Take a step back into the Antebellum world at Whitney Plantation, a historic district dedicated to preserving the history of slavery in the South. This tour of the restored structures and grounds around the estate gives you a look at the contrasts of stately elegance and human bondage that defined it.

A ride out from New Orleans takes you across the Mississippi and upriver to reach the plantation grounds. You're greeted by the white columns of the French Creole raised-style main house, standing amid a grove of sprawling oak trees.

The museum's exhibits and artworks are spread across the property, in the cabins that once served as slave quarters and life-size statues of children to memorialize the thousands who died in slavery. Read first-person accounts from former slaves as you explore the restored structures and surroundings, and conclude the tour with a unique perspective on the world for which it was built.