Go beyond the French Quarter and discover the unique Cajun and Creole cultures of New Orleans during this full-day swamp and plantation tour. Venture deep into the bayous, with a small group limited to 12, to see Cajun living and spot wildlife like alligators and pelicans on your high-speed airboat ride. Then, admire the beautiful architecture and learn about the history of Houmas House and Laura Plantation. Gourmet, unlimited buffet lunch at Houmas House is included.

Discover Creole and Cajun culture on a full-day tour from New Orleans
Enjoy a thrilling airboat tour through the winding bayous in remote cypress swamps
Savor an elegant lunch at at a traditional Southern plantation
Visit Houmas House and Laura Plantation

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

This deluxe tour fits in a high-speed airboat ride, two of Louisiana's best-preserved plantations, plus an elegant lunch.

What's Included

Fast and fun airboat tour
Gourmet, unlimited buffet lunch at Houmas House
Tour of Houmas House and Laura Plantation
Hotel pickup with exact pickup time provided
Transport by 14-passenger air-conditioned van with live narration

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

Pickup details

Must be centrally located, contact local supplier to confirm pick up point. Supplier will contact you to give an exact pick up time the day before your tour.

What To Expect

Your full‐day swamp and plantation tour begins with morning pickup from your downtown New Orleans hotel. Make sure to grab coffee and breakfast before boarding, then take in the idyllic scenery as you ride over the Mississippi River and deep into Cajun country.

A Cajun guide awaits at the water’s edge to take you on a thrilling wildlife‐spotting expedition through remote cypress swamps. Along the way, hear fascinating information about the area and its wildlife population including reptile habits, healing plants, and exotic birds. Get great up‐close photos and learn about the history and mystery of the swamps and the Cajun people.

After your airboat tour, head to Laura Plantation and hear personal stories of the men, women and children who lived there. Explore the West-African influence on the architecture and traditions of the Creole culture.

Continue on to Houmas House and enjoy onboard commentary about the antebellum south. Tuck into a delicious elegant lunch before your tour of the plantation.

Luling (Pass By)

Laura Plantation: Louisiana's Creole Heritage Site

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Houmas House and Gardens

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Service animals are permitted. Please advise at time of booking to arrange accommodations
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking in the special requirements field
Not wheelchair accessible
Tour operates in all weather conditions. Umbrellas and rain ponchos are available for use if guests forget their own. If a tour cannot operate due to inclement weather you will be notified
Due to the nature of the airboat, children under the age of 5, pregnant women, people with back or neck issues or recent surgeries are not allowed to participate in the airboat portion of the tour.

Service animals allowed
Infant seats available
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

1,180 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 1,180 reviews

Lovely day out of the city

Scott_Q, Apr 2024

Isabelle’s organization and communications were excellent and only topped by guide Giselle’s passion for local history and her amazing personality. The two plantations toured gave us very different experiences, both great but without any overlap. The swamp was good fun and a nice way to get the day started.

So memorable!

Laura_D, Apr 2024

Gisele was both delightful and informative! The tours were great, but having her guidance and well researched historical perspectives put the experience in a whole other category!

Fun day

Nicole_B, Apr 2024

We had so much fun, every part of the tour was entertaining and educational! Giselle was our tour guide and she was so fun, I highly recommend her and this tour.

Wonderful experience

zhengyan_w, Apr 2024

Gisele is a very nice guide, who’s both helpful and knowledgeable. We saw gators in the interesting airboat trip, knew the history in Laura and enjoyed a delicious lunch in Houma.

Great family day!

eric_l, Apr 2024

Great tour - Giselle was awesome! All events just great, engaging guides. Houma House was beautiful. Lunch was a big disappointment - well below expectations and a waste of a meal in New Orleans - that was the only downside.

Excellent although the airboat ride was very cold and a wet seat

Michelle_M, Mar 2024

The last plantation was incredible with amazing grounds, great tour guide and very informative…highly recommend

Response from Host, Mar 2024

So happy you loved Houmas House Plantation! The airboat captains always wipe down all the seats before each tour, but the spring rains sometimes quickly re-wet the seats! Thank you for your comment Ms Michelle! We will pass the word... Isabelle C.

Highly recommended!

Lauren_B, Mar 2024

Great tour all around - our guide, Steve, was so knowledgeable! The food was delicious and it was very interesting to see 2 very different plantations. The boat tour was fun too - saw tons of alligators. Thanks for a great time!!

A complete louisiana experience with careful guides!

