Take one of the top historical plantation tours in the Mississippi Valley. After pick-up from your hotel in New Orleans, travel for about 80 minutes on a bus to Laura Plantation. Laura Plantation is a restored historic Louisiana Creole plantation on the west bank of the Mississippi River near Vacherie, Louisiana. The plantation was run by four Creole women, most notable, was Laura, from where the plantation gets its name. The women ran the plantation for over 60 years, using slave labor to do it. Get to view and enter the slave quarters, as part of this tour. Hear stories of all aspects of the plantation life. The plantation house was nearly destroyed by fire back in 2003, but it was rebuilt to the original design using building materials from antique homes that was disassembled and sold off in pieces. The rebuilding process, is a story in itself. The house tour lasts around 75 minutes. Formerly known as Duparc Plantation, Laura Plantation is significant for its early 19th-century Créole-style raised big house and several surviving outbuildings, including two slave cabins. It is one of only 15 plantation complexes in Louisiana with this many complete structures. Because of its historical importance, the plantation is on the national register of historic places. The site, in St. James Parish, Louisiana, is also included on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.