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PLAN YOUR VISIT TO WHITNEY PLANTATION

GET THE MOST FROM YOUR VISIT

For a full experience, we recommend that you plan to spend a minimum of two hours at Whitney Plantation.

HOURS & ADMISSION

Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Last entry 3:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays and on the following days:

  • New Year’s Day
  • National Freedom Day (February 1)
  • Mardi Gras Day
  • Easter Sunday
  • International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade (August 23)
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Holiday Break, December 20 – 25
  • SELF GUIDED AUDIO TOURS
ADULTS:

$25

CHILDREN 6-18:

$11

CHILDREN UNDER 6:
FREE
RESIDENTS OF ST. JOHN & ST. JAMES PARISHES
FREE
  • GUIDED TOURS
ADULTS:

$32

CHILDREN 6-18:

$15

CHILDREN UNDER 6:
FREE
RESIDENTS OF ST. JOHN & ST. JAMES PARISHES
FREE

TOURS

About Our Historical Interpreters

Tours are led by trained historical interpreters who share the full, unvarnished truth of this site’s history. Each interpreter approaches their tour through a lens that is personal to them, shaped by their experiences and insights.

GUIDED TOURS

Guided Tours are offered hourly and are available on a first-come, first served-basis. This tour includes access to the upstairs portion of the Big House. Did you know? We offer guided tours in French. Check our schedule for specific times.

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SELF GUIDED TOURS

Self-guided audio tours are offered in six languages between 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Arrive at anytime during this window to begin  your tour. This tour DOES NOT include access to the upstairs portion of the Big House.

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EDUCATION TOURS

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Education tours are tailored for middle and high schoolers. We serve schools, homeschools pods, scout groups, clubs, and youth groups. This tour DOES NOT include access to the upstairs portion of the Big House. ***NOTE: booking tours online is subject to sales tax and fees.

LARGE GROUP TOURS

Large group tours are for groups of 20-50 people of all ages. This type of tour is well-suited to church groups, family reunions and universities. ***NOTE: booking tours online is subject to sales tax and fees.

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Transportation Options

Tour Operators

Tour and transportation included. Ideal for individuals and small groups.

Shuttles

Transportation only. Book your tour through our website. Ideal for private group tours.

Ride Share

Transportation only. Book your tour through our website. Be sure to plan ahead for transportation both to and from Whitney Plantation, especially with Uber and Lyft. 

OUR TOUR

IN YOUR POCKET

Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on slavery. Download our audio tour to explore all 14 stops. Learn about the lives of people forced to cultivate sugar and rice on this plantation from 1752-1865. Sixteen original structures, including the Big House and two slave cabins, remain on site. Whitney Plantation features several memorials dedicated to the enslaved people who were forced to live and work here and throughout Louisiana.

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OUR TOUR

IN YOUR POCKET

Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the story of slavery. Download our audio tour to explore all 15 stops. Learn about the lives of people forced to cultivate sugar and rice on this plantation from 1752-1865. Sixteen original structures, including the Big House and two slave cabins, remain on site. Whitney Plantation features several memorials dedicated to the enslaved people who were forced to live and work here and throughout Louisiana.

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LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

Our address is 5099 Louisiana Hwy 18, Wallace, LA 70049. We are proud to be part of the historically Black community of Wallace. Please note that due to postal service designations, your GPS may list our location as “Edgard.”

 

Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing services are not typically available on demand near us. If you take one of these services to the museum, you will not likely to be able to return that way without making prior arrangements.

 

Check out our list of transportation options above that provide daily transit from New Orleans and Baton Rouge. If you would like to travel with one of these services, you may book your tickets with them directly.

From New Orleans, Downtown: Take I-10 West towards Baton Rouge for 39.3 miles. Take the LA-641 S exit, EXIT 194 towards Gramercy. Turn left onto LA-641 S. Take the LA-18 ramp toward Edgard/Vacherie. Turn right onto LA-18/Great River Rd.

 

From Baton Rouge: Take I-10 East towards New Orleans. Merge onto US-61 S via EXIT 187 towards Gramercy. Turn right onto LA-641 S. Take the LA-18 ramp toward Edgard/Vacherie. Turn right onto LA-18/Great River Rd.

 

Travel With Intention: Traveling to Whitney Plantation from New Orleans or Baton Rouge? Our Spotify playlist, The Road to Remembering, covers your drivetime to help you reflect while you’re on the road. Rooted in Black history. Curated for your journey.

EXHIBITS

Exhibits in the visitor center are free to the public and are open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. every day except Tuesday when we’re closed.

