My husband and I are professors who live in Southern California. But forty years ago, we were in NOLA looking at a job offer and I booked my then-teenage sons on an all-day bayou and plantation tour with Isabelle. They loved it! So when we were planning a family trip recently, I remembered that and I was amazed to see that she was still in business and offering the same tour. I immediately signed all seven of us up. We were fortunate enough to go on the tour on a gorgeous spring day when it was warm enough for many bayou alligators to come out. We were also fortunate that Isabelle herself happened to be our tour guide/driver. So it's not surprising that we had a wonderful experience. But to me, the most impressive thing is that Isabelle has managed to keep her company going for 46 years through very tough times like Katrina in 2005 and then the disastrous Covid era. Now that I've finally met her, I think I see how she has survived. First, she has SO much in-depth knowledge of the area based on her experience, intellect, and personal connections. Second, she's warm and approachable (see attached photo), even posting her phone number on her toursbyisabelle.com website. Finally, there's a core of inner strength and decency - so all in all, I believe that this remarkable woman represents the best in American entrepreneurship. read more

Tours by Isabelle - Isabelle's welcoming smile in March 2025 - Tours Near Me

This review is for the "Small-Group Bayou Airboat Ride with Transport from New Orleans" option One of the highlights of my trip to New Orleans last weekend. Seems like there are several options for swamp tours but THIS is the one I highly recommend, and so happy I ended up with. As a solo traveler, I booked this one mainly because I was seeking hotel pick-up and a help with securing a small group airboat booking. Glad I did it- I received texts prior and day-of to ensure I was clear on pick-up and logistics. Driver was Dexter who was efficient with pick-up of all those in our group. Upon arrival, everything went smoothly with check-in (getting waivers signed, assigning you to specific airboats via kitschy-sounding "boarding pass" names). These guys are pros for sure, and "family-owned" you can tell throughout the establishment and workings (including their house cat who roams the premises, ha!) We were able to survey the shop/merch, decor, and had fangirl moment when we encountered the founder, Randy, who was so kind and happily took photos with us. The tour itself was so fun/exciting. You get it all- history of the swamp (including flora/fauna), Q&A re: alligators, alligator sightings, high-speed airboat treks, list goes on. Our operator was Dalton who was AMAZING. SO engaging, sweet, funny, and just so great with our eclectic group from all over the country. Highly recommended. More details/photos with the specific operator here: https://yelp.to/ce1lfFCbUo read more

OVERALL- I do not recommend this tour. I booked the Grand Tour for my friend and I in January for 8am. This tour came highly reviewed on both TripAdvisor and Viator which is why I booked. The booking process was simple. The days leading up to the tour was filled with communication which I appreciated. The day before I'm told to be ready for pick up at 7:45am. At 7:45 sharp Giselle our tour guide arrives. We were instructed to keep our face masks on for the entire bus ride. Fine. We pick up two more couples, and head to our first stop Laura's Plantation. We arrive at 9am, and use the restrooms then we are told that we have to wait an hour until our tour starts. We were all very confused because Giselle did pick us all up a little early, and for what? We just awkwardly check out the tiny gift shop area and plantation display as we wait. 10am arrives and the tour finally begins. Laura's plantation was beautiful. The tour was 1 hour long and filled with lots of painful knowledge and history. I enjoyed this tour, and recommend it. At 11:50am we arrive at Houmas House for lunch. We're told we have 1 hour and 15 mins to enjoy the buffet. The menu includes; fried catfish, rice, gumbo, seafood Etoufee, bbq chicken, beans, salad, and bread pudding. food was alright nothing special. In the middle of lunch Giselle explains that we only have 30 mins left and that we should be exploring the property. Some of us were once again confused because we thought we had 1 hr + to eat and then have time explore the property before our tour. We used the best of the 30 mins we could, but the property is huge and very well taken care of, I must say. The tour of the home was great. The tour guide wasn't the nicest person to a few people in my group but he was very informed, and I learned a lot about the property and New Orleans. Airboat tour, was absolutely terrible. Our tour guide wasn't informed at all. He talked a total of two sentences the entire trip. The weather was terrible and we shouldn't have been allowed to enter the boat. We painfully sat on the boat for over an hour as we went in circles in 30 degree weather. We saw no wild life. We werent even in any drop of water 90% of the time. We were literally going big circles while our tour guide scrolls Facebook. Like i said terrible experience over all. OVERALL- I do not recommend this tour. The price point is way too high for what you're getting. The tour guide Giselle doesn't like when you go to the restroom more than 2 times in an 8 hour period. Although punctual, Giselle was cold. She talks the entire bus ride and it does get quite overwhelming. Your better to just book the plantation tours yourself and the airboat as well (as long as it isn't in the winter). read more

