Date: Sunday, 11 April
Time: 9:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m.
Fee: $60
Includes: Transportation, tour guide, boat admission, bottled water
Limit: 100 people
A narrated boating tour of the Louisiana swamps and wetlands is an unforgettable
experience. This was the dwelling place of the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte and it is in
these murky waters that he lived and buried his treasures.
From the relaxed comfort of the covered Swamp Tour Boat, you will drift slowly past
a 2,000-year-old Indian burial mound, a Cajun cemetery and fishing village. You may see the alligators and other wildlife that made our swamps the crown jewel of the Louisiana Purchase. The slow drift of the tour boats through moss draped trees and small waterways will provide
ample opportunity for viewing and photography.
Notes: Refreshments are available for purchase at boat embarkment point.
Crescent City Tour
Date: Monday, 12 April
Time: 9:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m.
Fee: $40
Includes: Narrated tour, transportation, tour guide, bottled water
Limit: 50 people
You will be guided through the fascinating circle that is the Crescent City: past, present
and future. Starting where it all began, in the French Quarter, lacy balconies and secluded patios speak of the city’s European forebears. Travel down Esplanade Avenue, “Promenade of the Creoles,” to languid Bayou St. John, and one of the city’s most historic cemeteries. Next, view the historic “dueling oak,” the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sculpture Gardens among the magnificent oaks of City Park.
The tour follows the crescent of the river and the route of the St. Charles Streetcar to the heart of the Uptown and Garden District neighborhoods, where you will view some of the city’s loveliest homes. Returning to the “new” city, the Central Business District, brings you full circle: New Orleans past, present and future.
River Road Restoration
Date: Monday, 12 April
Time: 12:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Fee: $85
Includes: Transportation, tour guide, admission to Laura Plantation, admission to Oak Alley Plantation, bottled water
Limit: 50 people
Wonderful things are happening on River Road these days as restoration is revitalizing an important portion of St. James Parish. First, you will view the newest addition to the River Road, Laura Plantation, whose reconstruction began in 1992 on the Big House and continues today. Built in 1805 as a sugar plantation by the Spanish Commandant of Pointe Coupee, it was
originally named DuParc. Since 1875, the lovely plantation has been known as Laura, named for DuParc’s granddaughter, Laura Lacoul.
You will then visit Oak Alley, probably the most famous of the River Road plantations. At the entrance to the plantation, blooming bougainvillea and fragrant magnolia frame towering columns and wide verandas. Imagine cypress floors polished by time, gleaming chandeliers and gracious furnishings. The birthplace of several early Louisiana governors, this home is southern graciousness personified.
Notes: The plantation homes on this tour are historic and cannot provide complete access in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Both homes have staircases with no elevator access.
Spirits and Spirits Walking Tour
Date: Monday, 12 April
Time: 3:30 p.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Fee: $40
Includes: Narrated walking tour, cocktail demonstration with sample alcoholic beverages
Limit: 27 people
A walking tour, the Spirits and Spirits Tour explores the grim and ghastly deeds of the old French Quarter. Then, to wash it all down, we will give you a demonstration and history on two of New Orleans’ cocktails — or spirits — and how they are made.
First, it is time to experience the secret and sinister events that occurred a very long time ago. You will visit sights of documented haunting, ghosts and spirits and see the French Quarter locations in which unbelievable events took place.
Next we will take you to one of the city’s oldest restaurants, Tujague’s, which has been in existence before New Orleans even bore its name. As a Spanish armory, it survived decades of war, depression, fire and plague, and is now a recognized local institution. Here you will learn how to make a Sazarac and Pimm’s Cup cocktails as well as try a sample of each.
Garden District Mansion Tour with Commander’s Palace
Date: Tuesday, 13 April
Time: 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Fee: $98
Includes: Transportation, narrated walking tour, luncheon and nonalcoholic beverage at Commander’s Palace
Limit: 100 people
Dress: Tennis shoes, flip-flops, t-shirts, shorts or jeans are NOT allowed at Commander’s Palace
Walking through the architecturally phenomenal Garden District, you feel as if you have entered an entirely separate city from New Orleans as defined by the French Quarter or, perhaps more
specifically, entered a different period of time. Although the Garden District was indeed once a separate city (Lafayette) from the Vieux Carré and was established during a later period, the
fact that this neighborhood was created by a different group of people most profoundly distinguishes it from the old section, the French Quarter.
