New Orleans: Storyville & Bourbon Street History Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.93 (108 reviews) 94% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/11

Duration2h

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

The women who built New Orleans, told on the streets where they worked

You walk 2 hours through the French Quarter starting at Jackson Square, stopping twice for drinks at actual bars, and learning how sex work shaped New Orleans from its founding through the Civil War and into Storyville. The guide is a professional historian of the city, not a performer, and the tour ends in front of a real brothel in the neighborhood that gave the industry its name.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore French Quarter and Storyville history

Meet near Cafe Du Monde
View Mississippi River and Jackson Square
Discuss sex trade history
Stop for drink at Tujague's
Visit French Market and hear port tales
Walk along Royal Street
Cross Bourbon Street
Stop at May Bailey's bar
End at Storyville brothel

The Experience

Hands grip a cocktail in a plastic cup as the group steps onto Bourbon Street, and you realize this isn't a museum tour—it's a walk through the actual geography where the story happened. The guide meets you near Café Du Monde, right by Jackson Square and the Mississippi River, and from there the two hours unfold like a conversation that keeps moving. You're standing in the Vieux Carré, the oldest part of the city, and the first thing you learn is that sex work wasn't a footnote to New Orleans' founding—it was woven into how the port city grew.

The route takes you downriver to Tujague's for a drink stop (you can order whatever you want, not just the classic New Orleans cocktail, and carry it in a to-go cup as you walk), then through the French Market where the guide talks about the Civil War and what happened to the women working the port during that time. Royal Street comes next in the evening light, then you cross the noise and neon of Bourbon Street itself and head toward the back of town. The second bar stop varies—sometimes it's May Bailey's, a place known for the women who worked there—and the tour ends in front of an actual brothel in Storyville's shadows, the neighborhood that gave the world's oldest profession its name in this city.

Two hours is tight enough that you're always moving, loose enough that the guide can answer questions. The walk covers real distance and real history, not a curated highlight reel. You need to be at least 21, and the tour isn't recommended if you have spinal issues, are pregnant, or have cardiovascular concerns—it's a walking tour, not a casual stroll. Public transit is nearby if you need it after.

What’s included

Your tour includes a professional guide leading you through Jackson Square, the French Market, Royal Street, and Bourbon Street, with two bar stops where you can purchase a drink or beverage of your choice in a to-go cup. The route covers the history of sex work in New Orleans from the city's founding through the Civil War and into Storyville, ending at a historic brothel location.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Two Chicks Walking Tours

Is this one for you?Right for anyone 21 and older who wants the real history of how women shaped New Orleans, told by someone who knows the streets and the stories—not a sanitized museum version, but the actual places where it happened.