Wow! I don't know where to begin! But the title says it all: They do not charge ENOUGH for this tour. You get way more than your money's worth!
I was planning a bucket-list visit to New Orleans and vicinity, which included myself, wife, sister, and brother-in-law. We love Louisiana, the history, nature, and lovely people. So I searched TripAdvisor and other sources for a highly-rated tour that included plantations. This one showed up at the top (of course -- based on high reviews), and it included an airboat component, which was a bonus since we wanted to do that as well. And lunch! And pickup/drop-off too!
First, I had some questions about the flexibility of pickup locations as well as details about the airboat. When I called the company's number, whom should I get on the phone but Isabelle herself! What a lovely person to speak with! Isabelle clearly knew her business AND cared about her customers above all else. She took time to answer all my questions and set me at ease. They were flexible with pickup locations, promised that I would receive a call or text the day before, with precise pickup time (which I did receive, of course!), and even went into the history of the different airboat options they've offered in the past -- until they realized that most of us really want a small airboat with a more personal tour experience. So they got rid of all the huge airboats, and now everything is done with small airboats that accommodate just a few couples and their guide, for a more relaxing experience. (And it was!)
When the day arrived, our driver, René, showed up punctually in the Isabelle Tours van. And this fellow is WAY more than a driver. As he chauffeured us about throughout the day, René spent the entire time telling us about Louisiana -- the history, people, customs, language, heritage, foods, drinks, and best places to find them -- anything you might ever want to know. René was way up in the driver's seat of the van, and with a plastic divider (for COVID-19 precautions), but we had NO trouble hearing every word he said because, not only did he have a high-quality speaker system in the van so he could speak at a normal volume and we could hear, but in fact, René spent his entire career life as a TV station meteorologist working in major cities across the U.S. and Canada -- so you can imagine ... he has the most amazing TV "broadcaster pipes" and enunciation! And why did he switch careers in his recent years to be a tour guide? Because he is a Louisiana native, and he just couldn't stay away any longer. You can tell that Louisiana runs in his blood, and he loves nothing more than to run these tours, where he can share his passion for the land with folks like us who were on tour with him that day.
But we must move beyond the chauffeur/tour guide. Everything about the day was equally top-of-its game.
We started with the airboat tour, where Captain Shawn took us out on the bayous. As expected, we were in a lovely SMALL airboat with just ourselves (two couples) and a third couple. It was a fantastic day, and there was nothing rushed about the airboat tour -- except, of course, when we sometimes got up to top cruising speed and enjoyed hanging onto our hats, glasses, and clothing as we sped across the waters to the next stop! The bayous we visited were home to numerous gators (yes, they came up to the boat so we could see them up close, while Capt. Shawn told us all sorts of interesting facts and stories based on his experience, knowledge, and love of the creatures) -- as well as herons, egrets, cormorants, and other wildlife that we were able to see and photograph.
The rest of the day included touring two plantations and having lunch. The lunch was a buffet consisting of excellent local food -- Creole and Cajun specialties including gumbo and crawfish etouffee -- prepared by an experienced chef at the plantation.
I had feared that the two plantation tours would be somewhat redundant. But nothing could be further from the truth! The first was a Creole planation that was absolutely amazing, and nothing at all what I had expected it to be like. Our guide on this tour was a young lady named -- coincidentally -- Renée, who was born and raised in Louisiana, and has as much a passion as her namesake (our chauffeur/guide) for telling its history. She narrated with such depth of expression that we could almost envision the inhabitants of this "Laura Plantation" going about their rich and colorful lives before our eyes. Of course, there were sad stories of slavery, deaths in the family, and many other bittersweet things to know about the plantation's story. But Renée told it all with matter-of-fact candor, since history must never be forgotten lest it repeat itself.
The final leg of the day was at "Houmas House" plantation, which better fit my preconceptions (think: Gone with the Wind), since this was owned and developed by more "northern" (non-Creole) families. The property and gardens are absolutely breathtaking, and our guide at this plantation spoke so fast that I had to put my listening in high gear! Not because she was trying to "rattle off" a script -- like guides on many other tours do -- but, on the contrary, because she was also quite passionate about this plantation and wished to share just as much as she possibly could about its history and people within the bit of time allotted for our visit!
At the end of this very full day, on the journey back to our drop-off points, René rounded out his presentation by providing in-depth descriptions and recommendations for all the best places to find dinner and entertainment during the rest of our sojourn in New Orleans and vicinity.
So, back to this review's title ... If we had paid double what they charged for this full-day, multi-faceted tour, it would still have been an excellent deal. Isabelle, René, Renée, Captain Shawn ... all of the many people who made this day so wonderful ... thank you! You obviously love what you do and care very much about the customers you serve. Keep up the excellent work, and maybe we will see you for an encore of this fine tour next time we visit NOLA!