Perrine_B, Feb 2024

This tour was beyond my expectations! Giselle is a wonderful guide, who shares with passion her knowledge about the history and the culture of Louisiana, but also funny anecdotes. It is a complete experience of quality, from the plantations visits to the lunch and the airboat tour! Last but not least, the communication with Isabelle was easy and smooth! I highly recommend this tour, specifically because being in a small group allows more discussions and time for the visit to enjoy it fully! Thank you very much!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you so much Perrine for taking the time to write about your experience on our Grand Tour! I will forward this awesome review to Gisele. Please come back to visit soon! A bientot et merci encore! Isabelle C.

Great tour

Deb_B, Nov 2023

Great tour! Air boat was fun, even in the rainy weather. They provided us with ponchos to insure us being able to enjoy our time. Lunch was great! Loved seeing the plantations. Giselle our driver and guide was wonderful!

Airboat fun

Kelly_P, Nov 2023

Loved the airboat ride even tho the gators were few. The first plantation was pretty boring the second one was better but if I had to do it again I would only do the airboat n not waste my twine with plantations

Our tour guide John was...

Helia_C, Oct 2023

Our tour guide John was great. Very knowledgeable of the area. We had a great time, and are thankful for the experience.

Beautiful with alot of History!

Margaret_S, Oct 2023

Renee was an amazing tour guide!! He gave us insight and history about New Orleans. Very personable and funny!!

My husband and I enjoyed...

Marylee_W, Oct 2023

My husband and I enjoyed this tour. The airboat ride was fun and the swamp tour was educational. We also learned a lot on both plantation tours, and the buffet lunch gave us a chance to enjoy several regional foods. Gisele was our guide, and she had the most wonderful and infectious laugh! You couldn’t help but laugh and be happy with her! She also was very knowledgeable about the history of the area. All in all, a great tour!

Good time

Mimi_C, Aug 2023

The Airboat ride was the highlight of the trip! Seeing many alligators floating around was interesting! Also bread pudding was delicious!

Awesome!!

Linda_S, Jul 2023

It was a very good tour. Our tour guide Renee was awesome and learned alot. We had to do the Airboat in the afternoon due to thunderstorms but everything worked out great! Everyone was awesome!

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you Ms Linda, yes we love the fact that we can switch the order of activities on our Grand Tour, thus avoiding tropical downpours while on the Airboat...since these showers never last very long it works out beautifully! So happy you were happy! Isabelle C.

Good way to get two experiences in one day

Nicole_T, Jul 2023

Whilst the tour guide was informative and friendly unfortunately the people who made up my tour group were rude and arrogant which tainted my experience. The swamp tour wasn’t worth it, the guide was uninformative, the few crocs seen have been tamed through the constant tour groups and I didn’t think feeding crocs a diet of marshmallows can be good for their health. Laura House was interesting and the guide very informative. The lunch at Houmas House was delicious and the gardens lovely but the propaganda given by the guide focussed on how wonderful the original owner was while skimming over the fact they had thousands of slaves making the household their fortune. However it was a good trip if you are wanting to experience both the swamp and the plantation houses.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you for taking the time to write this review, Ms Nicole, we are glad you found Laura Plantation 'interesting' and 'very informative', the lunch at Houmas House 'delicious' and the gardens there 'lovely'. I appreciate you thought it "was a good trip if you are wanting to experience both the swamp and the plantations'. We cannot control, unfortunately, the attitude of the other guests onboard, I am sorry you found them to be arrogant, really it is quite rare for us to get rude people! I don't think the swamp alligators are tamed at all, and I am glad you did not find them to be aggressive. We do not ignore nor skim over the plight of the enslaved on our tours, ever! I will talk to the Tour Guide manager at Houmas House about this. Thanks again for your feedback. Isabelle C.

Awesome Experience!!!

Marie_R, Jul 2023

The whole tour was great for the money we paid. We got picked up and dropped back off at our hotel. Our driver Giselle was so awesome you can tell she loves her job and knowledgeable about her history. The airboat ride and the two plantations we went to were great. The two tour guides we had very good. Houmas House was great! Airboat ride was great! The lunch was ver good! Highly recommend the tour!

Fun and still packed with history!

Arminta_w, Jul 2023

Renee did an excellent job providing an in depth tour of the surrounding New Orleans wildlife, history and city-layout. Always pleasant, easy to listen to and funny. Renee made sure we were comfortable, even in the intense heat. His curated recommendations of other city attractions, eats and Jazz were very helpful.

Jaw dropping and amazing

jonathan_t, Jun 2023

amazing experiences, Tours by Isabella I will definitely be doing more tours. I will definitely be doing this tour again next year.

Steve was amazing

Michelle_F, Jun 2023

Steve was a wonderful guide, full of so much history A great tour of history and a lot to see. Loved the buffet at Houmas House, a good sample of traditional foods

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