Signature City New Orleans

This was such an outstanding trip. Our wonderful leader was a personal friend of the virtuoso clarinetist, Doreen Ketchens, and had her play for the group. When the programme was over, my companion and I stayed an additional week and found her on her 'corner' on Royal street. What an authentic NOLA experience! We loved the music, the accommodation (the beautiful Hotel Monteleone), the architectural lecture on NOLA, the walking tour of the Garden District, the WW II Museum, the Cable Cars, the amazing food including the Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar as well as the great Cafe Du Monde and the Cafe Beignet, the cooking school. When the tour ended, we went to additional museums, more walking tours, the Aquarium, the Mardi Gras float museum, a ferry to the Algiers Point, The Art Gallery, the Broadway touring play, Mrs. Doubtfire at the historic Saenger Theatre, the paddlewheel steamer and so much more. I would recommend that the Roadscholar trip to New Orleans be longer. So much to see and do; so little time. Five star!

I had never been to New Orleans and it was on my bucket list to go. Early on the trip, two of the other participants (who were traveling together) happened to say this was their 5th trip to the city. I was astonished that they would return again and again to the same place, especially with a tour group. By the end of the trip, I understood why they loved New Orleans as much as they did. I would certainly go back.

Well worth the time, effort and expense and exceeded expectations!

Wonderful experience- see all New Orleans has to offer in a safe and engaging program. Solo travelers will be most welcome. The group will have solos, partners and others in the class. It is most comfortable to be part of the group. I can't wait to enjoy my next RS program, maybe in the fall, but definitely in January to experience Signature City-Miami!

This program was fun and interesting. I would do it again !

The hotel was definitely 5 star. Food was excellent. All the attendees were very pleasant and we did make some new friends

I enjoyed this program. Speakers are excellent storytellers that I could have listened to longer. We stayed in a nice historic hotel in the French Quarter within walking distance of Jackson Square and Cafe du Monde. This was a program filled with excellent restaurants and must-see attractions, i.e. the WWII Museum, City Park Sculpture Garden, Vue Orleans, an architectural walking tour of the Garden District and a cooking demonstration and dinner at the Cooking School of New Orleans.

Our trip to New Orleans exceeded our expectations! The accommodations, food, group leader, presenters and field trips were wonderful. And the food! Loved every minute!

IThis was my first trip with Road Scholar, but it won't be my last! I'm already thinking about my next destination.

We enjoyed the program very much - the group leader, participants, hotel, and planned activities. For the future, please add programs for Palm Springs, CA, and Sarasota, FL.

Great itinerary, delicious meals, well planned with wonderful knowledgeable presenters. A good balance of structured vs free time. We were unable to go to The Vue Orleans and some of the local museums were closed because of the weather, and our guide quickly came up with alternate options for the group. Road Scholar then gave us credit for the inconvenience, even though it wasn't their fault! Visiting New Orleans has been high on my bucket list and this was the perfect trip to see and learn a lot about this amazing city. Our guide Debbie was the best- organized, knowledgeable, helpful, with a very warm personality. I highly recommend this trip!

It was our first Road Scholar trip and won't be the last, based on the fun and interesting visit to New Orleans.

The New Orleans Signature Cities is our 3rd R.S. experience. We highly recommend this program. Great cultural content and fantastic hotel located right in the French Quarter.

My wife and I had a wonderful time getting to know more about New Orleans. Our group leader Debbie and all of the presenters were great. Each of the presentations were both informative and highly entertaining. I really enjoyed the bus and walking tours of different areas of New Orleans (especially the Garden District and St. Louis Cemetery 3), the World War II museum, the Vue Orleans museum, and the New Orleans School of Cooking. Located in the French Quarter, the Hotel Monteleone and its staff were absolutely top-flight. This was a fabulous trip!

Informative and entertaining trip to New Orleans! Had a great time and enjoyed the other participants also

Fantastic trip. Wonderful hotel, food, lectures and tours.

My wife and I have always wanted to visit New Orleans. By choosing Road Scholar, we found the perfect way to get the most out of our journey.

