Laura Plantation

State: Louisiana. Type: Creole-heritage historic house museum in Vacherie, St. James Parish, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Main house built 1804-1805 for Guillaume Duparc, a French naval veteran granted the land after the Louisiana Purchase. One of only 15 Louisiana plantation complexes with multiple surviving original structures, including four original slave cabins. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Laura Plantation tells a Creole family and enslaved-community history spanning four generations, centered on a raised main house built in 1804-1805 for Guillaume Duparc, a French naval veteran who petitioned President Thomas Jefferson for the land after the Louisiana Purchase. The plantation grew to more than 12,000 acres, producing indigo, rice, pecans and sugarcane, and passed through the Duparc-Locoul family for decades, including Laura Locoul Gore, born in the house in 1861, who ran it as a sugar business until 1891. Unlike many River Road sites that emphasize only the planter family's story, Laura's tours put strong emphasis on the lives of the enslaved people and later sharecroppers who lived and worked there, drawing on the property's four surviving original slave cabins, among the few such original structures left in Louisiana. The plantation is also historically significant as the place where folklorist Alcée Fortier documented Louisiana Creole versions of West African "Compair Lapin" trickster tales in the 1870s, publishing them in 1894. A 2004 electrical fire destroyed roughly 80% of the main house, but restoration was completed by 2006, and the site continues to operate as a guided-tour museum today.

Laura Plantation is at 2247 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 70090, on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St. James Parish, close to Oak Alley Plantation on the same River Road corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The site shares southeastern Louisiana's humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters; specific temperature figures were not confirmed from the sources used for this entry. Tours move between outdoor grounds and the main house, so seasonal heat is worth planning around.

Sources did not specify an official best season; the property offers tours daily, and cooler months (fall through spring) are generally more comfortable for the outdoor portions of the tour than peak summer heat, in line with the region's typical climate pattern.

Guillaume Duparc, a French naval veteran, petitioned President Thomas Jefferson for land here in 1804, shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, and had the main house built in 1804-1805. The plantation eventually grew to more than 12,000 acres, producing indigo, rice, pecans and sugarcane with enslaved labor. After Duparc's death in 1808, ownership passed down through his daughter Elisabeth, who married George Raymond Locoul in 1821, founding the Locoul family's long tenure. Laura Locoul Gore, born on the property in 1861, later ran it as a sugar operation until 1891, when the Waguespack family purchased it, holding it until 1984. In the 1870s, folklorist Alcée Fortier visited and recorded Louisiana Creole tellings of West African "Compair Lapin" (rabbit trickster) stories from the plantation's community, publishing them in 1894. The site is one of only 15 Louisiana plantation complexes to retain multiple original structures, including four original slave cabins, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and to the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail. An August 2004 electrical fire destroyed about 80% of the main house; restoration was completed in 2006, and the property operates today as a museum.

Guided tours, offered as the standard "Louisiana's Creole Heritage Site" tour and a separate Black Union Soldiers Tour, walk visitors through the main house, the grounds, and the four original slave cabins, tracing the family's and enslaved community's history across four generations. An interactive grounds map and small museum exhibit supplement the guided portion, and a gift shop is on-site.

The 1804-1805 raised Creole main house is the centerpiece, alongside the property's four original, surviving slave cabins, among the few such original structures remaining in Louisiana. The grounds and museum exhibits provide additional context on the Duparc-Locoul family and the enslaved and later sharecropping community who lived there.

Laura Plantation sits on Highway 18 in Vacherie, close to Oak Alley Plantation, along the River Road corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge; exact driving distance/time was not confirmed from the sources used here. Most visitors drive from New Orleans or Baton Rouge, since the site is outside either city's public transit network.

The first tour of the day starts at 10:00 a.m., with tours departing roughly every 40 minutes thereafter, per the official site; a full detailed schedule is posted on the operator's own hours page. Confirm exact daily closing times and any seasonal variation directly with the plantation.

Ticket pricing is handled through the site's online booking system rather than listed as a flat rate on the pages fetched for this entry; a promotional $2 discount for newsletter signups was noted, but the standard rate was not confirmed. Check current pricing at lauraplantation.com before visiting.

Guided tours depart roughly every 40 minutes and typically run about an hour based on that departure cadence; sources did not give an exact stated tour length, so allow some buffer, especially if visiting the museum exhibit or gift shop afterward.

Like neighboring Oak Alley, Laura Plantation sits in a rural River Road area with limited on-site lodging; most visitors stay in New Orleans or Baton Rouge and visit as a day trip. Specific nearby hotel names were not sourced for this entry.

The immediate area is rural with limited dining options; most visitors plan meals in New Orleans or Baton Rouge before or after visiting, or combine a stop with nearby Oak Alley Plantation's grounds. Specific restaurant names were not confirmed from the sources used here.

Oak Alley Plantation is close by on the same stretch of Highway 18 and is frequently paired with Laura Plantation on a single River Road day trip. The wider plantation corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge includes additional historic sites for visitors extending their tour.

There is no direct public transit to the site; visitors typically arrive by rental car or tour bus from New Orleans or Baton Rouge. The nearest major airports are Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.

The tour includes walking across grounds and between historic outbuildings, so comfortable, sturdy footwear is worth wearing. Sun and heat protection matter for the outdoor portions of the visit, especially in summer. For any emergency, dial 911.

Comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and water for the outdoor portions of the guided tour, and a camera for the house and slave cabins are worth packing.

Book tour tickets in advance through the official site, since tours depart on a set roughly-40-minute schedule starting at 10 a.m. Signing up for the plantation's newsletter has offered a small discount on booking, per the operator's own site. Pairing a visit with nearby Oak Alley Plantation is a common and efficient way to spend a River Road day trip.

Dial 911 for any emergency. For visitor questions, Laura Plantation can be reached toll-free at (888) 799-7690 or locally at (225) 265-7690, per its official site.

Laura Plantation - https://www.lauraplantation.com

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This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.