destrehan plantation

While I did learn a lot about history, this plantation is simple, a sign of the times in which it was built. Nothing fancy, like I expected. The plantation is comprised of buildings from other plantations, so you although not original to Destrehan, you do get a feel for life there. I did find it interesting that the tour guide appeared to sugarcoat slavery, focusing on the ability of the slaves to sell their own produce, etc. The oak trees are gorgeous, though! Next time, I will visit one of the more opulent plantations, to acquire more of a sense of what a prosperous lifestyle was like back when.

You drive up to a beautiful huge plantation that just takes your breathe away; the lot is filled with huge trees, some over 100years old, and several that are covered in French MossYou walk into the Gift Shop where you are greater by friendly staff; the tour guide we had was dressed in a beautiful dress which I assume was dated back to when the plantation was open. The tour is an hour and the guide tells you what occurred on the plantation as she ( or he) shows you the sites on and in the plantation.The tour does not show you all of what's on the grounds but you can go see on your own time. One of the highlights was Seeing the 1811 Slave Revoltand an authentic signed document. ( which you cannot photograph)During the tour you will not be able to take video nor voice recordings but you can take photos. They do have an elevator outside of the plantation and if you have problems going up/am down stairs you will want to use the elevator. You will enjoy the tour and the history behind the plantation.

I visited Destrehan on a recent Sunday afternoon. It's probably the closest plantation house to New Orleans and it's a well maintained plantation house with several outbuildings. The tour was decent and I learned a bit about the history of these plantation houses and the families that lived there, but our period-dressed tour guide was perfunctory, at best, and almost hostile to questions. She obviously knew her material, and knew a lot about the history of the house, but seemed more interested in getting us through the tour, over anything else.The outbuildings were somewhat interesting, and in the summer when the plantation is fully staffed, I'm sure would be quite informative. There was an interesting exhibit on the slave uprising of 1811 which took place on the area plantations. Given the price of the tour though, I have to think there are better options among the other plantations in the area.

We arrived by car in the New Orleans area and made the plantation our first stop before heading to the French Quarter and parking our car. We arrived on a Monday at 9:00 a.m. in time for the first tour which which turned out to be private. Our guide had a French accent, was dressed in a period outfit and gave us a very interesting and informative tour of the plantation house. It was a lovely house and our guide provided quite a history of the owners and described some of the more interesting paintings and furniture. She also told us about the 1811 slave uprising which involved the plantation. There was also an exhibit on the uprising in one of the out buildings. We were on our own to see the rest of the grounds. There was also a blacksmith working on decorative iron pieces who showed us what he was doing. It was definitely worth the visit.

My wife and I had the pleasure to visit this great attraction this week and really enjoyed it. The guide was in the time period clothing and was very and was very informative and fun. We would recommend this attraction for everyone.

We didn't take a tour because we were doing a driving plantation road tour. However we stopped at the gift store and the employees were very nice and the shop was great. This is one on the best gift stores I have been to. The items are unique, useful, lovely and well priced. All the other plantation gift shops sold mass produced junk.

It may not really be politically correct to talk about "liking" a place like this. Nevertheless, I think it was worth seeing. The house and grounds were lovingly restored. One thing that particularly struck me were some exposed walls on the interior that contained the finger prints of slaves who built the place. I could see what fine craftsmen they were. I felt like the place was kind of haunted and kept expecting to hear footsteps behind me. So many lives walked and worked those grounds, each with a story to tell. The guide was very knowledgable and respectful of all the aspects of the plantation. They have some neat original papers important to the country's founding and you can get up close to see Jefferson's signature. There are absolutely wonderful live oaks all around. The day I was there was a demonstration about carpentry that was quite interesting. I had plenty of time to walk the grounds and contemplate this place. It was offered as an option with Southern Style tours and I did it immediately following a swamp tour.

My sister-in-law and I were in NOLA for Halloween weekend visiting relatives. We decided to first see a Plantation before heading to our hotel in the city. We decided on Destrehan because of the easy access from the airport. It was a beautiful day and we had a nice tour, given by Gisele. She is French and quite knowledgeable about the area and its history.As other reviewers have said, it is somewhat disappointing in that much of the current configuration is "not authentic". We learned that the house had become abandoned in recent years and fallen on hard times. The group that is in control of it now has done a nice job of restoring it, although only a few of the pieces of furniture are original to the home.The grounds are modest and the Live Oak trees are just incredibly beautiful and haunting with yards of Spanish Moss hanging off of the branches and swaying in the breeze. It's unfortunate that there aren't more "gardens" to view. We learned that Destrehan was originally an indigo plantation as the indigo plant was used in coloring the blue military uniforms. However, the indigo crops were abandoned in favor of sugar crops as they were much more profitable to the owners. There is one tiny area of indigo plants growing next to a building. Kind of disappointing.So, while this was an OK tour, next time I would seek out a different plantation.

We were pretty excited to go see this Plantation but we were very disappointed in the whole experience. We were super rushed out of there. Our tour guide spoke really fast in what was a memorized scrip with no personality. He did this tour as fast as he could and then disappeared! I wouldn't recommend you going here.

If our tour guide (who was rather full of himself) was typical, Destrehan guides have memorized a rather theatrical script which is designed to take you QUICKLY through the house. There are absolutely tons of artifacts, documents, and furniture which you are not given time or opportunity to see and about which you're not encouraged to ask questions.

Being able to see working trades on site is a bonus. Our guide did a super job explaining the difference between French & Spanish vs. Anglo English laws which affected slavery in La. He did not gloss over any of it ; but provided insight. Some buildings were brought on sight which were not original; but it is unrealistic to expect anything else. Think about the humidity and insects. All the rest of River Rd. will have to measure up. Great job!

The tragic side of this site is the cruelty and ugliness of slavery and prejudice. I felt like that was downplayed but when asked our guide was knowledgable and fair. Historical facts around the Louisiana Purchase and the civil war surprised us. The plantation home is quite well preserved and you learn a lot about the buildings constructionEasy ride from Nola.

We toured the Destrehan Plantation as the last tour of the day. I would probably not choose to pay for the tour again, although walking around the grounds is very interesting and picturesque. Our guide was Gisele, and she was knowledgeable about the history of the house and furnishings. The house is sparsely furnished (and is air-conditioned), and has some educational displays inside (mannequins, for example). The house and its furnishings are not all original due to its history of destruction and alternate uses over the years. We found that the gift shop offered nice items at very fair prices.

I have enjoyed Destrehan Plantation on numerous occasions. Christmas "season" is one of my most favorite times to visit. If you have never seen Destrehan Plantation decorated for Christmas, make a point to do so. By all means take the whole family! I enjoyed attending a couple of weddings and receptions at Destrehan Plantation. While all weddings are beautiful, those were especially well done.

Good news: tour guide was nervous but fairly knowledgeable and had some interesting facts to share, and the main house was air conditioned. Bad news: almost nothing on the premises is original (the home was abandoned and left to deteriorate for years and was essentially rebuilt).All the furnishings and even the slave quarters were imported from some other place. The grounds are unremarkable and worn down. Worst of all, our tour guide seemed to suggest that their slaves were relatively well treated because they had Sundays off (but only because they were forced to convert to Christianity), could sell vegetables they grew and could work temporarily for another Plantation (but had to kick back money to their masters), slave owners napped in day beds to save slaves the difficult task of remaking the big bed, and slave families were kept together (but only up to a certain age).With such consideration and kindness, one wonders why the slaves revolted at all. Quite a disappointing viewpoint..We did not have time to see one of the other plantations further down River Road but I wish we had.