Hi I'm Canden with Free Tours by Foot and this is the Garden District.
We're going to show you around this historic neighbourhood of New Orleans and share a few
tips on what to see.
The Garden District of New Orleans is where the Americans moved to when they arrived in
this newly purchased former French city.
They thought the French Quarter was small and dirty and full of ... well, the French.
The result is one of New Orleans’s most desired neighborhoods and one of the nation’s
most beautifully preserved city districts and it is home to the rich, the famous, the
strange and the dead!
Depending on where you are coming from and going to exactly, the Garden District is about
2-3 miles from the French Quarter.
There are buses that service the area, but we recommend taking a ride on the St. Charles
Streetcar.
If you’re mainly interested in the shopping and dining on Magazine Street, the #11 city
bus runs the entire length of that street, from the edge of the French Quarter all the
way to the Audubon Zoo.
We often focus on just about 6 blocks that encompass the Garden District to look at mid
19th century homes and tell the stories of their past and sometime present residents.
The owners of these antebellum homes take great pride and you'll find beautiful views
even from the street - since most of the homes aren't usually open to the public.
You'll want to look for large windows that take advantage of cross breezes on hot New
Orleans summer days, raised basements due to too often floods, and haint blue ceilings
on the porches.
The wrought iron fences are some of the most photographed parts of the neighborhood.
Fans of pop culture and modern celebs can keep an eye out for Eli and Payton Manning,
John Goodman, Sandra Bullock, amongst others.
And a popular stop is the former home of Anne Rice, whose Interview with a Vampire and other
novels focus on New Orleans culture.
There are lots of way to explore the Garden District, and our top suggestion is to take
a walking tour with Free Tours by Foot.
Our 2 hour walking tour is not just mansions and manicured gardens, but stories of legends,
tragedy, epidemics, lost causes, movie stars, and celebrity chefs.
In addition to seeing this city of 19th century villas, you'll also see a city of the dead
with a journey through Lafayette Cemetery #1 - a municipal cemetery (so not part of
a church) that dates back to 1833.
The Garden District is also known for shopping, with the famous Magazine Street boasting locally
made artisan crafts, vintage stores, and antiques.
These offbeat boutiques even feature a "green light district" where you'll find a number
of eco friendly items.
Its a very walkable area and you can literally spend days window shopping here but since
its more affordable Royal Street, you might want to get some shopping done.
You'll also find a number of delicious NOLA treats, coffees and restaurants.
Here is Commander's Palace, one of the most recommended places to sample classic Creole
Cuisine.
Considered one of the best restaurants in the country and the Dress code is enforced.
One of their calling cards is the 25-cent martinis t hey sell during weekday lunch.
Also the inventors of jazz brunch, which they hold every weekend.
If you're looking to explore on your own, we offer a self guided Garden District tour
and a GPS Enabled Walking Tour.
Here's a sample of one of the stops:
Look in the description below for the links.
Since you won't find museums or historic homes that you can go inside or even informational
plaques, the draw of the Garden District really is those instagrammable views and a sense
of being transported back in time.
But to get a real sense of the neighborhood or to entertain the kids (and sometimes adults)
who need stories to go along with the statly views, this really is place to see with an
expert local guide.
Check out our blog post linked below for all the things to do, drink and eat in the Garden
District, as well as to book your guided walking tour with us.
The tour runs almost every day so it should fit into your schedule!
On our website, you'll find all our insider tips on visiting the French Quarter, things
to do in New Orleans at night and more information on our tours of other sites, such as St. Louis
Cemetery, and speciality tours focusing on New Orleans Ghosts, local Music & Arts, VooDoo,
and French Quarter Culinary History and Food.
Like our video and comment below with what you like most about the Garden District.
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and watch our other videos about New Orleans and
other cities.