Commanders Palace Restaurant :
About The Commanders Palace Restaurant: Emile Commander started a large Saloon here in 1880 which was often visited by famous clients from Jefferson Davis and Mark Twain. By the 1900s the Commanders Palace had already turned into one of the top restaurants in the United States. Today the Restaurant is still one of the best and its classic bright blue and white exterior taking up half a city block if a favorite among photographers. It is one of the most popular places for locals to eat, especially for weekend brunch.
Restaurant Hours: Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30am-2pm Dinner Daily 6:30-10pm Jazz Brunch Saturday & Sunday 10:30am-1pm. Dress Code: No shorts or t-shirts allowed and jackets preferred at dinner. Men must wear closed toed shoes. Restaurant Website: .
Distinguishing Designs: Architecture Tours
Admire the unique styles of building and houses as you explore the architecture of the “The Northernmost Caribbean City” with New Orleans Architecture Tours. With colorful houses, balconies overflowing with hanging plants, and courtyards draped in wisteria, the New Orleans architecture will draw you in. You’ll find French, Carribbean, and Southern American influences mixed with blended architecture, making it New Orleans’ distinct style. The city has structures that range from modern to the late colonial era, which will weave history and culture into your architecture tour. Two Chicks Walking Tours offers a Garden District Tour, taking visitors past the opulent homes and abundant architectural marvels of the area.
Enjoy Authentic Local Experiences
New York is part of the SANDEMANs NEW Europe network, one of the largest walking tour companies in the world. Offering daily tours in English and Spanish, we believe in supporting local communities and are committed to giving a voice to some of New York’s best local freelance tour guides, who passionately share the city’s history and culture with their own unique and always-entertaining style.
Aside from the Free Tour, in New York youll also find unforgettable tours and experiences. Were looking forward to seeing you soon!
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New Orleans Walking Tours
Garden District
Schedule:Tour Language: Schedule:Schedule:Tour Language:
- The Old Spanish Custom House and the Pitot House, some of the oldest surviving houses in New Orleans
- St. Louis #3 Cemetery and Tombs belonging to:
- Paul Prudhomme, the great Cajun chef
- James Gallier Sr. and Jr., star architects
- Ernest Dutch Morial, first black mayor of New Orleans
Schedule:
- New Orleans’ role in the American Civil Rights Movement
- Saint Augustine Church
- Backstreet Cultural Museum and Skull and Bone Gangs
- Jazz, rock and roll, and bounce music
- Slavery in the colony and U.S. city and what happened after the American Civil War
- The lives of New Orleans’ free people of color
Welcome to Free Tours by Foot, offering name-your-own-price New Orleans walking tours, including ghost, cemetery, and food tours.
Everyone should be permitted to take a guided tour for a price they feel it was worth or what they could afford – even free!
And in this time of pandemics, we’ve also created a slate of free video tours, condensed versions of our live guided tours that you can enjoy anywhere and anytime.
Condensed video tour of the Garden District
Be sure to check out our tour calendar to see which public tours are offered while you are in town or read the walking tour descriptions.
Likewise, we are also offering discounted private tour options. You can or take a look at our book now page.
Bradish Johnson House :
About The Bradish Johnson House: This amazing mansion was built in 1872 for Bradish Johnson, who had gotten super rich from his familys sugar cane plantations. Bradishs Whitney Plantation, named after his grandson, opened for tours in 2014 and focuses on the lives of the slaves, . The impressive Garden District home built with the plantation income cost of $100,000 to build which was a huge amount of money back then, equal to over $1.5 million today.
Since 1929 the Mansion has served as the private Louise S. McGehee School for girls which was founded in 1912. The move helped the school grow from 30 to over 200 students with classes starting at 5th grade. The school has since expanded to cover an entire city block with pre-kindergarten through high school buildings, but the Bradish House is still used for academics. To get an idea of the scale of the original Bradish property, the old carriage house is now the school gym and stable is the cafeteria. Today the McGehee School is very esteemed in not only academics, but also in arts and athletics. Thinking about sending your daughter here? Tuition ranged from $11,000-18,000 per year.
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Saint Charles Streetcar Trolley:
About The Saint Charles Streetcar Line: Started running in 1835 with steam, horse, & mule powered trains until the line was electrified in 1893. Formerly called the Carrollton Line, the trolleys running down Saint Charles Street make up the Worlds oldest operating streetcar line. The vintage cars are a quick and enjoyable way to get to do our Garden District walking tour when you are staying near the French Quarter.
Cost: $1.25 per ride or $3 for a city-wide bus & trolley day pass called the Jazzy Pass. Have exact change on you if possible. Hours: The Saint Charles Streetcar runs 24 hours a day with trolleys coming every 20-30 minutes at night every 10 minutes in the early morning & evening and every 6-7 minutes during daytime hours.
Buckner Mansion 1410 Jackson Avenue
The massive house at Coliseum and Jackson, built in 1856, is the Buckner Mansion, the largest home in the neighborhood.
As you approach on Coliseum Street, youre seeing the back of the house, including a long, three-story extension: this was the homes slave quarters.
