Things to Do in Terrytown

After Frankie Cheek discovered segway tours while visiting Italy, he decided to start his own company in his native New Orleans. When he was boarding a plane back home, Hurricane Katrina struck, redirecting him to Louisiana’s grandfather country: France. While exploring Paris in the wake of the devastating tragedy back home, Cheek drew inspiration for his future segway tours—he was resolved, according to his website, to "help a city rich in history move forward while riding the most high-tech transporter available." Since returning to New Orleans, he’s led daily segway adventures, whirring groups of sightseers around the French Quarter, the riverfront, and Jackson Square with the ease, maneuverability, and safety-minded attitude of a cool biker gang. Plus, through a partnership with other tour companies, Cheek can also guide guests through swamps, plantations, and supposedly haunted locales.

Yogi Michele Baker began teaching yoga at a New Orleans athletic club in 1998. Ten years later, after Hurricane Katrina forced Baker to evacuate her home, she started writing a yoga-instruction training manual. She soon put it to use, using it as a guide to lead her staff at Swan River Yoga, which she opened with business partner Keith Porteous. Today, the yoga center helps pupils practice yoga and guides aspiring instructors as they hone their craft and nurture the third eye that sprouts from their forehead.

Yoga classes are suitable for a variety of skill levels, and range from prenatal and beginners’ yoga to Anusara yoga—a class that focuses on flowing movements and proper alignment. Swan River Yoga also provides holistic services such as massage, reiki, and acupuncture.

Founded in 1976 by a group of ambitious visual and performing artists, the Contemporary Arts Center still keeps in touch with its roots as an artist-driven community organization. The award-winning design of its ever-changing gallery, atrium, and theater spaces juxtaposes the original architecture of a turn-of-the-century warehouse building with newer materials and aesthetics. Within its 30,000 feet of open event space, the CAC hosts a range of events, such as curated contemporary exhibitions, world and local music performances, and special galas such as the SweetArts Bash.

When not coordinating exhibitions and performances, the CAC staff also leads educational programs such as one-day art camps, which expose children and adults to the arts. In these programs, professional local artists train groups in drama, dance, music, visual arts, and creative writing.

Big Easy Scooters facilitates half- and full-day excursions throughout New Orleans with name-brand scooter rentals from Aprilia, Genuine, and Kymco. Equipped with helmets and accidental-damage insurance, guests can guide themselves through the historic French Quarter, pausing for glimpses of celebrity-owned residences and sprinklers that spray Sazerac. In addition to rentals, Big Easy Scooters sells previously owned and new scooters including classic models and agile Kymcos.

At Positive Changes Now, professional hypnotist Liz Pagani helps clients work through personal issues and difficult periods in their lives. During 45- to 60-minute hypnotherapy sessions, clients concurrently experience deep physical relaxation and keen mental focus. Hypnosis sessions may improve recipients' abilities to speak animal languages and overcome negative aspects of their lives, such as poor weight control, low self-esteem, smoking habits, insomnia, and anxiety. From chronic pain to phobias, the caring specialist works with the client to amend any type of condition or issue and keeps all sessions private and confidential.

At the helm of Freret Street Yoga, Geoffrey Roniger employs his own approach to yoga: intuitive movement and alignment to help students to achieve mental, emotional, and physical balance. He and his team of instructors do not teach just one way to practice; instead, they arm students with a range of breathing and posing techniques to best fit their ability and prepare them for successfully hiding in overhead compartments. In addition to beginner and intermediate classes, Freret Street also specializes in athlete’s yoga and techniques designed to foster workplace wellness. Newly limber muscles can find additional relief under the practiced hands of massage therapist Brad “Yogi” Barra. He tends to sore spots with deep-tissue and neuromuscular bodywork, as well as craniosacral and active-release therapy.