New Orleans: Destrehan Plantation Tour

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Activities Culture & history Landmarks & monuments Plantation & farm tours Wheelchair accessible Guided tours Tours Sightseeing

Tour the oldest documented plantation in the lower Mississippi Valley and the most historical. Only 25 minutes away from New Orleans and 10 minutes away from the New Orleans International Airport.

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Highlights

Visit Louisiana's oldest plantation to learn about the American slave trade
See an original document signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
Take a short 25-minute drive from Downtown New Orleans to the plantation
Capture some photos under the live oak trees covered in Spanish moss

Description

Upon arrival, enter through the Destrehan Plantation store and gift shop, and exit through the back door onto the grounds, where they will meet a personal interpreter to begin the tour. The interpreter will share stories about the people who lived on the plantation, both free and enslaved. See an original document signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and to learn the significance of the document in terms of how it relates to Louisiana History. You may either choose to have a guided tour with a descendant of Jean Destrehan, to learn about the various peoples who shaped the 'German Coast.' After the house tour, view a folk-life demonstration and self-explore the dependency buildings, such as a slave cabin with an enslavement registry, an overseer's cabin showcasing the 1811 Slave Revolt and Rost Home Colony exhibits, an outdoor kitchen, a washroom, a trapper's cabin and the Legacy Room displaying original documents and artifacts from the family members.