Tours

New Orleans is one of America's liveliest cities and is renowned for its southern hospitality. It's a "ga-ron-teed" good time for all! Every tour includes transportation via deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach and tour escort. Sign up on your convention registration form (click here to print a form* or use the form published in the February Quotarian magazine.) But hurry—space is limited.

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Friday, July 18, 2003:

• New Orleans—The French Quarter and Beyond
  Cost: U.S.$63 per person
  9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
  For a description of the tour and all inclusions, click here.
  
  
• Cruisin' on the Bayou
  Cost: U.S.$44 per person
  9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
  For a description of the tour and all inclusions, click here.

Saturday, July 19, 2003

• Rolling Down the River
  Cost: U.S.$40 per person (includes lunch)
  9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
  For a description of the tour and all inclusions, click here.

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

• New Orleans School of Cooking
  Cost: U.S.$45 per person (includes lunch)
  12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
  For a description of the tour and all inclusions, click here.
  
  
• Hermann-Grima House
  Cost: U.S.$26.00 per person
  1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
  For a description of the tour, click here.

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

• The Way It Was—Life on Southern Plantations
  Cost: U.S.$74 per person (includes lunch)
  9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
  For a description of the tour and all inclusions, click here.
  
  
• Overnight in Baton Rouge—Magnolias and Mint Juleps…A Louisiana Experience
  Cost: U.S.$227 per person double occupancy (add U.S.$56 for single occupancy).
  Includes overnight accommodations, activities mentioned in description, one breakfast, and two lunches. Mount Hope Plantation dinner (Wednesday evening) is optional for an additional U.S.$50 per person. Leave Wednesday, July 23, at 9:00 a.m., and return to the New Orleans Sheraton, Thursday, July 24, at approximately 4:00 p.m. For a description of the tour and all inclusions, click here.
  

Descriptions of Tours

New Orleans—The French Quarter and Beyond
Date: Friday, July 18, 2003
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Guaranteed Minimum: 50 Guests
Cost Per Person: U.S.$63.00

St. Louis Cathedral

Enjoy a guided city tour through three centuries of New Orleans history and culture, including Jackson Square, historic St. Louis Cathedral and the exotic French Market. Your guide will bring you to Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. More than 500,000 square feet of warehouses, called "dens", accommodate the massive Mardi Gras parade float creations designed and sculpted by the artists at the Kern companies. Located directly across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans (about a 15 minute drive by motorcoach or a 10 minute Ferry-ride) you will long remember visiting the home of Mardi Gras and the most exciting floats and gigantic characters of Carnival.

Your guide will lead you through the Crescent City where you will pass the splendid Creole Cottages on Esplanade Avenue and view one of the unique above ground cemeteries commonly referred to as "Cities of the Dead" for the elaborate, architectural tombs. The tour will follow the path of the New Orleans streetcar to oak tree-lined St. Charles Avenue, the University Section and Audubon Park. While making your way down "the Avenue" view the decadent and exclusive homes of the lush Garden District and ride back into the 21st century as you pass the Superdome and the ultra modern high-rises of the Central Business District. This is a perfect way to get an overview of the beautiful, historic City of New Orleans. Now that we've shown you the "way around New Orleans," let's enjoy lunch at the Redfish Grill!

Inclusions:

• Round-trip transportation
• Licensed tour guide to escort group
• Guided tour through Mardi Gras World
• Lunch at the Redfish Grill
• Complete coordination and supervision by Travel New Orleans professional staff
• All taxes and gratuities

Cruisin' on the Bayou
Date: Friday, July 18, 2003
9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Guaranteed Minimum: 50 Guests
Cost per person: U.S.$44.00

Hang on everybody…today you are in for a wild ride in the bayous of Southern Louisiana! Your captain on the swamp boat is a lifelong resident of the bayou and will introduce you to the history of Louisiana wetlands and the rich Cajun heritage of the people who have inhabited this area for centuries. As your swamp boat glides through waters you will experience the bayous and swamps in all their splendor…moss draped trees, exotic tropical plants, alligators, nutria rats, frogs, mink, white-tailed deer, turtles, egrets and other wildlife unique to the Louisiana bayous. This is an experience you don't want to miss!

