AndiNew Orleans is full of adventure! There’s music, museums, beautiful architecture, fantastic food and so much history! If you find yourself heading to the Big Easy, these are best unique adventures in New Orleans.
Bike Tour
This is such a fun way to see the city! It’s faster than walking, so you get to see more in a shorter amount of time. We chose Free Wheelin for our bike tour and they were awesome! We had such a great time on their Creole and Crescent Bike Tour.
It’s a three hour guided tour full of adventure. We biked through the French Quarter, along Frenchman Street, down oak lined streets with beautiful mansions before stopping for a break at a coffee shop. After the break, we explored Saint Louis Cemetery #3, strolled through City Park, saw the oldest oak tree in NOLA and stopped at Congo Square the birthplace of Jazz. Whew, we covered a lot in three hours!!
Our guide filled us with tons of New Orleans history during our stops. She spoke about the Creole culture and NOLA way of life. The stops were timed perfectly, so we could have a little breather for those of us not used to New Orleans heat and humidity.
The tour is rated for beginners. You do ride on the street with traffic, but I never felt unsafe. Safety is definitely a high priority for them. My daughter is 16 and had no issues. I haven’t rode a bike in years and did just fine. We ended up biking around 6 miles. Highly recommend them!!!
Check out their website HERE. Bring water!! They do provide you with a bottle, but bring more. Also head to the bathroom before leaving. The next bathroom break will be about half way through the tour.
Kayak Tour
Another fun way to see a different side on New Orleans. Kayaking is one of the best unique adventures in New Orleans. It has become one of new favorite ways to stay active, so I jumped at the chance to check out this tour! We kayaked with Kayak-iti-Yat and had the best time! Plus how cute is their name?!?
We did the Big Easy Bayou tour which is perfect for beginners. It’s a two hour guided tour of the St. John Bayou. Bayou basically means no current, so it really is an easy kayak tour. The kayaks were nice and I never had a fear of tipping over. Plus they help you get in the kayak without getting your feet wet.
We paddled by historic homes and newer mansions. Learned what shotgun homes are and even saw a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired house. Our guide was great and tried to get to know each of us in the group. He was very knowledgeable about the area and New Orleans history.
We had a wonderful time and I would absolutely recommend doing one of their tours! The next time we come back, we’ll do their other tour out to Lake Pontchartrain. It’s 4 hours and double the length we went, but sounds great! Check out their website HERE.
Swamp Tour
This is definitely a unique adventure in New Orleans. There are only a few other places in the US with swamp tours. The closest swamp tours to New Orleans are south about 30-45 minutes away. There are other swampy areas to explore that are about an hour away.
Not only do you have your choice of area to do a swamp tour, but how you want to tour as well. You can ride in a typical swamp boat that holds 40 plus people or you can ride in an air boat that holds 5-8 people.
Our only experience so far is in a regular swamp boat. We enjoyed our tour through the swamp and learning a little bit of history of the New Orleans swamps. Half way through the tour, we got to pet a baby alligator. My daughter loved that part! I enjoyed watching how fast the alligators swim. The tour guide fed them marshmallows to get them to come closer to the boat.
Next time I would pick an air boat. It looks more fun and with fewer people probably more enjoyable.
Cemetery Tour
New Orleans is known for their above ground tomb cemeteries. The city’s swampy terrain prevents normal ground burials, so they have become known as “Cities of the Dead”.
The best way to see them is on a guided tour. They will share parts of New Orleans history, the cemetery’s history, burial practices and even the history of voodoo.
The most popular cemetery to tour is Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1. In this cemetery, they will point out notable historic figures like Homer Plessy, Marie Laveau and the future resting place of Nicolas Cage.
I highly recommend going on a guided tour for safety reasons. Criminals have been known to hide and rob unsuspecting tourists who are by themselves.
Ghost Tour
Ready for one of the spookiest unique adventures in New Orleans? Check out a ghost tour! New Orleans is often referred to as the most haunted city in the US. There are all kinds of ghost, pirate, vampire and voodoo stories. And who best to tell these stories than a local insider? Check out a guided tour to see the city’s most famous hauntings.
Our guide took us through the French Quarter to different restaurants, hotels, homes, a convent and the famous LaLaurie Mansion. Through her entertaining storytelling, we learned about some of New Orleans gruesome murders. Two murders were exactly the same and on the same street. Only difference being they were 80 years apart from each other. A little spooky!
This is a unique way to see the French Quarter and learn a little of New Orleans history, so I highly recommend it. The tours last about 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on the one you choose.
There you go, my 5 best unique adventures in New Orleans. Have you been to New Orleans? Did I miss any big adventures I should add to the list?
Check out this post on what to do in New Orleans with Teens.
This post on tips for visiting the National World War 2 Museum in New Orleans.
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