February 9th – 13th

5 Days – 4 Nights

Experience one of America’s most culturally and historically rich destinations during one of the best times of year. Join our New Orleans weekend and you will hear jazz and blues music, taste amazing food, stroll the historic French Quarter and ride a Paddlewheeler. Plus we get to enjoy a few of New Orlean’s unique Pre-Mardis Gras Parades. So book now and make friends and memories for life!

ITINERARY

Day 1: New Orleans

After arriving at the New Orleans Airport, we suggest taking a shuttle to the Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard Hotel, located in the French Quarter. You can arrive early and spend the day exploring. Meet your tour leader and fellow travelers at 7:00pm for dinner at Tujague’s, the 2nd oldest restaurant in New Orleans. Then we will check-out Bourbon Street, a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter. Extending thirteen blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars and strip clubs.

Day 2: Cafe De Monde – French Market Tour – Krewe of Cork Parade – Graveyard Tour

Put on your walking shoes this morning as we will follow in the footsteps of historic figures. Stroll along the Mighty Mississippi, through the French Market and Jackson Square, then down by the quaint streets named for past saints and sinners. Learn about the Creoles that founded the city in 1718. See the old Quarter come to life as our guide explains its secrets the architecture, courtyards, gardens, food, music, and art.

Our tour will end at Cafe du Monde, famous for their Beignet, a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. The menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk.

Founded in 2000, the Krewe of Cork celebrates food, wine and fun with a spirited walking parade through the French Quarter at 3:00pm. Krewe members wear costumes with a wine-related theme, toss throws bearing their grape logo, and are accompanied along their route by wine police in golf carts (the wine police motto is “To serve and pour”). The parade’s Grand Marshal is a different vintner ever year and the krewe stops in front of selected hotel restaurants for toasts.

A visit to New Orleans famous “Cities of the Dead” is a must-do. Hauntingly beautiful and elaborately ornate, these cemeteries also hold stories of ghosts, past and present, which will chill you to the core. Tonight we will leave the French Quarter behind as our bus creeps along Esplanade Avenue to what used to be the edge of town, but is now the bustling neighborhoods of Mid-City and City Park. There are 42 cemeteries in the New Orleans area, and throughout this experience we will visit several of them. Our guide will discuss the unique burial rituals and practices during the stroll, as we are offered an up-close and personal look at some of the most popular cemeteries.

Day 3: Plantation and Swamp Tour

After breakfast, we get to experience a bygone era at one of the South’s most photographed settings, Oak Alley Plantation. We will drive past the Whitney, Evergreen, Felicity and St. Joseph Plantations, where rich crops of sugar cane, cotton, and indigo from these fertile lands once traveled to far ports of trade. Enjoy a panoramic view of Lake Pontchartrain as we cross the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Upon arrival at Oak Alley Plantation, marvel at the quarter-mile long alley of 28 magnificent oak trees, each over 250 years old. Explore the plantation’s elegant yet somber history as we learn about the lives of former inhabitants, including slaves. Tour the perfectly restored rooms of the 1839 Greek Revival mansion, which you may recognize from movies like Interview with a Vampire and Primary Colors. A costumed guide shares Oak Alley’s fascinating history, including stories of Creole plantation life before the Civil War. Then explore the Plantation’s other exhibits, Slavery at Oak Alley, Sugarcane Theater, People of Oak Alley, the Blacksmith Shop, and leave with a better understanding of this plantation’s complex history

It’s a short ride to the Manchac Swamp where we will cruise through a wildlife refuge to view the majestic cypress trees in Louisiana’s swamps bordering the Mississippi River. Experience the timeless beauty of South Louisiana in a custom built swamp boat as we ride through the water. Native guides will reveal to us the mysteries of the swamps and bayous and the Cajun “joie de vivre”. We will observe the nesting grounds of alligators, egrets, raccoons, nutria, and many species of snakes.

Day 4: New Orleans – Mardi Gras World – Free Afternoon – Barkus Parade – Dixieland Dinner Cruise

Experience Mardi Gras World, where over 500 floats built and decorated each year. Here artists and craftsmen have designed and built the oldest and biggest parade floats and attractions. Get an overview of the history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans before we tour the float den. You can never get this close to the floats while they’re rolling in parades, and this is certainly the only place to see how these amazing pieces come to life each year.

Free afternoon to explore Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, until we gather tonight for dinner. At 2:00pm, you can enjoy the Mystic Krewe of Barkus Parade. Unlike other Mardi Gras parades, this one has gone to the dogs. Man’s best friend is the center of this parade through the streets of the French Quarter with their humans acting as their escorts.

Step back in time as we board a paddlewheeler for a true Creole evening out on the Mighty Mississippi River accompanied by the tunes of a Dixieland jazz band. Enjoy a Creole buffet dinner onboard filled with New Orleans classics. Take to the dance floor to move and groove to the sounds of Dixieland jazz or walk outside to enjoy the fresh air as we sail down the Mississippi at twilight.

Day 5: Depart New Orleans

Sorry to say, but our New Orleans Pre-Mardi Gras singles weekend has come to an end. It is time to say goodbye to all your travel friends and make your way to the airport for your flights home.