NEW ORLEANS & MISSISSIPPI RIVER PLANTATION COUNTRY

All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, admissions, entertainment, special dinners, sightseeing, porterage, and the services of hotel and restaurant staff, local guides and drivers, and the Tauck Director are included.
Transportation from the Louis Armstrong International Airport or New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal to Hotel Monteleone is included. Transportation from The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, to Louis Armstrong International Airport or New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal is also included when you check out of the hotel. Transportation to and from airports and train stations may be shared with other Tauck guests.

Day 1 - Welcome to New Orleans!
Tour New Orleans as your Tauck trip begins at 5:15 PM at Hotel Monteleone. Welcome to New Orleans and French Louisiana! A transfer is included from Louis Armstrong International Airport to the Hotel Monteleone. Please join us for this evening's welcome cocktail reception at your historic hotel at the foot of Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter, followed by dinner at Antoine's, a classic French Quarter restaurant a short walk away.
MEALS : D
LODGING : HOTEL MONTELEONE

Day 2 - Cookin' & lookin' in the French Quarter
From the flavor of étouffée to the strains of jazz, tour New Orleans as an insider today with Tauck! Explore iconic Canal Street, the historic homes, boutiques and cafés of the Warehouse District, and the Mississippi River waterfront. Discover the French Quarter from venerable Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo to the swirl of daily – and nightly – life along fabled Bourbon Street on a guided walking tour. Learn a few secrets of Cajun and Creole cuisine from the chefs of the New Orleans School of Cooking with a private cooking demonstration followed by a lunch you won't soon forget. A Mardi Gras insider takes you for a behind-the-scenes look at the city's traditional annual celebrations at Mardi Gras World, before you attend an exclusive-to-Tauck, private jazz experience at world-famous Preservation Hall... then strike out to explore and have dinner on your own this evening in the Big Easy!
MEALS : B, L
LODGING : HOTEL MONTELEONE

Day 3 - New Orleans from above, a little jazz & more
Begin the day with a flightseeing tour of New Orleans for views of the French Quarter, Mississippi River, canals, and wetlands, with commentary by your pilot. Learn about the unique geological environment of New Orleans, America’s only city situated below sea level, and its vulnerability to natural and manmade disasters at a private lecture by Nellie Watson, an expert on the interplay of humans, architecture and the environment. In the city that many consider the birthplace of jazz and the hometown of prominent jazz greats from Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet to Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr., you'll check out this uniquely American music's key role in New Orleans' cultural mix – and vice versa – on a visit to the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park's performance center at the Old U.S. Mint in the French Quarter, where the focus is on jazz as an art form. And for dinner tonight, get a true taste of New Orleans' famous cuisine as you choose from among several historic restaurants in the French Quarter, including Tujague's and The Court of Two Sisters.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : HOTEL MONTELEONE

Day 4 - The bayou & Mississippi River plantations
Depart New Orleans this morning and head out into the countryside for an alligator bayou tour in an excursion boat with a local guide, then begin your discovery of Louisiana's "River Road" plantations with a visit to Houmas House Plantation and Gardens along the "big bend" of the Mississippi River. Named for the local Houmas Indians who owned the land until its purchase by planters in the mid-18th century, Houmas House was the heart of a working sugar plantation whose holdings once grew as large as 300,000 acres, and at its height in the late 1800s produced some 20 million pounds of sugar annually. Have lunch at the plantation and take a guided walk through some of its 38 acres of exquisite gardens. Continue on to Nottoway Plantation & Resort – an 1850's sugarcane estate on the Mississippi's west bank that's home to the largest existing antebellum mansion in the South – where's you'll spend the next two nights. Your stay begins in style in the Mansion House with a guided tour and a private mint julep reception, followed by this evening's private dinner with musical accompaniment in the White Parlor.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : NOTTOWAY PLANTATION & RESORT

Day 5 - From rural life to Huey Long in Baton Rouge
Travel to Baton Rouge today and step back in time at the LSU Rural Life Museum, a living-history museum re-creating the lifestyles and folkways of rural Louisianans in the 18th and 19th centuries, featuring more than 30 historic buildings spread across 25 acres. Continue on to downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital city, and learn about the life and legacy of Huey P. Long, Louisiana's controversial populist Governor of the 1930s, in a guided visit to the Old State Capitol. After lunch at a local restaurant, head back to Nottoway Plantation for an afternoon and evening spent as you please.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : NOTTOWAY PLANTATION & RESORT

