Afternoon: Arrivals. Registration and Orientation at 4:00 p.m. at the hotel. Start off your New Orleans experience with an informative overview of the week to come, and a chance to meet our staff and your fellow Participants.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Introductory lecture on the French Quarter. Your instructor is from New Orleans and loves her city. Learn and be entertained at the same time.

Lodging: Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet.

Morning: Lecture: History of New Orleans. Begin your day with a walk back into history, from the discovery of the city to present day New Orleans. Your instructor is a native New Orleanian and knows its past and present inside and out.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Interpretive field trip to Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou St. John, City Park and its magnificent oak trees, above-ground cemeteries. Also see with your instructor the results of Hurricane Katrina.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Evening: Lecture: "Legacies of New Orleans" Learn about many interesting personalities who were instrumental in forming the early New Orleans.

Lodging: Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet.

Morning: Lecture: Authors from and of New Orleans. Hear about local writers past and present who sculpted the fictional and non fictional New Orleans with their pens and typewriters. Get the real scoop on their personal lives: where they gathered, what they ate, what they drank as well as their literary personas-which are often one in the same.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: At your leisure enjoy the Mardi Gras Museum at the Presbytere to get a feel for our yearly celebration with its customs and costumes that attract international visitors. Also view the Katrina Hurricane Museum in the Presbytere (voucher provided for both). Voucher also provided for Louisiana History museum in the Cabildo. So many possibilities ! I

Dinner: Dinner is on your own tonight so that you might enjoy a restaurant of your own choosing. If you have a special restaurant in mind you might want to make advance reservations.

Evening: You may wish to return to hotel after dinner or stay in French Quarter to explore some of the jazz clubs (voucher provided for Preservation Hall) or just stroll Bourbon Street. Transportation provided back to the hotel.

Lodging: Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Architecture lecture, picnic lunch, Cabildo, musical performance in evening

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet.

Morning: Lecture: Architecture of New Orleans. An introduction to what makes New Orleans diverse. Besides the ethnic diversity of our culture, you will learn how immigrants from the West Indies to Europe brought their architectural influences to the city.

Lunch: Picnic with local food near the Mississippi River and then attend a music presentation at the Jazz National Park Museum.

Afternoon: On-site Architecture excursion with instructor in the Garden District to get an up close and personal view of the architectural styles and embellishments discussed in morning lecture as you walk through this exclusive section of our city. See homes of famous people from New Orleans.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant

Evening: Musical surprise at the hotel.

Lodging: Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet.

Morning: This morning view the spectacular Sculpture Garden in our beautiful City Park. Enjoy the New Orleans Museum of Art at your leisure or with a docent. Have the unique experience of learning about the Mardi Gras Indians from an "Indian"(see his incredible costumes)--a cultural pehenomenon in New Orleans. You will hear about the connections to the Black Culture in New Orleans and to the famous early faubourg of New Orleans called Treme.

Lunch: Lunch at local eatery

Afternoon: Use vouchers for museums or visit on your own the DDay Museum, Museum of Southern Art Free Ferry or Natchez Steamboat or attend with our group another great musical lecture/performance at the National Jazz Park or enjoy free time to do more exploring on your own. So many possibilities!

Dinner: Learn the tricks and techniques of Cajun and Creole cooking at a popular culinary arts school. Recipes will be supplied so that you can bring some New Orleans cuisine "home" with you. Enjoy the great dinner you watch being created for you.

Evening: Retun to hotel--tired but full of new ideas!

Lodging: Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet.

Morning: Lecture: "Mardi Gras," and "Huey P. Long." Hear about the real Mardi Gras from a native. All of the myths and misconceptions that you have read and heard about will be dispelled after this lecture. The second half of the class is dedicated to Louisiana politics, with a focus on colorful former governor, Huey P. Long - the "Kingfish." You will be amazed at the antics, politics, and incidents that were orchestrated by this powerful, charismatic figure who was revered by his constituents, despised by his political enemies and even his family.

Lunch: Your program concludes with lunch.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch