Highlights

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Itinerary

Day 1 – New Orleans, LA – Dinner & Dancing at Mulates

Arrive in New Orleans, LA today where you enjoy a two-night stay in the French Quarter.

Tonight, enjoy a fun evening at Mulates, the King of Cajun Dine & Dance Halls. Featuring live Cajun Music and Dancing, Mulates is where Cajuns come to celebrate their heritage, and the world comes to help them celebrate.  (D)

Day 2 – New Orleans City Tour – Mari Gras World w/Mask Making & Lunch – Performance Option – Dixieland Jazz Cruise

After breakfast, meet a local guide for a tour of New Orleans. You will travel by the historic parts of the French Quarter, where you see some of the oldest sections of the city: Jackson Square, the towering St. Louis Cathedral, the infamous Bourbon Street, and the bustling French Market. No visit to New Orleans would be complete without a tour in one of the historic cemeteries, where you will find the above ground tombs that inhabit these “cities of the dead.”

This afternoon, visit Mardi Gras World, where you can learn about New Orleans’ history and culture through the wonder of Mardi Gras. Stand in awe as you watch the artists painting and sculpting right before your eyes. This tour highlights the history of Mardi Gras and highlights the art, giving a unique glimpse into the past and present of this incredible tradition. Come witness the process that makes Mardi Gras the greatest free show on Earth. Get an insider’s view of how Mardi Gras props and floats are built for next year’s parades.

Your visit to Mardi Gras World also included a Mask Making Class. Explore the artistic side of Mardi Gras! This one-hour activity allows your students the opportunity to create a Mardi Gras mask to take home. Each participant will be given one mask, glitter, and anything else needed to decorate their one-of-a-kind Carnival creation. Lunch will also be included with your visit to Mardi Gras World.

There will also be time today to schedule a student performance.  New Orleans offers several performance opportunities.  From the National WWII Museum, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, to several local theatres and venues, there a plenty of options for your student group.

Tonight, enjoy a Dinner Cruise that includes Dixieland Jazz as you cruise the Mississippi on the Steamboat Natchez. Boarding in the French Quarter, you head downriver past the historic Riverfront while The Dukes of Dixieland performing for those happy, brassy tunes for which this city is so well known.  (B,L,D)

Day 3 – Oak Alley Plantation w/Lunch – Natchez, MS – William Johnson House – Natchez Ghost Tour

This morning, tour the Historic Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans. The Oak Alley Plantation, built in 1837, is a historic antebellum plantation located on the Mississippi River.  The design is Greek Revival with freestanding colonnade of 28 Doric columns. Enjoy a guided Tour of the Big House, Slavery at Oak Alley exhibit, and a self-guided walking tour of the grounds. Included with your visit is a delicious Cajun lunch buffet.

Next, follow the Mississippi River north to Natchez, MS. Visit the William Johnson House offering a rare and personal glimpse into the life of a free African American in the antebellum South. Built in 1840 by Johnson, a freedman who became a successful barber and landowner, the house is now part of the Natchez National Historical Park and serves as a museum dedicated to his life and times.

Check into your Natchez hotel for a two night stay.  Dinner is included this evening at a local restaurant. After dinner, enjoy a Natchez Ghost Tour. Take a guided walking tour around historic downtown Natchez and learn about its haunted history. (B,L,D)

Day 4 – Antebellum Homes – Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour – Natchez Little Theatre

Today will feature tours of two Natchez Antebellum Homes. You will feel like you stepped into the history books as you see some of Mississippi’s best-preserved homes. As the oldest settlement on the Mississippi river and the terminus of the Natchez Trace, Natchez played a key role in the economic, social, cultural and political development of the US. As one of the wealthiest cities in antebellum America, it is a treasure trove of extravagant architecture and interiors.

Lunch will be included at a local restaurant.

Today will also include a Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour through the historic district with narration pointing out buildings and areas of historic significance.

Dinner tonight is at a nice local restaurant. Following dinner, enjoy an evening of local theatre at the Natchez Little Theatre. (B,L,D)

Day 5 – Frogmore Plantation – Depart for Home

After breakfast, head to nearby Ferriday, MS for Frogmore Plantation’s Delta Music Tour. Featuring rhythm and song with one or two vocalists who blend African cultural songs with hymns learned in America, guests listen to the mistress to learn history like never before, as she intertwines narration with the songs. You will be seated in a rare 1800’s plantation church with original handmade pews. Discover the musical history learning the “double voicing” lyrics used on plantations for communication.  Group members may even get to participate.

Depart for home following the tour. (B)

Tour Map