St. Joseph Plantation is a working sugarcane plantation and living history museum in Vacherie, Louisiana. It’s located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 50 miles west of New Orleans. It is one of the few fully intact antebellum sugarcane plantations in Louisiana still in active agricultural operation. This guide covers tour times, admission, transport, accessibility, and practical visitor tips.
Updated May 2026. The official daily tours page confirms the plantation is open seven days a week — several older sources and regional tourism listings still state the plantation is closed on Wednesdays. This is no longer the case. Book your St. Joseph Plantation tour through Viator to lock in your spot.
Quick facts: St. Joseph Plantation
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 3535 Highway 18 (Great River Road), Vacherie, LA 70090 |
| Tour times | 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm |
| Open | 7 days a week |
| Adult admission | $24.00 + tax |
| Youth (12–18) | $12.00 + tax |
| Child (6–12) | $8.00 + tax |
| Children 5 and under | Free |
| Combo ticket (St. Joseph + Felicity) | $46.00 adult + tax |
| Parking | Free, on site |
| Distance from New Orleans | ~50 miles, ~1 hour by car |
| Typical visit duration | 1–1.5 hours (St. Joseph alone); 2.5 hours (with Felicity) |
St. Joseph Plantation tour times and hours
The plantation is open seven days a week. Guided tours of the St. Joseph main house depart at 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, and 3:00pm. The 3pm tour is the last of the day.
Tours are guided and last approximately one hour. Grounds and outbuildings are self-guided and can be explored at your own pace before or after the house tour.
There is no advance reservation requirement for individuals. The plantation can accommodate walk-up visitors at any tour time, subject to group size and capacity. Pre-booking through Viator or the official booking system is recommended for weekend visits and for groups.
St. Joseph Plantation ticket prices
Tickets are available online in advance or purchased on arrival at the main house.
| Visitor | St. Joseph only | Combo (both plantations) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $24.00 + tax | $46.00 + tax |
| Youth (12–18) | $12.00 + tax | $22.00 + tax |
| Child (6–12) | $8.00 + tax | $14.00 + tax |
| Children 5 and under | Free | Free |
| AAA members | $22.00 + tax | $42.00 + tax |
| Military | $22.00 + tax | $42.00 + tax |
| Seniors (65+) | $22.00 + tax | $42.00 + tax |
| College students | $17.00 + tax | $32.00 + tax |
Group rates (10 person minimum, must be booked in advance by calling (225) 265-4078): Adult $16.00; Youth $10.00; Child $6.00.
All tickets include access to both the St. Joseph and Felicity plantation grounds — even a single-house ticket allows access to the grounds and outbuildings of both properties. The Combo ticket ($46 adult) adds the guided house tour at Felicity. Buying two individual tickets separately ($24 × 2 = $48) costs $2 more than the Combo.
Book your St. Joseph Plantation tour through Viator to confirm your preferred tour time.
Why visit St. Joseph Plantation?
- 🌿 A rare, fully intact working plantation: St. Joseph is one of the few antebellum sugarcane plantations in Louisiana that is fully intact, still under active cultivation, and open to the public — 2,500 acres stretching back from the Mississippi River, the same land farmed for over 200 years.
- 🏛️ Family-owned since after the Civil War: Purchased by the Waguespack family in 1877, St. Joseph has remained in continuous family ownership ever since — giving it an authenticity and intimacy absent from many larger, more commercialised plantation sites.
- 🎬 Filmed here: St. Joseph has served as a filming location for numerous television productions and major films, including Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022). The unchanged landscape and architecture continue to attract productions seeking authentic antebellum Louisiana settings.
- 🪚 Original enslaved people’s dwellings and outbuildings: The plantation retains original slave cabins, a detached kitchen, blacksmith shop, carpenter’s shed, and schoolhouse — structures that contextualise the full social and economic reality of the antebellum plantation system alongside the main house.