This was my first time traveling with Road Scholar. I enjoyed the entire experience. If you haven't tried them, I would strongly recommend you give them a try.

New Orleans is unique in its cultural diversity. This program highlights the threads that weave its beautiful tapestry be it its food, art, geography or immigrant histories.

Wonderful

I thought the Signature City New Orleans trip was great! It was a big group but our tour leader did a great job keeping everyone engaged and happy. There was a good mixture of dining at restaurants and dining at the hotel. There was also a good mixture of walking and bus trips. I also liked that there was a good deal of free time which allowed for more exploration of the city. The location of the Hotel Monteleone was ideal. A block or two away from Bourbon Street but still in the heart of the city. One could easily walk to the waterfront or just about anywhere downtown. I went by myself on this trip but I left with many new friends. Everyone was very friendly. I highly recommend this tour.

5 Stars We were in New Orleans the week before Jazz week. Each day more and more musicians poured into the city performing on the street corners and Jackson Square... from classical violin, opera singers, to blue grass, country, and jazz. The RS schedule offered a good variety of information about the city, architecture, history, food, music, and literature. A concert after lunch by clarinetist Doreen Ketchens was a high point. I recommend booking tickets for Preservation Hall beforehand during your free time in the city.

Everyone, American or foreign, should visit New Orleans to understand how diverse this country is. This is the perfect tour for that learning experience.

This was just a wonderful program for anyone wanting to learn more about New Orleans provided by instructors who actually live there and who give you the best inside information about this area of Louisiana.

It was a great trip. The group leader, Angela Carli was knowledgeable, with a great personality. She was attentive to our needs. She had to find two speakers who were ill and could not conduct the lectures. We enjoyed the substitutes speakers lectures. She was one of the substitutes, covering the lecture about writers in New Orleans. She was qualified, as she was an author herself.

Thank you for a wonderful experience. We had a great time and learned a lot.

This program will touch all five of your senses! A wonderful experience!

Get to know New Orleans at its best with the help of Roads Scholar.

I chose Road Scholar because I wanted to travel to New Orleans, a place I had never been and wanted to learn about the history, culture, architecture, and music of the area. This was my first trip as a single so I wanted the security of touring with a group. I got all of this and more. The program was very organized, the speakers were knowledgeable and entertaining, and the tours and recommended free time fit perfectly. I highly recommend Road Scholar.

We were first-timers with Road Scholar, and it was a great experience! We will be back for more programs!

Signature City New Orleans was fabulous. The hotel in the French Quarter was superb. The program leader and guest speakers were all native to New Orleans. Program was fun and entertaining. Food, music, and culture of city wax great.

This was a wonderful "First Trip" The fellow travelers were a fun and interesting group. Robin had the whole week running like a clock, she is special.

So glad I went. Robin is a wonderful group leader. We did so much, but at a pace that was not taxing. The Hotel Monteleone is a gem and right in the middle of everything! There were several hidden perks not mentioned in the trip itinerary, to do if you want more! Be sure to book a front seat (bench) at a Preservation Hall performance for one of the nights you are there.

A very thorough multi-century look at one of the most eclectic cities in the US through music, food and history.

This was a wonderful trip made better by humorous well informed instructors, great food and music. The program enriched our visit taking us places and showing us thing we probably would have missed on our own. It is an amazing city and this program brought out the best of it.

You may think you are in another country when visiting New Orleans, the history, culture, traditions, and way of living is very unique. Native Americans, French, Spanish, Germans, Irish, Italians and African Americans have left their legacy that makes this city so intriguing. It is vibrant with jazz music in every corner, specially in Bourbon st., don't miss to use your voucher for Fritzel's we were a large group of 10+ and felt perfectly safe walking @ 8:00pm, the players were so good. The lectures provide a good history background, it enhanced our walking/museums tours around the city. You will love the New Orleans class music, as you will participate on a “second Line”. It you can, experience the ride on the streetcar (Red) on Canal street (few blocks from the Hotel) we paid $1.25 and the ticket was good for a return as well. Also the streetcar (Green) that crosses Canal St., Don't forget to eat a Beignet at Café du Monde across from the Cathedral. We were fortunate to have a very special Tour leader Robin she is a true ambassador of NOLA, the warm camaraderie of all of the other participants made me feel so welcome and a part of a group of old friends.

