When down in New Orleans the place to be and stay is in the French Quarter. That is the place in which to immerse yourself. There is so much diversity in culture, cuisine, music and more. It is a fantastic place to visit!!

My wife and I stayed at the Bourbon Orleans, a Wyndham property right on Bourbon Street. We enjoyed being in the heart of the French Quarter and all it had to offer. From a cup of coffee at Cafe du Monde, shopping at the French Market, checking out the artists and street vendors at Jackson Square, or a quiet stroll along the riverfront is how we spent our days. At night when the town came to life we were right in the midst of all the fun, food, and merriment. We did Preservation Hall, Pat O'Brien's, and a host of happening places. Just walking these streets at any time is exciting.

Even with all that, we wanted to see more. We did a lot of our research about New Orleans in a Frommer's Guide.
In it was a section on taking a stroll through the Garden District. We took the guide with us and followed its direction. The tour in the guide was put together by a fellow by the name of Robert Florence who runs Historic New Orleans Walking tours. According to the Frommer's Guide, Robert Florence put together a longer and more extensive tour also. Tour information is easy to find when down in New Orleans.

My wife and I used Florence's shorter guide to this area as printed in Frommer's, New Orleans. The guide also has excellent maps.

A VERY LITTLE BIT of HISTORY

In a nutshell, back in the 1800 were the Creoles who lived in this area that was sold to the US from France by Napoleon. Hey, thanks guy, That was quite a deal!

These people lived in the older part of the city called the French Quarter. In come Americans from other parts of the country. The Creoles fearing the influx of the new people coming into town basically froze them out of the French Quarter. So the brash new Americans started building their own part of town in their own style on the west side of Canal Street. Part of this area was called the Garden District.

So we have two different peoples of different cultures in two different parts of town living in their own way and building their own style of homes. Both areas, thankfully, have kept their charm, history, and beauty.

GETTING THERE

Depending on where you are staying, you could walk. It's a couple of miles west of the French Quarter. We opted on the Street car. The one we caught was right on Canal Street and St Charles Avenue. We boarded and continued west past the Garden District and right to a diner we read about, the Camellia Grill. We had our breakfast there and it sure was good. This place is noted for its breakfast. It has excellent omletts and pecan waffles. We read we should split the orders. We didn't. The most amazing thing is that this big guy had all he could eat in those couple of servings. Go the "extra mile" to find this place right off the St. Charles Streetcar.

The stop for the garden district tour is not too far from the Washington Avenue stop. Follow the guides direction and you are quickly off the busy street and into the heart of the Garden District.

GETTING PREPARED, WHAT TO EXPECT and STARTING the WALK

St. Charles Ave. is rather wide in comparison to the streets you will find on the tour. The homes are all neatly trimmed and flowers abound. Some are easily seen from the street and others are set back behind fences, shrubs, and trees.

We went directly after having a full breakfast. There are some places on ST. Charles Ave to get some food but I really didn't pay much attention as to what and where.

The walk took us a little over an hour. The guide we used took us pretty much in a circle. We did have to constantly cross streets as it is not a perfect loop. There is some back tracking also but we found it gave us a different perspective of the neighborhood.

GUIDED TOURS

If you wish, you can find guided tours of the area. We passed a few such groups and actually listened in at a stop or two. You can gain a lot more information, local lore, and some of those fun little stories about the characters who lived and now still live in this residential area.

A BIT ABOUT OUR WALK

The first stop took us to a small book shop. It's actually a group of shops under one roof. It was noted as being built as a skating rink that eventually was used in other ways. It did its duty as a stable, gas station and grocery store. This was first constructed in 1884.

If you decide to make a purchase in one of its many shops, you could do it at the end of the walk so as to not have to carry the item on the tour. The tour makes a loop and you end up pretty much in the same area at the end.

Another tip is to use the facilities here if you have the need. There is another place on the walk but you may as well be comfortable from the beginning.

The next stop on the tour highlighted the fence around the house. Many of the homes in this area have wrought iron fences. Casting iron was being used now as a way to embellish homes. It was fairly easy to make casts out of hard woods and to custom design their wants and whims.

The home on fourth street by the name of Colonel Short's Villa is enclosed by one such fence. All the vertical bars are cornstalks. It is pretty amazing. One of the stories tell us that Short's wife came from Iowa and missed the cornfields of the area. Once again she was surrounded by her corn.

The particular walk we took had twenty stops. It highlighted the types of construction. Relatively simple Greek Revival, Georgian architecture, Victorian architecture, Italianate style and even a touch of Gothic Revival are there to see.

Many of the stops do show more of the intricate wrought iron work of the 1800s.

A couple of structures have the stamp of writer Anne Rice on them. Anne grew up in a house on nearby St Charles Ave. This is not on the tour but can be found. She owns what was once a Catholic Chapel. This is on the tour. It's called Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel. The home where she now lives and works in is on the tour. The Brevard-Mahat-Rice House is on First Street. The home has its own notoriety in that it was a Greek Revival town house that was given touches of Italianate style. These changes prove this as being an example of what is called transitional architecture. All of what I learned was from the Frommer's Guide and some tid bits from tour guide in the area.

The walk shows some homes that are now owned or recently were from a mix of celebrities. Nine inch Nails singer Trent Reznor and Saints quarterback Archie Manning are there.

Homes that once housed other historic figures are mentioned too. The house where Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States, died is on the tour as is the home of Edgar Degas, the French Impressionist artists, uncle with whom he once lived with.

Some homes are small while others are most grand and they all are very interesting.

COMMANDERS PALACE and a CEMETERY

Commanders Palace is known as one of the countries finest restaurants. We had reservations yet decided against going. In a way I regret not having tried it but at the same time we had a most fantastic time while down in New Orleans. Every minute was memorable!!

If you plan things right you can do your walk before of after a lunch at Commanders. You must get reservations early. I have heard that at times there are walk in openings, but don't count on it. You can start and end your tour here. There is no real beginning or end. The structure of the tour I did just started from the Streetcar stop.

Across the street from Commanders is a cemetery that is part of the tour. All are buried above ground. This is due to the high water table in the area. More Anne Rice hot spots are in here. It is noted that precaution should be taken while walking in this and any cemetery in the area. We did go without a guide. We found it interesting and safe. maybe we were lucky. They suggest you take a tour with a guide.

Quick note, Commanders was a "pit stop" for my wife. No problem using their place.

After the Cemetery we made our way back to the streetcar and returned to the French Quarter.

New Orleans with its French Quarter and Garden District is a must see for all!!

More local reviews by popsrocks

New Orleans
French Quarter
The Garden District A must visit when in Nawlin's.
Preservation Hall A must see and hear!
Wyndham Bourbon Orleans Hotel In the French Quarter.


Other cites by poprocks

New York City
Key West, Florida
Las Vegas
Venice
Rome
London






Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May