Oak Alley Plantation: Scenic Airboat Tour Experience

Experience the beauty of Oak Alley Plantation and the thrill of a high-speed airboat ride. Explore the historic house, take a swamp tour, and enjoy a personal tour by a local Captain.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Barataria Preserve - Your swamp tour is only 35 minutes from New Orleans, yet a world apart. This New Orleans air-boat tour is a high speed adventure that is part tour, part thrill ride. You will travel at high speeds in the 6 or 9 passenger boat, then slow down and stop for photo opportunities. Along the way, you will get a personal tour by your local Captain. Our air-boats have stadium seating, so that the person in front of you does not obstruct your view, and every seat is great for experiencing the tour and viewing the wildlife. Yes, gators will get close, very close. So close, that you will be able to look into those reptilian eyes.

Alligators do hibernate in the colder months, but our experienced captains know where to look for them. On average, during the winter, you’ll have better than a 50/50 chance of seeing a “gator”. In the warmer months, you will see a gator. Every New Orleans air-boat tour is unique and we never know what will be around the next corner. The area toured is a combination of swamp, marsh and lake. So, you may see anything from a Bald Eagle to a pelican to Osprey to an owl. It really is that diverse.

The air-boats are driven by a 454 Chevy Engine that will produce speeds of up to 35 miles an hour. They are propelled by a huge fan that will blow air from the back of the boat in excess of 200 miles an hour. These tours are truly a blast! They ride in inches of water and go where traditional boats cannot go. These boats were designed to take you to inaccessible areas of the swamp, places that you cannot reach by foot or car. It is truly a unique experience.

What's Included
  • Experience the majestic Oak Alley Plantation
  • Convenience of hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Informative driver/guide included
  • Thrilling airboat ride
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Oak Alley Plantation boasts scenic Oak Trees, splendid gardens, a sophisticated 1837 Greek Revival style mansion, a forge, an eatery, and vintage agricultural tools. Visitors are offered a guided tour of Oak Alley’s manor and leisure time to wander around. Following your plantation visit, you will get to partake in a dual experience: an informative marshland tour and a thrilling airboat ride. You’ll navigate at brisk speeds on the airboat, pausing occasionally for photo ops. In the course of your journey, you will be guided personally by a local Captain.

  • Confirmation received at time of booking
  • Must be 48 inches tall to ride airboats
  • The order of the activities depends on the tour time chosen at checkout. If the 10:45am departure is chosen, the swamp our portion will be first.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(156 Ratings)
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Kerrysg4249vm
May 26, 2024
Once in a lifetime enjoyment - Oak Alley Plantation was very beautiful and interesting. A small stand outside offered delicious mint julep drinks and the restaurant had some very tasty menu items, followed by a delightful gift shop. Wish I had time to order their tempting pecan pie. The inside tour was most interesting, enjoyed the samples of the outfits worn and the history of the owners and slaves. A fascinating wall in the slave quarters listed many if not all of the slaves names. We also took the large Airboat Tour and what a great time that was. Our "captain" swerved and did slow circles in the swamp inlets drawing out numerous alligators, tossing them marshmallows. At one point two of the boats pulled up on the bank and one operator hopped out and hand-fed a large alligator while tapping the snout of a 2nd nosy alligator. Amazing. Sorry to see the tour end, it was so much fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Clarje0
Apr 24, 2024
Highly recommend - Highly recommend this tour! The pick up at our hotel was timely and we had a nice bus ride to the swamp. They were well organized and prompt. We got on the small fan boat and toured through the swamp. We saw so many alligators!! We learned a lot and had a wonderful time! After the swamp, we got back on the bus and headed to Oak Alley. We toured the plantation, grabbed a snack and jumped back on the bus to head home!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa_b
Apr 19, 2024
A dream come true!! - We are still buzzing from our visit. This excursion is highly recommended. The plantation brought me to tears. A beautiful house with awful stories. The swamp was on another level. From being top of my husbands bucket list, the airboat ride was both thrilling and interesting. Trey our captain was knowledgeable, funny and really cares about the Gators. We hoped to see one and ended up seeing about 50! Who knew they'd like marshmallows 😆
Review provided by Viator
Kuliha
Apr 11, 2024
Plantation and Boat tour. - We had a great adventure today .I would highly recommend it. Thanks so much. We would di this again or another tour with you guys.
Review provided by Viator
Marc_h
Apr 8, 2024
Must do tour, New Orleans. - Plantation Tour was very informative and presented a piece of history only known from distance. The Swamp Boat Tour via Airboat, only way to do it and you get up very close and personal with the alligators.
Review provided by Viator
Franco_o
Mar 27, 2024
Airboat Alligators Plantation Fun - The airboat was fast & loud, definitely the best part of the trip. So many alligators to see, they come right up to the boat. The plantation was also good but too quick, not enough time for the visit.
Review provided by Viator
Annem378
Mar 23, 2024
A perfect day - Our bus driver was very enthousiastic and gave us a very good overview of the specificities of New Orleans. Oak Alley is beautiful and worth seing. The tour of the mansion is quite expeditive but nonetheless interesting. The slaves quarters describe the life at the time and are quite revealing of their hardship. As for the small airboat tour, even if a bit more expensive than the large one, was really worth it. We saw aligators and many types of birds. I would definetely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ashley_r
Mar 19, 2024
Astonishing!!! - Out Tour guide at Oak Alley was very knowledgeable and considerate. It is sad due to the circumstances. Something you would never want to forget. However, the small airboat ride was amazing! He drove fast! I forgot his name but he had ear gauges/plugs. Shared many fun facts! Was saw many alligators, some would come to our boat. I recommend the small airboat due to less people. We very much enjoyed swamp tour! Would definitely do this again!
Review provided by Viator
Diana_s
May 14, 2024
Oak Alley and Small Airboat - Efficient tour company. Everything ran smoothly although it is a long bus ride to the plantation and swamp. It is worth combining the two tours.
Review provided by Viator
Blackopals
Mar 16, 2024
Highly recommend - We went on the Oak Alley Airboat Swamp tour on Thursday 14th March 2024, it was my second time going and first time for my daughter. Last time the bus driver was giving us lots of information on the trip to the plantation, so it was a bit disappointing not to have this experience, also when he was talking, it was hard to hear him as he was not speaking to the bus, but to the front window. The tour of Oak Alley was great and informative. The airboat ride was great and getting very close to alligators. It was great going really fast in the boats as well. Our tour guide was Trey he was very informative and funny. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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