Jamie W. (of SF) and I made no plans on what we would exactly do in New Orleans, but as fate would have it, we were there on exactly the fifth anniversary of Katrina. So instead of ambling through the French Quarter first, we made our way down Canal to sign up for the Katrina tour on Toulouse Wharf. I chose Gray Line simply because I had good experiences with their tours in Portland, OR, and down under in Melbourne. As luck would have it, it was a good albeit somber tour of the Lower Ninth Ward and the surrounding neighborhoods adjacent to Lake Pontchatrain. Led by a longtime native with a trace of bitterness still in his voice, the tour turned out to be an unexpected experience - moving, angry, inspiring. There were no great sights, just a sense of decay and disappointment on how slow the rebuild has been with trailers still being used for local services like police stations and libraries. You're driven through Musicians' Village, a reconstruction project led by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis, and you even pass by Fats Domino's bumblebee-hued house (see photo). Rumors of his death were slightly exaggerated. You see the parts of the levees that broke because the concrete is much whiter. The best part of the tour was an unexpected extra, a walking tour of the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood being made over by Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation where the new houses are green-friendly and designer-contempo. I guess there is something morbid about making money from a devastating tragedy like Katrina (the tour costs $35 per person) - but I have to say I would have never explored these struggling neighborhoods otherwise. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of the transience of your time on earth. read more

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Darren and Gale were wonderful guides. As an out of towner I really enjoyed her knowledge of the city.

I've taken both the Hurricane Katrina tour, and the swamp and bayou boat ride. I recommend both. I hesitated about taking the Katrina tour. . .it seemed voyeuristic. And some residents will not allow the buses in their neighborhoods. Certainly can't blame them. But the tour helps to make real what we saw on television and via social media, and there are lessons to be learned from it. There are still a few houses with their "X" markers on the front, put there by rescue/recovery workers. There are the still-abandoned houses with holes in their roofs that allowed people to escape the rising waters, and the new houses built on 20' high columns. Some neighborhoods are still struggling; we heard about one that just got a grocery store a year ago - 9 years after the flood. Carol was our passionate and knowledgeable guide. One dollar from each passenger fare goes to the non-profit LowerNine.org, which is helping in the ongoing recovery. The swamp and bayou tour may sound hokey, but it's not. You have your choice of a pontoon boat, or large or small airboat. You're all on the same bus, and you all leave and return at the same time. The only differences are how fast you go, how many of you there are, and how much water you cover on the alloted time. I went on the gentle pontoon boat ride. There is less wildlife in winter, yet we still saw buzzards, egrets, blue herons, and, surprisingly, five alligators. You have to do some seemingly silly things to get them to come out, but it works. You can feed the alligators marshmallows and hot dogs. . .off the end of a long stick. You also get to hold a baby alligator, if you like. You don't have to. The ride each way on the bus is about 40 minutes. There is no narration, but you see some interesting things on the way. The store at the dock has snacks and a rare albino alligator who eats better than many humans I know. read more

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It's now been almost two months and we still haven't received our refund for the "mistaken" up charge. Buyers beware!!!

Excellent presentation by Gail & transportation by driver Donald. Learned a lot and had fun. Would definitely come again and ask for them! read more

My wife and I did the City and Cemetery Tour on Friday March 3. Gail was the tour guide and was very knowledgeable about New Orleans. She had some great recollections of her experience during Katrina. We had a small group in the bus which made it very enjoyable. Gail clearly has a passion for her city and loves to share that with visitors. We very much enjoyed the couple hours seeing the sights of New Orleans. Connie was our driver and she made for a smooth ride. Thanks read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

We used Gray Line for two separate tours during our stay. One was the Super City Tour and the other was the Cemetery and Voodoo Tour. The Super City Tour was awesome! We learned so much about New Orleans, and our driver/guide Gerald, was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I was never bored once and, if anything, wanted the tour to continue! We really enjoyed his style and delivery. I highly recommend him! On another day, we spent a couple hours with Marsha on the Cemetery and Voodoo Tour. There were 6 people total on our tour which gave us a much more intimate experience. I appreciated Marsha's knowledge and humor and also appreciated learning about the historical importance of some of the people buried in St. Louis Cemetery #1. This tour was about 90% Cemetery and 10% Voodoo. I wish there was more talk about the Voodoo, but I still really enjoyed myself. Marsha made it awesome! I highly recommend Gray Line, they are very good! read more

