Beauty and the Beast
A Love Song That Whispers My Name
New Orleans, Louisiana
July 9-16, 2025

Possible Add-ons



Please read over and choose which of these activities you are likely to want to go on. It will give me an idea of what to schedule. I will put polls on the Facebook page and make the add-on schedule from those results. Some activities require a minimum number to get the group rate.

If a price is listed, it is this year’s price. The price may be different next year.

*** Note that con days are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, July 10-12. ***

1) Swamp Tour: bus to swamp. There is fascinating flora and fauna like snakes, turtles and (if dat wata is wet) alligators while listening to interesting commentary from your professional guide. $60

2) Night Plantation Tour: Bus to Destrehan plantation for tour. An interactive way to learn about the history of Destrehan Plantation, Learn about the 1811 slave revolt, walk among lingering spirits, and trace the evolution of Voodoo in south Louisiana. Learn about the mysteries behind the Voodoo religion with the help of your personal storyteller. $70

3) Oak Alley Plantation: Bus there and back: half-day tour of Oak Alley Plantation. This gorgeous home was built in 1839. View stunning architecture, oak-lined esplanades, and enduring sugar cane fields while learning about the plantation's fascinating – and often somber – histories from expert guides. $82

4) Laura Plantation: Bus there and back: Discover four generations of Creole history at the Laura Plantation Laura Plantation was founded in 1804. Learn about the history of this home during a guided tour of this plantation, fields and gardens. $70

5) Whitney Plantation: Bus there and back: a non-profit museum dedicated to the history of the Whitney Plantation, which operated from 1752-1975. The museum preserves over a dozen historical structures, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Whitney Plantation Historic District. $80

6) Combo Swamp, Plantation, and Lunch: $130

7) Night Bus Ghost and Cemetery Tour: Bus will pick us up at our hotel and take us to "haunted" locations including Big Charity Hospital, abandoned after Katrina. At several locations you can get out and take pic. $55

8) WWII Museum: admission and Beyond All Boundaries video $43 Must have at least 10 people to get group rate. General admission: $32.50, Senior: $27.50, add Beyond All Boundaries video: Adult: $41.50 Senior: $36.50

9) Mardi Gras Costume and Culture Museum: This is an indoor activity from 12-4. We will tour historical Mardi Gras Costumes, and then go to the costume closet. They also have a show and indoor 2nd line. $25

10) Historic New Orleans Collection: This is a collection of museums. This will be a morning tour, since there is a little walking involved in getting to the museums. We will do a 35 minute guided tour of the French quarter Galleries that explore more than 300 years of French Quarter history.

11) Sazerac House: The 1600 business was rooted in the Cognac business in France that in turn led to the creation and popularity of coffee houses and bars in New Orleans. Free

12) Mardi Gras World: You’ll get an overview of the history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans before continuing through the float den, where our artists work year-round to build spectacular floats and props. Adult: $20, Senior: $16 Add a Mask Making Workshop: $45

13) Baton Rouge: The New State Capitol The building is 450 ft high & 460 ft to the tip with 34 floors. The Observation Deck on the 27th floor overlooks the city of Baton Rouge at a height of 450 feet / 460 feet to the tip. The views of the Capitol gardens and the Capitol lakes are spectacular!

14) Louisiana's Old State Capitol, a Gothic architectural treasure, stands high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The 165-year-old statehouse has withstood war, fire, scandal, bitter debate,  abandonment and an occasional fistfight. We will see a video presentation that tells the history of the  building through the eyes of our "ghost" Sarah Morgan.

15) The Tunnel: Now known as a Speakeasy: Completed in the late 20’s, the tunnel served as a connector between two hotels and allowed the opulent, full-service Heidelberg Hotel to create a similar experience for the smaller King hotel across the street including room service, valet, and laundry services. Later, The Tunnel became known as "Peacock Alley" as it was adorned with ornate mosaic tiles. It is rumored that Huey Long was having an affair with his Secretary who became the acting Governor of Louisiana for a short period when Huey was elected Senator, she was most likely the youngest acting Governor and the only female during that time.

16) New Orleans School of Cooking: We have done this a couple of times over the past, but if enough people want we can do it again. It is a cooking demo of several New Orleans dishes and then we eat. They also have a really nice shop (unless we are at their venue on the river) where you can get all the New Orleans spices. $44

17) New Orleans City Tour: This tour will take us through the Garden District to see all the beautiful homes. We will also go to the 9th ward and visit the flood house and see where the levees first broke after Katrina. We will visit a few cemeteries, and go to City Park and visit the 100 year old carousel. $50

18) Mules in the Marigny: We have very few walking tours, because it is just hot outside, but on this one we get to tour the carriage mule stables and meet the mules. They also tour the neighboring homes in the area. $35

19) Gallia House: This Victorian French Quarter townhouse was built in 1860 as a private family residence, This royal street home includes ornate interior décor, running hot and cold water, experimental skylight, and classic courtyard. Adults $16 seniors $14

20) Hermann-Grima House: This restored French Quarter home built in 1831, includes a Federalist architectural façade, original operating open-hearth kitchen, and expansive courtyard.

21) Exchange Shop: Located in one of the few remaining 19th-century French Quarter stable buildings. Established in 1881, it follows the long tradition of Woman’s Exchanges,

22) Metairie Cemetery Bus Tour: This is one of the most beautiful Cemeteries in the New Orleans area. We can ride through this cemetery and have a tour guide lead us through the history

23) Private Streetcar Tour: City Tour following whatever line we choose. $50

24) Candlelight Concert: These are done at the Sazarac House. Would depend on their schedule

25) Evergreen Plantation: The most intact plantation complex in the south with 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Evergreen has its country’s highest historic designation and joins Gettysburg and Mount Vernon in being granted landmark status.

