City Tour...................................................................
Custom Tour Programs.........................................
Bus Charter Services............................................
About Us
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Gray Line New Orleans, in partnership with the New Orleans Steamboat Company, is your one stop shop for traveling with student and youth groups. We provide daily public tours at discounted rates, craft custom private tours and multi-day itineraries, and charter buses. No matter your group’s size or age, we’ll help you plan an amazing trip!
Steamboat NATCHEZ Jazz Cruises
About
A Steamboat NATCHEZ jazz cruise is a field trip that brings history, ecology, and world economy to life! This two-hour trip back in time is fun and educational. Live jazz music, self-guided steam engine room tours, a Creole-style buffet, and live captain’s narraration are offered on each cruise. Teachers and youth group leaders can request printed information for their groups on the structure of a riverboat, steam engine system, and Question & Answer Sheets that cover everything from history to boat safety.
Cruising Times
Morning Cruise
Calliope Concert at 10:30 a.m.
Boards at 11:00 a.m.
Cruises from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Afternoon Cruise
Calliope Concert at 1:45 p.m.
Boards at 2:00 p.m.
Cruises from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Evening Cruise
Calliope Concert at 5:30 p.m.
Boards at 6:00 p.m.
Cruises from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Self-Guided Steam Engine Room Tours
About
The NATCHEZ is the last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River. The Steam Engine Room is the heart of the vessel and is open to visitors on each of her three daily jazz cruises. The equipment is labeled and signage is placed throughout the space, so your group can learn about how the steamboat works as they watch the equipment function in real time. One of our engineers is always on site in case guests have any questions about the equipment or the steamboat’s history.
Steam Engines
The focal points of the Steam Engine Room are the tandem compound condensing reciprocating steam engines from the towboat CLAIRTON. They are of the piston valve type with a 15 inch bore on the high pressure cylinder and a 30 inch bore on the low pressure cylinder. These engines have a 7 ft. stroke and produce 2000 h.p. combined.
Toulouse Street Wharf Performances
About
Plan an unforgettable performance for your choir, band, or orchestra on the Toulouse Street Wharf! All Steamboat NATCHEZ Jazz Cruises and Gray Line Tours depart from this high traffic area, making it the perfect space for a concert.
Partially covered and located in the heart of the French Quarter, it’s a great option for groups of all sizes. Groups must be booked on a Steamboat NATCHEZ daytime or evening cruise in order to qualify for performance opportunities.
Performance Times
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. (preferred time)
4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Available year round with the following exceptions:
- Lay up (if the Steamboat NATCHEZ is temporarily docked for any reason)
- French Quarter Fest (Thurs - Sun)
- Steamboat NATCHEZ Private Charters
Guest
Counts
Bands: Max 50
Choir: Max 80 (with no chairs)
Fees
Performances are complimentary, addons are available for an additional cost:
- Chairs (if not using the Steamboat’s)
- Music stands and backline equipment (amps, instruments, etc.)
*Groups will have access to an electrical outlet for keyboards and amps; groups will need to bring cables, extension cords, etc.
Experiential Jazz Clinic
About
Hosted by the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland, this interactive jazz-based program introduces young musicians to the skills and mindset of jazz. They’ll learn how the syncopations of jazz shaped New Orleans culture and how mastering musical principles translates to life. The Dukes will split the musicians into sections for personalized, hands-on instruction, as they learn a jazz standard the full band will perform together with the Dukes.
Teamwork: Experience the power of collaborative innovation.
Leadership: Recognize personal strengths and capitalize on opportunities.
Taking Risks: Become more comfortable with improvisation.
Confidence: Try new techniques to overcome performance pressure.
Focus: Learn how to truly listen.
Balance: Find creative freedom while respecting the art form and letting others shine.
Control: Practice unique patterns to create a rhythmic stress that sounds improvised.
