Tours in Laplace

Devoted to preserving Cajun culture by sharing it with the public, Cajun Pride Tours’ knowledgeable and passionate guides lead groups on tours that explore area swamps, plantations along the Great Mississippi River Road, and the historic districts of New Orleans. They also stroll along city streets in the French Quarter in New Orleans, the Garden District, and areas that display the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. On boat trips, groups can spot friendly gators while floating through the Manchac Swamp—a protected area that prohibits any hunting, fishing, or tickling of the native wildlife. A short drive past the swamps drops tourists off near the area’s plantations that are notable for their history, architecture, landscaping, and insight into Creole culture.

Today, Bocage Plantation's eight white columns and grand staircase gleam in the afternoon sun just steps from the Mississippi River. But the 175-year-old Greek Revival mansion hasn’t always looked this dapper. When Louisiana native Dr. Marion Rundell purchased the property in 2008, he supervised a careful restoration before beginning the mansion’s first public tours. The pathologist also decorated its interior with antiques and furniture from his personal collection, including Baccarat and Waterford chandeliers, old Paris porcelain vases, and paintings by Thomas Sully and Rembrandt Peale. A bed and breakfast with four rooms allows guests to bask in period atmosphere overnight.

The history of Bocage Plantation dates back to 1837, when wealthy planter Marius Pons Bringier had it built for his daughter and son-in-law. Architect James Dakin—best known for creating Baton Rouge's former state capitol building—designed the mansion, which now graces the National Register of Historic Places. The Bocage Plantations belongs to the prestigious group of Greek Revival and Creole plantations located along River Road, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The learned guides of Spirit Tours New Orleans escort visitors through the Big Easy's streets, illuminating its rich history of mysticism, culture, and architecture. After examining obscure burial methods in the city's oldest cemetery St. Louis Cemeterey #1, cemetery and voodoo tours turn guest attention to tales of voodoo practitioners, such as Marie Laveau. Spooky-story fans listen intently to tales of slave owners and creoles while wandering through the French Quarter, and strolling film buffs judge how accurately films such as Interview with the Vampire and the critically panned Tuba from the Black Lagoon portrayed their locales. In addition to offering a garden-district tour, which highlights plantation-style mansions and elegant Saint Charles Avenue homesteads, Spirit Tours combines several of its tours into a combo package that covers voodoo, ghost stories, scandals, and bar hopping during one French Quarter jaunt.

Long celebrated by musicians, artists, and writers, the uniquely magnetic and spooky New Orleans comes to life as New Orleans Spirit Tours’ guides introduce guests to the city’s ghosts, voodoo, and sordid history. The knowledgeable guides—who all boast encounters with the paranormal—usher small groups through locales such as St. Louis #1 cemetery and the French Quarter as they share tales of religion, murder, slavery, piracy, and corruption. Each story is researched to ensure its truthfulness, with guides cutting to the heart of fabled figures such as voodoo queen Marie Laveau while dismissing myths such as the Legend of Curly’s Gold.

“Today was a little weird,” begins one of New Orleans Jogging Tours’ guides in a recent blog entry. “Every time we stopped to talk about the houses in the Garden District, a lizard jumped out!” This rare bahama anole isn’t the only outlandish sight jogging tourists have encountered on the 10-kilometer jaunts. The bouncing periphery of tour routes is frequently peppered with unexpected encounters, such as late-night Bourbon Street revelers or trees costumed with Mardi Gras beads well after Fat Tuesday. All New Orleans natives, the guides are primed to run the routes but keep pace with their charges, even if that means leisurely strolling or cartwheeling through historic areas such as the French Quarter, cemetery, and Garden District. Each section houses morsels of historical and cultural significance, from the St. Louis Cathedral and Civil War Museum to the homes of Sandra Bullock and a former Real World cast. Guides can stow smaller items in a backpack they bring along, but suggest that joggers tow personal backpacks for larger cargo.