As you come around to the front of the house on Jackson Avenue, youll get the full sense of its size over 20,000 square feet.
Henry Buckner, its namesake, was a cotton magnate who commissioned the house, and his family continued to live there until 1923, when it became a business school.
You can still see a mosaic stating its educational mission by the front gate.
Now its again a single-family home, but it got to play the part of a school in American Horror Story: Coven.
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The Independent Types: Self
If you’re more interested in just having a loose outline for your walking tours in New Orleans, you may want to try one of the many Free Tours by Foot offerings. They offer self-guided, GPS-enabled audio tours, so you can stop and start at your leisure, so there’s no pressure to hurry off if you get distracted by a second-line or art gallery. They also offer more traditionally guided tours throughout the quarter.
Free New Orleans Walking Tour
Nola Tour Guy started in 2012 by owner David Hedges to offer visitors a deeper understanding of New Orleans unique culture and history. Nola Tour Guy is the only locally owned and operated walking tour company that offers FREE Historical Walking Tours.
Nola Tour Guy currently offers three different historical walking tours. One of the French Quarter, the original city settled by the French in 1718. The Garden District, where wealthy southerners built beautiful mansions in the 19th century and of the cemeteries, where you can learn about New Orleans unique burial traditions that hearken back to our French, Spanish and African roots. Why book a tour with a big international chain when you can have a local guide give you a rich and detailed history of the city they truly love. After taking our tours you will understand why New Orleans is perhaps the most unique city in the United States. We generally offer tours daily at 10am and 3pm. Check our website for the most up to date information.
In addition to our Free to join “pay what you feel like” walking tours we also offer affordably priced private tours which are perfect for larger group of travelers. If our scheduled guided tours don’t fit your needs we also offer free Self-Guided Tours you can take anytime at your leisure and a Free New Orleans Travel Guide so you can easily plan your trip to the most interesting city in the United States and not miss out on any must do activities.
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For The Majorly Morbid: One Hour Saint Louis Cemetery Number One Walking Tour
While guests aren’t currently allowed inside the cemetery, this Saint Louis Cemetery Number one guided walking tour still promises all the same rich and colorful history of some of the city’s most famous characters. This tour is an excellent opportunity to learn about a different side of New Orleans, as visitors will get the chance to learn about the city’s most famous families, as well as the unique history of cemeteries in New Orleans themselves. They also promise an opportunity to pay respects to the famous Marie Laveau.
This New Orleans walking tour is also a great option for those who want to taste New Orleans’ history before committing to a more extended expedition. At just one hour, this is one of the walking tours in New Orleans that best fits almost any schedule.
When Is Hurricane Season In New Orleans
At the height of the hurricane season in September, New Orleans has a 1 in 3 probability of experiencing tropical storm-force wind gusts.
You can also expect a 1 in 10 chance of experiencing hurricane-force wind gusts from June through November.
While a hurricane is possible throughout this period, chances are that this event will take place in the late summer or early autumn.
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The Columns Mansion Hotel & Restaurant :
About The Columns Mansion Hotel: This enchanting columned mansion was built in 1883 for cigar baron Simon Hernsheim. By the 1890, Simons company sold 39 million La Belle Creole cigars a year. After Simons death in 1898, the mansion switched hands many times before being turned into the Columns Hotel in the 1980s.
Today the mansion is the only survivor out of a group of Italianate-style mansions that famed local architect Thomas Sully built nearby in the 1880s. The interior of the mansion is still considered one of the grandest in any late-nineteenth century Louisiana residence. One of the most dramatic interior features is the mahogany stairwell which rises to meet an extraordinary square domed, stained glass skylight in a sunburst motif.
The Hotels Victoria Lounge is one of the most unique places to get a drink in New Orleans as you are transported back into the 1880s. This is a great place to grab lunch and recharge from our free self-guided Garden District walking tour. They also have a jazz brunch every Sunday from 11am to 3pm.
Mansion Website: .
New Orleans Legendary Walking Tours
Experience the French Quarter, Garden District, and historic Cemeteries that set New Orleans apart from any other city in the country. From eerie grave sites, to stunning French and Spanish architecture, to the mysterious origins of voo-doo and the birthplace of jazz, every view of the Crescent City offers new discoveries.
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Toby’s Corner 2340 Prytania St
The Garden Districts oldest still-standing residence was built in 1838. You can note the basic Doric columns, which speak to the homes age.
Although built for an American owner, the house displays Creole building techniques that are practical for the region.
The house has a raised basement for flooding as well as ventilation.
The ceiling height is 15 feet. Floor-length windows surrounding the structure could be opened to take advantage of cross-breezes coming from the nearby Mississippi.
From the front gate, you can see a sugar kettle being used as a fountain in the front yard, paying homage to southeast Louisianas biggest crop.
If youre here during the Carnival season, youll likely see three flags with the insignia of Rex, King of Mardi Gras, one of New Orleans many parading organizations.
Next, look across Prytania Street.
