Living History Museum · Est. 1787
From the daily guided house tour to seasonal haunted nights, group rates, and student field trips — everything you need to plan a visit, in one place.
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An illustrative map, not to scale — tap a marker to jump to that stop.
The core experience — a guided walk through the main house and an original enslaved cabin, then the grounds and exhibits at your own pace.
A historical interpreter guides you through the main house and an original enslaved cabin, sharing the stories of the Destrehan family and the enslaved men and women who ran the plantation. Your ticket also includes:
Add-on tours that pair the plantation with something extra.
The plantation tour, a live cooking demonstration with Maitland "Spuddy" Faucheux of Spuddy's Cajun Foods, and a lunch or dinner in the historic Mule Barn. Allow 4.5 hours total. $80/person plus state & parish tax (seafood menu +$6); group bookings require 35–150 people, 30 days' notice. Contact Melissa Monica, (985) 764-9315 ext. 2.
Details →
See two River Road plantations in one day — Destrehan and Houmas House, combined into a single ticket.
Details →Runs seasonally — cross-linked from the Events calendar every October.
Hosted with NOLA Ghost Riders — a 2+ hour interactive tour of the Big House and grounds with a paranormal-investigator storyteller, dowsing rods, K2 meters, and spirit boxes. Thursday–Sunday at 7:30 pm; arrive by 7:00 pm on-site, or board the bus at VooDoo Tavern & Poboy's (1140 Decatur St, New Orleans) by 6:30 pm.
Details →
Also called "The Hauntings of Destrehan" — a guided after-dark walk through the manor and grounds with dowsing rods and EMF readers, plus true-to-history ghost stories. Runs Thursday–Sunday, March 5–May 31; 6:30 pm start, ~90 minutes. $35 adults, $20 kids 6–17, $30/person for groups of 10+. Off-season, book by appointment (min. 8 guests, 1 week ahead) with Brenda Benoit, (985) 764-9315 ext. 3.
Details →| Tour type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | $27 / adult | Military & Senior (60+) $25, Child (7–17) $16, under 6 free. AAA and military ID discounts accepted at the door. |
| Private tour | $38 / person | Minimum 4 people, book 2 weeks ahead, offered 15 minutes before/after the hour. Free for the group if booked by a tour operator. |
| Group tour (20+ adults) | $19 / person | Plus one complimentary admission for the tour director and bus driver. Book at least 2 weeks ahead with Melissa Monica, Public & Media Relations, (985) 764-9315 ext. 2, melissa@destrehanplantation.org. |
| Student field trips → | Contact us | Booked through the Heritage Education Program — contact Brenda Benoit, ext. 3. |
A document signed by Jefferson and Madison.
The 1811 Uprising and Rost Home Colony exhibits.
A sugar and textile museum on the grounds.
Self-guided walk through the dependency buildings.
10 minutes from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, with free on-site parking and luggage storage. Uber and Lyft both serve the plantation.
The gift shop, main house, and Miller-Haydel Museum are handicap accessible. The house tour involves walking with seating available in one room; the self-guided grounds can be explored at your own pace with breaks as needed. Pets aren't permitted on the property, with the exception of service animals.
Open 9:00 am–5:30 pm daily. Closed on New Year's Day, Mardi Gras Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Tours run every half hour, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. Grounds and the gift shop stay open until 5:30 pm.
