There is a bewildering
variety of
tours of
New Orleans, from
whistlestop jaunts in
air-conditioned buses to
preposterous moonlit
ghost-hunts; stop by the
Welcome Center to see the
full range.
Walking tours
are especially popular -
notwithstanding the
possibility of showers
and, in summer,
debilitating heat and
humidity. Those led by Le
Monde Creole,
stopping at French Quarter
sites featured in the
true-life saga of a Creole
family, are superb. They
set off from their store
at 624 Royal St (2hr-2hr
30min; Mon-Sat 10.30am
& 2.30pm, Sun 10am
& 2.30pm; $17.50; tel
504/568-1801; reservations
required). The Bienville
Foundation 's French
Quarter walking tours
emphasize
"alternative"
history (2hr-2hr 30min;
schedules vary; $18-20;
tel 504/945-6789;
reservations essential),
while those led by the Jean
Lafitte National Historic
Park Service give
scholarly and accessible
overviews (1hr 30min;
10.30am; free; tel
504/589-2636; reservations
required). Collect a pass
from the NPS visitor
center, 419 Decatur St,
after 9am on the day. In
addition, some of their
cultural programs
(30-45min; 9.30am,
11.30am, 1.30pm & 3pm)
include short, themed
strolls around the
Quarter.
If the weather's bad,
or too hot, you may prefer
to take a bus tour.
Gray Line (tel
504/569-1401 or
1-800/535-7786) offers
trips around the city
(2hr; $23), to the nearby
plantations (4hr-7hr
30min; $33-45), and the
swamps (3hr 15min; $38). New
Orleans Tours (tel
504/592-0560 or
1-800/543-6332) are
similar, but fractionally
cheaper.
Many visitors,
especially with kids in
tow, take a narrated trot
through the Quarter in one
of the mule-drawn
carriages that wait
behind Jackson Square on
Decatur. These can be fun,
though you should take the
"historic"
commentary with a pinch of
salt. Rates range from $10
to $12 per person for a
trip of between 30 and 45
minutes. Another pleasant
way to while away a few
hours on a steamy
afternoon is on a river
cruise. The Natchez
steamboat is by far the
best. Leaving from behind
Jackson Brewery, it heads
seven miles or so
downriver before turning
back near the Chalmette
battlefield (2hr; daily
11.30am & 2.30pm;
$15.75 or $21.75 with
lunch and live jazz; tel
504/586-8777). The John
James Audubon
riverboat allows you to
combine a cruise with a
trip to the aquarium or
the zoo, or both. It
leaves daily from the
aquarium at 10am, noon,
2pm and 4pm, and from the
zoo an hour later (1hr
one-way; $11.75 one-way,
$14.50 round-trip,
children half-price; tel
504/586-8777). The only
boat that stops at
Chalmette, site of the
Battle of New Orleans, is
the Creole Queen
(10.30am & 2pm; 2hr
30min; $16, $22 with
lunch; tel 504/524-0814),
which leaves from the
Plaza d'España. Tickets
for all cruises are sold
at booths behind Jackson
Brewery and the aquarium.
