 |
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. The Bienville Foundation 's French
Quarter walking tours emphasize "alternative"
history, while those led by the Jean Lafitte
National Historic Park Service give scholarly
and accessible overviews. Collect a pass from
the NPS visitor center, 419 Decatur St, after
9am on the day. In addition, some of their cultural
programs 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, to the nearby plantations,
and the swamps. 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.
|
