The French Quarter History Tour

Cuban Creations is a wonderfully inviting and classy spot with very comfortable indoor and outdoor seating. It's the only smoking bar in the French Quarter and has excellent cocktails.(20 min)

We begin the tour in the most scenic spot in the French Quarter, as you hear about the river and bed of mud out city rests on, the early Chitimacha tribe that settled the area, and the rather odd French colonists who founded New Orleans in 1718.(15 min)

We'll pass Cafe Du Monde, the oldest coffee house in the city, and explore the sweet history of beignets. Let us know what stories you'd like to include, because content does vary between guides and what the group is interested in.(5 min)

Our next stop is at our most iconic landmark, the St Louis Cathedral. It's a spectacular sight, and has some really interesting history, from pirate prisons to dueling grounds! Along the way we will talk about Pirate's Alley, and if it's open we will take a quick peek inside of the Cathedral. It's the oldest in the country!(10 min)

We'll see the Pontalba Buildings, and hear the story of the Baroness Pontalba, from the wealthiest family New Orleans has ever seen, Spanish nobles who paid for the construction of all the buildings in Jackson Square. Her bizarre story is a real-life psychological thriller.(15 min)

Then we'll take a look around Jackson Square and we'll tell you about the statue of Andrew Jackson -- the only statue in the city to be erected out of spite! During the French colonial period, it was a place of bizarre punishments.(10 min)

There are plenty of mini-stops along the way where we'll share all the knowledge we've learned in our years of tour guiding. This city is SO interesting and you will leave with an exciting and amazing understanding of The Big Easy!(20 min)

We'll stop between this historic bar and a nearby coffee shop. Built in the 1780s, this popular dead-end-of-Bourbon St. bar was once a business front for smugglers and pirates. These pirates also enlisted to fight the war of 1812. To this day, men who re-enact the battle come to drink afterwards. In the 1960s, "Cafe Lafitte" was a popular gay bar, frequented by Tennessee Williams.(10 min)

We'll begin with a stroll through the beautiful Louis Armstrong Park, the birthplace of Jazz music! We'll talk NOLA history and how this amazing city began and share some juicy stories before heading into the heart of the French Quarter.(14 min)