Fishing you will experience nowhere else! Explore Louisiana's beautiful bayous and marshes while enjoying the best fishing available. Try your hand at fishing ultra-light tackle for big fish on the Louisiana bayous. During your excursion, you will fish for bass, flounder, redfish, speckled trout etc. Learn the techniques of coaxing those really big redfish into biting artificial baits.

Spin fishing is fun for all ages. From the beginner to the avid fisherman, let the bayous take you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to the pristine waters of South Louisiana!

Private, escorted adventure includes transportation to the secret spots of local sport fishermen, and all licenses and gear for a truly unique experience! Your special catch will be cleaned and bagged to take home! Space is limited.

Stroll along with our licensed tour guide through the "American" section of New Orleans! The Garden District was built by the "Barbarian" Americans to rival the architectural splendor of the Creoles' French Quarter.

Enjoy a walk through the elegant Garden District, known for its marvelous examples of Greek revival and Italianate architecture. View the homes of former Kings and Queens of Mardi Gras in this area, once part of the plantation owned by Bienville, the founder of New Orleans.

Hear fascinating stories about local author Anne Rice as you walk past one of her homes. Visit
Lafayette cemetery, one of our "Cities of the Dead," and learn about the unusual above ground burial system. View Toby's Corner, oldest house in New Orleans, and the home where Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, died in 1889. Includes a refreshment stop at a local neighborhood cafe.

Get an overview of New Orleans and our unique neighborhoods!
See the landmarks and architecture and listen to the legends and charm that make New Orleans famous! Three hundred years of entertaining history about "America's Most Interesting City" make this tour our visitor's favorite. Our tour will begin with Jackson Square, before continuing along Esplanade Avenue, view splendid architecture before arriving at the "Cities of the Dead" where you'll learn about our most unusual burial system. Then on to City Park, Lake Pontchartrain, the New Orleans Yacht Club, the oldest in the U. S. and the Causeway, the longest bridge in the world. Traveling along the line of the famous St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, our tour will pass Tulane and Loyola Universities and Audubon Park. Better known as "Millionaire's Row", St. Charles Avenue boasts stately mansions and lush tropical gardens. Our tour will brush the edges of the warehouse and business districts enroute back to the convention center.

**Handicap Accessible

From the comfort of a custom built, all weather swamp boat you can experience the timeless charm of Southern Louisiana's swamps without getting wet. Aged cypress tress and Spanish moss will surround you as you search for the characteristic wildlife of the swamp. A renowned naturalist will treat you to a bayou nature wildlife show and alligator snapping turtles, snakes, raccoons, and nutria will be among the animal guests. You will also hear about the efforts being made to preserve and restore Louisiana's wetlands. View the nesting grounds of alligators, egrets, raccoons, nutria and ducks and while your eyes take in the majestic and haunting beauty of the swamp the native guides will reveal the swamps mysteries and tell stories about the Cajun "joie de vivre." You will hear how the Cajuns turned soup into gumbo, the washboard into a musical instrument, and the swamps into a paradise. Don't forget to bring your camera to capture the "Bon Temps" - good times down the bayou!

Sit back, relax and enjoy a delightful journey back to an era when sugar was king and a massive plantation was a sugar planter's kingdom! Travel along the River Road (which follows the Mississippi River) to Oak Alley Plantation. Our native tour guide will point out other sites and plantations as well as tell tales of the bygone ante-bellum period.

Nowhere else in the Mississippi Valley is there such a spectacular setting of Southern elegance. Sometime in the early 1700's an unknown French Settler built a small house on the sight of the present mansion. It was he who planted the twenty-eight live oak trees in two evenly spaced rows, reaching from his house to the Mississippi River. What happened to the Frenchman's small home is not known, but in 1837-1839, a wealthy French sugar cane planter, Jaques Telesphore Roman, built the present Greek revival style mansion for his bride. A plantation style luncheon may be enjoyed on your own (not included in tour price) while strolling the beautiful grounds of Oak Alley Plantation before returning to New Orleans along the river road.

Join in the fun, food and folklore in the comfortable atmosphere of a Louisiana homestyle kitchen to learn the secrets of authentic Creole cooking. The "City That Care Forgot" never forgets about its food, and you will never forget it either. During the three-hour entertaining class you'll learn to recreate the magic of New Orleans in your own kitchen. Located in a renovated molasses warehouse built in the 1800's in the heart of the French Quarter, the cooks at The New Orleans School of Cooking teach New Orleans specialties such as Gumbo, Jambalaya and Pralines, and season them with history, trivia and tall tales. It's a "ga-ron-teed" good time for all!

**Transportation not included, House of Blues is located at 225 Decatur Street, Doors Open at 9:30am

Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits! The House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch is nearly as legendary as some of the performers at this cutting edge musical venue. Gospel Brunch features inspiring gospel performances and an amazing buffet to feed the body and the soul. On Sundays, the House of Blues transforms into an indoor revival meeting complete with long communal tables that encourage neighborly dining.

