New Orleans Garden District Walking Tour & Buckner Mansion

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/16

Duration2h

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walking Magazine Street to the Buckner Mansion, where American Horror Story filmed its Coven season

You walk 1.5 miles through the Garden District with a guide who covers Louisiana history, Greek Revival architecture, and the enslaved labor behind the mansions. You stop at The Rink for refreshments, see the Buckner Mansion from American Horror Story: Coven, and view Lafayette Cemetery from outside its gates. The tour takes two hours and includes a professional guide; everything else — food, drinks, tips — is on you.

Step-by-step itinerary

Garden District walking tour highlights

Start outside PJs coffeehouse
Learn Louisiana Purchase history
Walk along Magazine Street
Rest at The Rink with drinks
Browse bookstore and gift shop
Visit Buckner Mansion (AHS site)
Overview Lafayette Cemetery gates

The Experience

You start moving the moment you meet your guide outside PJs coffeehouse on Magazine Street — that's the spot where locals grab beignets before heading anywhere else in the Garden District. The walk itself covers about 1.5 miles over two hours, which means you're not rushing through it. Your guide walks you through the Louisiana Purchase and how that shaped the neighborhood, then moves into the architecture: Greek Revival mansions that still feel like they're holding something. The guide talks about who built them, who lived in them, and the enslaved people whose labor made them possible — it's not glossed over.

Around the midpoint you'll stop at The Rink, a neighborhood spot where you can grab a frozen lemonade or iced coffee if you need one (you pay for it yourself). There's a bookstore and gift shop there too if you want to browse for a few minutes. After that, the tour heads toward the Buckner Mansion, the one that got famous because American Horror Story: Coven filmed there. If you've seen the show, you'll recognize it — fans make a point to visit. The guide explains the filming and the building's actual history, which is different from what the show made it look like.

You'll also walk past Lafayette Cemetery, though there's no entry right now because of renovations — your guide gives you the overview from outside the gates and talks about New Orleans burial traditions, which are genuinely different from anywhere else. The whole thing moves at a steady pace, and the guide throws in pop culture references and celebrity addresses along the way, so it's not just architecture and history if that's not your speed. By the end you're back on Magazine Street, and you've walked the neighborhood the way someone who actually lives there would show it to you.

What’s included

Your tour includes a two-hour guided walk through the Garden District with a professional guide who covers Louisiana history, architecture, and local context.
You'll stop at Magazine Street, The Rink (where you can purchase refreshments), and see the Buckner Mansion and Lafayette Cemetery.
Food, drinks, and any shopping are at your own expense.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Two Chicks Walking Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to understand the Garden District's architecture and history without arranging their own route — the guide sets the pace and covers the context. The 1.5-mile walk over two hours is steady but not strenuous, though it's not recommended if you have spinal issues or cardiovascular concerns.