the St. Louis Cemetery was a unique experience, and Gary was amazing at giving the history behind the above ground cemeteries as well as the customs with burial in New Orleans. The Hurricane Katrina segment of the trip was very emotional, and the park we visited before the tour concluded was amazing and captivating. This trip was exceptional and worth the money!</p>
<p>Viator is a reseller of tours. Different companies did the actual tour, which was terrific. Dishonest on Viator part to imply that they are a touting company.</p>
<p>amazing wonderful food, people adventures and sights</p>
<p>Both the Plantation Tour and the 3 Hour City Tour were very enjoyable and educational. Both the drivers Brian and David provided excellent information with a personal touch and much humor</p>
<p>I loved the plantation and city tour! The only thing that bothered me was the fact that after the plantation tour we had to transfer into two different tour buses in order to do the city tour cause my group was the only one that was doing city while everyone else was doing the swamp.</p>
<p>Our guide on the Plantation Tour was amazing. His name was Brian and he made us laugh so much.</p>
<p>Very interesting tour of the plantation house with it's history and all. Main regret was that there was such a short time schedule that we didn't have time to explore more of the grounds. We could've used at least another half hour. Very entertaining tour driver that kept us amused both ways.</p>
<p>Fantastic experience. Informative, entertaining, and well organized.</p>
Okay as a turn no more I’m glad it was a wet day. We spend the day on the bus stopping here and there.
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