After the Louisiana Purchase, thousands of Americans flooded the city and clashed with the Creoles due to language barriers, religious division, mutual snobbery and competition over burgeoning commerce. Americans, kept out of the already overcrowded French Quarter, felt snubbed and moved upriver to create a residential district of astounding opulence.
The Garden District is a study of a cultural clash reflected through architecture, with Americans creating an identity by boldly introducing styles and forms familiar to them and previously unknown in colonial Louisiana.
A visit to a private home and a delicious lunch at famed Commander’s Palace is included — where chefs Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse both began their Crescent City careers.
Notes: Please advise of any special dietary needs. The homes on this tour are historic and cannot provide complete access in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These homes have staircases with no elevator access.
New Orleans School of Cooking
Date: Tuesday, 13 April
Time: 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Fee: $35
Includes: Tour guide, admission, lunch and non-alcoholic beverage
Limit: 70 people
The New Orleans School of Cooking occupies a renovated molasses warehouse that was built in the 1830s. After a leisurely 20 minute walk through the French Quarter, you will learn to
prepare the distinctive dishes for which New Orleans is famous Join us as the chef shares the secrets of preparing flavorful Crescent City cuisine.
Fun is the key ingredient in the kitchen as the entertaining chefs teach the basics of Louisiana cooking, seasoned with history, trivia and Louisiana lore. Examples of dishes being prepared are gumbo, shrimp creole and bread pudding. After the entertaining experience, you will be able to sit back and enjoy the delectable feast that was prepared. Upon your return home, you can serve up some authentic New Orleans cuisine in your own kitchen for friends and family.
Riverboat Cruise and Mardi Gras World
Date: Wednesday, 14 April
Time: 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Fee: $45
Includes: Tour guide, narrated tour aboard the Creole Queen, admission to Mardi Gras World, refreshments (king cake and beverages)
Limit: 120 people
Mardi Gras World is the home of Carnival magic, and the best way to get there is to cruise the mighty Mississippi River on the Creole Queen, a real New Orleans paddle-wheeler.
Upon departure from the hotel, you will take a short 5 block walk to the Canal Street Dock where you will begin your cruise, narrated by the captain himself, past Algiers Point, through one of the world’s busiest ports and past the world famous French Quarter.
Mardi Gras World is the one place where every day celebrates Mardi Gras. You will experience all of its color, pageantry and magic while watching the master sculptors and artists of Blaine Kern Studios create the towering figures and brilliantly animated floats that make Mardi Gras the greatest party on earth.” Your tour will end with a riverboat ride to the Canal Street Dock where you
can venture on your own into the French Quarter, visit the Aquarium or Insectarium, shop at Canal Place or return to the hotel.
Enrichment Activities
New Orleans Cuisine: A Fascinating Journey
Date: Monday, 12 April
Time: 9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Fee: $10
While other great American food cities have wonderful and diverse ethnic restaurants, New Orleans has developed a cuisine of its own, assimilating and adapting French and Spanish dishes along with unique spices and vegetables of West Africa and the Caribbean islands. Join us as we experience this fascinating food journey!
Liz Williams is a passionate Louisiana “foodie” and President and Director of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFab) at the Riverwalk. Her lively discussion about our unique culinary heritage will delight you as she explains the differences between Creole and Cajun food, and explores the fascinating history of and myriad influences on New Orleans cuisine.
The Katrina Perspective: Why New Orleans Matters
Date: Tuesday, 13 April
Time: 2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Fee: $15
During Katrina, Dr. Walter Maestri was the Emergency and Homeland Security Manager for Jefferson Parish, an upscale New Orleans suburb. He oversaw the planning for and response to Hurricane Katrina and served as a local connection between state and federal officials. In this informative and provocative presentation, Dr. Maestri explains the historic risk of below-sea
level New Orleans to storms of Katrina’s magnitude.
He will discuss how recovery exercises practiced months before Katrina became so important in the days following the floods. His entertaining lecture is full of personal stories of the catastrophe, the resilience of South Louisiana’s citizenry, the outpouring of rehabilitation efforts and “voluntourism” and finally, how and why New Orleans is experiencing a future of promise,
prosperity and a renewed passion for our unique New Orleans lifestyle.
