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| Home > City Guide - New Orleans - Tours of the City | ||
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Tours of the City Walking Tours There are numerous walking tours available, covering different themes on life in the Big Easy. One of the best options is Historic New Orleans Walking Tours (tel: (504) 947 2120; website: www.tourneworleans.com), often led by knowledgeable local author Robert Florence. Tours include a Cemetery Voodoo Tour and Haunted Tour, as well as architectural and historical tours of the French Quarter or Garden District. The tours cost between US$12 and US$15 and take approximately two hours. Departure points vary depending on the tour – the French Quarter tour departs daily 1030 from Decatur Café Beignet, 1031 Decatur Street, while the Haunted Tour sets off at 1930 from O’Flaherty’s Pub, 508 Toulouse Street. Walkers should check the website for details and arrive 15 minutes before departure time – reservations are not necessary. Voodoo Tours are also run by the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum (see Key Attractions). Free history tours (limited to 25 persons) of the French Quarter leave daily at 0930 from the Folklife and Visitor Center of the Jean Lafitte National Park, 419 Decatur Street (tel: (504) 589 2636). Tickets are distributed on a first-come first-served basis, from 0900. The tour covers approximately two kilometres (one mile). Friends of the Cabildo (tel: (504) 523 3939; website: www.gnofn.org/~fcabildo) operates a volunteer guide scheme for their two-hour historic tours of the French Quarter. Tours cost US$10 and depart from 1850 House Museum Store, 523 St Ann Street, on Jackson Square. Le Monde Creole French Quarter Tours (tel: (504) 568 1801; e-mail: creolwrld@aol.com; website: www.lemondecreole.com) concentrates on the Creole history of the city in their US$17.50 two-hour tour, which departs from 624 Royal Street, Tuesday-Saturday 1030 and 1330 and Sunday 1000 and 1330. Gay Heritage Tour (tel: (504) 945 6789) looks at another notable part of the history of New Orleans, with a two-and-a-half-hour walking tour costing US$20. Tours are held Wednesday and Saturday at 1300 and depart from 909 Bourbon Street. Tours focusing on the city’s rich African-American history and culture are run Le Ob’s Tours, 4635 Touro Street (tel. (504) 288 3478; e-mail: leobstours@aol.com; website: http://leobstours.tripod.com/home.html). Themes range from Black Heritage and Plantation Tours to Jazz and Voodoo Tours. Tours generally take three and a half hours and cost around US$45 (group rates are available and reservation is essential). Le Ob’s arranges pick up from major hotels in the central business district and the French Quarter. Bus Tours The French Quarter is not really suited to bus tours, however, several companies offer tours of the rest of the city and beyond. Gray Line (tel: (504) 569 1401; website: www.graylineno.com) has a range of tour options, covering the city and beyond, generally taking two hours and costing US$18-60. Tours depart from the Gray Line Lighthouse Ticket Office or Information Booth, behind the Jax Brewery in the French Quarter. African-American Heritage Tours (tel: (504) 288 3478) operates a three-and-a-half-hour city tour for US$40, which includes a short cemetery walking tour and snack stop. The departure point is confirmed when reservations are made and the company arranges hotel pick-up, if required. Other Tours City tours by bicycle are offered by the Bienville Foundation (tel: (504) 945 6789) and Laid Back Tours, 625 Hagan Ave (tel: (504) 488 8991; e-mail: info@laidbacktours.com; website: www.laidbacktours.com), who provide daily tours from two hours to a full day. Tours cost from US$25 to US$120, depending on the duration of the tour, size of the group and bicycle chosen (recumbent cycles are offered).Horse-drawn carriages tour the French Quarter and some drivers make great entertainers. It is possible to hail a carriage anywhere but many park and await custom at the south side of Jackson Square. The cost of a tour is approximately US$45 for a 30-minute tour for up to four people. New Orleans Paddlewheel, 610 South Peters (tel. (504) 524 0814; website: www.neworleanspaddlewheels.com), operates several boat tours, departing from the Aquarium of the Americas Dock, South Peters. The Cajun Queen Riverboat runs 90-minute harbour cruises for US$11, while the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler runs a ‘Battlefield Cruise’ to the spot where Andrew Jackson defeated the British, costing US$16-US$22. In the evening, the Creole Queen offers a two-hour dinner and jazz cruise, costing US$47 or US$24 without dinner. The New Orleans Steamboat Company (tel. (504) 586 8777; e-mail: info@neworleanssteamboat.com; website: www.neworleanssteamboat.com) is the other main operator, with two-hour harbour cruises costing US$17-US$23 and a two-hour evening cruise, which offers dinner and jazz, costing US$49 or US$28 without dinner. Tours depart from the French Quarter, Woldenberg Park. Cypress Swamp Tours (tel. (504) 581 4501; website www.cypressswamp.com) leads visitors past a Cajun Fishing Village and estuary on the variety of swamp tours offered. A resident naturalist is available to answer wildlife questions. Tours cost between US$22 and US$69 and take from two hours (for the Swamp Tour) to eight hours (for the City, Swamp and Plantation Tour). Hotel pick-up is arranged. Louisiana Swamp Tours (tel. (888) 307 9267; website: www.louisianaswamp.com) runs two-hour tours of a swamp, on a 60-person boat, pointing out the various reptiles living within. Tours cost US$21 and depart from the dock on Bayou Road, off Highway 301, 37km (23 miles) from the French Quarter, at 0930, 1200 and 1400. Hotel pick-up in New Orleans is arranged for an additional charge of US$11.50 or US$18.50, depending on the hotel’s location. |
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