PERMANENT EXHIBITS

The History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

This exhibit is a brief overview about the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It includes information about how the trade began, which European countries were involved, and where Africans were captured and forcibly migrated along routes of trade that extended both to the west and east of the African continent.

 

Slavery in Louisiana

Focused on the history of slavery in Louisiana from 1719-1865, visitors learn about all aspects of slavery in this state, including the history of the Code Noir, topics of gender, and resistance & rebellion.

VISITING EXHIBITS

Amongst Ourselves

Now on view at Whitney Plantation. This exhibit is included in the cost of your tour.

Explore the lives of enslaved and indigenous people who resisted their bondage in ways that ranged from bold to everyday actions. From truancy and sabotage to culture-keeping and community-building, resistance took many forms. Drawing on historical records, oral histories, material artifacts, the latest historical scholarship, and additional research by students at UNO and Cornell, Amongst Ourselves reclaims enslaved people’s agency and lived experience. Learn more.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Yes. We offer a self-guided audio tour on a downloadable app. You can find our app if you search for “Whitney Plantation” in the apple or android app store. The audio tour takes approximately one hour and 10 minutes, and you may stay on the grounds for longer if you like.
The audio tour is appropriate for all ages.
The audio tour lasts one hour and 10 minutes. Most visitors stay on the site for two hours, to allow time to explore on their own and visit the exhibits in the Visitor Center.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have suspended all group tours for the remainder of 2021. We will not accept group reservations at this time.
We recommend that you dress comfortably for the weather, remembering that you will spend most of your time outside. Plan for extreme heat in the summer and cold in the winter. We give tours rain or shine, so if rain is in the forecast be prepared with an umbrella or poncho. Most of the tour is on a gravel path, so we recommend comfortable walking shoes, with closed-toe preferred but not mandatory. Bring bug spray as the grounds are home to mosquitoes, fire ants, wasps and bees.
There is plenty of parking on site, including for vehicles as large as 50-passenger tour buses and tractor-trailers. We ask that all large vehicles park on the sides of the parking lot. The parking lot has four handicapped parking spaces.
The audio tour that is available on our downloadable app contains a full transcription of every stop for deaf visitors.
Baby strollers may be used in the Visitor Center and taken through the grounds if they are able to go over gravel.
Yes, outside food is permitted. However, food is only allowed in and just outside of the Visitor’s Center. There is no food permitted on the tour or inside any of the historic structures. Guests may bring drinks on the tour.
There is not a restaurant on site, but the gift shop sells drinks and light snacks.
Backpacks, purses, and small camera bags are permitted on the tour. The Whitney Plantation does not provide luggage storage.
Whitney Plantation is a private non-profit organization without an owner. It is governed by a board of directors. The founder of the museum, John Cummings, does not own the museum.
Woodrow Nash, of Akron, Ohio is the artist responsible for the “children of Whitney” statues. The property also features art installations or paintings created by Rod Moorhead, a sculptor working in Oxford, Mississippi; Ed Wilson, of Houston,Texas; Beth Lambert of New Orleans, and Ulrika Francis of New Orleans. Elise Grenier of Grenier Conservation in Florence, Italy preserved and restored the murals in the Big House.
Several buildings are original. They include: The Big House, Overseer’s house, one pigeonnier, the plantation store, the mule barn, the kitchen, and the French barn. Two slave cabins belonged to Haydel family members on a neighboring farm – the Mialaret Plantation. They were moved along with four additional cabins from other locations along River Road. The blacksmith shop and carriage house were rebuilt according to their original designs.
Given the sensitive nature of the museum’s focus, Whitney Plantation does not allow weddings or other private events. If you have an event in mind that is in keeping with the mission and values of the museum, you may submit a request to [email protected] for consideration.
Service dogs with appropriate paperwork are allowed on the tour and throughout the museum. The museum does not allow pets on the tour, and there is no safe place to keep your dog during the tour. We strongly advise that you do not leave your dog in the car in the parking lot during your visit.

PHOTO & VIDEO POLICY

Personal photography is permitted in the permanent collection galleries, the grounds, and the historic structures. Flash photography is prohibited without special permission. Visitors may post images from their visits on personal social media sites, so long as they are not used for profit.

 

Tripods are not permitted on the tour.

 

Wedding and engagement photography is not permitted on the grounds.   

 

Videotaping is strictly prohibited on all tours. We do not allow videotaping of tours under any circumstances.


The museum may photograph or videotape visitors for educational and promotional purposes. Attendance on museum property is implied consent for the use of visitors’ likenesses for marketing purposes.

The Whitney Plantation reserves the right to withhold or withdraw permission to photograph on the premises. Staff has the authority to approach and verify the intent of photography, and to enforce this policy.