TOURS & CRUISES skip to next category back to top


Tours BaYou- Katrina Devistation Self-Guided Audio Tour
is designed for visitors to New Orleans who want to witness the effects of the nation's most damaging natural and man-made disaster as well as the rebuilding efforts. It is the first formal Katrina-based tour that is self-guided. It covers about 50 miles in three to four hours; listeners can also choose one- and two-hour options, returning to complete the tour at a more convenient time.

In addition to tour directions, it contains narrative information explaining levees and why they failed, New Orleans history, stories behind the differing neighborhoods, the science underlying coastal erosion and restoration, and tales of heroism and help. Among the narrators – all of whom are civic leaders - are New Orleans musician Charmaine Neville, Women of the Storm founder Anne Milling, and King Milling, chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Restoration. A portion of the proceeds from each CD sale will go to benefit organizations that are working to rebuild New Orleans.

This tour is available for purchase as a 2 cd set or as an mp3 download go to website: www.toursbayou.com

Tours BaYou Plantation Self-Guided Tour

The plantation homes of Southern Louisiana are widely considered to be the finest remaining group in the South. The Plantations of the River Road Self-Guided Audio Tour introduces you to 14 of them, along both sides of the Mississippi River within a short drive of New Orleans. Just before the Civil War, the River Road was home to more than seventy percent of the millionaires in the United States. Of the 1,200 plantations then, fewer than two percent remain today. The tour winds through a series of parishes (counties to those outside Louisiana) between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Many still bear some resemblance to the original communities settled by Creole, German, and Acadian immigrants. It sheds light on the background of the region – including the history of slavery – and introduces you first-hand to the distinctive food, architecture, industry and culture of these memorable locations. This authentic tour is meticulously researched and presented by a seventh-generation New Orleanian.

This tour is available for purchase as a 2 cd set or as an mp3 download go to website: www.toursbayou.com

Cajun Pride Swamp Tours
Get a Special Offer card
Cajun Pride Swamp Tours, "Simply the best", six different tours to choose from, including gentle trips through the bayou. Door to door pickups available. Check out the Card coupon for all the details. (504) 467-0758 or (800) 467-0750
go to website: www.cajunprideswamptours.com

Westwego Swamp Adventures
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Take a slow boat rides through the Louisiana swamps with a native captain as your guide. Watch out for 'gators! Tours available include Cajun Stories, Louisiana in the Afternoon, Cajun & Plantation Stories or a Swamp Boat Cruise.
501 Laroussini St., Westwego, LA, (504) 581-4501 or (800) 633-0503
go to website: www.westwegoswampadventures.com

Gray Line Tours
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Gray Line tours offers a relaxing way to see the local sights, guided tours include cemetaries, the french quarter, the garden district, and plantation houses to name a few. Please call or view the Card for available tours.
(504) 569-1401 or (800) 535-7786
go to website: www.grayline.com

The Steamboat Natchez
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The New Orleans Steamboat Company operates riverboat cruises on the Mighty Mississippi River on the only authentic steamboat in New Orleans! It will take you back to when life was as slow and graceful as the current on the Mississippi. Choose from any of the cruises, and you'll experience New Orleans as it can best be seen... from the river. Enjoy a two-hour Harbor cruise by day from the heart of the French Quarter aboard the Steamboat NATCHEZ ... including Calliope concert! Or perhaps the Dinner/Jazz cruise would be more to your liking with a New Orleans style dinner buffet and music by the Dukes of Dixieland!
(504) 569-1414 for reservations or to confirm sailings
go to website: www.steamboatnatchez.com

Cemetery Tours
WARNING! The cemeteries should be toured with a large group or with police only. Cemeteries should not be toured at night. Do not chase after a purse snatcher. No visit to New Orleans is complete without a tour of the city's historic cemeteries, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Rare elsewhere in the United States, above ground burials in a variety of tomb styles are the rule in New Orleans, as a result of both the high water table and customs brought from the old world. Often called "Cities of the Dead," New Orleans' unique cemeteries' monumental architecture of the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, preserves the city's rich and historic past. Visitors will learn something about New Orleans architecture, languages, ethnic groups and such catastrophes as the occasional epidemics of yellow fever. Call (504) 588-9357 for Reservations and Information. Tours offered Mon., Wed., & Fri., 10:30 a.m. at the Washington Ave. Gate (1400 Block of Washington Ave.) Tour Packages, including transportation and/or lunch or tea available to groups by reservation.

PARKS, GOLF & FISHING skip to next category back to top

City Park
Located in the Historic New Orleans Trace, 10 minutes from Downtown in the fifth largest urban park in the nation! A 7-acre Botanical Garden filled with flowers, plants and magnificent statues and foundations. Carousel Gardens home of the antique carousel, roller coaster, miniature train and many more rides and attractions. Storyland, with larger than life story book exhibits. Other attractions include: Boat rentals, Fishing, Golf, (Four 18-hole courses and driving range), Tennis, Horseback Riding and Celebration in the Oaks.
(504) 482-4888
go to website: www.neworleanscitypark.com

Audubon Park and Golf Course
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Located in the uptown area, Audubon Park provides the setting for majestic live oaks, walking and jogging trails, a golf course and the Audubon Zoo. Take the streetcar from downtown for a great way to reach the park!
6500 Magazine St., (504) 581-4689
go to website: www.auduboninstitute.org

Bourgeois Charters (Fishing)
Our charters provide fishing on the bayous of South Louisiana, just thirty minutes south of New Orleans. We only use licensed and insured captains making the excursions safe, fun, and personalized to meet your needs.
(504) 341-5614 for reservations
go to website: www.neworleansfishing.com

SHOPPING & OTHER FUN THINGS TO DO back to top

Riverwalk Marketplace
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The RiverWalk Marketplace is great for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Also, check out the link below to see local clothiers
go to website: www.riverwalkmarketplace.com

The Streetcar
"Getting there is half the fun!" Passes are available at many hotels and visitors centers in the city. If you are not familiar with the transit system, you can get rider assistance by calling the Regional Transit Authority's RideLine at (504) 242-2600. VisiTour Pass 1-day $5.00 3-day $12.00
      Riverfront Streetcar - Enjoy all the fun and excitement along the Mississippi River. The 1.5 mile ride is your quick connection from the Convention Center to the Farmer's Market via the French Quarter.
      St. Charles Streetcar (closed for construction until 2008) - Experience the splendor of oak-draped mansions or unique shops in Riverbend via the world's oldest operating street railway. Roll by magnolias in full bloom in front of ante-bellum homes. More than 155 years old, the St. Charles line follows 6.5 miles of the city's most beautiful sights and landmarks.
(504) 242-2600
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