Inclusions:

• Round-trip transportation via deluxe, climate-controlled motorcoach
• Licensed tour guide to escort group
• Guided swamp tour via flat boat
• Complete coordination and supervision by Travel New Orleans professional staff
• All taxes and gratuities

Rolling Down the River

Date: Saturday, July 19, 2003
9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Guaranteed Minimum: 70 Guests
Cost Per Person: U.S.$40.00

Born on the Mississippi River one misty morning in 1712, New Orleans grew up on the levee with a silver spoon in her mouth and dancing shoes on her feet. And dance she did, for all of the world was her stage during the Golden Era of Steamboats from 1830-1850—a time when New Orleans was the Queen City of the South. Today, a new queen reins supreme on the Mississippi- the Paddlewheel boat Creole Queen. One of the newest and largest Paddlewheeler on the river this stately vessel is part of an old tradition of romance, luxury and comfort. You will cruise up and down the Mississippi on a self-guided tour learning the secrets of the old city and the mysteries of one of the most famous rivers as the captain narrates the passing scenery. A stop at the Chalmette National Historic Park, part of the Jean Lafitte National Park, highlights the battlefield where Andrew Jackson led a defense where the Americans defeated the British in the closing hours of the War of 1812. While on board the Creole Queen, enjoy tasty, deli-style buffet lunch that will include traditional New Orleans cuisine.

Inclusions:

• Round Trip Transportation
• Licensed tour guide to escort the group
• Riverboat Cruise
• Lunch
• Complete and coordination and supervision by Travel New Orleans Professional Staff
• All taxes and gratuities

New Orleans School of Cooking

Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2003
12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Guaranteed Minimum: 50 Guests
Cost Per Person: U.S.$ 45.00 per person

This year they celebrate the 20th anniversaries of The New Orleans School of Cooking and The Louisiana General Store. They have welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to the worlds of Cajun and Creole cooking, as well as the food, music and "joie de vivre" that are unique to Louisiana and embraced by the world.

We also mark the continued realization of many of our goals for the School and General Store. They've moved into their own building in the French Quarter, a renovated 1830's molasses warehouse on St. Louis Street; published their first cookbook, "Class Act"; filmed a six-part cooking series with the BBC in Europe and North America; launched a web site; and expanded their lineup of seasonings and food products as they continue to bring you the best of our city and state. Fun is a primary ingredient in the kitchen! Their Creole/Cajun experts teach New Orleans specialties such as Gumbo, Jambalaya and Pralines, and season them with history, trivia and tall tales. It's a "ga-ron-teed" good time for all!

Inclusions:

• Round-trip transportation
• Two-hour cooking demonstration
• Lunch
• Licensed tour guide to escort the group
• Complete coordination and supervision by Travel New Orleans Professional Staff
• All taxes and gratuities

Hermann-Grima House
Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2003
1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Cost Per Person: U.S. $26.00

Built in 1831, Hermann-Grima House is one of the most significant residences in the French Quarter. This handsome Federal mansion with its courtyard garden boasts the only horse stable and functional outdoor kitchen in the Quarter. Painstakingly restored to its original splendor through archaeological studies and careful review of the building contract and inventories, the museum complex accurately depicts the gracious lifestyle of a prosperous creole family in the years from 1830 to 1860.

The Way it Was—Life on Southern Plantations

Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2003
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Guaranteed Minimum: 50 Guests
Cost Per Person: U.S.$74.00 Adults

Laura Plantation

A trip along River Road captures the nostalgic charm of plantation living by providing you a glimpse of two different types of plantation life—Southern-styled and Creole-spiced. Your first stop will be Laura, a Creole Plantation. One of the oldest and largest existing plantation complexes on River Road, this plantation has just recently been opened to the public. Laura offers a look at 200 years of the plantation's history based on Laura's own "Memories of my Old Plantation Home". The tour focuses on the heroic, charmed and tragic life stories of Laura's owners, slaves and children. It was on the Laura Plantation in the 1870s that the West African folk tales of Br'er Rabbit were first recorded in America. A few miles up River Road you will find Oak Alley Plantation. This private estate provides a breathtaking view with its Greek Revival style mansion reigning grandly at the end of a quarter mile "Oak Alley"—an alley of 28 oak trees more than 250 years old stretching from the front entrance to the Mississippi River. Enjoy a complete plantation-style luncheon during your stop at Oak Alley.

