New Orleans Jazz History Walking Tour
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore the historic French Quarter's jazz roots
- Visit iconic jazz venues like the Spotted Cat Music Club
- Enjoy live performances by local jazz musicians
- Learn about jazz legends and their impact on the city
- Experience the vibrant nightlife of Frenchmen Street
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Guided walking tour of New Orleans' historic jazz districts
- Live jazz performance at a local venue
- Beverage included during the tour
- Meals and additional beverages not specified in the tour
Itinerary
Our music tour of New Orleans begins just outside the French Quarter at the historic and beautiful Louis Armstrong Park in the Tremé neighborhood. Within the park, we will talk about the historical origins of jazz and discuss one of the jazz greats, Armstrong himself.
Pass by: We will walk by the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts located in Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was named after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was born in New Orleans.
From here, we will head into the Vieux Carre, or the French Quarter, and you’ll hear about the origins and culture of jazz while making your way through the oldest neighborhood in NOLA, all while seeing some notable historic sites. Your guide will have chosen a special route for you that evening- to ensure the best music is heard.
Along one possible route, we’ll share the history of Bourbon Street and the residential and commercial places where blues and jazz collaborators came to make incredible music. We may even catch a busker performing at the historic French Market!
Or your guide may chose to head to the famous Frenchmen Street, the largest concentration of live music venues in the city. Whatever path is taken, you’ll find yourself at a great Jazz/Music Spot, and your guide will take you inside to listen and enjoy the local scene.
Either way, by being with a local, you’ll learn all about the neighborhood, how to make the most of your time here, and the music culture and how it operates in the Clubs and venues. And to top it off, you will receive a drink on us at one of the stops and you’re very welcome to purchase additional beverages as and when you want them.
Pass by: Passing by the historic music venue Preservation Hall in the French Quarter working to protect, preserve and perpetuate the spirit of traditional New Orleans jazz.
We’ll explore the area originally known as Congo Square – one of the first locations in the city where enslaved people and free people of color were allowed to gather and socialize. You’ll hear about jazz’s origins, resulting from a rich mix of cultures in a single city, which combined West African and Caribbean sounds with European musical influences – giving us this uniquely American artform.
Meeting point
Start Location
Unknown location
Important information
Know before you book
- The tour operates rain or shine; please dress accordingly.
- Gratuities for the guide are not included and are appreciated if you enjoyed the tour.
- This tour is suitable for all ages; however, some venues may have age restrictions for late-night performances.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather.
- Bring a valid ID if you plan to purchase alcoholic beverages during the tour.
- Arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes early to ensure a timely departure.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Easy Public Transport
Good to know
- Travelers under 21 years of age are not permitted to join this tour.
- By joining this tour, you will be helping to contribute to the livelihoods of local musicians in the jazz clubs we visit, allowing them to earn a decent wage and continue doing what they love to do.
- This is a walking tour that will cover approximately 14 blocks (or about 1.5 miles) on foot.
Reviews
This was a great tour that not only included local charm, great Italian eats, insider tips on how to experience Boston, but also a great history lesson you don't always read in the books.
Would definitely recommend this night tour to everyone. Our driver, Carl, was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Our 7 year olds loved the tour a lot and consider it the best part of their Washington DC trip. I can see it being a bit hard to enjoy it fully when the weather doesn't cooperate but we had some great weather so we were really lucky.
We enjoyed our guide Bob and trainee Maddie. Our group was small, including us "locals" from Vermont, two world travelers from Minnesota, and a couple from Ireland. Rain dampened our walk and our clothes, yet we still enjoyed the learning, the history, the food and the company. Bob was very knowledgeable and informative and friendly. We highly recommend him and the North End Foodie Tour!
Traveler reviews
Amazing Tour in NOLA
Amazing jazz and music tour! Our tour guide, Kristi, was phenomenal! We started off at Louis Armstrong Park which is rich in music history. From there we went on a walking tour and learned a lot about the history of jazz. We stopped at 2 jazz clubs which were both incredible, we would have never known about the places if we didn't go on this tour. We enjoyed the second stop so much that we spent the next 2 nights there! If you have any interest in the history of jazz in NOLA, this is the tour for you!! And hopefully you will lucky enough to have Kristi as your giude!
Best tour in my whole life!
Best tour I ever participated!
Great intro into New Orleans Jazz
Kristy Vickers was our tour guide and is very knowledgeable about the history of Jazz and New Orleans. We learned so much and experienced a couple of great live Jazz venues. Would highly recommend
Phenomenal Jazz experience
Kristi was phenomenal such a good vibe and full of information and tips
Jazz history with Kristi - so fun 🎶
It was a really interesting jazz history and then a couple fun jazz clubs. Kristi was awesome 🎶🎶