- 🍬 The Louisiana Sugarcane Museum: Included with all tickets, the museum on site covers the history and technology of Louisiana’s sugarcane industry — one of the primary engines of the state’s antebellum economy and a defining feature of the River Road landscape today.
How to get to St. Joseph Plantation
The plantation is at 3535 Highway 18 (also known as the Great River Road or River Road) in Vacherie, on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
By car from New Orleans (~50 miles, ~1 hour): Take I-10 West from New Orleans towards Baton Rouge. Exit at LA-641 South (Gramercy Bridge) — cross the Mississippi River to the west bank. Turn right (west) on Highway 18. St. Joseph Plantation is approximately 10 miles west on Highway 18. Sat-nav: 3535 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 70090.
Alternatively from New Orleans via the west bank: Cross the Mississippi using the Huey P. Long Bridge (at Jefferson Parish) or the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Luling. Take Highway 18 westbound from either crossing.
By organised tour: Multiple tour operators run day trips from New Orleans to the River Road plantations, some of which include St. Joseph. Check current operator schedules in the New Orleans tourism market.
There is no public transport to Vacherie. A car or organised group tour is required.
Parking at St. Joseph Plantation
Parking is free on site. A large area adjacent to the main house accommodates cars and tour coaches.
How long to spend at St. Joseph Plantation
Allow one to one and a half hours for a St. Joseph-only visit — approximately one hour for the guided house tour and additional time to walk the grounds and outbuildings self-guided. Visitors doing the Combo (St. Joseph and Felicity together) should allow two and a half hours.
Accessibility at St. Joseph Plantation
St. Joseph Plantation is a historic structure with stairs and uneven terrain on the grounds. The official website does not publish specific accessibility information. Contact the plantation directly at (225) 265-4078 before visiting to discuss arrangements for visitors with mobility limitations.
Inside St. Joseph Plantation: what to see
The St. Joseph main house is the centrepiece of the guided tour. Built in the Creole Greek Revival style in the antebellum period, it is among the most authentically preserved plantation manor houses in Louisiana. Tours cover the architecture, the family history from the original French and Spanish Creole owners through the Waguespack family’s acquisition after the Civil War, and a full accounting of the enslaved people who lived and worked on the property.
The enslaved people’s story is a formal part of the St. Joseph tour and is presented alongside the family history. The tour covers the lives of the enslaved workers, the skilled trades practised on the plantation, and the events of the Civil War period, including emancipation.
Original outbuildings including slave cabins, a detached kitchen, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter’s shed, and a schoolhouse are accessible on a self-guided basis. Many were moved to their present locations from other parts of the property but are structurally original. These buildings provide direct physical evidence of the plantation’s full social structure in a way that few surviving sites do.
The Louisiana Sugarcane Museum is included with all tickets. It covers the cultivation, processing, and economic history of Louisiana sugarcane from the colonial period to the present. The active sugarcane fields surrounding the property — covering approximately 1,000 acres combined with Felicity — are visible from the grounds.
October Mourning Tours run on weekends throughout October and cover the customs and rituals of 18th and 19th-century Creole mourning culture in Louisiana — a distinctive and historically detailed seasonal programme not offered at most plantation sites.
Cajun Bonfire Celebration (Christmas Eve season): St. Joseph hosts one of the original Cajun bonfire celebrations, a River Road tradition in which large wooden structures are lit on the Mississippi levee on Christmas Eve. Check the official site for dates and details.