Had a good time. Great group leader(Robin),lecturers, guides and fellow travelers !

What a fabulous experience! This program ranges from an informative and wonderful jazz performance, to an architectural tour of the garden district, to a cooking demo featuring terrific gumbo, to the battlefields of WWII - and that's only half of it! Thank you Angela, Doreen, Milton, Nelly, Erik, Harriet, and Clare for sharing your gifts and love of New Orleans!

Highly recommended trip for solo female participants as you will be able to enjoy the city's history, architecture, music and culture safely and be able to try all of the New Orleans foods in a group.

A wonderful introduction/revisit to NOLA....highlighted by our guide,Robin, and our stay @ the Hotel Monteleone. Tour highlights by experts who truly love the "Big Easy". Loved the experience!

Every American would enjoy experiencing a week in New Orleans today, learning about the City's history, enjoying its cultural music, and tasting its fine foods,

This program has a good mix of Mardi Gras fun and New Orleans history and culture today. If you like Jazz, you will get a good taste of that also. And speaking of taste: The food was outstanding!

This is DEFINITELY the one.

The Signature City tour of New Orleans was a delight!! Great guides, interesting topics and very comprehensive. A great value!

Experienced the culture, history, food and fun of New Orleans in a fun and informative way.

You have a very good website. RS offers a ton of programs. Be sure that when someone does a search for a particular locality, that all of the programs offered there come up. Also, for scholars booked on an upcoming trip, there is a way that supposedly participants can get in touch with each other beforehand. I tried to use it, but couldn't get it to work or couldn't figure it out, and to me it looked as though no one else was using it. Also, you might offer a "chatboard" that you would monitor in which RS travelers can ask and answer questions and offer advice and exchange views with others on the various programs. On a related note, it would be nice if RS could pause sending us emails almost daily promoting various trips when we are already booked on one. I realize this would involve some expense, but it's slightly annoying to get emails promoting Signature City New Orleans when we're already booked on that program.

Signature New Orleans is a great way to immerse yourself in the flavor and passions of the city. I learned much, heard some great music and had a lot of fun!

Our tour was great in all aspects. I recommend it. We have traveled quite a bit--all over the world. So be aware--the sidewalks in New Orleans are terrible--the absolute worse we've ever encountered. Worse than old Europe. Worse than South American. Worse than New York. One of our travelling companions fell. If you are mobility challenged you need to address this seriously.

If you like great food, friendly people, and unique culture, this is the trip for you!

Food, fun, information are in this program with a reasonable amount of walking and activity.

The food was excellent as well as opportunity to walk it off, a little!

SUPER tour!! Our leader, Clare Pierson, was professional, a great presenter, as well as a very warm and funny person. She carried out her 'Mothering' role well and kept us moving or discussion on point. The other presenters, Anne Leonhard, Nellie Watson, Harriet Robin and Doreen Ketchens were all incredible and we appreciated what each added to the program. I must admit, Anne was a personal favorite! The content covered was also very good - interesting, well presented and kept all of us involved. The trips out into the city were very good and transportation was comfortable. The meals associated with the tour were also a highlight. We appreciated the small table approach and it was more like dining with friends - which some fellow travelers became. The quality of the food was incredible, as were the restaurants that had been recommended to us, for the meals where we were on our own. The stay at the Monteleone was wonderful. The staff were helpful and always very pleasant. Our car was in the garage and the valets were very quick in retrieving it. The room was small but well appointed and comfortable. I would love to stay there again! I have already recommended this tour and, Road Scholar, in general, to several people. This was our first tour and I'm already creating my Wish List for future tours. The price you charge is very reasonable, considering the quality of the programs, meals, and accommodations. Now, if you had been able to control the weather...….!!! Thanks very much!