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Rene was an excellent guide! Going to the plantations was an excellent way to learn about the history of the area. A day well spent

Isabelle & Rene did it again- another marvelous escapade through time & history in our private (and very comfortable) vehicle to explore a long-gone era & culture. We travel to New Orleans every year and no trip would be complete without a wondrous new voyage hosted by Isabelle. Rene is a fantastic & extremely knowledgeable travel guide, and Isabelle, as always, took great care of each & every detail. We will definitely be back again next year, and will be dreaming of our marvelous journey Via Tours By Isabelle until then... read more

This was for sure an amazing tour! Booked it through the app visit a city. It was very interesting to see all the history. The airboat tour was amazing with being able to hold a baby gator. Then being able to go to Laura's plantation. Then going to the last plantation. It was really good. In between each tour Rene gave great insight and history of New Orleans! read more

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We were all very pleased with the all-day tour that included pickup and dropoff at the hotel, narrated tour of the area while driving, the flatboat bayou tour to see alligators and other animals (saw lots and lots of gators in April), and the two plantation tours, Oak Alley and Laura. The sit down lunch at Oak Alley was better than expected. The grounds at Oak Alley were gorgeous but the tour of the house wasn't all that great (very scripted, brief, hard to understand Oak Alley's guide. The tour at Laura was really much more interesting though. Overall, a really great day, very well run, with a very pleasant and knowledgeable tour guide. If you're interested in seeing bayous and plantations, this is a wonderful day well spent. The only (very slightly) negative thing to be aware of is the tour "bus" is VERY small and crowded when full, and hard to navigate if you have any mobility issues at all. I was in a serious car accident about 9 months ago, and still not at 100% with regard to climbing / mobility / twisting etc. So when I saw it was not really a bus, but a cramped little van that requires people to hunch and clamber around, I found that stressful. Fortunately, despite the van being totally full, every time we got on, I was able to get an easier-access seat near the front. I'm sure that if you were not shy about saying what you needed, the guide and the other passengers would kindly accommodate you, no problem. I just don't like to draw attention to myself. So it's something to be aware of, if you have a mobility issue. read more

Book Ms Isabelle via Viator and was not disappointed at all. A true professional that kept us updated from the time of booking to date of excursion. She took family photos without us asking. She was so kind felt more like family. She took us to Whitney and knew staff having a great rapport with everyone who worked there which is a great sign. She knows the roads and was efficient with her driving. I would highly recommend traveling using her services. Will recommend to everyone. She also made me and my two teenagers feel safe and respected Covid guidelines. Had an amazing time. She's on point read more

The "New Orleans City Tour" was wonderful. I can't speak for the other guides but if Gisele is typical for "Tours by Isabelle" then you can't go wrong. This lady is not only well versed on the city but she made the tour fun as well as informative. Along the way, we stopped at (a) Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. The reason I said (a) is because there are two of them in town. One had a line clear down the block, but Gisele took us to one that had a line of four people. Delicious! Touring New Orleans with this wonderful guide with a beautiful French accent was one of the highlights of our visit. If we ever book another tour in New Orleans, we will definitely request Gisele for our guide. read more

Employees shouldn't be texting and driving. This was yesterday heading to the WB!!! This is a major problem. read more

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We did the All Day Plantation Tour and high speed Swamp Boat tour. If you are a Marriott Rewards member, be sure to book through the Moments by Marriott site for extra bonus points. Very convenient pickup directly from your hotel, and then a scenic drive and historical information session on the way out to the plantations. Laura plantation was fascinating, and had a great gift shop. Fantastic books, food/gift items and even cane syrup harvested from the grounds. Next was Oak Alley, which was of course beautiful, and our stop for lunch. Lunch was great, a New Orleans combo plate of sorts, and there was even a little bar nearby to grab a libation. I have to say, now I need an air boat. And a swamp. The tour was fantastic. Our guide knew exactly where to find us some gators, got us some great photos. Wonderful! read more