Scouts Program
About
Bring your troop aboard the last authentic Steamboat on the Mississippi River! Scouts can earn a Steamboat NATCHEZ Heritage Patch by cruising with us and taking a tour of the steam engine room. The equipment is labeled and signage is placed throughout the space, so your troop can learn about how the steamboat works as they watch the equipment function in real time. One of our engineers is always on site and welcomes any questions about the equipment or the steamboat’s history. Scout leaders can request printed information on the structure of a riverboat, steam engine system, and Question & Answer Sheets that cover everything from history to boat safety.
Interactive Ghosts & Spirits Tour
About
On this tour, guests will hear the eerie tales and dark secrets of a 300 year old European neighborhood. They will learn the real history of colorful characters who lived, died, and have chosen to remain in the French Quarter. Your group follow their shadows down cobbled alleys, through streets aglow with gas lamps, and feel the mythical presence that makes New Orleans the most haunted city in America.
Augmented Reality
Our interactive augmented reality experiences, created in partnership with New Orleans artist Marcus Brown, bring pieces of the city’s haunted past back from the dead. Guests will see the historic fires of New Orleans with their own eyes, meet the Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, and learn how the origins of zombie folklore are tied to Yellow fever epidemics.
Oak Alley Plantation Tour
About
Your group will experience the grandeur of New Orleans’ antebellum south on a tour of Oak Alley Plantation. Her quarter-mile long alley of 28 magnificent oak trees, each nearly 300 years old, is an impressive welcome. Guests will take a tour of one of the most iconic homes in America and the filming location for countless TV shows and movies. This Greek Revival mansion has always been a symbol of grandeur during an era of unimaginable wealth, but there is much more to her story. Extensive research by the Friends of Oak Alley Foundation has revealed the lives and legacies of the many people who have called Oak Alley home.
Self-Guided Experience
The grounds also provide a self-guided experience for your group to explore:
• Reconstructed slave cabins and a slavery exhibit with an interpreter
• Blacksmith working with the plantation’s original forge
• Film on sugar cane production
• Exhibit on the families who have owned the property
• East and West Gardens
Whitney Plantation Tour
About
In 2014 Whitney Plantation opened its doors to the public for the first time in its 262 year history as the only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery. Through exhibits, memorial artwork, restored buildings, and hundreds of first-person slave narratives, your group will gain a unique perspective on the enslaved people who lived and worked here. As a site of memory and consciousness, the Whitney Plantation Museum is meant to pay homage to all enslaved people on this plantation and to all of those who lived elsewhere in the United States. Whitney is also significant because of the number of historic outbuildings that were added to the site over the years, thus providing a unique perspective on the evolution of the Louisiana working plantation.
Audio Tour Experience
Guests will have the opportunity to self-guide through the grounds with an award-winning audio tour, which is available in six languages. Trained staff members are stationed throughout the site to answer any questions and to further educate your group about the history of the plantation.
Swamp & Bayou Tour
About
After a short motorcoach ride across the Mississippi River, your group will take a fascinating boat trip into the Louisiana swamps and bayous. There they’ll experience the timeless beauty of South Louisiana in a custom built swamp boat as their native guide reveals the mysteries of the swamps, bayous, and Cajun “joie de vivre.” Guests will discover how the seafood from our bountiful waters provides a wide assortment of both local and worldwide delectable dishes! Plus they’ll observe the nesting grounds of alligators, egrets, raccoons, nutria, and many species of snakes. Groups will learn why our wetlands are disappearing, due to coastal erosion, and human efforts to correct the damage by restoring this vital habitat.
