New Orleans Music & Culture Tour: Jazz, Neighborhoods & Legends
The city's music came from these neighborhoods, and you walk through all of them in one morning.
A 3.5-hour guided tour of New Orleans that traces how the city's neighborhoods created its legendary sound, from Congo Square, the birthplace of jazz, through Tremé and the Lower Ninth Ward to the Garden District, with stops at the historic Dew Drop Inn and Studio Be. A professional local guide walks you through the African, Creole, and Indigenous influences, civil rights history, and the stories of musicians and entertainers who shaped jazz, rhythm & blues, bounce, and hip-hop.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore New Orleans culture and music
- Visit Studio Be cultural space
- Explore modern music neighborhood
- See birthplace of Jazz at Congo Square
- Experience America’s oldest Black neighborhood
- Visit Garden District celebrity neighborhoods
- Stop at Gladys Bar and Dew Drop Inn
- See landmarks of New Orleans music icons
- View aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Lower Ninth Ward
- Runyon Canyon Park passing by
- Hollygrove passing by
- Congo Square passing by
- Treme passing by
- Garden District passing by
- Uptown 15m
- New Orleans passing by
- Lower Ninth Ward passing by
What’s included
- Professional local guide who knows the roots of jazz, rhythm & blues, bounce, and hip-hop.
- entry to Studio Be, a cultural space for artists and the community.
- visit to the historic Dew Drop Inn and other music landmarks.
- local bar stop experience with drinks available for purchase.
- stories of celebrity landmarks, music video locations, and the New Orleans icons who shaped the city's sound.
- Every day 10:00
Information
Spend 3.5 hours exploring New Orleans neighborhoods that shaped jazz, bounce, and hip-hop with a local guide. Visit Congo Square, the Dew Drop Inn.
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Traveler reviews
The experience
Three and a half hours is enough to move through the actual places where New Orleans music was born. You start at Congo Square, where enslaved and free African people gathered to play music and trade in the 18th century. The ground where jazz took root. From there the guide takes you through Tremé, America's oldest Black neighborhood, and into the stories of brass bands, second line traditions, and the artists who built the sound that traveled worldwide. You'll see the Dew Drop Inn, a legendary venue that played a central role in rock 'n' roll during segregation, and pass through neighborhoods connected to modern icons across jazz, bounce, hip-hop, gospel, and R&B.
The tour moves through the Garden District to see where celebrities built their homes, then into the Lower Ninth Ward, where you confront the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the resilience of the community that rebuilt. Studio Be, a cultural space for artists and the local community, sits in the itinerary as a place where creation still happens. A local bar stop gives you a chance to stand where people in the city actually gather: drinks are available for purchase, and the guide's stories anchor what you're seeing to the living culture around you.
The guide is a professional New Orleans storyteller who knows the roots of jazz, rhythm & blues, bounce, and hip-hop, and the price covers the entire tour. Children from age 12 are welcome, and the pace suits all fitness levels. Public transportation options are nearby if you need them.
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 13 years). Children under 12 can't be included in the booking.
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 24 h before the start.
What is Congo Square and why does the tour start there?
Congo Square is the birthplace of jazz, a place where enslaved and free African people gathered to play music and trade in the 18th century. The tour begins there because the ground itself is where New Orleans' legendary sound took root.
Does the tour visit the Lower Ninth Ward, and what will I see there?
Yes, the Lower Ninth Ward is on the route. You'll see the neighborhood as it stands now, confronting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and witnessing the resilience of the community that rebuilt it.
What is the Dew Drop Inn and why is it included?
The Dew Drop Inn is a historic music landmark that played a significant role in rock 'n' roll during segregation. It's a place where the city's cultural history is written into the building itself, and the guide explains its place in that story.
Will I visit neighborhoods where famous New Orleans musicians lived?
Yes, the tour passes through the Garden District, where you see neighborhoods of celebrities, and through areas connected to New Orleans icons across jazz, bounce, hip-hop, gospel, and R&B. The guide shares the stories of the musicians and entertainers who carried the city's influence worldwide.
What happens at the bar stop during the tour?
The tour includes a local bar stop experience where you stand in a place where people in the city actually gather. Drinks are available for purchase, and the guide continues sharing stories in that setting.
Operated by 2nd Line Tours/Experience. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 13 days ago
New Orleans Music & Culture Tour: Jazz, Neighborhoods & Legends
3h 30m · EN
from US$ 79 per person
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