Street cars

Hi, we will have only one full day to explore New Orleans and I want to see so much. If we got on a street car, would we see lot and still be able to explore the French Quarter? Or do you know of a reasonably priced tour that will give us a tour of a plantation or two plus the French Quarter? We will have a group of 4.... Myself, husband and 19 and17 year old kids.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

The nice thing about the streetcar is that it's a very inexpensive way to see the sights along St. Charles Avenue (mansions, Garden District, universities, Audubon Park). $1.25 per person going out, and the same fare for the return trip. If you decide to do this, get on at the stop at Carondelet Street and Gravier Street (two blocks off of Canal). It will be crowded, but most of the people will get off at Canal and you will have your choice of seats.

At the end of St. Charles, the streetcar takes a right turn onto Carrollton Avenue. You should get off a few blocks after that turn, since you will have seen the best sights. The round trip will take about 1.5 hours. You will end up back at Canal, right across from the French Quarter.

You can do a guided tour of the French Quarter, cemeteries, or download a map of a free waling tour, or just wander around on your own. Or take a city tour.

New Orleans is a very compact city. There is a lot to see, but you can pack most of it in a day.

Where is your hotel located? We are staying at the Four Points Sheraton on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. We plan on arriving in NOLA around 9-10 AM, checking in, then walking around the French Quarter for a few hours, maybe have some beignets at Cafe Du Monde :). Then walk to Canal Street and take the St Charles streetcar to and from the Garden District. If you plan on using streetcars/buses, you might consider ordering a few Jazzy Passes. Order them from the RTA, they cost $3 for a one-day pass, allows unlimited transfers for the day. Go here to order them:

http://norta.com/Fares-Passes/Jazzy-Pass.aspx

We downloaded a walking tour program of the French Quarter and the Garden District for my iPod, will also work on an iPhone. Might be more cost effective than a guided tour...

can you tell me where to download the walking tour? Thanks

can you tell me where to download the walking tour? Thanks

I downloaded it from the iTunes store. It's called "French Quarter, Garden District Tours and New Orleans Streetcar Tracker". The app itself is free, but the individual tours of the French Quarter and Garden district cost $2.99 each. The streetcar tracker is neat. I guess each streetcar has a gps tracker in it. This program will show you where the streetcars are on their routes, and also shows the 5 different streetcar routes. Check it out and see if it will work for you.

Plantations are not in downtown and are about 45 minute drive from the FQ. Since you only have a day I would focus on St. Charles Ave and the FQ.

Another option is to take a paddlewheel steamboat ride on the Mississippi River. The Str. NATCHEZ offers two hour river excursions from the Toulouse Street Wharf across from Jackson Square. Check out http://www.steamboatnatchez.com. She's a living piece of American history that Mark Twain would feel right at home at while onboard.