WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14 – It’s off to the Big Easy, NOLA, to immerse ourselves in the Ethereal Gardens of New Orleans. Set your flight arrangements so that you arrive after 1 p.m. CDT (Central Daylight Time). Transportation has been arranged to take you from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to our tour residence, the Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard Hotel. Meet guides Teresa Watkins and Tony DeSormier in the lobby at 5:30 p.m. before riding the coach to the Lost Coyote for our welcoming reception and meal.

(Reception, D) Overnight: Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard

THURSDAY, OCT. 15 – Each day starts with an included breakfast at the Best Western Plus. Our first stop on this tour is the Pitot House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, an 18th-century Creole colonial country home. It is the only colonial Creole country house in New Orleans that is open to the public. In the afternoon, a visit to the Botanical Garden at New Orleans City Park is scheduled. Lunch at the Kitchen in the Garden will be followed by a tour of one of the few remaining examples of WPA public garden design. The Botanical Garden displays the Art Deco influences of three renowned talents of the era: Architect Richard Koch, landscape architect William Wiedorn, and sculptor Enrique Alférez. Dinner that night will be at Toups’ Meatery.

(B, L, D) Overnight: Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard

FRIDAY, OCT. 16 – After the provided breakfast at the hotel, it’s on the coach to the Old Ursuline Convent Museum, the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley, where a docent-led tour is scheduled. Afterwards, we’ll stop for lunch at Rosedale before experiencing one of New Orleans' most popular tourist attractions, St. Louis Cemetery No.1. Dinner is set for the Zesty Creole. Then it’s an experience of New Orleans after dark as we take the “adults only” True Crime and Ghost Walking Tour.

(B, L, D) Overnight: Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard

SATURDAY, OCT. 17 – This morning, enjoy a hot breakfast at the hotel. Then we’re on the coach to visit Longue Vue, the eight-acre masterpiece of female designer Ellen Biddle Shipman. A docent-led tour of the house and garden is planned. The afternoon and evening are set for you to explore New Orleans’ famed Garden District. We will be transported to the head of the Saint Charles Streetcar Line, the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world. You’ll receive a Jazzy Pass that gives you unlimited access for the rest of the day. Get on and off and back on again as often as you like and explore the Garden District. Do some sightseeing, shop on Magazine Street, and dine where your fancy takes you.

(B, D) Overnight: Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard

SUNDAY, OCT. 18 – Take advantage of the included breakfast before boarding the coach to Houmas House and Garden. Guides in period dress use the artifacts, furniture, artwork, and stories of past owners to explain how this manor home grew into the grand estate it is today. Three on-site restaurants feature the finest Louisiana cuisine. Thirty-eight acres of formal gardens provide a leisurely self-guided tour with walking paths and sitting nooks. At the end of the day, we’ll board the Steamboat Natchez for a two-hour dinner jazz cruise. Enjoy traditional live jazz while cruising the mighty Mississippi.

(B, D) Overnight: Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard

MONDAY, OCT. 19 – Once we’ve had our final breakfast together, we’ll gather for one last coach ride, this time back to the New Orleans International Airport to catch our flights home after experiencing the Ethereal Gardens of New Orleans.

(B) Overnight: Home

Key To Included Meals: B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner