Neighborhood & Cultural Tours

Tours must be purchased ahead of time. Tours that do not have pre-purchased tickets, may be canceled. Day of tickets can be purchased below for the tour.

Garden District Tour

Saturdays (9:30 AM): December 14, 21, 28, January 11, 18, 25, February 15, 22, 29
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission 
Departure Point: 1452 Jackson Ave. (riverside corner at Prytania St.)

Most residents and visitors alike know of the Garden District as a stunning neighborhood full of Greek Revival and Italianate architecture, bounded by Jackson, St. Charles, and Louisiana avenues, and Magazine Street. But do you know who established the Garden District? What part did the NO & Carrollton Railroad play? Why do we always hear tour guides reference “Lafayette” and “Livaudais?” Discover the answers to those questions and more when exploring the Garden District with the Friends of the Cabildo. As we unveil the Garden District’s incredible architecture, and the influence of culture, climate, political events, and famous figures on the area, you will see these grand residences as more than just beautiful houses; they are the enduring statements of mid-nineteenth century Americans in New Orleans.

Battle of New Orleans Tour

Saturdays (11AM): January 11th, February 8th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission | 2.5 Hour Tour
Departure Point: 1850 House Museum Store (523 St. Ann Street)

The Battle of New Orleans was a defining event in America’s national identity. The Friends of the Caildo Battle of New Orleans tour offers a fascinating look at the battle away from the battlefield, from lost locations of forts that protected the city, to Jackson’s headquarters, to events in the French Quarter related to the unfolding battle. First developed for the Bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans, the tour continues to draw historians, locals, and guests for a unique perspective on this turning point in American history.

Irish Channel Tour

Saturdays (10AM): January 18
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission 
Departure Point: Sophie B. Wright Park (Intersection of Magazine & St. Andrews Street)

Most New Orleanians have enjoyed a sloppy roast beef poboy at a legendary Irish bar off Magazine Street, or caught cabbages, potatoes and carrots at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. But not everyone has stopped to consider the history of the immigrant populations who lived and worked near the docks along the Mississippi River, their culture and traditions forming the foundation of the area we now know as the Irish Channel. The Friends of the Cabildo’s Irish Channel Tour explores this diverse home of working class immigrants, natives and free people of color. From famous churches to Irish bars, unique architecture, famous historic figures and notable festivals, the Irish Channel Tour reveals the many facets of this neighborhood beloved by locals and visitors alike.

Esplanade Ridge Tour

Tuesday (10 a.m.): December 17th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission 
Departure Point: Pagoda Cafe (1403 N. Dorgenois St.)

Discover the Creole splendor of Esplanade Ridge! This is a unique tour of geographic history and architectural highlights. Esplanade Avenue was designed in the French style of grand boulevards as a garden suburb for the wealthy Creoles escaping the “old city”. It was extended block by block from Fort St. Charles at the Mississippi River to modern day City Park despite objections from Bayou Road landowners whose houses were often in the way. Esplanade grew to intersect colonial and pre-colonial Native American pathways that are still present in the tangled street grids of today. Come enjoy these beautiful tree-lined streets and learn about a neighborhood that broke the mold for the development of the city and now serves as one of the most celebrated areas of the city.

Treme Cultural Tour

Tuesday (10 a.m.): January 14 | Tuesday (10 a.m.): February 11
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission 
Departure Point: Treme Coffeehouse (1501 St. Philip Street)

This walking tour of Treme provides a rich, detailed perspective on one of the city’s oldest and most storied neighborhoods. Originally known as “back of town,” the old Creole feel of Treme makes it easy to imagine the early 1800s multicultural community formed by immigrants, free people of color, and refugees from Saint-Domingue. An important center of the city’s African-American and Creole culture, Treme is the cherished home of fourth and fifth generation residents who strive to maintain the area’s cultural and social traditions. We will trace the origin and development of Treme through the amazing nineteenth century architecture (including Creole cottages, townhouses, and shotgun houses), geography, and urban influences dating from the subdivision of this land by Claude Treme in the 1790s to the present day.

Creole Neighborhoods (Marigny) Tour

Thursday (10 a.m.): January 9th
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission | 2.5-Hour Tour
Departure Point: New Orleans Jazz Museum (Esplanade Avenue Entrance Gates)

Faubourg Marigny was one of the City’s earliest suburbs, located immediately downriver from the Vieux Carré on land subdivided from the plantation of Bernard Marigny de Mandeville, one of New Orleans most colorful historical figures. Today, the Marigny is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a city-designated historic district, due to its preservation of Creole cottages and many ornamented shotgun dwellings.

Initially, Esplanade Avenue was designated by the French as a commons. In later years, both the French and Spanish built fortifications there. After the Louisiana Purchase, grand townhouses and mansions were built on this European style boulevard.

Bywater Tour (New Tour)

Wednesday: January 1st (2 p.m.) | Saturday: January 25th (10 a.m.)
Tickets: $20 Members | $25 General Admission | 2.5-Hour Tour
Departure Point: Hotel Peter and Paul (2317 Burgundy Street)

The Bywater, previously known at the Upper Ninth Ward, lies on natural high ground along the Mississippi River. In the 300 years of urban growth, the desirable riverside location transformed from colonial plantations to an important industrial area linked by railroads and river transport to national and international shipping. The dense working class community that grew up alongside is rich in historic houses – colorful Creole cottages and ornamented shotgun dwellings – and has been transformed since Hurricane Katrina floods into one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The industrial riverfront has been replaced by a linear urban park, and many warehouses have become restaurants, artist studios and home to a variety of creative industries. The one way tour will start at Hotel Peter & Paul, a recent and acclaimed adaptive reuse of a closed Catholic church complex of buildings and end at the Piety St. entrance to Crescent Park, with optional guided walk back to the Crescent Park entrance at Elysian Fields.

Yoga at the Cabildo

Designed for all levels of practice, for travelers and residents alike, Yoga at the Cabildo is set in a light-filled gallery of one of the city’s most beautiful and historic buildings. Due to exhibit construction at the Cabildo all classes will be at the Presbytere (751 Chartres Street). The building opposite side of the cathedral from the Cabildo.

Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturdays
8:30am to 9:30am at the Presbytere

$15 Donation (includes admission to Cabildo Museum) $10 FOC/LMF members

Mats are provided