The River Road Plantations

The River Road Plantations, Honestly Told

Between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the Mississippi is lined by the River Road, where sugar plantations once covered the land on both banks. Their wealth depended on the forced labor of enslaved Africans and African Americans, who cleared the swamps, cut the cane and ran the sugar mills under brutal conditions.

Today several of these estates are open to visitors, and lower-river cruises usually stop at one or two. They differ greatly in how much of that history they tell.

Beyond the Big Houses

Upriver, Natchez and Vicksburg add further layers: the slave markets of Natchez, the free Black community that existed alongside slavery, the Union army’s campaign and the many Black soldiers who served in it, and the long struggle for civil rights that followed. Onboard historians on both main lines cover this ground in their talks.

Reading ahead helps. Many travelers find the visit more rewarding after a little preparation, and some choose departures that include Whitney specifically.

How to Make the Most of the Visit

• Read a short history of Louisiana sugar and slavery before the cruise; the onboard historian’s talk will mean more.
• If you can choose, include Whitney Plantation, whose museum is built around the testimony of formerly enslaved people.
• At Oak Alley, allow time for the slavery exhibit near the restored cabins as well as the house tour.
• Ask your guide about the German Coast Uprising of 1811, one of the largest revolts of enslaved people in U.S. history, which began along this stretch of river.
• Talk with fellow passengers afterward; many find the conversation one of the most valuable parts of the trip.