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We had the best day and just adored our tour guide Giselle! The swamp tour with George in the morning was so fun! Small group air boat ride through the bayou was incredible. We fed lots of alligators. Then we got a great tour from Kyle at Laura Plantation, followed by a delicious traditional New Orleans lunch and then a tour of Houmas house mansion and plantation and gardens. The whole day flew by! Highly recommend this tour and Isabelle was so nice during booking and Giselle feels like family. Thank you so much! read more

Tours by Isabelle - Houmas house - Tours Near Me

We used Tours by Isabelle to take an airboat tour through the swamps near New Orleans. I have to tell you this was an incredible experience from start to finish. Our trip to New Orleans was kind of planned at the last minute because although we had taken the vacation time from work we were not sure we could actually go. We called them only two days before we were to arrive and they were able to book us! They picked us up at our hotel and Stanley was our driver. He was very nice and the van was comfortable and on our 30-minute drive to the airboats he told us all kinds of interesting facts about New Orleans and answered our questions about sea level and the levees. Once we got there he processed our charge which was nice to know that they had not pre-charged us before we went and then we were off! While I am also reviewing the company who actually does the airboat tours I have to tell you that Tours by Isabelle gets the BEST deal. I highly recommend going through them because while another tour company had 12 people to a boat (which could not go very fast, or to the same areas we were able to go), our boat only had 4 with a tour guide. We got to see alligators up close and personal, and experience the beauty of the natural swamps! The tour was incredible, please look up Airboat Adventures in New Orleans to see my full review of the experience. read more

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I'd heard many great things about Tours by Isabelle so I'll admit my expectations were quite high. Nonetheless, I was floored by not only the attentiveness of Isabelle while getting info & booking, but also by the exceptional story-telling gifts of our tour guide, René Brunet. We spent a wondrous day exploring the bayous of Western Louisiana and touring magnificent palaces of the past. Our tours included all important historical viewpoints (those of the slaves and their descendants, the plantation owners, Creoles, les Americaines, etc). We couldn't have asked for more attentive service nor a more relaxed, enlightening journey through time. Bien Merci, Isabelle. We will be back again soon. read more

Tour guide Rene was absolutely amazing fun facts and friendly and just over all a good time had recommendations for bars restaurants etc good driver and on time read more

My wife and I booked the Whitney and St Joseph plantation tour. At first, there was a bit of a problem, as we were unable to get the date we originally selected. Isabelle, however, acted swiftly to resolve the issue, and suggested an agreeable alternative date. And we are glad that she did. Our guide, Ellen, was most knowledgeable, and friendly, and made a number of helpful suggestions about things to do while in New Orleans. The plantation tours themselves were memorable, a true highlight of our visit to the region. We were especially moved by the Whitney tour, with its emphasis on the history of slavery. In short, we would highly recommend booking tours with Isabelle, whether this one or one of the many others offered. When we return to New Orleans, we will be certain to schedule another tour by Isabelle. read more

Booked a tour through Tours by Isabelle and I enjoyed it. The tour included a swamp and plantation tour that included a delicious lunch. My favorite was the swamp tour seeing the alligators was cool. Our tour guide Kat Fields was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of good information about the different tours we were doing and the history of New Orleans. I would recommend this to anyone looking for tours to do alone or with a family. read more

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Did a full day tour where we did a swamp tour on an airboat, then went to two plantations with lunch included at Oak Alley. The tour guide was informative, the bus was comfortable and I learned a lot about each attraction on the way there. A very well organized tour. read more

This is a little late! We went on this tour on August 18th. So Good! Our tour guide Gene really pushed it to 5 stars and beyond! We went on the combination tour of the plantation and swap pontoon boat ride. At first I thought it was a little pricey. but was so worth it! We highly recommend this tour! The tour guides on the swap tour and Plantation tours were very good. Again, We have to mention Gene, our main guide from Tours by Isabelle was really the BEST! read more

Had a great airboat/plantation tour with Gisele. Definitely worth getting the smaller group as they can tailor to your interests. We definitely had the best swamp guide, Eric saw everything and definitely knows a thing or two about alligators. The plantation is worth a visit, it's very different from what I've seen in other states. So glad we went with this option. read more

John was our friend for the day and he was Amazing!!!! Very professional, friendly and quite informative! I would recommend this company to all interested in taking a tour! read more

