Louisiana
Signature City New Orleans
Program No. 2856RJ
Get to know the real New Orleans through full days of excursions to historic landmarks, artists’ haunts and jazz venues. Plus, sample cuisine at the New Orleans School of Cooking!
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
12 meals (
4B, 1BR, 4L, 3D
)
5 expert-led lectures
5 expert-led field trips
2 performances
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Meals:
D
Stay:
Hotel Monteleone
Activity Note
Hotel check-in begins at 4:00 p.m. All evening activities will take place inside the hotel.
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:30 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: Immediately following the registration period, the Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Some field trips will be walking, others via motorcoach. In addition to meals at the historic Monteleone Hotel, we’ll dine around at some of the city’s fine restaurants. Breakfasts will be offered in the hotel’s restaurant. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will always be happy to offer suggestions. As a special bonus, we will have vouchers to use at a popular jazz club and the Louisiana State Museum.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Live music fills the Carousel Bar & Lounge overlooking Royal Street right inside our historic hotel — a French Quarter landmark since 1886. The Carousel evokes a spirit of fun with the renowned Merry-Go-Round, the city’s only revolving bar. Live music continues on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Day
2
Intro. to New Orleans, City Field Trip, Cooking School
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Hotel Monteleone
Activity Note
The motor coach is parked 1.5 blocks away, and requires walking up 3-4 steps to board it. New Orleans’ sidewalks are narrow, uneven, bumpy, and contains potholes. Mobility devices like wheelchairs, walkers, and canes can be accommodated with careful navigation. Scooters cannot be accommodated. The motor coach tour will last 3.5 hours with stops to get out along the way. There will be a 45 minute break to stretch at City Park Sculpture Garden. The walk to dinner is 3.5 blocks in each direction.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
In this introduction to New Orleans, we’ll learn about our history and culture, traditions, celebrations, people, and what it means when we say, “It’s a New Orleans thing.”
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We’ll board a motorcoach and continue our delightful introduction to New Orleans as our instructor points out significant sites and reveals more about the city’s people, traditions, and unique culture. We’ll make stops at highlights along the way, including: Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou St. John, City Park with its magnificent oak trees and Sculpture Garden, and one of the famed and mysterious above-ground cemeteries where the departed — from pirates to voodoo queens — are interred.
Dinner:
We’ll dine at the world renowned New Orleans School of Cooking. Here an expert local chef will teach us how to cook Creole and Cajun cuisine, as they explain the difference. We’ll see the preparation of a traditional dish, then have it for dinner. For dessert, we’ll sample the best pralines in town!
Evening:
At leisure. Experience nightlife in the French Quarter. If you’re a music aficionado, there are lots of options. We have provided a voucher (drink included) for Fritzel’s European Jazz Club. The French Quarter has something to offer for almost every interest and taste.
Day
3
Architecture Class, Garden District Tour, Sazerac House
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Hotel Monteleone
Activity Note
One must be able to walk 1.5 blocks, and get up the stairs of a parked motor coach. (30 minute drive). The Garden District tour will require an hour of walking (8 blocks), however one has the option to stay on the motor coach if they would like to skip the activity. Sidewalks are flat, uneven and bumpy. Mobility devices like wheelchairs, walkers, and canes can be accommodated with careful navigation. Scooters cannot be accommodated. Sazerac House is located 4 blocks from the hotel.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll have an introduction to the architecture and diversity of New Orleans from a local architecture expert. Architecture is an expression of culture. We’ll learn how different nationalities and ethnicities — such as immigrants from Europe and the West Indies — influenced local architecture and contributed to the “gumbo” of our society. We’ll then board the motorcoach and become immersed in New Orleans architecture. We’ll learn about various types of iron works, architecture, and historic homes with some stops along the way. Next, we will set out on a walking field trip with a local historian in the aptly named Garden District, one of the loveliest neighborhoods in the country. It was laid out in 1832 for incoming, well-to-do Americans who were not interested in mingling with native New Orleanians. The feeling was mutual! Grand houses were built on large lots in this lush setting.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Following lunch, we will drive by motor coach back to the French Quarter and visit Sazerac House. Here, we will take a self-directed exploration to learn about the history of the Sazerac cocktail and how spirits played an important role in New Orleans' culture.
Dinner:
Dinner is on your own this evening. We've left the night free for you to dine at whatever restaurant you like. Your group leader can offer suggestions if needed.
Evening:
At leisure. Go out to experience more of New Orleans night life, music, and culture. If you haven’t used it yet, your voucher for Fritzel’s is good any night of the week. Feel free to also have a relaxed evening at the hotel; the choice is yours.