26) Other Attractions: Audubon Aquarium and Insectariums, Algiers Ferry, Algiers Point

27) Pirates Alley: In the French Quarter. Connects Rue Royale and Rue Charters on the side of St Louis Cathedral. Pirates Alley was officially called Orleans Alley until as late as the 1960s. Then the city changed the name because tourists kept getting lost.

28) Faulkner’s Books: 624 Pirate's Alley, Former home of William Faulkner

29) Exchange Alley: It was built as a back entrance to the Merchants' Exchange Building on Royal Street. The street has been a hidden alleyway to many shops and restaurants. Also known as Exchange Place.

30) New Orleans Pharmacy Museum: The building that the museum occupies is it’s a classic Creole townhouse in constructed in 1822-1823 that served as the apothecary and residence of Louis J. Dulfilho, Jr., the first licensed pharmacist in the United States. General admission: Adults $10, Seniors 65+, students, people with disabilities & military $7
Guided Tours: $35 includes a walking tour of the area.

31) New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint: A series of rotating exhibits on themes relating to jazz history and culture. Free Jazz concert at 2PM every Tuesday and a balcony concert at 5PM every Tuesday. Adults $8 Seniors $6

32) Group Dinner at Dat Dog: Two hour all you can eat meal in a private party room. Meal comes with hot dog toppings, seasoned fries or tots and fountain drinks. They do have vegan meats and I will bring gluten free buns for those that need them. Then we can walk down Frenchmen St, have a few drinks, listen to some music, and go to art market. $25

33) Royal Carriages: A mule - drawn carriage through the historic neighborhoods of the French Quarter and the Marigny. $60

34) Presbytère: The Presbyter’s two permanent exhibits tell two sides of the ongoing Louisiana
Story—one of celebration and one of resilience. Adult $7 senior $6
Permanent exhibits Include:
  • Mardi Gras
  • Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond
Rotating exhibits at this time:
  • To Be A Star: The Carnival Costume Designs of San Nicholas: Rocky Russo
  • Mardi Gras Satire: Puncturing Pomposity: highlights how satire has played a starring role in New Orleans Mardi Gras.
35) Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Package: This sightseeing package includes two walking tours and a 3-day, hop-on hop-off bus ticket. You’ll get a walking guided tour of the Garden District and a walking tour of the French Quarter with a 3-day bus ticket that lets you explore the city as you wish. The bus ticket is for consecutive days. Interactive map $59

36) Basin St. Station And Tourist Center: Stop 5 on HOHO AC, places to sit, grab and go café, gift shop, clean bathrooms

37) Possible Walking Tours:
St. Louis Cemetery #1: Tour gathers and departs from inside of Basin St. Station. $25

45 minutes in Jackson Square: Your guide will meet you at 701 Decatur St at the fountain in inside the gates in Jackson Square. The fountain is directly across from the entrance to the cathedral. $22


38) Free Tours On Foot Voodoo Tour With High Priest Robi: Shrouded in mystery and secrecy voodoo has long reigned in New Orleans legends, myths, and history. Tips only

39) Steamboat Natchez: the last authentic Steamboat on the Mighty Mississippi River. Adult – Sightseeing Only (No Meal) $49.50 Senior (65+) - Sightseeing Only (No Meal) $44 If you want the
dinner it is about $40 more.

40) Tattoos: Probably at Electric Ladyland on Frenchmen street. Details to come.

41) Henna Tattoos: Details to come

42) Paint your own pottery: I’m working with a shop that will bring everything to our hotel. Details to come.

43) Jazzy Pass: The Le Pass app allows users to live track both RTA’s streetcars and ferries as well as JP Transit buses in Jefferson Parish. With Le Pass you can easily buy transportation passes on your phone.

44) Vampire Tour: Your dance with the undead begins at nightfall when the darker side of New Orleans emerges. Meet your theatrical local guide at Saint Louis Cathedral for a chilling 2‐hour walk through the French Quarter. Visit places rich in vampire lore such as the filming location of Interview with a Vampire. You’ll also hear some ‘real’ stories of the undead from public archives and police reports, and peek in at a known vampire tavern. Starts at 08:30 pm. $30

45) Storyville Museum: A comprehensive exploration of the unique history of New Orleans leading up to the creation of the notorious Red-Light District. Our mission is to educate, inform, and entertain visitors by offering a vivid glimpse into the fascinating world of New Orleans, from its founding in 1718, through the early 1900s, when the Storyville District flourished as a center of music, entertainment, and vice.

The aim is to shed light on the social, cultural, and economic impacts of the Storyville District on New Orleans and beyond. From the early days of jazz to the struggles of the individuals who lived and worked in the District, we delve into the complex narratives that shaped this extraordinary era. The team of historians, curators, researchers, and set designers has painstakingly collected and curated a diverse range of artifacts, photographs, and documents that bring the story of the District to life. Over 18 only. $31.50

46) Jamnola: New Orleans’ Cultural Funhouse There are 17  immersive exhibits of pure joy showcasing the iconic art, music, food, and theatrics of the city through the eyes of over 30 local artists. $34 but with 5 or more people we get 15% off.

47) Stationary Spirits: An immersive ghost story experience. Join veteran and fifth-generation ghost storyteller, Orion Couling, as he brings you a Salon des Fantômes! Reclaiming the old use of a salon being “a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation". Sit back and enjoy a professional multimedia presentation of New Orleans's finest ghost, vampire, and horror lore - without leaving the comfort of your hotel. Think of it as a haunt-TED talk! $50, we will most likely get a group discount.  This will take place in our meeting room in the hotel.





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2025.1.14