keats2

In May I want to stay for three nights outside the city of New Orleans and not too far from the airport. What town would be good as a base to make day trips to the plantations, swamp tours and smaller towns along the river? Standard motel chain accommodation would be fine.
keats2

happytrailstoyou

You might want to consider visiting plantations on a day trip from New Orleans. We were disappointed to discover that the Great River Road is not as glamorous as its name suggests.

We also enjoyed walking though a swamp as a day trip from NO: http://www.stateparks.com/jean_lafit...d_reserve.html

HTTY

Littleman

I would visit the plantations on a couple of days trips from NOLA. The Holiday Inn Express in LaPlace is new and clean. You'll be fine there. If you want to stay at a plantation Houmas House has one cottage. If it's booked, half a mile down the road is Bocage Plantation and it's a B&B. On the other side of the river, Oak Alley has cottages too.
I would suggest planning your trip to have dinner at Houmas House. It's upscale, fine dining, and reservations are required. But if you end up there at lunch time, the casual lunch is wonderful! Nice menu with lots to choose from. Check out the menus online: www.houmashouse.com



Destrehan is the closest Plantation Home to NOLA. Take I 10 W to Exit 220 just W of the NOLA airport and go S on I 310 to Exit 6 just before you reach the river. Turn and go E to the home. They offer tours daily except major holidays.
Destrehan Plantation @ 13034 River Road, Destrehan, LA 985 - 764 - 8785.
http://www.destrehanplantation.org/
Laura, Evergreen and Oak Alley are within 10 miles of each other. You can reach these homes in about an hour. Evergreen and Laura are very good tours that are presented from a historical perspective.
Take I 10 E to Exit 194 and take Highway 641 S to Gramercy Bridge. Cross the river and turn right on Highway 18 and go W to Laura Plantation. The tour information is available at the LP website. Tours are available daily except holidays. To get to Evergreen Plantation take a left when you cross Gramercy Bridge and go E on Highway 18/River Road. Evergreen Plantation is a working plantation with 37 buildings in the National Register of Historial Places. Tours are available daily.
Laura Plantation @ 2247 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 225 - 265 - 7690.
http://www.lauraplantation.com/
Evergreen Plantation @ 4649 Louisiana 18, Edgard, LA 985 - 497 - 3837. (51M/60Minutes)
http://www.evergreenplantation.org/
After you tour Laura Plantation and/or Evergreen go W on Highway 18 to Oak Alley Plantation. You can view the home from the Highway and see the grand oak trees lining the driveway from the river road to the house. Take pictures from the road. There's no use touring OA. It's not very impressive.
Oak Alley Plantation @ 3645 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 225 - 265 - 2151.
http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/
After you leave OA drive W on Highway 18 to Donaldsonville, LA and have lunch at Grapevine Cafe.
Grapevine Cafe and Gallery @ 211 Railroad Avenue, Donaldsonville, LA 225 - 473 - 8463.
http://www.grapevinecafeandgallery.com/
After lunch take Highway 1 NW to White Castle to Nottoway Plantation and tour this home. It's a working B&B and has a nice restaurant. It's one of the most beautiful plantation homes IMO. It's about an hour and a half from NOLA.
Nottoway Plantation @ 31025 Louisiana Highway 1, White Castle, LA 225 - 545 - 2992.
http://www.nottoway.com/
Take Highway 1 back SE to Donaldsonville, LA and cross the Highway 70 Bridge. Turn left on Highway 44/River Road and go NW to Houmas House which is another very beautiful home. It's about an hour from NOLA to Houmas. Lunch and dinner is served there if you are interested. They offer tours daily and also offer a tour that will pick you up in the FQ in NOLA at 10:30 AM and returns around 4 PM. You ride in a 32 passenger bus and get to watch a video presentation of Houmas Plantation on your drive to the home.
Houmas House Plantation @ 40136 Hwy 942, Darrow, LA 225 - 473 - 9380.
http://www.houmashouse.com/
You could also dine at Cabin Restaurant which is near Houmas House.
Cabin Restaurant @ 5405 Highway 44 # Msc 85, Gonzales, LA 225 - 473 - 3007.
http://www.thecabinrestaurant.com/
You should be able to drive from the FQ to Houmas House or Nottoway in an hour depending on traffic. You should be able to drive to Evergreen, Laura, and Oak Alley in less than an hour. The roads are good and it's a safe drive.
Driving on the River Road is slow and there is not much to see. You can't see the river because of the levee. Don't depend on your GPS to get from the Laura/Oak Alley area to the Nottoway/Houmas area. Use a road map.