Join Our State as we immerse ourselves in the distinctive charisma and colorful cultures of the French Quarter and nearby Cajun Country.
February 23 – March 1, 2025
Package Includes:
- Round-trip airfare from Raleigh-Durham International Airport or Charlotte Douglas International Airport
- Six nights’ accommodations
- 10 meals: six breakfasts, four dinners
- All admissions and sightseeing per itinerary
- Professional tour director
- Our State host
- Motor coach transportation
- Hotel transfers
- Baggage handling at hotels
- Wine and beer reception
Itinerary Highlights:
- Three nights in French Quarter
- French Quarter tour
- Paddlewheeler steamboat cruise
- Café du Monde
- Dinner at The Court of Two Sisters
- New Orleans School of Cooking
- New Orleans city tour
- Longue Vue House and Gardens
- Garden district
- Baton Rouge
- Natchez area tour
- Dinner at antebellum mansion
- Bayou cruise
- Acadian Cultural Center, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
- Avery Island, home of Tabasco sauce
- Local Cajun dinner
Accommodations:
- Three nights in New Orleans: Maison Dupuy, Bienville House, or Wyndham French Quarter
- One night in Natchez, Mississippi: Hotel Vue or Natchez Grand Hotel
- Two nights in Lafayette: DoubleTree Lafayette
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in New Orleans
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Arrive in New Orleans for a three-night stay in the exciting French Quarter. Tonight, enjoy a wine and beer reception, followed by a welcome dinner with your fellow Our State travelers at The Court of Two Sisters, one of the French Quarter’s most famous restaurants.
Meals: Dinner
Overnight: Maison Dupuy, Bienville House, or Wyndham French Quarter in New Orleans
Day 2: New Orleans • French Quarter
Monday, February 24, 2025
This morning, enjoy a French Quarter walking tour, featuring the St. Louis Cathedral with adjoining Cabildo and rectory, Bourbon Street, Pirates Alley, and the French Marketplace. Next, visit the famous Café du Monde to enjoy café au lait and beignets. Later, board a paddlewheeler steamboat cruise for a relaxing Mississippi River cruise. This evening, enjoy dinner with your fellow Our State travelers at the famous New Orleans School of Cooking. After dinner, catch an included jazz performance at a jazz club like Preservation Hall or similar in the French Quarter.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight: Maison Dupuy, Bienville House, or Wyndham French Quarter in New Orleans
Day 3: New Orleans City Tour
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Today, enjoy a New Orleans city tour. Visit the Garden District, which features one of the best-preserved collections of historic Southern mansions in the United States. Visit the Longue Vue Gardens & House, a National Historic Landmark. The ever-changing gardens provide an inspiring destination year-round to learn about native plants and flowers. Also stop to view an above-ground cemetery, which is both historic and hauntingly beautiful. This afternoon, visit Mardi Gras World. This fun and informative museum brings together a dazzling collection of floats and costumes from the event. This evening enjoy dinner on your own in “The Quarter,” filled with fabulous restaurants and jazz clubs.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Maison Dupuy, Bienville House, or Wyndham French Quarter in New Orleans
Day 4: New Orleans • Baton Rouge • Natchez
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Travel to the capital of Louisiana: Baton Rouge. Stop at the new state capitol building to view the Art Deco architecture and hear stories about the state’s most famous politician, Huey Long. Then visit the Louisiana State Museum, featuring thematic exhibits on the diverse aspects of Louisiana history, industry, and culture. Later, ride the motor coach into Mississippi and arrive in Natchez, a beautiful town that captures the charm and elegance of the historic South with its antebellum mansions. Tonight, enjoy a Southern experience with an antebellum mansion dinner and tour in the Natchez area.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight: Hotel Vue or Natchez Grand Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi
Day 5: Natchez • Lafayette
Thursday, February 27, 2025
This morning, enjoy a Natchez area tour to learn about the area’s amazing pre-Civil War history. Then visit another beautiful Natchez antebellum mansion. Later, cross into Louisiana to explore fascinating Cajun Country, founded in the 18th century by French-speaking exiles from Canada. Today, the region features a unique blend of French, Creole, and Caribbean influences. This afternoon, enjoy an eerie Bayou cruise, a true Louisiana experience.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: DoubleTree Lafayette in Lafayette, Louisiana
Day 6: Cajun Country
Friday, February 28, 2025
Today, discover Cajun Country. First, visit the Jean Lafitte Cultural Center to learn about the life of the famous pirate and unlikely patriot, and about the area’s Acadian heritage and the natural resources of Louisiana’s Mississippi Delta region. Later, visit Acadian Village, a re-creation of a 19th-century Acadia community with many authentic homes of the era. Stroll the grounds and step back in time to experience Acadian heritage and music. Then travel to Avery Island for a Tabasco factory tour, home of the world-famous Louisiana hot sauce. Tonight, enjoy a fun-filled farewell dinner with Cajun cuisine and sounds.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight: DoubleTree Lafayette in Lafayette, Louisiana
Day 7: Departure
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Today, depart Lafayette and transfer to the New Orleans airport for your flight home.