Joseph Merrick Jones House :
About The Joseph Merrick Jones House: Built in 1850, this huge mansion became home to lawyer Joseph Merrick Jones in the mid-1900s. In addition to being an attorney, Jones also served as Secretary for Public Affairs for the US State Department in WW2. He continued serving the State Department off and on but is best known as the President of Tulane University where he had gone to college. Jones became one of the first school presidents in the country to allow integration in 1963, but he and his wife were killed in a house fire near the college shortly after. A student hall at Tulane was later named in his honor.
In the 1990s, rockstar Trent Reznor from the band Nine Inch Nails lived in Jones former home and was known for throwing huge parties. Large parties are fun, unless your neighbor happens to be a local Council Woman , so it didnt take long for a noise ordinance to kick in and drive Trent away. Celebrities seem to love the house as actor John Goodman then became the next owner in 2005. Johns wife Annabeth even owns a childrens clothing store called Pippen Lane located at 2930 Magazine Street.
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Historical Overview Of The Garden District:
Our free, self-guided Garden District walking tour is one of the best daytime activities New Orleans has to offer. Youll be able to get a relaxing escape from the madness of Bourbon Street and a taste of the wealthy side of early-day New Orleans. From historic mansions, to beautiful vegetation, and an impressive cemetery, there is a lot to see in the Garden District.
The entire Garden District neighborhood was once the vast Livaudais Plantation, . In 1826, Jacques Livaudais lost ownership of the plantation to his wife Celeste Marigny when he failed to show up for a divorce court proceeding. Celeste later sold the family plantation to a group of businessmen in 1832 for $490,000 who quickly parceled off and gridded the land into 80 city blocks. The businessmen saw their new neighborhood as the American answer to the French & Creole dominated Vieux Carré , know today as the French Quarter.
There had been an influx of affluent Americans to New Orleans following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and after 30 years later they finally got their own community outside of the Vieux Carré . Originally called the Village of Lafayette, the development efforts paid off immediately as wealthy Americans flocked to build their mansion estates on the edge of New Orleans. In 1835, the Village of Lafayette got an extra luxury when the steam-powered Saint Charles Street Car started service. The Saint Charles Street Car, now electric, is currently the oldest active streetcar line in the World.
New Orleans Cocktail History Tour
Some say that New Orleans invented the cocktail, so you must do a cocktail tour while in The Big Easy. Luckily, Doctor Gumbo offers a fabulous cocktail history tour for you to enjoy!
Join the expert guides from Doctor Gumbo as they take you through a journey of the cocktail scene in the French Quarter. Participants will visit 34 venues in the city to learn about the history of the cocktails and to sample historic cocktails. As you make your way through the cobblestone streets of the Quarter, an expert guide will educate your group on the history of classic New Orleans cocktails such as the Sazerac, the Pimms Cup, and more. You will be treated to historic cocktails prepared by award-winning mixologists during your stops. This is a great way to discover some of the hidden gem bars and classic restaurants in New Orleans.
The best part of this tour is that it is only given to a group of 28 people!
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Walter Robinson House :
About The Walter Robinson House: As a wealthy banker from Virginia, Walter Robinson was able to build this wonderful mansion from 1857-67 thanks to the fortune he made selling tobacco and cotton. The mansion is one of the first in the Garden District to have 15-foot-high ceilings and the 1st in New Orleans to have indoor plumbing thanks to a water collection roof design. The mansion itself is over 10,000 square feet with seven large bedrooms and eight-bathroom. The interior has a lavish ballroom, a grand central staircase below a stained glass window, a gorgeous outdoor pool, and even has an elevator.
After Walter Robinson died, his house became a fancy boarding house in the 1890s, then was the home of the president of the Canal Barge Company , before being bought as a private home again. The mansion has been featured in many movies over the years including Jason Stathams The Mechanic in 2011.
The neighboring 1,500 square foot carriage house of the Walter Robinson Mansion has been turned into a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom guesthouse. The carriage house is believed to have been part of the large Livaudais Plantation that covered the neighborhood before it was divided out into the Garden District.
The Best Walking Tours In New Orleans And More
Once you’ve finished one or more of the walking tours within the French Quarter, consider checking out if there’s a festival happening nearby. You can also take yourself on a tour through the nearby neighborhood of the Bywater, which offers many off-the-beaten-path hot spots for those tired of dealing with crowds.
No matter what you’re doing or where you’re going in New Orleans, you’ll want to make sure your phone has a full battery everywhere you go – especially if you’re trying to keep track of your steps while on a walking tour! Mobilequbes makes it easy to stay active and keep your phone fully charged without worry or cords, so you can focus on the unique experience of being on a one-of-a-kind walking tour experience.
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For True Jazz And Music Lovers: The New Orleans Music Tour
American singer Ernie K-Doe once famously said, “I’m not sure, but I’m almost positive that all music came from New Orleans,” and this tour aims to prove it. The New Orleans Music Tour starts at Congo Square, where West African musical traditions were traditionally performed. This spot is considered the beginning of all New Orleans music, and the tour goes from there, stopping at famous studios and musical highlights throughout the French Quarter, including Basin Street Station, the New Orleans Musicians Tomb, the Old French Opera House, and more.