I have been on four Road Scholar trips in the past twelve months. Each trip has been an unique , growth experience. As a solo woman traveler I have made many new friends. I have learned so much from the other participants. I highly recommend Road Scholar.

Our visit to New Orleans was a great look at what makes this city so unique! I highly recommend it.

My husband and I and two other friends participated in New Orleans: City of Mystery & Intrigue in November 2019. We learned about the culture, architecture, food and music of New Orleans. The program was a perfect mix of group lectures and field trips with time on our own. The historic hotel was in the French Quarter so we could walk everywhere. It was an outstanding experience and we came away feeling that we had truly experienced the heart of New Orleans and its people.

Location and Information on my first Road Scholar trip gets an A+. Schedule was great. Balanced planned activity and free time. Where it went downhill was the staff. The tour guides were knowledgeable and shared history and their personalities which were fun. Although they were great when sharing info in the planned sessions it was clear to me that our hostess was preoccupied and lacked that great southern hospitality. She spoke at me but not with me and was not even present nor represented on our last night. We were literally on our own without being able to choose or discuss any issues. Dinner was incomplete since I consider cocktails and wine to be part of a festive meal. We did not even have an option and one of my fellow travelers walked to the other side of the hotel to get drinks for several of us and a bottle of wine since the wait staff did not have the authority to do so by our missing host, road scholar. I was told that generally the last evening was when the host guide shared a list of names etc of travel companions. We were never given that opportunity so we could only tear off pieces of paper to scribble info and share. Several of us also found it rude that she left our Sunday brunch without as much as a wave goodbye. Since I looked at her as the host of my trip I was very disappointed in her lack of the often mentioned great southern hospitality.

This program is very good and educational. Before departing for this program get the best weather forecast as we were caught out with a sudden cold day or two, for which we were not too well prepared. My only downside was dealing with the noise level and people/vehicle density around the hotel site.

This tour was great. Angela was welcoming and very good at keeping the group on track. The hotel was awesome. The program material was diverse which kept things interesting. The instructors were all extremely knowledgeable about their topics. We received plenty of advice on things to see and do (and eat) in the free time built in to the program.

If you like jazz (especially impromptu street musicians), creole cooking There is no excuse to go hungry in New Orleans, or enjoy a little history both local & the WWII museum & literary, a little architecture, a little exploration of old cemeteries and meeting new friends, this program is for you! Y'all come on down!

Enjoyable, educational, excellent guides/instructors, positive experience. This was my first trip with Road Scholar and I would feel free to recommend it to others. Hope to travel again with Road Scholar.

Wonderful tour with great accommodations right in the French Quarter, terrific food, excellent guides. Couldn't have asked for anything better.

What a wonderful way to get to know New Orleans. The French Quarter is historic and fun, but getting outside that area exposes one to so much more. The city is diverse, animated, unique and welcoming. The food is amazing and our hotel was spectacular. All of the things we did and places we visited were so interesting from the Garden district to the neighborhoods ravished by Katrina to the New Orleans Cooking School to the World War II museum. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to get to know the whole of New Orleans - a city of resilience and celebration!

I had a wonderful time and hope to do another program in the future. This was my first time. I have been on several cruises and this trip to New Orleans was by far the most informative and fun trip I have been on.

This was my first time on a Road Scholars trip. It was perfect in every way. I highly recommend Road Scholars. It was informative and very interesting and the accommodations were very nice. Everyone was very friendly.

This was an amazing program! Excellent tour guides, lecturers, wonderful accommodations and terrific restaurants. Fell in love with New Orleans... Had I visited on y own, I'm fairly sure that I wouldn't have absorbed all there is to absorb in this city.

Enjoyed my first Road Scholar trip and my first New Orleans visit. What a way to begin my Road Scholar experience! Our New Orleans guides were very enthusiastic about their area of expertise ( history, literature, cooking, architecture, WWII museum, mini jazz show.) The hotel Monteleon was exquisite, the restaurants at which we dined were varied and tasty. We were given enough free time to explore the city, and restaurants on our own. New Orleans is an exciting city, and Road Scholar introduced us well! I’d do this same trip again!