Tour Rates:
Regular rate:$3,675 per person based on double occupancy
Booking discount*: $3,575 per person based on double occupancy
Single supplement: $825
*Make your final payment by check prior to the final payment due date, and receive a booking discount of $200 per couple or $100 per single.
For Reservations & More Information:
Premier World Discovery
Melissa Grant
(877) 953-8687, ext. 238 (Pacific Time)
mgrant@premierworlddiscovery.com
For more information on physical requirements and what to expect on an Our State trip, click here.
Explore More
Get excited for your trip and learn more about your destination with our curated list of books, films, music, and more.
Read:
Haunted New Orleans: History & Hauntings of the Crescent City by Troy Taylor (2010) — Known as one of the most haunted cities in America, New Orleans has a long history of spooky and supernatural encounters. This installment of the Haunted America series introduces readers to Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, serial-killing socialite Delphine LaLaurie, and other characters, both sinister and friendly, who have haunted the city.
Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes From a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa M. Martin (2020) — Chef Melissa Martin grew up in the Louisiana bayou, savoring the traditional Cajun flavors that she now serves at her New Orleans restaurant. In addition to recipes organized by ingredient, her cookbook shares stories of her hometown and a disappearing way of life.
The Secret to Hummingbird Cake by Celeste Fletcher McHale (2016) — Set in small-town Louisiana, this touching Southern novel follows three lifelong friends as they experience joys and hardships — including a devastating cancer diagnosis — and search for the perfect hummingbird cake.
The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (1974-2003) — New York Times best-selling author Anne Rice’s debut novel, Interview With the Vampire, kicked off a 13-book Gothic vampire series set primarily in Rice’s native New Orleans. The book was adapted into a star-studded Oscar-nominated film in 1994 and a TV series in 2022.
Watch:
Always for Pleasure (1978; The Criterion Channel) —This lively documentary by internationally renowned independent filmmaker Les Blank celebrates the music, food, and social traditions of New Orleans.
The Big Easy (1986; Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, rent online) — A corrupt police lieutenant and a straitlaced district attorney realize they have undeniable chemistry as they work together to solve several gang-related murders in New Orleans.
The Princess and the Frog (2009; Disney+, rent online) — In Disney’s animated reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Tiana and Prince Naveen — who was turned into a frog by a voodoo magician — adventure through jazz-era New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou to break the curse.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951; rent online) — Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams, who spent more than 40 years in New Orleans, this classic drama set in the French Quarter tells the story of Blanche Dubois, whose mental state deteriorates as she clashes with her sister Stella’s aggressive husband, Stanley.
Listen:
American Hauntings Podcast, Season 4: Haunted New Orleans (all podcast platforms) — In each episode, hosts Troy Taylor (author of Haunted New Orleans) and Cody Beck regale listeners with stories of New Orleans’s paranormal activity and true crime, from pirate Jean Lafitte and the serial killer called the Axeman to Civil War spirits and haunted hotels.
Louis Armstrong — With a career spanning five decades, 85 albums, and several eras of jazz, New Orleans-born trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential figures in the genre, known for songs like “What a Wonderful World,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and “Hello, Dolly.”
New Orleans Feel-Good Music — As the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans has more musicians than you can shake a sax at. This playlist offers a sampling of upbeat tunes from Trombone Shorty, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Irma Thomas, and dozens more old-school and modern jazz icons.
