Enjoy a tour before, during, or after the AAA Annual Meeting! See the French Quarter, visit the above-ground tombs at the “City of the Dead,” or go a bit farther afield for a trip to an old-style plantation or the legendary Louisiana swamps.

Or stroll next door to the Aquarium of the Americas, which features over 7,500 specimens of marine life from four major habitats: The Amazon Rain Forest, the Reefs of the Caribbean, the Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico. An underwater dive show is performed regularly. The Aquarium now houses one of the world’s largest and most diverse shark collections, including several species not on display elsewhere in the United States.

A tour desk is located in the lobby of the headquarters hotel (New Orleans Hilton Riverside), operated by New Orleans Tours. Tours can be arranged in person (hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven days a week) or by phone (504) 592-0537.

The most popular tours include:

City Tour
(2½ hours, three times daily) — A narrated bus tour including the French Quarter where you’ll pass Jackson Square, the Cabildo, seat of the old Spanish government, experiencing the architecture that makes New Orleans unique among American cities. Proceed to historic Esplanade Avenue and continue to St. Louis Cemetery, the “City of the Dead,” and on to Lake Pontchartrain and the yacht harbor.

Ride through the old town of Carrollton to St. Charles Avenue, following the streetcar route by Tulane and Loyola Universities, Audubon Park and beautifully restored mansions.

City and River Tour
(4 hours, twice daily) — Following the City Tour, climb aboard the paddlewheeler Creole Queen for a Battlefield Cruise. The Creole Queen’s captain will point out and describe landmarks and historical points of interest along the Mississippi River. The cruise stops at the Chalmette Battlefield, site of Andrew Jackson’s victorious 1815 Battle of New Orleans. A creole lunch and beverages are available for purchase during the cruise.

Plantation Tour
(2½ hours, three times daily; or full-day, 7½ hours) — Travel along the winding River Road for a first-hand look at antebellum life. Tour San Francisco Plantation, a remarkable example of mid-19th century architecture reflecting the lifestyle on the Mississippi that ended with the Civil War. San Francisco Plantation, famous for its five ceiling frescoes, is authentically furnished based on the original owner’s memoirs. The all-day tour includes the Creole plantation Laura where the American fable “Br’er Rabbit” was first recorded. Laura Plantation was run primarily by four women for nearly a century. The tour focuses on plantation children, River Road history, Creole women, architecture, slavery, and the Br’er Rabbit folktales. A stop at Oak Alley Plantation, the setting for many movies about plantation life, is also included. On the return trip to New Orleans, travel over the Bonne Carre Spillway built through one of the most impressive cypress marshes in Louisiana.

Swamp Tour
(3½ hours, twice daily) — Experience a real-life adventure for the whole family from the comfort of an airboat. Tour back into the meandering bayous and into the past — a past filled with the exploits of pirates and Indians made famous through story and song — and a present filled with moss-draped cypress trees, fascinating plant life, and the creatures who make their homes here. Guided by a native of the area who will share the legends and the lore of Louisiana’s still untamed wilderness.