From observing the Oak Alley and Whitney plantation museum websites, I think that they are different in various ways. One of the most noticeable differences is that Oak Alley’s website has more aesthetic images to attract tourists. On the other hand, Whitney’s is very plain: it has a simple webpage that includes all necessary information about the museum on the front page. The use of language in Oak Alley’s website is short but powerful. The website is informative and descriptive, giving viewers an overall view of the events the Oak Alley host, the exhibits they contain and an overall feel of the plantation. For instance, “A testimony to the rich culture of River Region” and “A tranquil retreat in the heart of Plantation Country”[1]. In contrast, Whitney uses bullet points to present information about their museum. On the website, they note the price of tickets, museum opening times, and short quotes on recommending it. The Whitney does not focus on the hook of their webpage or the aesthetic components other than the small blurb and home page images.
Both webpages are straightforward, however, Oak Alley heavily focuses on advertisements. The first thing you see when you click on their website is mostly the artistic images that attract tourists. These tourists come and stay overnight or enjoy a meal at the fancy restaurant on the plantation. The immense amount of events they claim to be able to host gives me an impression that the owner is way too eager to earn money. Additionally, the price of some of these events is relatively expensive when considering that Oak Alley is located in the countryside with an hour away from the city, New Orleans.
Most importantly, Whitney’s use of quotations like “My experience here was great, I learned to appreciate the things I have. I also learned a lot of things that my school doesn’t teach us. I think it’s important that more young black people come to visit and learn about their history. – Tahj W., Nola-2/1/15” [2] on the top of the front page conveys a stronger message that visiting Whitney can be a great experience. The message shows that one can get the most out of the museum itself, whereas Oak Alley’s website layout makes it seems like other non-museum activities are more interesting than the exhibitions they have. This affects the way I look at Oak Alley since it sounds like a tourist attraction site rather than a museum.
To some extent, Oak Alley should not be considered a museum because the company focuses too much on the money it makes. Although some museums are for-profit, most do not try to oversell tourists outside of the exhibition. Therefore, it is very complicated to classify both of the plantation museums without assigning a definition to “what is a museum”.
What is a museum in your words? I believe only the Whitney is a true museum.
[1] Home. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2018, from http://whitneyplantation.com/
[2] Oak Alley Plantation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://oakalleyplantation.com/