New Orleans | Oak Alley + Swamp Tour One-Day Trip 🐊

I impulsively booked the Oak Alley Plantation + Swamp Combo Tour on Gray Line the night before—and it turned out to be an incredibly worthwhile experience! The whole day was packed with alligators (way more than I expected), and I even got to hold a baby alligator with surprisingly soft skin. The only downsides were the scorching weather and having to meet at the pier. 🐊🐊 Itinerary Breakdown 🐊🐊 📍 Oak Alley Plantation The drive from the meeting point took about an hour. Throughout the ride, our guide talked nonstop about New Orleans’ history and culture—super informative! We passed several other plantations on the way to Oak Alley. Pro tip: Sit on the left side of the bus if you want to take photos while listening to the guide on the way there (the right side works for photos on the return trip too) 🚌. Once we arrived, we had a guided tour of the plantation that lasted over 30 minutes. Our scheduled slot to tour the main house’s interior was at 1:15 PM, and we had free time until 3 PM to leave. That gave us plenty of time to eat, rest, explore in depth, and take photos. The sunny weather made for amazing pictures ✨, but it was so hot I felt like I was melting 🔥. 📍 Swamp Tour Originally, I wanted to book the Swamp Tour with Cajun Pride, but all slots were sold out by the time I tried. Imagine my surprise when we got to the boat launch and realized the tour Gray Line booked was actually with them too! The boat ride lasted over an hour, and we saw so many alligators 🐊, raccoons 🦝, and wild boars 🐗. We got up close to watch the guide feed the alligators, and I even got to hold a baby alligator—it felt like a real-life jungle tour! P.S. The entire tour runs from 11 AM to around 7 PM, and the meeting spot is at 400 Toulouse Street. Important: Wear sunscreen and stay hydrated to avoid heat exhaustion ⚠️. For tips, you can use cash 💵 or Venmo. #NewOrleans #NOLA #Alligator