Make your own way to Musical Legends Park to meet your guide for your walking tour. After introductions, stroll a short distance to the banks of the Mississippi River where you learn how levee construction transformed the swamp into fertile farmland, making New Orleans an important hub in the region.
Continue by walking through the French Market, the oldest open-air market in the US. Then stand outside the Mississippi River valley’s oldest building, the Ursuline Convent, whose history provides a window onto early colonization efforts in Louisiana.
Head to Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter, to see important sites including the Cabildo, the Presbytere and the Pontalba buildings. Your guide takes you insideSt Louis Cathedral and shows you where the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 started, explaining how rebuilding post-fire resulted in what is now considered the classic architectural style of the French Quarter.
Next, step into a lush Creole courtyard and learn about the complexities of Creole society and slavery in South Louisiana. Walk to the balcony of the former Quadroon Ballroom while your guide explains the former lives of Creole mistresses and the system known as 'placage.'
During your tour, your guide points out film sites and literary haunts such as the building where Tennessee Williams wrote ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’ You'll enterWilliam Faulkner’s home before you stop at Pirate's Alley, where your guide recounts local legends about prison escapes and dueling. Also, enjoy the tunes of talented street musicians as you stroll.
Choose from a morning or evening tour and expect to walk about 2 miles (3.2 km) at a leisurely pace before wrapping up near the Mississippi River levee.