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We were on the city and cemetery tour of New Orleans, and were very fortunate to have Dwayne as our driver, and Gail as our tour guide. They were both fantastic! She's a former history teacher and so much knowledge of the city, and how it came to be. I'd definitely recommend the tour, and if you're fortunate enough to get these two, even better! read more

Dionne was amazing! We took the gray line Plantation/Swamp tour and she was so knowledgeable in all things NOLA! Great price for an awesome tour. Highly recommend. read more

Absolutely book a swamp boat tour!!! Everything about the tour was fascinating and the swamp was incredibly serene. I cannot emphasize enough how knowledgeable our Cajun swamp guide (Al) was, the beauty of the bayous and canals, and how awesome it was to hold an actual alligator (and to see dozens more). If you've never been on a swamp tour or, like myself, have never been to New Orleans before, do yourself a massive favor and book one. Additionally, our Gray Lines tour guide Sandy was a riot. The hour long bus rides to and from our destinations felt significantly shorter due to her comical history lessons, and you actually learn a lot of relevant facts about New Orleans. Personally, I would only recommend the plantation tour to those who are interested in that specific period of history. Compared to the swamp portion, the plantation was pretty boring and uneventful. The two hundred year old oak trees were pretty amazing to see though. Overall, extremely impressed with the Gray Lines tours! read more

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I came to New Orleans for a conference, and allowed myself a couple extra days for tourism. I booked a cocktail walking tour on Groupon as it was my first day in NOLA and I thought it would be a great way to learn my way around and try some authentic NOLA drinks while doing it. I arrived and presented my Groupon to the friendly woman in the booth in exchange for a ticket. I arrived early, as stated on the ticket and was asked to wait under a nearby tent. It was pouring rain and no one was showing up for the tour, not even the tour guide! I went back to the booth to inquire, as the tour was supposed to leave any minute, and they assured me that the tour was still on so I returned to my dry spot under the tent. Before I knew it, a little older Italian gentleman (Joe) greeted me and said we were waiting for two others. The two never showed so Joe and I went on our way. He had explained to me that this was, "no barhopping tour" but when I told him I was all about the history and chatted a little about it, he seemed relieved. We visited some great places where I got to try the Pimms Cup (Napolean House), Sazerac (Antoine's) and Absinthe (Pirate's Alley). What a great experience! Since it was just the two of us, I even got to see some places that regular tours don't get to see. Joe was bursting with great historic information that had me in awe from the time we left the spot we met. His entusiasm like, "Look at this!!" or "Let me tell you what happened here!" was contagious and he had me excited to learn more and more. I learned so much about this great city and he gave me some great tips on where to eat, etc. This was the highlight of my entire 5 day trip!! Thanks Joe (those crepes at Muriels were fantastic as was the jazz brunch at the Court of the Two Sisters!)!!! You are truly an asset to this business! read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Joe w/ the owner of Antoines - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Gayle & Dwayne are great! We did the City & Cemetery tour and Gayle was so informative! We've only experienced The French Quarter so it was eye opening to learn about New Orleans!! Highly recommend! read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

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We used Gray Line for our Oak Alley Plantation tour. They are located at the end of Toulouse Street near the Steamboat. Once you check in, you wait near the numbered bus lines. Check in was super easy and the bus was clean and comfortable. Our driver, Alton, was great! He shared so much knowledge of the area and was very entertaining. We super appreciated him. We enjoyed ourselves and would definitely use them again. Thank you! read more

Gail H led our group and she was so informative. She kept the tour interesting and gave us additional facts based on her 40+ years as a New Orleans's resident. Donald drove our bus tour and got us where we needed to go safely. Highly recommend! St. Louis 1 Cenetary and Voodoo tour read more

We did the plantation and swamp tour with Elizabeth and Kendall. Elizabeth the tour guide was knowledgeable and funny, while Kendrall the drive was direct and to the point. Great combination in personality. read more

