Things to Do in River Ridge

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.

Formed in 1989, the Louisiana Tour Company started out by organizing Swamp tours narrated by knowledgeable boat captains. Today, the company has grown to offer other excursions such as city Ghost tours on foot, visits to plantations in a van, and Airboat tours of swamp and marshland on the backs of indigenous amphibians. Three-hour New Orleans City and Post-Katrina tours invite sightseers to load up into a minibus to visit city landmarks and areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Facilitating the fan-delighting collision of comic-book universes and intergalactic heroes, Wizard World organizes Comic Cons and pop-culture conventions across the continent. At each event, stars from the silver screen set down roots in booths across the convention floor, wielding markers for autographs and their photo-op-ready smiles. Past guests have run the gamut from William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, and the cast of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Away from the crowds, stars also participate in talks and Q&A panels as part of the event’s programming. Along with beloved actors, Wizard World’s conventions grant guests a chance to interact with writers and artists as well as partake in activities such as gaming tournaments and costume contests.