French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This wonderfully entertaining southeastern Louisiana city is among the Top Ten most visited destinations in the country. New Orleans is chock-full of captivating magic and mystery just waiting for you and your student travel group to discover. Its rich history, good-time reputation, and humid subtropical climate draw visitors year-round, who come to partake of its famously flamboyant celebrations, incredible music, and earthy cuisine and explore its trademark architecture, popular historic attractions and points of interest. The Big Easy is a veritable festival of sensory wonders, all steeped in influences from around the globe that rapturously fuse and drift in an easy and colorful current of warm welcome, enthusiastic expression, time-worn tradition, and charming dialect; it’s all about that incomparable brand of joie de vivre you’ll never forget once you’ve experienced it!
Browse the eclectic blocks of the French Market and take a break at landmark Café du Monde for beignets and steamy café au lait. Have a shrimp Po Boy, try your hand at peeling crawfish, sample fresh pralines, and go for some gumbo – it’s virtually everywhere, and every chef has their own special version of this satisfyingly spicy “state” dish. Visit the grave of New Orleans’ infamous voodoo queen, Marie Laveau, and learn the horrifying-yet-practical truth about the area cemeteries’ above-ground tombs. A diversity of local wildlife may be found in its legendary swamps and bayous, and an exhilarating airboat tour is an absolute must for those seeking a little outdoor adventure. Come suppertime, what could be better than cruisin’ down the Mighty Mississippi to the toe-tapping, Grammy-winning licks of live jazz while enjoying unsurpassed views of the New Orleans skyline with your freshly prepared meal? Make New Orleans your next group travel destination, and “Laissez les bons temps rouler” – let the good times roll!
