Oak Alley Plantation:
It seems difficult to say that the Oak Alley plantation is a museum. There are multiple reasons for this. First of all, thee word “museum” is not visible anywhere on the home page of the website. On the top left of the page it’s clearly visible that the Oak Alley Plantation is a “restaurant and inn”. Very little of the home page points towards the history or culture of the plantation. Only one line mentions it which is “Oak Alley Plantation A powerful testimony to the rich history of the antebellum south”, which is in the plantation tours section. The website seems more focused towards dining at the restaurant and staying at the hotel. It also shows thata it could serve as a banquet hall through a picture of a wedding. With such elements, I do not think Oak Alley is a museum as the plantation’s website itself does not suggest in any way that it is one.
Whitney Plantation:
The Whitney Plantation seems a lot more closer to a museum as compared to the Oak Valley Plantation Restaurant and Inn. This is the case even though the website does not state anywhere that it is a museum. One giveaway is the choice of colors of the images. The colors seem much more vibrant in the Oak Valley website as compared to the Whitney plantation website. The dull (er) colors seem much more appropriate for a museum setting as they seem more museumesque and point towards history and the past. The purpose of visiting a museum is usually educational and the Whitney Plantation website makes it clear that education is a priority of this plantation through the link to education at the top bar of the website. Additionally, what makes it seem more like a museum is the “Admission” sub heading which is placed in a box and talks about prices of admission tickets of the tour on the front page instead of obscuring prices in separate web pages like in the Oak Alley Plantation. It also seems more culturally engaged with the various cultural activities posted on the left side of the page such as the “Kayak Swamp Tours” and the dancing grounds. There’s also the price discrimination amongst different groups (such as generaal, children, miliary, etc) which is pretty characteristics of museums.
The Oak Alley Plantation seems more of a recreational spot, while the Whitney Plantation reminds me more of a museum.