From the dynamic Mississippi River to the serene courtyards, experience the Vieux Carre with the city's best guides. Discover everything from the outrageous colonial history to Creole culture, from piracy to architectural masterpieces, enjoying New Orleans' gumbo of legend and truth.

Your tour includes the birthplace of New Orleans, the Mississippi River, the "Father of Waters." Whether for Native American canoes, French and Spanish colonial sailing ships, American frontiersmen flat and keel boats, prosperous antebellum era steam ships, or today's massive ocean-going freighters, this mythological body of water has provided New Orleans with its reason for being and provided America with its very soul.

The tour continues through the French Market, the oldest open-air market in the nation and on to the Ursuline Convent, the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley, whose history reveals the fascinating saga of early Louisiana colonization efforts. Then head to Jackson Square, heart of the French Quarter, site of: St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States; also view the Cabildo, the Presbytere, and the Pontabla buildings.

Experience the lush atmosphere of a Creole courtyard where you will learn about the complexities of Creole society. The tour includes the unique history of slavery found in South Louisiana, and at the Quadroon Ballroom you will explore the world of Creole mistresses and the system of placage.