One of the best programs I have been on

This program is a great experience and a great value. The stay in the Hotel Montleone alone is worth the price of the tour. In addition, we visited wonderful restaurants and learned a lot about New Orleans.

Great program, Group photo and email lists would be great

The most awesome Road Scholar program we've ever attended!

Learning the history of New Orleans was very interesting to me. I went with a New Englanders impression of what I would observe. Once I learned about the creole history and the strategic importance of New Orleans, I came away with a much different prospective. The WWII museum was the one event that truly blew me away. This second most popular museum is a MUST see for every American.

This is a wonderful program, I highly recommend it to everyone.

I find manuvering around your website frustrating. When I click on a trip to learn about and then go back to the list, I have to begin at the very beginning in order to countinue. Then, I had to scroll through the list to try to find where I left off.

If you want to get the most from your visit to New Orleans, choose the Road Scholar tour. In a short week's time, you will experience the culture, food, good music, and the history of this exciting city. The accommodations are first class and the hotel is located in the heart of the French Quarter, a very convenient location for feeling the vibes of the city.

Great hotel, wonderful good, good music. However, NOLA has a serious homeless problem. Stepping over those poor people who live in the street a few blocks from a 5 star hotel was disconcerting.

The perfect introduction for first time visitors. Great overview of the city, interesting lectures by longtime residents, wonderful cooking class

T his program gives you the best of two activities New Orleans is noted for. Mardi Gras, the French Quarter and the surrounding city. You get to enjoy the great food New Orleans is noted for in some of the best known restaurants in the city. What's not to like!

A fantastic way to experience Mardi Gras with hotel right on the parade route and only 2.5 blocks from the French Quarter. Field trip to the WWII National Museum was a wonderful addition to the activities throughout the week.

WOW! We got to experience both Mardi Gra AND learn about the history of New Orleans, experience the jazz culture, as well as laugh through a cooking class. I had more fun than I’ve had on any other trip with any travel company!

Clare, our group leader, was organized friendly and accommodating to all participants. I had never been to New Orleans and learned so much about the history and culture. The rain did not dampen our experiences.

My husband and I had never been to New Orleans. This program helped us to experience the food and culture. We now love the city and am so glad Road Scholars gave us this wonderful memory!

Easy to use

An excellent trip -- covered most of what I wanted to see in New Orleans. Our leader, Clair Pierson, did a very good job. The people were nice to be around. The walking pace was as advertised, and appropriate. Hotel was first class, in spite of a small bathroom.

A wonderful overview of New Orleans!! Lecturers were experts in their area and presented their material well. There was enough free time to explore this beautiful city! The wonderful food is a highlight of the trip. Everything was First Class!

45 years ago, my husband and I took a trip out west from South Florida. On the way back home, we stopped in the French Quarter. It was August, so very hot and steamy, were pan handled left and right and hawkers tried to get us to go their strip clubs. We looked at each other and said "we're outta here!!!" Well, I must say that things have changed!! And for the better. Still hot, and still panhandling, but much cleaner and safer. I went on this trip as a single person and never once felt unsafe even at 11 p.m. on Bourbon Street. We had a beautiful historic hotel with excellent food and service. The various dinners and lunches were wonderful with a bonus of a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Music every night was fantastic. Don't miss Preservation Hall. It's a bit touristy but who cares? It's a landmark...... I learned a lot about Creole and Cajun and the cuisine of the area. My trip was early December so everything was decorated for Christmas. Be sure to take the Streetcar and don't call it a Cable car or Trolley.....that's a no-no. It's 40 cents for seniors. New Orleans is a true melting pot of all nationalities that migrated to this wondrous place through their port of entry. This was my 5th RS trip and there are more to come for me. Don't miss this fantastic city.....so glad I visited and gave it another chance!! It's beautiful.....

It was a wonderful trip with a great group of travelers. Our guides were outstanding. The weather was not cooperating but .....