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This tour was, without question, the highlight of our time in New Orleans. Our guide, Steve, was exceptional and so incredibly knowledgeable. He took us through every corner of New Orleans including the French Quarter, Jackson Square, City Park sculpture garden & famous dueling oak, St Louis Cemetery #3, the Lake Pontchartrain waterfront and levee system, the Garden district, Irish Channel, Marigny, Treme, Uptown, the Warehouse district, and so many other unique sights in other neighborhoods. We were able to step out of the van to take pictures and physically tour New Orleans City Park and it's beautiful sculpture garden and live oaks, taste cafe au lait & authentic beignets from the park's famous Cafe Du Monde, buy souvenirs from the park's gift shop, and also tour the famous St Louis Cemetery #3 with above-ground mausoleums and tombs. Steve provided so much insight from a local's perspective. Isabelle, the owner of the tour company, was a delight to work with. We spoke by phone about logistics in the weeks leading up to the tour, and she was able to work out a special deal just for us. In summary, I highly recommend this tour! read more

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Isabella was amazing! She Came early, she brought us to the Laura plantation and to the destrehan plantation. She even brought us to oak alley and a few other just to look outside as a bonus. Very knowledgeable and very experienced. Next time I come back to New Orleans I will be using her again. read more

Tours by Isabelle - Tours Near Me

We just got back from a weeklong tour with the Long Island Childrens Choir in New Orleans and were lucky enough to have Rene from Tours by Isabelle as our amazing guide for the final 3 days. Born and raised in NOLA, Rene was tons of fun, and his knowledge and true love of the city was never ending, whether we were asking about history or the best places to eat. He was kind enough to secure us a reservation at The Maison on Frenchman St., one of the few jazz clubs that allow patrons under 21 and the experience did not disappoint! We hope he had as much fun with us as we did with him . A million thanks from the kids and parents of LICC!! read more

Tours by Isabelle - Tours Near Me

Gene, if you are still with Tours by Isabelle, and I hope you are because you are a fantastic tour guide, I just wanted to finally apologize to you. I had a great time on the tour and really enjoyed the 2 other couples we toured with. Right off the bat I realized that both couples each had a member who was in law enforcement and that both couples were Republican. I got along GREAT with them because my husband is in law enforcement and so was my dad and I am also a Republican. My friend, a hardcore leftist liberal Democrat, also got along with them well UNTIL the very end of the tour when one of the gentlemen commented and said something to the effect of, "I never vomit but I did when Obama was elected." Well, this sent my now ex-friend, who wished death upon me, into a tailspin! We were almost back to our hotel when she aggressively started to try to jump out of your tour van. Unfortunately for her, she was seated near the side with no door so she couldn't get out. She did try to jump over me and try to open the side door. Everyone was trying to figure out what her issue was when she started screaming, "You are all Republicans? You voted for TRUMP?" and other comments to that affect. I could tell she really startled you and you were frightened by her actions and I so apologize for what happened. I was hoping she wouldn't find out that they were Republicans because I knew she would react this way. We had been friends for 20 years and politics never were an issue until Trump was elected over Hilary. I had to make her SWEAR she wouldn't discuss politics on our trip (which she failed to do, she also insulted my husband's profession over and over again). Anyway, you barely made it to the entrance of our hotel and off the busy street before she managed to jump over me and get the door open and jump out, still screaming. She never tipped you for the amazing tour you gave us (she is quite wealthy yet I found during this trip she tips horrendously! She quite often told me I tip TOO much and not to tip as much as I did) and I also apologize for that. That is part of the reason I tipped you 50%. You certainly deserved it and if I had had more cash on me at the time, I would have tipped you even more. Karma did bite her in the ass in the end though. While booking the tour, she gave her credit card info over the phone while seated in a busy bar (dumbs) and someone stole her credit card information and went on a hefty sopping trip. Ha Ha! After I chased after her she ripped me a new one in the bar as everyone stared at us, causing me to cry and have the other patrons asking me if I was okay. At that point I just wanted to go home and end the trip but we still had like 2-3 days left. Sadly, I think it was the next day, the Route 91 shooting in Las Vegas occurred and she started ranting and raving about gun control and how it was all President Trump's fault. I just wanted to get home to mourn with my friends and family yet I was stuck with her so I could not check in to see what was happening because if I did it would set her off. I just tried to keep her drunk the rest of our trip!! Needless to say, we are no longer friends. Not just because of what happened during our trip, other things happened afterwards, yes all politically motivated, sadly. Sorry for the long post but I felt you deserved and explanation and sincere apology. You are a good man and fantastic at what you do! Keep up honoring your fabulous city that I have also come to love! read more

