Tours

Come early or stay late!

Purchase your tour tickets during the online registration process or sign up your guests for a Friends & Family pass and they’ll receive four Fun Bucks (vouchers) to redeem on tours of their choice. Open until October 9, 2020.

The following tours around the New Orleans area are being offered through NAR:

• Mardi Gras World
  Experience an insider’s view of Mardi Gras unlike any other, with an overview of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and a tour through the spectacular Float Den! Explore the workshop where designers create over 500 Mardi Gras floats annually, and also build floats, props, and more for corporate clients like Universal Studios Orlando, Walt Disney World, and Disney Paris!
• Laura Plantation
  Explore the rigors of 200 years of daily life, along with the sobering experience of slavery as it happened at one historic farm on the banks of the Mississippi River in the middle of New Orleans Plantation Country. Guests will walk through the 200-year-old sugar plantation homestead, tour the Big House, and visit inside one of the authentic 1840s slave cabins.
• Destrehan Plantation
  Guests will learn of the Destrehan family, descended from a long line of French nobility, and Charles Paquet, homme de couleur libre (free man of color) who built the French Colonial style plantation in 1787. Guides will share stories of the plantation’s rich history throughout the 1800s, tell tales of the spirits reported to haunt the plantation, and showcase the setting for famous films “Interview with the Vampire” and “Twelve Years a Slave”.
• Creole Queen Historic Cruise
  Focusing on 300 years of New Orleans history, the Creole Queen Historic Cruise is narrated by a local historian who takes guests on a journey through the story of the city as they sail downriver to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and the historic Chalmette Battlefield. Highlights of the tour include the founding of the city by the LeMoyne brothers, the expansion of the city into the “French Quarters” of the Treme and Marigny, the Louisiana Purchase, and the critical Battle of New Orleans. A one-hour shore excursion at the battlefield features a guided tour and talk by National Park Rangers!
• Harbor Jazz Sightseeing Lunch Cruise
  Set sail and experience one of the world’s most active ports as it is best viewed, from the river aboard New Orleans’ only authentic Steamboat… The Steamboat NATCHEZ! Guests will enjoy their sail with background music of the Steamboat Stompers Jazz Band, a delicious buffet lunch, and a live narration of historical facts and highlights of the port! Both inside and outside seating.
• Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour
  Journey by pontoon boat, Cajun-style, for a tour through the heart of Southern Louisiana’s swamplands in the protected Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve’s Barataria Preserve. Experience real-life adventure from the comfort of a swamp boat! Tour back into the provately owned meandering bayous and take a look into the past. View moss-draped cypress trees, fascinating plant life and the creatures who make their homes there.
• Garden District Walking Tour
  Experience the architectural splendor of the live oak-tree lined “American” sector of town and examine the antebellum era “Creole vs. American” conflict on the fascinating Garden District tour, where the streets are open-air museums! Witness how history and culture are reflected in the use of architectural styles including Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic, Georgian, Swiss Chalet, Queen Anne, and more.
• St. Louis Cemetery & Treme Tour
  Experience Treme, an ancient neighboorhood and a tremendous source of New Orleans, Creole, and African-American culture. From here, guests will experience St. Louis Cemetary #2, New Orleans’ most magnificent and under-appreciated above ground cemetary, with remarkable stories.
• Tasting Tour of French Quarter
  This tasting tour of the French Quarter will immerse you in the history of New Orleans and how its unique cuisine evolved over the years. Explore historic restaurants, includingk the two Antoine’s and Tujague’s which were established in 1840 and 1856 respectively, and discuss their culinary contributions to the New Orleans area. Guests will learn to appreciate the differences between Creole and Cajun cuisine, and will hear of the varied ethnic influences that contribute to New Orleans cuisine!

Transportation is provided for tours, and they depart from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Lobby G.