Tours we took

I love tours and hubby doesn%26#39;t so we agreed to only one per day!

Here are the highlights:

Greyline Cocktail tour. Wonderfully knowledgeable guide took us to 4 interesting bars and we bought our own drinks following her suggestions (or not). Very interesting local history about the venues and the drinks. We had a Pimms Cup at Muriels and toured their upper one-time bordello rooms, a Hurricane at Tujacques and admired their imported antique mirrored bar, delightful bartender at Court of Two Sisters where most had the Sazerac and I had the Brandy milk punch, another drink at the Bourbon house, and the highlight was a total Absinthe experience at Tony Seville%26#39;s on Pirate%26#39;s Alley.

Culinary History and Tasting Tour. The tour was basically a historical and cultural overview of the French Quarter with snacks. It wasn%26#39;t a significant foodie experience but it was a pleasant way to see the area and the food was tasty. There was a small cooking demo of some local cuisine which was clearly the tour%26#39;s highlight. I would have preferred less time touring restaurants and more time talking about food. There was no time to shop at the little praline store or the local food shop, which I think would have been nice to try and fit in. All food was included in the tour.

Tours by Isabelle. These were fantastically informative so we took three tours with her company. All three tour guides were first rate and she was really great about arranging pick up and delivery of the guests at local hotels. We took the Overall city tour, the plantation (Laura Plantation and Oak Alley) and swamp combo tour, and the post-Katrina tour. They were all outstandingly informative, Small groups of 12 in a comfy van where we all got to know each other. The van was alittle small for the longer trip to the plantations and the tours of the plantations were done by the local house guides so another tour company with a bigger van would be ok for this one, but then you would miss out on all the extra narration from Isabelle%26#39;s guides who are such a font of delightful stories.

I was bit worried about offending the locals by ';gawking'; on the Katrina tour, but no need for worry. The tour very sensitively help visitors to see the the total story of Katrina both geographically and politically. Almost fours years later, the devastation was balanced with scenes of recovery and I certainly left with a sense that New Orleans needs all our help to get back on its feet.

Le Monde Creole. This was an under-advertised walking tour of the insider%26#39;s French Quarter which highlighted the secret courtyards behind the facades of the front streets. I loved this tour with the delightful French guide. It was good follow-up to a visit to the Laura Plantation because it showed the town-life side of their story.

That%26#39;s it for tours,

Erin

Tours we took

Thanks for your report! I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed Tours by Isabelle. That%26#39;s the first tour company I recommend when it comes to plantations/city tours, and the smaller vans do help when it comes to being more sensitive with the Katrina tours.

I%26#39;ve never taken Le Monde Creole, but I%26#39;m curious about it now!

Tours we took

I enjoyed the LeMonde Creole tour also and it also covered the Pharmacy museum (haunted) with the only drawback it was in the August heat. This area does indeed need volunteers to help and the story needs to be told again and again.

I also use Isabelle a lot for work clients. They%26#39;re always pleased. It%26#39;s not cheap but it%26#39;s still worth it.