Practical visitor tips for St. Joseph Plantation
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| The plantation is open seven days a week | Older sources, including some regional tourism listings, still state the plantation is closed on Wednesdays. The official site confirms seven-day opening. Confirm by calling (225) 265-4078 if visiting on a weekday. |
| Book the Combo to visit Felicity too | The Combo ticket at $46 adult saves $2 over buying two individual tickets separately and gives you a guided tour of both houses. Felicity’s tours run 30 minutes earlier, so arrive at Felicity first if doing both. |
| All single-house tickets include grounds access to both properties | Even if you only book St. Joseph, you are entitled to walk the grounds and outbuildings of Felicity. The guided house tour at Felicity requires the Combo or a separate Felicity ticket. |
| Bring a picnic | The official site specifically invites visitors to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy under the oak trees after the tour. Drinks and food are not sold on site. |
| Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing | Much of the self-guided portion involves walking on uneven ground in open sunlight. Louisiana heat and humidity can be extreme from April through October. |
Frequently asked questions about St. Joseph Plantation
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is St. Joseph Plantation open every day? | Yes, seven days a week. Tours run at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm daily. Several older sources incorrectly state the plantation is closed on Wednesdays. |
| Do you need to book in advance? | Not required for individuals. Walk-up tickets are available at the main house. Pre-booking through Viator or the official site is recommended at weekends and for groups of 10 or more. |
| Are children free at St. Joseph Plantation? | Children aged 5 and under are free. Children aged 6–12 pay $8 plus tax; youth aged 12–18 pay $12 plus tax. |
| What is the difference between St. Joseph and Felicity? | They are separate plantations in the same family’s ownership, with distinct architectural styles, histories, and house tours. St. Joseph is a larger Greek Revival Creole manor; Felicity is a more intimate Creole cottage. Both are working farms and each tells a distinct story. |
| Is the tour suitable for children? | Yes. The tour addresses the history of slavery directly and honestly, which parents should bear in mind when preparing younger children. The grounds and outbuildings are engaging for all ages. |
Things to do near St. Joseph Plantation
Felicity Plantation (same property address, 3535 Highway 18) is the sister plantation immediately adjacent, run by the same family. The guided tour of the Felicity house is a separate, distinct experience covering a different period and family narrative. The Combo ticket covers both.
Oak Alley Plantation (~5 miles west on Highway 18, ticketed) is the most photographed plantation on the River Road, known for its canopy of 300-year-old live oak trees forming a quarter-mile avenue from the road to the house.
Laura Plantation (~5 miles west on Highway 18, ticketed) is a well-regarded Creole plantation offering a tour that prioritises the accounts of the Creole women who ran the property and the enslaved people who worked it, with extensive documentary records.
Whitney Plantation (~15 miles east on Highway 18, Edgard, ticketed) is the only plantation museum in Louisiana whose primary focus is the history and lives of the enslaved — with a memorial wall of names, original slave quarters, and sculpture by Louisiana artist Woodrow Nash.
Nottoway Plantation (~30 miles south, near White Castle, ticketed) is the largest surviving antebellum plantation house in the South — a 53,000-square-foot Italianate mansion with tours, dining, and accommodation.
What to visit tomorrow: plantation museums and historic sites within two hours
Whitney Plantation (Wallace, LA, ~15 miles east, ~20 minutes) is the most important slavery-focused plantation museum in the South, with original fieldworker cabins, a children’s memorial, and a documentation of individual enslaved people by name.
Houmas House (Burnside, LA, ~20 miles east, ~25 minutes) is an elaborately restored Greek Revival mansion with formal gardens, multiple dining options, and extensive exhibition spaces covering the River Road’s history.
Destrehan Plantation (Destrehan, LA, ~35 miles east, ~45 minutes) is the oldest documented plantation house in the lower Mississippi Valley, with a documented connection to the German Coast Uprising of 1811 — the largest slave revolt in American history.
Magnolia Mound Plantation (Baton Rouge, LA, ~30 miles west, ~35 minutes) is a late-18th-century Creole farmhouse managed by the City of Baton Rouge, with a comprehensive approach to the lives of the enslaved alongside the Creole French family history.
Nottoway Plantation (White Castle, LA, ~30 miles south, ~40 minutes) is the largest surviving antebellum plantation house in the United States — 53,000 square feet, 64 rooms, and a long history that spans from the antebellum cotton boom through Reconstruction and beyond.