We really enjoyed our tour with Gail and Dwayne! Gail was extremely knowledgeable and provided a lot of fun tidbits. We appreciated the stop in the Garden District for a brief walking tour and the drive through City Park. Definitely a great tour and friendly staff! read more

George was our driver and Midge was the tour guide. We took the 9:30am Garden District Tour with stops at Lafayette Cemetery #1 and the Opera Guild house. Midge did a great job leading us around and telling us about the different homes. There was a lot of walking so be prepared. The bus lets you off and you do all the walking and then return to the bus. There really are no resting places (benches etc). We had one person on the tour with knee issues wearing a knee brace and she had a hard time keeping up but Midge kept an eye out to keep us all together. Overall I would recommend this tour. read more

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Our tour guide Gayle was so very knowledgeable it was a pure joy to be on the tour with her. Our driver Donald, knew exactly the way to get us to all the sites without any issues with traffic!! A big deal in the French Quarter! Thank you to both Gayle and Donald for the excellent tour and information. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone new to the city or even those who have been in New Orleans for years. read more

I took the post-Katrina tour. It was incredibly interesting and an insightful throwback to that time. The impact of Katrina continues in some ways til today. George, our guide, was excellent. The tour gives you insight on many other aspects of New Orleans - in particular getting familiar with spots outside of the heart of the city. Highly recommended. I would take another Grey Line tour in an instant. read more

John was our tour guide and we couldn't have been happier with the day. We did the plantation/swamp tour and highly recommend if you want to experience a little of everything. The plantation is small, but amazing. The swamp tour was with Tom and it was perfect. Make sure you get John as tour guide! A+ read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Alligators and wild life were everywhere. We saw at least 50 gators, plus turtles. We held a baby gator too! - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

My family and I chose the Swamp & Bayou tour as one of our tours. And I must say that I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this tour as one of our sight seeing adventures while visiting New Orleans. It was something that the kids wanted to do, so we all agreed. We boarded a very nice Gray Line bus that drove the boarded tourist about 30 miles out to board the boat that took us on a very relaxing and enjoyable tour of South Louisiana's swamplands. The kids were able to feed the alligator. They were able to hold a baby alligator and my daughter was excited to see where portions of the Disney Movie "Princess and the Frog" were filmed. It was a beautiful scenic tour. Definitely was pleasantly surprised. read more

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We spent weeks organizing a surprise birthday party for 14 people. The plan their event coordinator promised us was eating for 2 hours at a table on the Riverboat New Orleans. When we arrived we were told that we would be eating on their much older and extremely smaller Steamboat Natchez. Then they told us we only had 30 minutes to "quickly eat to make room for other patrons". We weren't given any forewarning of these changes, we weren't offered any refunds, and we weren't even offered tickets to ride the boat that we actually paid to ride at a later date. In the end their management office offered $38 towards a "future event" to ONLY ME to compensate my entire party of 14 for our troubles. Extremely dishonest and unprofessional company!! read more

So me and my sister booked a last minute plantation tour. We really wanted to do the double plantation tour but they were sold out and we where only going to be in NOLA for 2 more days. When we first came to NOLA we saw a few people standing on the corners soliciting tours. After that day we searches for 2 says trying to locate someone. We ended up going to the visitors center on st charles st (i think) and a nice man named sam, helped is book the tour. It was the visitor center with the big mardigra statue for a photo opp. We booked a 1pm tour at 10:30 am. We met for our tour a little before 1 at the light house. It was hard to locate the tour because we didnt see anyone with a sign. We just saw people walking up to a bus and followed them. We had a really nice female caucasian tour guide who name i cannot recall and our driver reggie was extremely nice as well. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and explained to us many historical things about NOLA on our hour drive to the Whitney plantation. The tour was 55$ i believe we paid with a discount. Our tour guide got us our tickets as we went to the Whitney plantation and dropped off another group at the oak alley plantation. The tour was awesome, and we were picked up promptly. On our drive back we listened to some local jazz music. The ride back was really bumpy and the roads where rough. All in all, i recommended you only book your tours though this company because they are awesome. read more