We booked theExperience Cajun Country: Swamp Boat Adventure and Plantations Fell Day Tour from New Orleans tour and had a great experience. The pick-up was right in front of our hotel and the van was roomy and comfortable. Our tour guide -Billy - was great. He was a lifelong resident and had his history down. Very funny and we got our money's worth with him. The Swamp tour was done by Mr Roland and he was a true Cajun with the accent. He taught us some French words and gave a very detailed summary of life in the swampland. He also told us the difference between a swamp and a marsh, told stories of what vegetation you can eat, and how to survive in the swamp. The tour was rich with history and stories. Very entertaining. Oak Valley Plantation: we had a fabulous lunch prior to the Oak Valley Plantation Tour. However, this was one of the most boring tours I ever been on. The tour guide could not answer detailed questions that were asked and it was more about you exploring on your own outside. There were very few original furniture and accessories pieces left but they did have antiques to mimic what was there in that era. The plantation is beautiful with the large lush oak trees and has been a backdrop for a lot of movies. The gift shop was great! Laura Plantation: this was a Creole plantation and very rich with the history. Learned about how they ran their sugar cane business and the stories of how life was for men, women, children, and slaves in that time era. Best tour guide ever! Pam was really great and had a lot of details. She was very entertaining and very much enjoyed her job as a guide. I learned so much and would take this tour again in a heartbeat as other groups said that their tour guides were just as entertaining. The gift shop was great too with very cool children's books! I highly recommend this tour and Tours by Isabel. read more

My friend and I took a tour to two of the plantations - St Joseph and the Whitney. Our driver picked us up promptly on Saturday morning and started right away giving us information on New Orleans and Louisiana's history. He was an easy man to listen to and just kept a steady pace in his discussion and kept us all interested. He discussed food, music, Katrina, healthcare, farming, roads and water in the area, and so many other topics. We were Interested in St. Joseph because one of our favorite TV shows, Queen Sugar is filmed at it. The tour was lovely and the guide gave a lot of good information on the working plantation and history of the slaves at this plantation. I've been to other plantations that did not handle this subject appropriately or sensitively. We were interested in the Whitney because it has been turned into the only museum on the history of slaves in Louisiana. The tour guide at the Whitney was excellent. She gave us a lot of new information and handled some of the people in our tour group that were getting angry and upset very well. She was able to calm people down and remind them that this was an educational place and should be used for learning and healing but repeatedly said she knew this was an upsetting topic and it should be. I would highly recommend both of these tours that tours by Isabelle offers. read more

We took the swamp boat and plantation tours. Perfect experience, perfect communication, adored our guide John, highly recommended! My daughter starts Tulane in Sept so we will be back multiple times for more adventures! read more

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Who Dat? Billy! He was our guide, friendly and knowledgeable. He had a lot of enthusiasm and pride for "his city" and did a great job communicating the schedule to us. The day we toured, there happened to be a fire on the highway, which he was able to avoid on the way back into the city because he was monitoring the traffic. The van was clean and comfortable, a regular white van with three rows of seats. We took the Grand Tour which was $205 per person, and we were a large group of 10 (family of 7, one solo man (his wife fell ill), and my boyfriend and me). With that big of a group, we had a couple minutes' extra waiting while waiting for everyone to be ready to get going, but it wasn't too big of a group where it was a problem, and everyone in our group happened to be friendly. AIR BOAT TOUR - So fun fact: alligators brummate during the winter. :( So we did not see any on our airboat tour, except one who peeked its snout out, saw us, and went back in before we saw anything but the ripples in the water. Gary, our driver, tried to find us a gator, but to no avail. He was funny, got us "stuck" in the water, so we had to get on one side of the boat while he got out and pushed, and told some good stories about taking people out on airboats. Despite it being a sunny day, the boat tour was freezing. Ah, that's why Billy gave us ponchos. Gary took a couple breaks, where we'd just sit in the sun, which was always nice and peaceful. He pointed out whatever birds we would see while driving around. If you get seasick, no need to take dramamine. The motion at first is kind of hard to get used to, but once you're used to it, you don't feel it anymore. The airboat is also fairly loud, so if you use earplugs, you may want to bring some. OAK ALLEY PLANTATION - We ate lunch here and were able to eat in the pavilion, to have the buffet selection of gumbo, corn maque choux, crawfish etoufee, red beans and rice, coffee, iced tea, and water, with bread pudding and peach cobbler for dessert. The workers here seemed a bit stressed out and took our plates away really quickly, probably preparing for the next rush of people to come in. The food was delicious, after not having eaten all day. The tour itself was interesting and allowed us time at the end to walk the beautiful grounds. LAURA PLANTATION - The house is pretty and differently constructed than Oak Alley, but there wasn't much else different about it. Great... another story about a rich white family owning slaves. To be fair, the story was interesting, but by this time, it did not seem that necessary to see another plantation, especially one lacking the majestic scenery Oak Alley provided. I would have rather toured Whitney plantation, which apparently focuses more on the lives of the slaves, rather than the owning family. Overall, it was an educational day and fun times! It was a great way to get out of the city of New Orleans for a bit, and the tour ran smoothly and on time. Thanks for a great day, Billy! read more

