New Orleans Historic Tours

A New Orleans walking tour company since 1995

New Orleans Historic Tours, which also calls itself NOLA Historic Tours, runs guided walking tours in New Orleans, Louisiana, with its own guides. Its homepage banner reads "Entertaining and Educating Travelers Since 1995," and the site says that since then it "has been an alternative for the curious traveler, specializing in French Quarter, Cemetery, Garden District, Voodoo, Music, Haunted, Treme, Literary, Swamp and Plantation Tours." The walking tours cover the French Quarter, the Garden District, Treme and the old Storyville area, and the private list reaches the Faubourg Marigny, the Lower 9th Ward and the swamps outside the city. Prices are in US dollars.

The company's pitch is accuracy. The tours page says "the cultural history of New Orleans is better than fiction and needs no embellishment," and promises "an accurate, enjoyable presentation." The homepage quotes Frommer's calling it "the place to go for authenticity rather than sensationalism," and lists short endorsements it attributes to Time Out, Rough Guide, Access Guide and Lonely Planet. It says it is recommended by the New Orleans Convention & Visitor's Bureau and the Louisiana Travel Association. The site also names preservationist and author Robert Florence, who it says has restored many historic tombs and runs the New Orleans Musicians Tomb, which provides free burial to musicians.

Daily walking tours

The tours page lists the daily walks with their start times and "from" prices:

• Voodoo / Treme / Storyville Walking Tour, 10 am and 1:30 pm, all ages, from $7. It begins at Backatown Coffee, on the site of the old Storyville red light district, and explores Treme as a "source of New Orleans, Creole, and African-American culture."
• French Quarter Walking Tour, 10:30 am and 5 pm, all ages, from $7, billed as a way "to get started and get familiar with the French Quarter."
• Garden District Walking Tour, 11 am and 2 pm, all ages, from $7, looking at Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic, Georgian, Swiss Chalet and Queen Anne houses. A Time Out quote on the homepage says it includes Lafayette Cemetery #1.
• Haunted French Quarter Tour, 7:30 pm, all ages, from $7.
• Scandalous Cocktail Tour, 4:30 pm, 21+, from $25, on the history of drinks like the Sazerac, with drinks along the way.
• New Orleans Music Tour, 2 pm, all ages, a two-hour walk with a local guide.

The music tour has its own page with fuller detail, opening with an Ernie K-Doe line: "I'm not sure, but I'm almost positive, all music came from New Orleans." It starts from Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square, which the page calls the "historic site of African slave gatherings" and "the wellspring of all New Orleans music," noting it was also the site of the first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970. The route takes in the building that housed Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios, the New Orleans Musicians Tomb seen from outside St. Louis Cemetery #1, Basin Street and the remains of Storyville, the Tango Belt and the site of the Old French Opera House, ending at Preservation Hall. The quick details give a meeting point at The Rampart Treehouse, 740 North Rampart Street, and prices of $29 for adults (13+), $20 for seniors 62+, active military and students 16+ with ID, and free for children 12 and under. The tours page shows the music tour "from $7" and the tour page shows $29 for adults, so check the rate at checkout.

Private and arranged tours

A second menu lists "arranged" tours, booked privately: Literary New Orleans, JFK Assassination, Hollywood South, Swamp, City / Hurricane Rebirth, African American New Orleans and New Orleans Churches. The Hollywood South film tour starts on the Mississippi River, where the page says F. S. Armitage shot films for the Biograph Company "as early as 1898," then visits Vitascope Hall, the old movie palaces on Canal Street, St. Louis Cemetery #1 and French Quarter film locations. The page says guide Rob Florence is also a filmmaker whose documentary has won festival awards. The City / Hurricane Rebirth tour runs from the French Quarter through the Faubourg Marigny to the Lower 9th Ward.

The Private Swamp Tour is a boat cruise "through Honey Island, Manchac, or Barataria Swamp" with "native Cajun guides," and lists wildlife such as alligators, turtles, egrets, herons and owls, plus a stop to view what it calls "Indian Village." The page does not say which boat operator runs the cruise. The film and swamp pages say "call or e-mail to book."

The homepage adds that "private discounted group tours, destination management services, and foreign language tours are available."

Booking, weather and what to bring

The music tour page sets out the terms: "Tours must be booked online," "please book more than 1 hour in advance," and a "24 hour cancellation policy." It says "tours leave rain or shine," and the site adds: "We do many tours in the rain but reserve the right to cancel if there's lighting or if the rain is too loud to speak over." The packing list is a raincoat, an umbrella for sun or rain, comfortable shoes, water, sunscreen and a hat. The phone number is 504.947.2120, and there is a contact form.

The homepage reviews, chosen by the company, name guides including James, Frank Currie, Dave and Angeline. One reviewer mentions a "110 degree heat index" on the Garden District tour, and another advises an early start there, since "there really isn't any shade."

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not give group size limits for the walking tours, and the meeting points for the French Quarter, Garden District and haunted walks are not listed on the tours page. It does not say what the "24 hour cancellation policy" returns, or which languages the foreign language tours come in. Prices for the arranged tours are not shown.

What it does well is detail and depth: set daily times, low starting prices, a named meeting point and a clear cancellation window on the music tour, and a range of private themes from jazz to film to the JFK case. It suits visitors who want New Orleans history told carefully, music fans, and groups who want a private tour on a specific subject.