This is the 2nd Grayline tour that we took this weekend. The city tour was very informative but the guide was dry. The swamp tour is super fun. The guide is very interactive and if you choose you can hold a baby gator. read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

We decided to take the Whitney plantation tour through #GrayLineNOLA. We were able to walk up to the ticket booth and purchase tickets 15 minutes prior to departure. For $63 per person we were given a guided tour of the city and driven in an air-conditioned motorcoach to the plantation. Kindrell (Ken) Faulk or better known as "315 pounds of sexy" was our certified tour guide and he did not disappoint. He knew his city and made sure to notify us of any points of interests along the 60 minute ride. He personally recommended many restaurants serving up NO finest eats. So when you're in the Big Easy, be sure to book a tour with Gray Line! read more

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We did the 5 hour gray line tour of Oak Alley and really enjoyed it, although it would have been nice to have more time there. The bus ride is approximately 1-1/2 hours each way and the mansion tour is about 45 minutes, so that didn't leave much time to walk around on our own. I enjoyed the bus ride there as our driver gave us many facts and pointed out a lot of sites to see. To me the inside of the home wasn't as nice as the outside- which is why I would have appreciated more time to walk around. If you drive yourself the line to tour the house is very long. Since we were on a bus tour they told us where to meet and what time and we went right in. read more

Took the gray line tour to the Houmas house plantation and I am so glad we took this tour! Our tour guide Dianne was the best! She was so kind from the moment we stepped onto the bus. She gave us soo much history and information about the history of New Orleans as well as the plantation itself. She was so passionate about the city which made the hour ride to and back from the plantation that much better! She even gave us great restaurant recommendations for us. Thank you Dianne for a great day!! read more

Wife and I did the cocktail tour last night, Wednesday, Nancy was our guide and she was awesome. She lived her whole life in the Quarter and had some funny and sometimes "Naughty" stories to tell. She was 100% committed to our group, taking us in areas that no way other groups would or could go. By the end of the tour everyone in the group were friends and it made for a great afternoon and evening. We definately will be back for this tour and next time it will be with the "Florida boys " and we will be asking specially for Naughty Nancy! read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Four of us took the oak ally plantation tour on July 12th 2023. It was s complete disappointment. The tour started 40 minutes late. As. A result we did not get enough time to tour the plantation. To top it, while returning the AC of the bus was not working. I called the customer service from the bus snd her answer was it is very hot outside and hence it is difficult to cool the bus. To further add to our torcher, it seems that the bus driver left three passengers behind at Whitney Plantation. After traveling half the distance we had to travel back in the hot bus to pick the stranded tourist. As a result we came back at 06:30 pm instead of 05:00 pm. We want a full refund for this torcher. We could have rented a car snd gone on our own saving at least $200 on 4 tickets and spend as much time as we wanted and traveling in our own comfortable car. Never again will book tours in Grayline read more

We did the City Tour with Cemeteries in New Orleans today, and it was great. Gayle, our guide was very knowledgeable and made history come to life--a real pro with a delightful personality! And our driver Donald navigated the construction and other challenges beautifully. Well worth the time and the money! read more

As someone who regularly goes to New Orleans most Grey Line Tours are alright; however, a shinning star is the cocktail tour with Sandi Smith! Sandi Smith (pictured hunched down in the front ??? don't ask) provides a real, fun, welcoming and informative tour. Sandi does NOT make it a "class trip" like lessor tours that some I've seen but brings a real southern hospitality, wealth of knowledge and fun and more like an engaging family reunion type of feeling. To me, Sandi's tour is more like a quiet storm of southern charm and welcoming spirit. When you go to Grey Line in the Square or call, let them know that you would like to tour with Sandi Smith and embrace authentic New Orleans! read more

Gray Line New Orleans - At Carousel Bar & Lounge in the historic Hotel Monteleone - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana

Gail was an excellent guide to various neighborhoods in New Orleans, and Donald was a safe and personable driver. Highly recommend.