First, the House of Blues feeds your body with an unmatched buffet featuring Southern delicacies. Then it's time to feed the soul with an unbridled, foot stomping celebration, complete with roof-raising gospel music.

The Gospel Brunch menu includes items such as cheddar cheese grits, blackened catfish, creole chicken jambalaya, fried chicken, bourbon glazed ham, and other tempting treats. Top off the meal with an irresistible dessert, including banana bread pudding served with crème anglaise, white chocolate walnut brownie display, and warm cobbler.

The music is as rejuvenating as the food at the Gospel Brunch. A lively, spirited program churns out a virtual buffet of praise-steeped tunes. Watch for the occasional celebrity drop-in at this "must-see" New Orleans institution.

Ride across the mighty Mississippi to where the party of Mardi Gras never ends. Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World is New Orleans' showcase of carnival, with thousands of sensational sculptured props and breath-taking giant figures on display all year-round. You know this is going to be a fun tour as soon as you arrive. Colorful Mardi Gras props, like a gigantic jovial jester, fiercely realistic alligators, and a gorgeously exciting Marilyn Monroe with skirt flying greet one and all to this amazing fantasy factory.

After a brief introduction by a knowledgeable guide and a spirited video about the history of Mardi Gras and the company, you will tour this remarkable facility and then enjoy an entertaining and delicious cooking demonstration at the new Mardi Gras World Kitchens. Fun and filling, this cooking demo will introduce you the favorite foods and techniques of Creole and Cajun cooking traditions. Following your Taste of New Orleans your guide will escort you back across the river to your hotel.

Learn the real history and legends of the people and places that make up this unique neighborhood! Saunter down the banquettes (sidewalks) of Royal, Bourbon, and other quaint streets named for the saints and sinners from New Orleans' European past. View the balcony where Elvis Presley sang "Crawfish" in his hit movie King Creole! Tour the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley, the Old Ursuline Convent, constructed in 1745.

Your licensed guide will point out the variety of international influences that flavor the architecture in this historic district. Follow the ghosts of Jean Lafitte, William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams en route from Washington Artillery Park and the Moonwalk on the mighty Mississippi to Jackson Square and the heart of "the Quarter."

Take a river excursion into the heart of the signature culture and lifestyle of New Orleans and Louisiana as you step aboard the STEAMBOAT NATCHEZ and share our heritage and hospitality as you cruise up and down the mighty Mississippi River. Listen to the jazz sounds of the Steamboat Stompers as you enjoy one of only six steamboats still in operation on the Mississippi. She's the ninth steamer to bear the name NATCHEZ. It was her predecessor, NATCHEZ II, that raced the ROBERT E. LEE in the most famous steamboat race of all time, and even today, our NATCHEZ is proudly the undisputed champion of the Mississippi, never having been beaten - the best of her time. Her powerful antique steam engines were built in 1925 and are still on view today from our engine room. Her copper bell, inlaid with 250 silver dollar coins to produce a purer tone, once graced the SS JD Ayres and her musical 32 note steam calliope was custom-crafted and modeled especially for the NATCHEZ. Come see the 30 ton white oak paddlewheel in action as you glide past the New Orleans skyline during a relaxing and enjoyable cruise along the Mississippi onboard the NATCHEZ.

When night falls, the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen rises to the occasion. Step on board and cruise with us into the night where the sleepless activity of America's busiest port buzzes. The sounds of a lively jazz band fill the air as you enjoy a lavish Creole buffet in elegantly appointed dining rooms. Experience the finest in Southern Hospitality as you board the Creole Queen at Spanish Plaza, next to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, for a leisurely and fun trip down the Mississippi. The Creole Queen's outer decks with authentically patterned wrought iron trims invite guests to stroll back in time as they settle into the mood of a bygone era. The interiors are richly appointed with plush Victorian style draperies, soft period lighting, wooden parquet dance floors, and Louisiana Cypress bars accented with brass railing for a warm and welcoming setting. After dinner, enjoy your favorite cocktails and sweet river breezes on the promenade deck as the city skyline slips by under a canopy of stars. A cruise on the Mississippi is pure New Orleans and pure pleasure!

Thrilling and exciting, this half high speed ride and half tour has it all. You will travel at speeds up to 40mph across the bayou, and then slow down for unforgettable photo opportunities. Traveling in smaller groups of up to 16 passengers, these agile airboats take passengers deep into the bayou where traditional boats don't dare to go. You will be accommodated in comfort without disturbing the ecosystem. Once there you will be in the prime location for viewing up close and personal the amazing wildlife of the swamp. The knowledgeable guides will introduce visitors to hawks, owls, alligators (up close and personal), and egrets fishing for dinner, various wildflowers, and remnants of a railroad that served a prosperous lumber company before the turn of the century.

If you've never held a baby alligator or met a nutria face to face, this is an opportunity not to be missed! Even the squeamish and less-than-adventurous get into the swing of things on this "soft" adventure cruise. The airboat tour will end with a dockside drop-off to the Fisherman's Wharf for a bayou-front Cajun lunch.

