New Orleans Citywide Tour with Jazz Musician: 4 Hours

A musician shows you New Orleans instead of a script

A four-hour citywide driving tour of New Orleans led by a Grammy-nominated jazz musician, with stops in the French Quarter, Tremé, Garden District, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 and City Park. You ride in a tour vehicle, walk short stretches at photo stops, eat beignets at Café du Monde, and take home 10+ HD digital photos from the day. Available as a small-group tour or private, tailored to your interests in jazz, food, history or architecture. Children from age 1 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. St. Louis Cathedral30m
2. Frenchmen Street30m
3. Faubourg Marigny15m
4. St. Louis Cemetery No. 330m
5. Garden District30m

Citywide driving tour of New Orleans

• Meet in front of Jazz Museum
• Explore Old French Quarter and cathedral
• See oldest building in Gulf region
• Learn jazz history on Frenchmen Street
• Drive through Faubourg Marigny neighborhood
• Take photos at murals and learn history
• Visit 9th Ward and local musicians' area
• Tour Treme African American neighborhood
• Visit St. Louis Cemetery No. 3
• Drive through City Park, eat beignets
• Pass birthplace of rapper Lil Wayne
• Pass Tulane University campus
• See Wedding Cake House on St Charles Avenue
• Tour Garden District mansions
• Drive through Louis Armstrong's childhood area

The experience

You're landing in New Orleans for the first time, or you have an afternoon free and want to skip the guesswork. Meet your guide in front of the Jazz Museum and spend four hours moving through the city's neighborhoods by vehicle, stopping to walk and photograph the places that shaped it. Your guide is a working musician who lives here, not someone reading from a script, so the stories land differently when they come from someone who plays the music and knows the streets.

The route moves through the French Quarter and its Creole architecture, then into Tremé, the oldest African American neighborhood in the country, where you'll learn about the word Creole and the Free People of Color who built the community. You'll pass the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where Trombone Shorty and John Baptiste trained. A stop at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 puts you inside one of the city's oldest cemeteries, walking among the above-ground tombs. City Park brings you to Café du Monde for included coffee and beignets. The Garden District shows you oak-lined streets and the mansions where musicians and actors have lived. You'll also see the 9th Ward's recovery from Hurricane Katrina, Louis Armstrong's childhood neighborhood, the birthplace of jazz itself, and Tulane University, the ninth-oldest in the country.

Photos happen throughout: murals, the "Wedding Cake House" on St. Charles Avenue, the cemetery, the park. You leave with 10+ HD digital copies. Choose a small-group departure if you want to meet other travelers, or book a private tour and shape the day around what draws you: jazz history, food, architecture, or the neighborhoods themselves. The guide speaks English and the pace includes short walks, so it works for families with children from age 1 onward.

What’s included

• Four hours of driving and walking through New Orleans neighborhoods.
• a Grammy-nominated jazz musician as your guide.
• coffee and beignets at Café du Monde.
• 10+ HD digital photos taken at murals and scenic stops.
• stops at the French Quarter, Tremé, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, Garden District, City Park, and the neighborhoods where Louis Armstrong and other musicians grew up.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00, 10:00, 13:00 and 14:00

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (1 to 12 years)

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.Operator's directions: “Meet in front of the New Orleans Jazz Museum”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Big Easy Walking Tours

Is this one for you?The four-hour length means you can book this on your first day and still have the rest of the afternoon free. The guide gives you local tips for the rest of your stay, so you leave knowing where to go next. If you're arriving mid-morning or have a single afternoon open, this fits the gap without eating your whole day.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (1 to 12 years).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What's the oldest building we'll see on this tour?

The oldest building in the Gulf region, dating back to 1748, is in the French Quarter. You'll also spend time in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, one of New Orleans' oldest cemeteries, where you can walk among the above-ground tombs.

Do we get to eat anything during the four hours?

Yes. Coffee and beignets at Café du Monde in City Park are included, so you'll have time to sit and eat while you're there.

Will we see where jazz actually started?

The tour includes Louis Armstrong's childhood neighborhood, which is recognized as the birthplace of jazz. You'll also spend time on Frenchmen Street, the live music capital of New Orleans, and pass the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts where famous musicians trained.

Can I book this as a private tour instead of joining a group?

Yes. You can choose a small-group departure or book a private tour tailored to your interests, whether that's jazz, food, history, architecture, or a mix of neighborhoods.

How much walking is involved?

Most of the tour is by vehicle. You'll have short walks at photo stops and inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 and at Café du Monde. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels and is fully wheelchair accessible.