We did the City and Cemetery tour to get a good overview of New Orleans. Our guide Gail was super knowledgeable, and our driver Connie was wonderful. This was a great introduction to the city and a great way to start our trip. read more

For my 200th review I figured I'd kick it up a notch with the sentimentalism. I took a trip to New Orleans and decided on taking a tour of the city. That city tour also incorporated a "Hurricane Katrina" tour and it was amazing. One of those experiences where you're really watching a part of history and something that has a long lasting effect for anyone with a conscience. The tour is set to go for about 3 hours and costs $48 a person (discounted tickets can be found online). The tour bus was stationed at the Gray Line Lighthouse ticket house (French Quarter section of the city), which thankfully was only a few minutes away from our hotel in the Warehouse district. Once there we were greeted by our very friendly tour guide/bus driver. The bus itself was clean, air conditioned and very very comfortable. Things starts off with an overview of the history of the "original" New Orleans, the French Quarter and why it was built at its particular location along the Mississippi River. French quarter is clearly more than just an awesome spot for Mardi Gras and Girls Gone Wild videos (although I have to say, those are pretty good too). Needless to say, it's a very eclectic area with a lot of great shopping venues, particularly for souvenirs. The experience goes on past the coastal wetlands where the the guide discusses its history, its gradual disappearance and efforts to raise awareness and preserve what is left of it. The tour hits its stride when focusing on everything related to Hurricane Katrina. The tour guide gave a first hand chronology of events leading up to the hurricane and the days immediately following the disaster. We passed by the levees and were given a quick explanation on how they failed during the hurricane as well as the improvements made since then. The bus drove through various sections and neighborhoods of the city. The devastating effect of the hurricane along with the incremental pace of the rebuilding efforts were very evident. There were the neighborhood blocks that had unkempt grassy gaps in them because whole houses were demolished (due to unrepaired damage from the Hurricane and abandonment by the owners). We passed many makeshift memorials for those who lost their lives during the hurricane. There were many homes that still had tarps on the roofs and windows boarded up due to unfinished repairs from hurricane damage. Every building in the city was searched for victims during the month after Katrina struck. Symbols were painted on homes/buildings by search & rescue teams. The symbols included references to the date, the search unit's identifier, hazards (such as a gas leak), and number of people found. Very chilling stuff. The tour guide was really an asset when it came to discussing the effects of the hurricane on the city. He knew a lot about how the various sections and even specific neighborhoods suffered, the fate of people in specific houses we passed and the status of a lot of houses that were palatial mansions pre-Katrina but now were rundown and abandoned. Towards the end of the tour we passed by homes that were built or being built differently post Katrina (higher off the ground to reduce future flood damage). Some of those homes were part of a program established by Brad Pitt as part of the rebuilding efforts in the city, particularly the areas with limited resources (9th ward). All in all, there's no joke or punchline to illustrate how amazing this tour was and how everyone could benefit from a first hand look at a part of American history. It's been like 6.5 years since the hurricane but the reminders are still pretty evident. Speaking of jokes, I'll end with a quick story and let y'all respond with your thoughts. The tour bus makes a snack and bathroom stop at this rest area that has something like a food court. My travel companion and I decide to get ice cream/milkshakes because the city was still somewhat warm during the mid-fall season. It's my turn to order and the young cashier appears to be kinda tired and a little aloof. I end up placing like three different orders because I was told THREE SEPARATE TIMES by the cashier that a crucial ingredient (vanilla ice cream, bananas, chocolate, etc.) in each order was not available. Flabbergasted, I made a lighthearted reference to the dessert shop's lack of basic ingredients by jokingly remarking "I KNOW KATRINA CAME THROUGH HERE BUT DAMN!". I finally ended up successfully placing/receiving my order and sat down. My travel companion proceeded to come at me like I worked for FEMA. She acted like I was that little bad ass kid everyone sees at the mall throwing a temper tantrum. That kid who usually has that leash/body harness on and is cursing up a storm because they can't have everything in the store. C'mon, was the joke really that bad? read more