We booked the combination plantation tour with the pontoon boat ride. Overall, we had an Incredible time. For folks who will be in New Orleans for multiple days, I would definitely recommend this tour. Both plantation tours and the boat tour were very interesting and the guides were fantastic- So knowledgeable. I subtracted one star just because our van driver's driving was a little jerky and it's a long(ish) ride out there. Otherwise, fantastic experience!! read more

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I took the Post-Katrina tour this week with my wife and 15-year old daughter. The tour guide - Joseph - was pretty good, although he sometimes repeated himself (I imagine it's a consequence of having done this type of thing for 14 years, as he told us a few times). I can't compare it to other similar tours, but I think it covered a lot and was very informative. I would recommend the tour to anyone that really wants more exposure to the effects of Hurricane Katrina than you could get in a general NO tour, or on your own. It really drove home to me how devastating Katrina was to New Orleans, and how the already depressed area may never recover. I had some reservations about taking a tour through such hard-hit neighborhoods and being seen as a gawker, but I think that, by now, most of the people you see are those that are trying to make a go of it, and while there is certainly much poverty, there isn't much suffering. And, as it's been 5+ years, the local folks are pretty used to seeing tour buses and aren't too put off by them. We rode in a 14- passenger bus/van (including the driver/guide). Seating is a little tight, and sitting in the back row (where we sat) was very bumpy. Many of the roads traveled were in very poor condition. My daughter got a little carsick. Except for a 10-minute break after the 1st hour, you are on the bus full-time, so there are limited opportunities for photographs (except through the window of the moving van). I wouldn't recommend this tour for children under 10. One good thing about being in a smaller vehicle, though, was that it was able to negotiate some of the smaller roads through some of the impacted areas that a larger bus could not. And, it was easier to ask questions than it was when we took a Gray Line tour in a 50+ person bus. And I don't think it was as intrusive as a large bus would have been. read more

We chose to go on the Grand Tour with this company because of the fantastic reviews, and we are so glad we did! Our driver was great, kind and very informative. The plantation tours were fantastic and I learned a lot and also grew a lot of curiosity in to the creole people of that time, I will be looking for ore info on the plantations as this spiked my interest!! They were both great tours, we enjoyed the guide at the Laura Plantation a little more she was really animated and excited about what she was giving us. Oak alley however was beautiful and the oak trees are AMAZING!!! Lunch there was pretty good also and the service was great!! The Bayou tour was neat too loved Mr Torres, and the history he has there on his bayou and all of his stories, he was a neat man!! And boy the eyes for gators he has!! I am thankful for this tour and all of the knowledge we gained by going on it. Thank you!!! read more

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Booked the Grand Tour and our tour guide was Muriel. She picked us up from our hotel and drove us to all the locations. She had a good breadth of knowledge about New Orleans and was always making sure her guests were comfortable. She even ran back to the van to get us all umbrellas! Would highly recommend to book with this company! read more

Our experience with this company was awesome! we did the whole day tour of the swamps and plantation, and our tour guide and driver named Ellen was amazingly knowledgable of the history, accommodating, and very nice. The company let us borrow a car seat for our 13 month old kid, our group was awesome and patient with us since we need to attend to our kid at times. I'm so glad i had a great experience! The price was worth it :-) read more