Day 6 - Back to New Orleans & World War II America
From Nottoway Plantation, return to New Orleans this morning for another two-night stay in the Crescent City, which begins with a guided visit and time on your own at the National World War II Museum. This acclaimed institution, honoring the efforts of millions of everyday American men and women who contributed to the nation's war effort in World War II on both the battlefront and the home front, is situated in the neighborhood of the New Orleans factory that produced the ubiquitous Higgins boats, which played a key role in Allied amphibious assaults throughout the war. Your visit includes a viewing of the award-winning "4-D" multi-media experience Beyond All Boundaries, produced and narrated by Tom Hanks and featuring the voice talents of a Who’s Who of Hollywood actors; brunch accompanied by an entertaining USO-style musical show at the museum's BB's Stage Door Canteen, featuring cuisine by The American Sector restaurant; and time to explore the museum's many state-of-the-art exhibits at your own pace. Late this afternoon, check into your stylish accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans on Canal Street in the French Quarter, then spend an evening as you please in this unique American city.
MEALS : B, L
LODGING : THE RITZ-CARLTON, NEW ORLEANS

Day 7 - Gardens, a private streetcar & more jazz
Visit more iconic destinations as you continue to tour New Orleans with Tauck today. Begin with sightseeing in the Garden District, whose National Historic Landmark district preserves historic mansions dating from the 1830s to about 1900, reflecting the prosperity of their wealthy builders prior to and following the Civil War, as well as the city's antiques district. Then hop aboard an authentic New Orleans streetcar for another Tauck Exclusive – a private streetcar tour along Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue, accompanied by a New Orleans resident. Return late morning to your hotel, and spend the rest of the day exploring more of New Orleans at your leisure. Tonight, experience more of the best of the Cresent City as you head to celebrated Arnaud's Restaurant to bid adieu to "Nawlins" with a Tauck Exclusive, private farewell jazz reception, followed by dinner at this French Quarter institution.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : THE RITZ-CARLTON, NEW ORLEANS

Day 8 - Goodbye, New Orleans
Tauck's New Orleans and Mississippi plantations tour ends in New Orleans. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans to Louis Armstrong International Airport. Please allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in.
MEALS : B

Nights 1-3 -
Hotel Monteleone - New Orleans, Louisiana
Called the “Grande Dame of the French Quarter” by many, the Hotel Monteleone is one of last great family-owned hotels in New Orleans, with four generations of the Monteleone family dedicated to making their hotel a sparkling jewel in the French Quarter since 1886. It’s appeared in many movies, such as Double Jeopardy, Glory Road and The Last Time, and has been featured in TV shows including the Travel Channel’s Best Places to Pop the Question and Taste of America – with Mark De Carlo. Guest rooms create a warm welcome and offer an in-room safe, refreshment center, large flat-screen HD TV, hair dryer and plush robes in the marble-and-granite bathroom, and iron & ironing board. Enjoy great views of the New Orleans skyline while taking a dip in the heated rooftop swimming pool, work out the kinks in the state-of-the-art fitness room, soak up some pampering at the full-service day spa or take a stroll through the French Quarter, which is right outside your door, during leisure time. The revolving Carousel Bar is a part of New Orleans history and has been immortalized in the writings of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote and other authors – what a memorable place to begin or end your evening!

Nights 4-5
Nottoway Plantation & Resort - White Castle, Louisiana
Once a magnificent 1850's sugarcane estate, Nottoway Plantation & Resort is home to the South's largest existing antebellum mansion, stunningly restored to her days of glory and now a AAA Four-Diamond property and a member of Historic Hotels of America. Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in White Castle, Louisiana, this enormous mansion, with its massive white columns and grand balconies, stands guard over the Mississippi River and its famed River Road, with its spectacular three-story Rotunda overlooking oak-draped lawns on its north side. Along with daily guided mansion tours of the property, the resort offers overnight guests luxurious guest rooms, fabulous dining, gracious southern hospitality and impeccable service. Ranging from beautifully renovated historic mansion rooms to deluxe hotel rooms converted from former cottages and other structures, guest rooms feature modern amenities and conveniences including plush, welcoming beds; private deluxe baths; flat-screen TV and cable; coffee-maker, hairdryer, iron and ironing board. Nottoway's Mansion Restaurant features classic Louisiana cuisine, Creole-inspired, served in a restored turn-of-the-century dining room with stunning views of century-old oak trees, and outdoor dining offering sweeping views of Nottoway's beautiful grounds.

Nights 6-7
The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, Louisiana
As you enjoy the peace of the courtyard at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, with its gazebo, elegant fountain and lush plantings, it might be hard to remember that you’re in the heart of the city at the edge of the French Quarter. Indoors, everywhere you look are furnishings and art reflecting the grace of the Garden District’s antebellum mansions. You may find this especially true in your spacious guest room that surrounds you with luxurious touches like 100% cotton, 400 threat-count sheets, feather beds and duvet covers, an Italian marble bathroom with plush robes and generously sized towels, and fully stocked minibar. If you're in the mood for relaxation, the 25,000-square-foot destination spa – The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans – has 22 treatment rooms... and the Fitness Center has cardiovascular and strength training equipment if you’re feeling energetic. Enjoy a classic New Orleans cocktail, like the Sazerac, at the Davenport Lounge. The M Bistro uses an indigenous approach to its menu featuring the finest meats, seafood and produce from farmers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama to provide food fresh from the farm to the table.