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We booked the Oak Alley Plantation tour with Gray Line. Pros - AAA discount $5.75. We booked at the window located on Toulouse the day before. Our driver/tour guide was Sylvester. He was under the weather but did a great job of driving and talking during our trip out to the planatation and back. He was very knowledgeable. Three hotel drop off locations. Large motor coach bus. Cons - Gray Line doesn't do hotel pickups. Your ticket includes transportation to and from and admission with tour of the Big House at Oak Alley. We left NOLA at 12pm. It took about 1 1/2 hours to reach Oak Alley Plantation. Our tour of the Big House was at 2:15pm for 45 minutes. Our free time was until 3:45pm. Then back on the bus and return to Nawlins. read more

We took three tours - The City Tour, The Natchez Steamboat Tour and the Garden District Walking Tour. We did The City Tour on our first day there. A perfect way to kick off our trip. Our guide was hilarious and had an awesome personality. The bus we took was air conditioned and comfortable. We stopped at St. Louis Cemetery, and were given 15 minutes there. I thought that was plenty of time to walk around and look at the tombs. We also stopped at the cafe in City Park for about 20 minutes. The second tour we did was the Natchez Steamboat. It was cool to go on the boat and to go down the river. However, the ride was really long, and the captain only talked on the way down. Nothing on the way back up. So, it got pretty boring pretty quick. I even fell asleep on the way back. The Garden District Walking Tour was nice, but our guide was on death's door and was pretty senile. There were actually a few times where I thought we were going to lose him. He tended to ramble, a lot, and he told us way too many personal stories that were of no relevance to the tour. He also spoke very softly, so it was really difficult to hear many of the things he said. Even though he wasn't the best guide, i'm glad we took the tour, it was better than aimlessly walking around the neighborhood and not knowing what anything was. read more

I'm a big fan of Gray Line Tours and have used them in other cities including destinations abroad. They have convenient locations and are very reliable. The tour guides are class acts, knowledgeable and care about what they are doing. The tours I've done in NOLA are: The Original Cocktail Walking Tour: great little introduction to the New Orleans bar scene if you've never been and want to get an interesting historical tour served up with a potent cocktail or two (or three). Our tour guide took us to quite a few places while pointing out some historical spots along the way. She had a ton of patience with some of the more rowdy guys and gals who had apparently already knocked back a few prior to the tour. Loved it! Swamp Tour: This tour consisted of taking a bus (equipped with generous Air Conditioning) out to the swamp where we had a little educational overview before getting onto the boats. The boat tour itself lasted about 90 minutes. I was extremely hung over (did the cocktail walking tour the day before) but managed to make it the entire way without dying. We saw baby alligators (or are those crocodiles?) and some little swamp shacks where people still live. Loved the cajun french accent and warm reception of our boat guide. Oak Alley Plantation Tour: Pretty much a full day tour but very interesting. The bus ride out to the plantation is the perfect opportunity to catch a few zzzzz's if you have been out partying the night before. The plantation itself is on beautiful grounds and the photo ops are unlimited. This plantation was featured on Ghost Hunters. I doubt if it's really haunted but the ghost stories are great! At the end of the tour you can eat in the little restaurant on site. Best fried shrimp po' boys and mint juleps EVER. Natchez Steamboat: see separate review. read more

Booked the tour online with no problem and retrieved my ticket an hour prior. Boarded the van when I was asked to for the Katrina tour and the bus was packed. Our guide was Carol and she rocked! For a 3 hour tour, she gave us so much information. I've been putting this off for years because I've been going to the city for 20 years and wasn't ready. So glad I did. No spoiler alerts but she was insightful and even told is about a place to get muffulettas which I never had. They were great! I hated to see it come to an end but she gave us coupons for other tours. Couldn't believe how many didn't tip. She more than deserved something or at least the driver for bringing us back safely. Anyway, kudos to Carol. read more

Gail & Darren gave a great tour. The city tour was a good buy. Gail really knows her stuff. Knows the history.

Alton was a great tour guide for our trip to and from the Swamp Tour (which was also excellent). He filled us in on ancient history (Jean Lafitte) and recent history (Katrina) and made us feel our value as tourists. It's easy to feel like a parasite when you are visiting a popular tourist attraction, but he noted several times that New Orleans couldn't have rebuilt after Katrina without tourist dollars. Highly recommended! read more

Gray Line New Orleans - Alligator!!! - Tours Near Me - New Orleans, Louisiana