We had the most amazing fun time on their tours when there earlier in the month. We did the plantation and swamp tour all day the first day with Gene as driver, and he was just the best. Fun, knowledgeable, a super safe driver, and he got the whole group talking and interacting throughout the whole trip. I was concerned about a full day tour, we're not big 'tour' fans but this experience changed our minds. And the fellow we had for the swamp tour, he was just fantastic, what fun, he said he's a 6th Gen Cajun and I believe it. He would call out the various crocs by name and get them to come to and, almost ON, the boat to get a chicken leg he had various members of our tour dangle out for them. THAT was fun and very memorable, it sounds touristy but you have to do this! The plantations we visited (2) were great visually and great stories and docents at each. The second day we had Jerry for the half day city tour, and that was super informative as well. He's an amazing guy and some of the personal stories he shared of growing up there were just fascinating. Both men told of surviving Katrina and those stories were priceless. Stuff you didn't hear on the news, that's for sure. Sad and scary. Highly recommend - oh and both of these gentlemen spoke so highly of the owner, Isabelle, and how she treats her employees, that made us feel even better. Super clean safe van and safe driving, a great experience, we'll see them again next year. read more

We booked a Plantation Tour through our travel agent and when there were a couple questions, Isabelle contacted me directly and was extremely helpful (with the tour and with visiting NOLA), and thorough. She was warm and professional from that first phone call. We arranged pickup and drop off at the hotel, Giselle was our tour guide to/from the plantations. She is very knowledgeable, engaging, professional with a sense of humor. I highly recommend Tours by Isabelle! read more

I did a combination tour of an air boat and two plantation tours today and had Gene Reyes as my tour guide. You can clearly tell the guy has a great passion in the history of the city. He's very knowledgeable and approachable, always there to help you throughout the trip for any questions or concerns. The tour itself was good. Although we didn't get to see any alligators during our airboat tour due to the rain, it was still a fun experience for everyone as the bayou is a different experience than anything I've ever experienced. The plantation tours were also great. We had oak alley and Laura. Oak alley is probably the most popular plantation tour due to its scenic view. However, there wasn't much history, but the pretty view made up for it. Second tour was Laura and it was a much better tour in terms of history as you get to learn the pass-down generations of the family heritage who owned it. Overall, would definitely recommend having this tour and Ray as your tour guide if you're in town. read more

The La Bomme family had the joy of having John as our driver and guide on July 17, he was an absolute pleasure to have host us. He was knowledgeable, funny, and professional. We also had such a great experience with Rodney as our airboat guide! He was such a blast and made our experience very memorable. This experience was the highlight of vacation for many of us. Completely worth it and highly recommended! read more

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Loved the tour had a great time. We even got to see an alligator in December :) the plantation tour was fun. The tour guide was dressed for the part. He was so authentic his hat from the 1800s still had cob webs amazing. He was so educated it made the tour great!!!!! We were so happy thank you for the great time read more

We took a NewOrleans/Katrina tour on Tues. July 23, 2014. We were a party of 3 adults and 1 yr. old boy/teen. We were staying in Abita Springs so we drove to Harrah's in NO and they met us there to begin the tour. Our tour Guide, Joseph, was very knowledgable, friendly and a delight to share his experiences with us. He has lived in NO his entire life so was able to share so much of life in NO and his unfortunate experiences with the Katrina disaster. The tour began exactly on schedule. We traveled on a approx. 18-20 passenger van which allowed for a much more intimate tour rather than on a large tour bus. We could hear Joseph very well and the smaller vehicle allowed us to ask many questions. There were 6 participants so it was very comfortable. Joseph was very pleased to change the temp. either up or down as requested, which was much appreciated. We began traveling through NO and Joseph explained many things about the French Quarter & inner city. We then went through the areas to see what was left of the devastation of Katrina and how things have progressed in the last 8 or so years. Quite slow going as we expected. He was very thorough explaining the levee breaks and exactly what occurred & individual personal stories about folks he knew who were affected. We stopped midway at the beautiful city park to stretch our legs, get a drink and snack. We continued on to the cemeteries to be enlightened about the methods of buriel due to NOs location below sea level. We then drove through the Garden District with it's beautiful architecture, mansions and various homes of interest We saw SO much more than I could possibly mention. Joseph's narration and excellent New Orleans knowledge made this a most enjoyable and memorable tour that I'm sure we will never forget. I highly recommend this Tour By Isabelle for anyone who is interested in an in depth, comfortable, enjoyable tour of New Orleans. read more

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