*Some wildlife are more numerous during the warmer months of the year.*
Airboat Swamp Adventure
About
This thrilling adventure is both a swamp tour and a speed ride. Your group will travel at speeds up to 40mph across the bayou, and then slow down for unforgettable photo opportunities and fascinating information from the local captains who grew up on these waterways. These agile airboats take guests deep into the marsh where traditional boats don’t dare to go. Once deep in the wetlands, they’ll be in the prime location for viewing the amazing wildlife of Sportsman’s Paradise. *Children under 5, pregnant women, and people with back or neck injuries are not allowed on this tour.*
Small Airboat
6 - 12 passengers
Large Airboat
15 - 27 passengers
Oak Alley Plantation & Swamp Tour
About
This tour combines the private Manchac Swamp with Oak Alley Plantation. At Manchac Swamp, guests will ride through the Louisiana wetlands in a comfortable, covered pontoon boat driven by a local captain. Your group will learn about the history of Frenier and the Cajun culture of fishing, hunting, and trapping. Guests should keep their eyes peeled for large alligators as they leap up for snacks! As your group approaches Oak Alley Plantation, they’ll will understand why she is the most photographed plantation ever. Her quarter-mile long alley of 28 magnificent oak trees, each nearly 300 years old, is an impressive welcome. Guests will take a tour of one of the most iconic homes in America and the filming location for countless TV shows and movies.
Self-Guided Experience
The grounds also provide a self-guided experience for your group to explore:
• Reconstructed slave cabins and a slavery exhibit with an interpreter
• Blacksmith working with the plantation’s original forge
• Film on sugar cane production
• Exhibit on the families who have owned the property
• East and West Gardens
Destrehan Plantation & Swamp Tour
About
This tour combines a visit to a River Road plantation and a cruise through the swamps of south Louisiana. Established in 1787 Destrehan Plantation is the oldest documented French Colonial style house in the lower Mississippi Valley. This majestic antebellum plantation home watches over the banks of the Mississippi River, only a few minutes upriver from New Orleans. Docents will share the history of the Destrehan family’s sugar dynasty contrasted with a tragic, historic slave revolt that occurred at this site. Daily trade demonstrations by costumed artisans will give your group insight to long-forgotten skills that were a vital part of everyday life centuries ago.
Then it’s a short ride to the Manchac Swamp where guests will cruise through a privately-owned wildlife refuge, home to the legendary “Rougarou”, the Cajun werewolf. Your group might not find the “Rougarou”, but they will get up close and personal with some alligators in an area where time seems to stand still. *You can purchase drinks and snacks at the swamp. Not included in the tour price.*
City, Cemetery, & Garden District Tour
About
This experience covers 25 miles of iconic New Orleans neighborhoods. The tour starts in Jackson Square with some French Quarter history and continues along Esplanade. This elegant French Avenue lined with large, Victorian houses leads your group from the French Quarter to City Park. Before they arrive at City Park, guests will stop at St. Louis Cemetery #3, where they’ll learn about our above ground burial system, the misfortunes that took the lives of many in early New Orleans, and the culture of our jazz funerals. City Park’s many attractions are nestled among the shadows of the largest collection of ancient oak trees. Stone foot bridges cross lagoons in this picture-perfect setting. Your group will stop here to explore the 11-acre sculpture garden or purchase café au lait and beignets at Café du Monde.
Garden District Stroll
Just a few miles upriver from the French Quarter, the Garden District is one of the most well preserved historic neighborhoods in America. As guests walk along, their guide will point out these architectural styles and features and share the stories of those who lived behind these grand facades.
Custom Tour Programs
About
New Orleans is not a place you visit. It’s a place you experience. We specialize in creating unique and memorable tour programs tailored for each group’s interests. Our tours pique curiosity, provide adventure, entertain, and educate. Our knowledge and experience in tour planning, a talented pool of the city’s best tour guides, and the support of our attraction partners allow us to offer you more options and flexibility than any other tour company in the city.
• Creative Tour Leaders
• Commissionable Rates
• Experienced Tour Guides on Staff
• Tour Development Committee
Gray Line’s Team of Local Experts
• Execution with Detailed Routes
• Experienced Concierges on Staff
• Online Reservations with Master List Reports
Custom Tour Programs
Gray Line Bus Charter Services
About
Gray Line offers group transportation solutions with our charter bus services. Our team of professional and friendly drivers will get your group to its destination safely and on time. Book your New Orleans charter with us!
Rates for multi-day itineraries and shuttles outside of Downtown New Orleans are priced on a case by case basis. A 5-hour minimum may apply. Surcharges or 8-hour minimums may apply to requests during holidays and special events.
