New Orleans – Local Tours
New Orleans is so rife with activity that you can completely customize your trip to reflect what you are really interested in. One of the best ways to do this is to go on a guided tour about a subject that appeals to you. There are knowledgeable guides throughout the city, available to lead you to important spots and share insider information.
Check out the options below to see what tours you may be interested in.
Cemetery and Haunted Tours
Since New Orleans is a historic city, there are a lot of ghost stories surrounding its past. Whether it’s ghosts, graveyards, or Voodoo, there are plenty of legends to go around. Whether you want to hear creepy tales of local hauntings or just learn about the city’s past, there’s a tour for you.
The New Orleans: Voodoo & Cemetery Tour by GetYourGuide is a great place to start. For two hours, your group will learn a ton about the voodoo tradition of New Orleans and some unique cemeteries. This tour brings you to a famous voodoo shop, where you can check out some of the merchandise before heading over to the oldest cemetery in the city, St. Louis Cemetery Number 1. All of the tombs are above ground, making the cemetery look like a “City of the Dead.”
If you’re more of a thrill-seeker, check out Viator’s Night Cemetery & Ghost BYOB Bus Tour. This nighttime tour is the only one that grants cemetery access after dark, adding an extra level of creepiness. You’ll visit two gravesites, have a drink halfway, and learn about the haunted underbelly of New Orleans.
Garden District Tours
The Garden District is one of the most popular places in New Orleans. It’s a beautifully kept neighborhood with historic mansions that blow visitors away with their grandeur. In order to get a full understanding of this sophisticated neighborhood, it’s worth it to take a tour.
The New Orleans Mansions and Magnolias Walking Tour starts off at the grand Henry Howard Hotel, an elegant spot where you can grab a cocktail before heading out. The guided tour shares the history of the homes and information about the flowers and plant life that make the Garden District so beautiful.
The Gracious Garden District Walking Tour also brings small groups around to the beautiful mansions, but focuses more on the architectural styles. The tour guide also tells local legends and points out celebrity homes in the neighborhood.
Those interested in cemeteries can get the best of both worlds by taking the New Orleans Garden District Walking Tour. This tour explains the history behind the Garden District and it’s impact on the city. It also stops by Lafayette Cemetery, a burial ground founded in 1833. It was the first planned cemetery in New Orleans and is still in use today.
French Quarter Tours
Anyone who’s visiting New Orleans is familiar with the French Quarter. It’s the oldest neighborhood in the city and the life of the party. If you’re interested in learning more about the neighborhood than just its bar specials, however, there are plenty of tours for you.
Small groups can take their very own French Quarter Historical Sights and Stories Walking Tour, where they’ll get a close-up look into the history of New Orleans. This intimate tour is ideal for those who want a personalized tour experience.
You might also want to be led around the city by a lifelong local. If that’s the case, take the French Quarter Life Then and Now tour. This tour is conducted by Nancy, a licensed tour guide whose family has lived in New Orleans for generations. Nancy’s roots run deep in the community, so her perspective is like no one else’s.
One of the most unique and fun ways to see the French Quarter is by taking a tour with a drag queen and history buff named Quinn. Quinn’s tour, Drag Queen Tour of the French Quarter, takes groups on a journey through the “history of gender, sexuality, performance, and nightlife” in New Orleans. These topics are not usually discussed on other tours, which is what makes Quinn’s tour so memorable.
Food Tours
The food in New Orleans is known the world over for being delicious. After all, the city is home to food like po’ boy sandwiches, Creole cuisine, and decadent beignets. Fortunately, you can try a little bit of everything by going on a food tour.
Tastebud Tours offers a huge variety of food tours. You can focus on the flavors of the French Quarter, check out haunted restaurants, have snacks at sunset, enjoy tons of seafood, or taste test recipes from the 18th century. Tastebud Tours has a lot to offer, so be sure to check them out.
Cocktail Tours
Sure, Bourbon Street is packed with places to drink. You can get some crazy cocktails there, but if you’re interested in a more refined experience, go on a guided cocktail tour.
Drink & Learn cocktail tours uses drinks to take guests through the history of New Orleans. You’ll try punch from the historic St. Charles Hotel and sip on a Hurricane cocktail where it was first created. The New Orleans Original Cocktail Walking Tour brings you around the city, where you’ll learn about the story behind each drink. Another option is Gray Line’s New Orleans Craft Cocktail Walking Tour. This experience starts off by providing you with a complimentary cocktail, then brings you through the history of fine dining and drinking in New Orleans.
Swamp Tours
It’s well known that Louisiana has a wetlands ecosystem, which is why there are plenty of guided swamp tours for visitors to enjoy.
Cajun Encounters Tour Company is one of the largest and most popular swamp tour companies in New Orleans. On their tour, you share a boat with approximately 20 people, observe alligators in their natural habitat, and may even get the opportunity to feed them.
Bayou Swamp Tours offers an almost two-hour experience that introduces guests to alligators, birds of prey, snakes, and more. Airboat Adventures is open year-round, seven days a week. Cajun Pride Swamp Tours is one of the most unique tour companies, as they have their own private swamp. No matter which company you go with, you’ll get an immersive experience of the Louisiana bayou.
Plantation Tours
Louisiana has a long history of agriculture, which is why it’s filled with farms and plantations. You can tour many of these sites, which are approximately an hour outside of New Orleans.
Whitney Plantation is the only plantation in Louisiana that’s dedicated to understanding the lives of those enslaved on plantations. By visiting this National Historic Landmark, founded more than 260 years ago, you’ll get a deep and sobering understanding of the impact of slavery.
Laura Plantation, located an hour west of New Orleans, is a National Historic Landmark as well. This former sugar plantation was women-run for more than 180 years, which was especially rare at that time. Laura Plantation is also significant for having an early 19th-century Creole-style house on its property. The property also contains numerous original structures that have stood the test of time, which visitors can tour.
You may also consider taking a tour of Oak Alley Plantation. This site is one of the most recognizable, as its front walkway is flanked by 30 large oak trees. A tour of Oak Alley Plantation is perfect for the entire family, and teaches visitors the history and culture of the Southern United States.