Day
4
World War II Museum, Jazz Lecture
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Hotel Monteleone
Activity Note
One must be able to walk 1.5 blocks, and get up the stairs of a parked motor coach. The WWII Museum is self-guided and at one's own pace. It is a very large museum that requires 3-4 hours of walking and standing. There are scattered benches available for sitting. Wheel chairs can be rented at the Front Desk (though they are limited in number and cannot be guaranteed; they do not take advanced reservations on wheelchairs).
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Formerly known as the D-Day Museum, the National World War II Museum was founded by eminent historian Dr. Stephen Ambrose, author “Band of Brothers” and other best-sellers. A self directed exploration will takes us through three buildings that house exhibits highlighting the role of participants from world leaders to the everyday men and women whose contributions helped to win the war, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Many items in the vast collection — such as uniforms, weaponry, vehicles, medals, diaries, letters, artwork, photographs, and other mementos — are on display while thousands of records and archives are available to scholars for ongoing research. We’ll also see the film “Beyond All Boundaries” narrated by Tom Hanks. Through first person accounts and amazing special effects, we’ll take a journey through the war that changed the world.
Lunch:
At the American Sector restaurant located inside the National WW II Museum.
Afternoon:
Following lunch, we will have a couple more hours to explore the National WW II Museum. For those who are interested in art, we also have access to the neighboring Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Donated by businessman Roger Ogden and other collectors, the museum houses a private collection of over 4,000 works of art depicting outdoor scenes and southern life. Here you will see southern artists' paintings, watercolors, sculptures, prints, and photographs. We will then make our way back to the hotel via motor coach. Upon arrival, we will have a lecture/ performance by a jazz clarinetist who performs Dixieland and Trad Jazz.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure. Take this time to experience more of our very special city and what it has to offer.
Day
5
Literature lecture, Jazz Museum, Free Time
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Hotel Monteleone
Activity Note
The morning lecture is 1.5 hours in length broken up with a 15 minute break in the middle. One must be able to walk 1.5 blocks and go up 3-4 steps of a parked motor coach. The Jazz Museum will require an hour of standing/ walking. Free time activities are at your own discretion. The motor coach will do a return trip to the hotel from Jackson Square, otherwise it's a 6 block walk. The walk to dinner is1 block walk in each direction.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll be joined by the managing editor of the Tennessee Williams Journal, whose love of writing and New Orleans is evident in her enthusiastic lectures. We’ll learn about some of the famous writers who lived in and wrote about the French Quarter including William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, John Kennedy Toole, and more. Following our morning lecture, we will drive by motor coach and visit the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint. The museum showcases the birth and history of jazz in New Orleans, and its legacy. The museum also holds the world's largest collection of jazz instruments, artifacts, and photographs of different musicians. While here, we will take a self-guided tour of the museum.
Lunch:
At a local jazz café. There will be live musical performances during this meal.
Afternoon:
Free Time. We have access to explore the Cabildo and Presbytère flanking St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. Both buildings were constructed during the Spanish period (1795-1799). The Cabildo was the center of government. The Presbytère, built on the site of what had been the residence of Capuchin monks, was used for commercial purposes. Both are now key components of the Louisiana State Museum. The Cabildo displays artifacts of American history as well as rarities such as Napoleon’s death mask. The Presbytère’s interactive exhibit on Mardi Gras traces our annual celebration from its origins to the present day with an exquisite collection of artifacts and memorabilia. Another exhibit expresses Louisiana’s saga of resilience in the face of disasters. You might also like to stroll along Royal Street with its antique shops, visit the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, or go for a ride on the paddlewheeler “Natchez” — last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi. There are many opportunities to experience our people, cultures, and celebrations. Please note, the motor coach will do an afternoon pickup near Jackson Square for those who want to be driven back to the hotel.
Dinner:
At a fine New Orleans eatery, we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner together. Share your favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends.
Evening:
At leisure. This evening, we will have one more opportunity to hit the town and enjoy New Orleans Jazz. Then prepare for check out and departure following our final event in the morning.
Day
6
Jazz Brunch, Program Concludes
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Meals:
BR
Activity Note
The walk to brunch requires 4 blocks in each direction on uneven sidewalks. Hotel check-out is 12:00 PM.
Brunch:
At the celebrated Court of Two Sisters, we’ll settle in for a true New Orleans delight, the jazz brunch. The elaborate buffet offers tasty hot and cold New Orleans favorites from eggs any style to Creole jambalaya, grits and grillades, gumbo, classic desserts, and much more; coffee, tea, water included, other beverages available for purchase. Tap your toes to the music of the restaurant’s resident jazz trio. Enjoy this final dining and musical experience with a broader and deeper understanding and appreciation of our city, the one and only New Orleans. Please note that the jazz brunch will occur between 9:00-10:30 AM. Our hotel check-out is at noon. Please plan you flights accordingly. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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