Inclusions:

• Round-trip transportation via deluxe, climate-controlled motorcoach
• Licensed tour guide to escort the group
• Tour of Laura and Oak Alley plantations
• Lunch at Oak Alley
• Complete coordination and supervision by Travel New Orleans professional staff
• All taxes and gratuities

Magnolias and Mint Juleps…A Two-day Louisiana Experience

Oak Alley Plantation

Date: Leave Wednesday, July 23, at 9:00 a.m. and return to the New Orleans Sheraton, Thursday, July 24, at approximately 4:00 p.m.
Guaranteed Minimum: 50 Guests
Cost Per Person: U.S.$227 per person double occupancy (add U.S.$56 for single occupancy). Includes overnight accommodations, activities mentioned in description, one breakfast, and two lunches. Mount Hope Plantation dinner (Wednesday evening, home of a Quota member) is optional for an additional U.S.$50 per person.

Experience the full flavor of Louisiana and its people and culture with this overnight tour melding Louisiana's past and present. Enjoy a taste of southern culture, cuisine, scenic byways and homes, and a chance to sip Mint Juleps while getting to know Quota members from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and around the world! What a perfect way to end your Quota Convention experience.

Day 1: Plantation Living
Your day will begin with a trip along River Road which captures the nostalgic charm of plantation living by providing a glimpse of two different types of plantation life—southern-styled and Creole-spiced. Your first stop will be at Laura, a Creole plantation, one of the oldest and largest existing plantation complexes on River Road. Laura offers a look at 200 years of the plantation's history based on Laura's own "Memories of my Old Plantation Home." A few miles up River Road you will find Oak Alley Plantation. This private estate provides a breathtaking view with its Greek Revival-style mansion, reigning grandly at the end of a quarter mile "Oak Alley"—an alley of 28 oak trees stretching proudly to the Mississippi River. Enjoy a complete plantation-style luncheon during your stop at Oak Alley.

Continue on to Baton Rouge, the capitol of Louisiana. Check into the Baton Rouge Sheraton Downtown on the mighty Mississippi River adjacent to the Argosy Casino (your chance to try Lady Luck!). End your day by just relaxing, gambling a bit, and/or experiencing an optional, exquisite, all-inclusive evening meal with Baton Rouge Quota members at Mount Hope Plantation (home of a Quota member!) on picturesque Highland Road.

Day 2: Good Morning Baton Rouge!
Enjoy a full American breakfast at your leisure. The guide will meet you in the lobby to begin your tour of downtown Baton Rouge, including Louisiana's Old State Capitol Center for Political and Governmental History. The Center houses several fascinating multi-media presentations and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits including the Huey Long Assassination and Louisiana Purchase exhibits.

Then visit the New State Capitol Building where the panoramic view from the observation deck includes: downtown Baton Rouge; Spanish Town; the mighty Mississippi River; and Beauregard Town, a handsomely laid out community of 1806. You will pass the Pentagon Barracks, the Old Arsenal Museum, the USS KIDD, one of the best restored WWII destroyers in the country, and the Louisiana Naval War Memorial Museum.

Now that you've worked up an appetite, enjoy a "down home" lunch at Parrains. After lunch, you'll stop at the Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum to see the way of life for rural settlers before the Industrial Age. Then, it's time to return home-back to the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel at approximately 4:00 p.m.

Inclusions:

• Round-trip transportation via deluxe, climate-controlled motorcoach
• Licensed tour guide to escort the group
• Tours of Laura and Oak Alley plantations
• Lunch at Oak Alley
• One night at the Sheraton Downtown, including full American breakfast
• Admission to the Old and New State Capitols
• Lunch
• Complete coordination and supervision by Travel New Orleans professional staff
• All taxes and gratuities
• Optional dinner at Mt. Hope Plantation (U.S. $50) Wednesday evening

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