Historic New Orleans Walking Tours, New Orleans

Frommer's calls Historic New Orleans Tours "the place to go for authenticity rather than sensationalism," lauding the knowledgeable, entertaining guides and decreeing "we cannot recommend them enough." It's one of many publications that have sung the company's praises, due in no small part to owner Robert Florence's passion for and knowledge of local history. The published author and his crew take people on a variety of foot-, van-, and boat-based journeys, ranging from cruises through the Louisiana swamp to a ride past areas that are rebounding from Hurricane Katrina. On walking tours, guides regale patrons with humorous and tragic stories about voodoo cemeteries and the history or organized crime in New Orleans, from Jean Lafitte’s piracy to the first home of the American Mafia.