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Oak Alley Plantation

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Unlike Laura, Oak Alley is really massive with wide open fields. We have the first quarter of our time just for independent exploration of the grounds. Since there are a lot of sights to see, this makes sense but, for those who want a more guided tour, it may not be super ideal. You can stroll by the Big House during this time but it’s best to save it for last since the main guided tour takes place inside. To me, the most interesting areas to visit before the Big House were the Slave Quarters and the old Blacksmith Workshop.

These Slave Quarters are much more expansive than in Laura. They consist of about eight or so small log cabins surrounding the central path going from the exit of the area to the Big House itself. Nothing crazy inside except for again the usuals like beds, pots and stools. Only here, the cabins’ insides tell a more in-depth story of the lives of the Enslaved people.

This is because they contain numerous informative plaques detailing different aspects of enslaved life, from healthcare to religion to animal raising in the form of a chicken coop. It really helps to humanize the lives of these people whose whole existence we often summarize with the idea of dehumanization.

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At the back end of the entire complex, just a few yards away from the exit sign, you can find the little Blacksmith Shop shown here. While not necessarily well advertised, it’s neat nonetheless.

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I was watching a surprisingly upbeat video projected to the right of the Big House about Louisiana sugar production when I realized my group’s guided tour had begun in earnest. We joined other groups in forming a long line outside the building until we could enter a crowded Big House.

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Unfortunately, we can’t take photos inside the building. However, it is very similar to Laura Plantation just on a grander scale with its over-the-top pageantry, owing to the higher scale of everything found in Oak Alley. As a result, you get the same upper-class grandeur you can’t help but ogle at, even if you really do feel like eating the rich on a daily basis.

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The presentation is not as focused on the owning family itself just about general life on Oak Alley and how it is representative of Louisiana Plantation life in general. There’s a lot of detail on the Enslaved people to the point where the whole experience bathes in melancholy even moreso than at Laura. This building has mutliple floors with ornate furniture, textured designs and a balcony with gorgeous views over the landscape, which is where we finish the tour.

We learn a bit about the geographic struggles the property has faced over the years as well as it sits right behind one of Louisiana’s infamous levies and suffered from the same natural disasters the state in general faced. The gravestones pictured above are for the family who owned the plantation, sitting a little ways away from the Big House. The Enslaved people didn’t receive a gravesite.

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Afterthoughts

Thus ends the Oak Alley section. Overall, I can say a lot of the same things about Laura Plantation here too. I enjoyed the neutral tone taken in describing the plantation’s history, not sugarcoating its past horrors. However, in doing the tours together it becomes challenging not to compare the two. Between the two, the presentation of the Laura Plantation was much longer and slightly more in-depth. However, the free time given by the Oak Alley Plantation is nice too. Best is the chance to visit things like the illuminating Slave Quarters, which Laura didn’t offer.

I suppose one way to view that is that Oak Alley lets you discover a lot of it by yourself, without the continuous narrative of the industrious women overcoming the struggles of the 19th century South like at the Laura Plantation. So it depends on you. If you prefer freedom or a more curated story, that can help you decide which plantation tour to prioritize.

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With those thoughts out the way, I would also recommend this plantation tour. For much of the same reasons as Laura. However, if you are on a budget and want to choose only one, it really depends on you. Cajun Encounters offers single tours for cheaper for each plantation. As I said the tour itself of the Laura I found more engrossing and all-encompassing. However, the scale of Oak Alley, not just the building but the whole estate is part of the appeal there. For those reasons, doing them together can also assist in establishing a full, complete picture of the Louisiana Plantation story

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In Conclusion

That’s it, folks. Remember the name Cajun Encounters and follow the link I included at the top. If you visit New Orleans you will probably run into them eventually anyways. I, for one, found them on a brochure at the hostel I was staying at but you’ll probably see brochures or posters anywhere along the tourist core of Canal Street and the French Quarter.

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I could have gone a lot more in-depth on my personal opinions visiting these plantations as a person of color but I also didn’t want to distract too much from the neutral nature of a review. Nevertheless, I can say that places like this are deservedly tourist spots. The same way places like Auschwitz in Poland, the Apartheid Museum in South Africa or the Nazi Museum in Germany are. Sometimes, you do need to confront the dark chapters of human history because understanding them, however uncomfortable, makes you more equipped to prevent future atrocities.

For me the plantations were architecturally and naturally beautiful. Yet they stung with a consistent and unshakable melancholy. And that’s perfectly fine. I never expected to go there and come out full of smiles and rainbows either.

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Anyways, I think that sums up everything I endeavored to say in this piece! Thank you very much for reading! Be sure to leave a comment! If you don’t, I’m gonna assume you are a big fan of slavery so shame on you! Now I’m off to pay taxes or something! See you next time!