Fire the cannons!! Hoist the sails!! Prepare to set sail on the Jolly II Rover. For the first time in over a century a topsail schooner is again sailing the waters of Lake Pontchartrain! Set sail with the Pirates of Pontchartrain on one of America's largest estuaries. See the longest bridge in the world and experience the breathtaking New Orleans' skyline. This is your chance to relive the days of Jean LaFitte, the Gentleman Pirate of New Orleans, aboard New Orleans' only topsail schooner, the 80' long Jolly II Rover. Whether you prefer an afternoon sail or the more popular evening sunset sail, both options provide the romance of sailing coupled with a fantastic view of the New Orleans skyline.

Board our luxury coaches and head out of New Orleans to the Chalmette Battlefield, its National Cemetery and Fort Pike. The first stop is Chalmette Battlefield, the location where General Andrew Jackson won a stunning victory over British troops at Chalmette plantation. The Battle of New Orleans was won on January 8, 1815 at the end of the War of 1812, and was the last battle of the last war ever fought between England and the United States. Although the major fighting lasted less than 30 minutes British casualties exceeded 2,000 while the Americans reported only 13. You will see the battlefield which preserved America's claim to the Louisiana Purchase, prompted a wave of migration and settlement along the Mississippi River, and restored American pride and unity. architecture found at the Malus-Beauregard House (c. 1833).

Visit the adjacent Chalmette National Cemetery which was established in May of 1864 as a final resting place for Union soldiers who died in Louisiana during the Civil War. It also contains the remains of veterans of the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and Vietnam. Interestingly, four Americans who fought in the War of 1812 are buried here, but only one took part in the Battle of New Orleans at the Chalmette Battlefield.

The excitement continues as you head to Fort Pike, a defensive fortification begun in 1819 and completed in 1826. While the United States survived the War of 1812 and New Orleans was saved by the victory at Chalmette Battlefield, the attacks emphasized the weakness of the country's defense. Examining Fort Pike you'll see an excellent example of the brick and masonry structures which were build between 1816 and 1867 to prevent another such an invasion. Fortress Pike was designed to withstand attack from land or sea and was used from 1826 through the Civil War, until 1890 when it was officially defeated. In 1792 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. You will leave with an intimate knowledge of the buildings which were essential to the defense of a young American nation, and stand today as a fascinating chapter in Louisiana's history.

Tour the most haunted cemetery and the most mysterious neighborhood in New Orleans! Walk through a famous New Orleans cemetery as your tour guide recounts the background of the notorious people buried there. Make a wish or cast a spell at the tomb of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, and discover how she was able to be in two places at one time. Listen to the evolution of Voodoo, which is still practiced today, and learn how it became such a factor in the Crescent City.

Learn about our unique above ground burial customs and the tombs of various "societies." Hear the horrid stories behind some of the French Quarter's haunted houses. Receive a genuine New Orleans souvenir, a Gris-Gris Bag, but beware of its powers! After this tour, you will understand why New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities in America.

When it rains in New Orleans, the locals swear a beautiful voice floats out of the mist. After you hear the story of Pere' Dagobert vs. "Bloody" O'Reilly and the "singing rain," you might hear it, too.

Will you see the three ghosts at O'Flaherty's Pub and discover the story of why all three hate each other? The owner swears that the ghosts appear when their song is played.

New Orleans has been referred to as " the most haunted city in the United States." After this tour, we will let you be the judge.

See the "Real" New Orleans on A Sips, Sight, Sound, and History Tour. Experience New Orleans like the locals do… from a sip of champagne at Magnolia Mansion in the Garden District to the sights and sounds of colorful "Juke Joints" that are the locals' best kept secrets. This tour is a one-of-a-kind experience, and your tour guide is too. Local musicians will be your guide for this unforgettable 4-hour experience.

The tour departs from the French Quarter, then on to Magnolia Mansion in the Garden District where you will tour the inside of the mansion and hear its history. Next, visit festive establishments in the neighborhoods outside the French Quarter. You will go from club to club while local musicians entertain you. You will hear the history and stories about each place visited, and have plenty of your own stories to tell when you get back home.

Transportation not included, The Praline Connection is located at 907 South Peters, 2.5 blocks from the Convention Center near Halls B & C. Doors Open at 10:40 AM.

Hallelujah! Pass the chicken and biscuits! The Praline Connection Gospel Brunch is nearly as legendary as some of the performers at this favorite local spot. Gospel Brunch features inspiring gospel performances and an amazing buffet to feed the body and the soul. Exclusively open to AARP members, this event will keep you toes tappin' and your lips smackin!

The Gospel Brunch menu includes items such as Seafood gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, Crowder Peas, Greens, Etouffe, Southern Style Green Beans, Stuffed Peppers, Backed Macaroni, Fried Chicken, Fried Catfish and other delectable treats. Top off the meal with an irresistible dessert, including praline bread pudding, peach cobbler and even that famous New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition, KING CAKE!

The music is as rejuvenating as the food at the Gospel Brunch. A lively, spirited program churns out a veritable buffet of praise-steeped tunes.