Top New Orleans Unique Experiences

Dig into New Orleans' centuries of history—and discover some of the city's most frightful tales—on this small-group walking tour. Meet your guide in the heart of the atmospheric French Quarter, and set off after dark. Head to neighborhood landmarks like Jackson Square, visit the chilling LaLaurie Mansion, and discover other lesser-known sights and ghost stories that you wouldn't encounter on your own.

Go beyond ghost stories told from the sidewalk with a tour that includes entry to real haunted locations. Led by a licensed guide, this French Quarter experience combines historically grounded storytelling with exclusive access for a deeper look into New Orleans’ paranormal past. It’s an immersive alternative to standard walking ghost tours.

Visit a former plantation and ride through the swamp during this two-in-one tour. Start with a visit to Oak Alley Plantation for a tour of the antebellum mansion. Follow the oak-shaded paths to the blacksmith shop during your free time. Lunch is available to purchase at the restaurant on-site. Next, head to the dock for your swamp tour. Search for alligators and other wildlife and stop for photo ops while aboard an airboat. Round-trip hotel transport provided from New Orleans.

Discover the atmospheric swamps surrounding New Orleans on a fascinating airboat tour, led by a professional guide. In a group of 16 or less, climb aboard an airboat destined for the rich flora and fauna of the swamplands. Enrich your natural knowledge as you listen to intriguing commentary from your guide; scour the scenery for sightings of alligators; and feel your adrenaline levels surge as you accelerate and reach high speeds.

Experience New Orleans’ haunted history while enjoying the city’s legendary nightlife on an adults-only guided pub crawl. Instead of searching for the French Quarter’s most storied bars on your own, follow a licensed guide to haunted locations where ghost stories, local history, and historic pubs come together for a memorable evening.

Discover New Orleans’ dark side on this haunted history ghost tour. Hear tales of famous hauntings from your local guide, and visit the French Quarter’s most infamous and eerie locations—hotspots for paranormal investigators and historical videographers. By the end, see the Vieux Carré in a different (and profoundly more ominous) light.

Discover the most legendary vampire haunts in New Orleans on this 2‐hour evening walking tour! Your local guide will lead a lamplit promenade through the French Quarter to visit places imbibed in vampire lore such as the filming location of Interview with a Vampire. You’ll also hear some ‘real’ stories of the undead from public archives and police reports, and peek in at a known vampire tavern. Think twice before accepting any free drinks!

Experience New Orleans from a different perspective on a carriage ride through the French Quarter. In addition to navigating for you, your guide tells anecdotes about the historic landmarks from Jackson Square to Bourbon Street. Booking a private tour ensures the itinerary is customized to your own interests, whether it be a food–themed tour or a quiet, romantic ride.

Save time with a full-day tour from New Orleans that combines a boat tour of the Louisiana swamp with a visit to either Oak Alley Plantation or St Joseph Plantation. Both plantations are located within a short drive of the swamp, so you can make the most of your excursion. Learn about the swamp’s ecosystem and wildlife from your boat captain, and hear about the plantation’s history during a guided tour.

Phone selfies and tripod attempts rarely capture trip photos worth printing or sharing, and finding photogenic spots beyond the obvious Bourbon Street and Jackson Square locations means scouting time travelers don't usually have. This private photography session takes you through New Orleans with a local photographer who handles both the locations and the shooting for a set of edited photos.

Experience a classic NOLA dining experience like a VIP with this special access pass to a shrimp boil cabaret at Mister Gregory’s. Indulge in a private dinner party celebrating local flavors and vibrant music. The shrimp is sourced from local shrimping families at their docks to select the freshest Gulf shrimp before letting the "Shrimp Boil King of New Orleans" cook you up a scrumptious dinner. Then dig into this authentic New Orleans dish, all the while local performers keep you entertained.

This New Orleans voodoo and mystery tour takes you into the Big Easy's history of vampirism, occult activity, paranormal occurrences and even piracy. Hear tales of haunted buildings, lost treasure and documented sightings of ghosts and vampires as you explore. Not only will you hear the stories, you'll even get to see professional ghost-hunting equipment in action.

Discover nooks of New Orleans that never made it into a guidebook on this street art tour of the Crescent City. Head to murals by popular artists—including Banksy—and get the chance to take a photo in front of your favorites for a super Instagram-able tour. Plus, get a local perspective on New Orleans sights and travel tips from your guide along the way.

Venture beyond New Orleans to the wilds of the Louisiana bayous on a small-group kayaking tour of the Manchac and Maurepas swamps. Climb aboard a tandem kayak and paddle through a lush landscape of cypress forests and wetlands teeming with wildlife. No kayaking experience is necessary, as a guide teaches you everything need to know to enjoy this Southern-style adventure.

Explore the French Quarter through a different lens, seeking out the darkest and most haunted places. With a voodoo priest or priestess as your guide, walk through the neighborhood and explore an exclusive haunted location, to be disclosed only on the day of the tour. You'll even get to try some of the paranormal activity-sensing equipment firsthand.

Treat yourself to the Halloween of a lifetime with an eerie 2-hour French Quarter walking tour! Wind through darkened alleys, and hear tales of famous hauntings and mayhem from your entertaining guide. You’ll stop at sites of paranormal activity such as the Ursuline Convent and the LaLaurie Mansion, home to the murderous Delphine LaLaurie. Enjoy a night of tale-telling featuring notorious characters, voodoo, ghosts, vampires and more.

From the grand old mansions of the Garden District, to the markets and jazz bars of the French Quarter—many visitors to New Orleans never explore beyond the main tourist districts. Skip the typical guided tour and instead connect with a New Orleans local who will show you around their city like a friend and introduce you to the neighborhoods that they know and love. Gain an insight into Southern culture, cuisine, and everyday life; find out how to get around in the city; and receive recommendations on where to eat, drink, and shop.

Among the best ways to get a feel for New Orleans is to get out and walk it, but the standard self-guided tours can get a bit dull. Take one of these 3-hour smartphone-guided scavenger hunts and a three-hour window of your day will suddenly turn into adventure. Solve puzzles, study clues and celebrate at the finish, all while navigating the historic streets and taking in the sights of the Big Easy.