Top New Orleans Music Tours

Journey through time on a paddle-wheel boat ride along the mighty Mississippi. Stroll the deck, cozy up with family and friends, and delight in the sparkle of the urban shoreline at dusk. This excursion includes a Creole‐inspired dinner (if option selected) and live jazz music.

Go for a sunset cruise aboard the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen on this boat trip. Listen to an on-board jazz band and choose to add on a Creole-style dinner buffet as the boat sails along the Mississippi River. Take in the views from the promenade deck and sip New Orleans-inspired cocktails.

Stroll around Frenchmen Street, New Orlean's top nightlife spot for live music, on this VIP evening tour. Listen to guided commentary on the street's colorful history and visit some of the hottest nightclubs, one of which will serve you an included New Orleans-style cocktail. You can also peruse the Frenchmen Street Art Market to pick up some locally-made souvenirs.

Take a walk through 300 years of New Orleans’ musical history on this tour led by a local Louisiana record man. Discover how the city became the heart and soul of the American blues scene, and visit legendary music-making haunts including Preservation Jazz Hall, Place de Armes, the Royal Orleans Hotel and several recording studios. Stroll down iconic Bourbon and Frenchmen streets while hearing tales of local jazz and blues legends like Allen Toussaint, James Booker, Fats Domino, Louis Armstrong and more.

There’s more to New Orleans than jazz alone, and this fascinating guided walking tour lets you look below the surface into its storied musical history. Visit the site where enslaved people performed their West African musical traditions; view the building that first housed the “New Orleans Sound”; admire the New Orleans Musicians Tomb; stroll through the remains of Storyville; see historic Preservation Hall; and so much more besides.

Discover historic New Orleans in an open‐top double‐decker bus on this hop‐on hop‐off sightseeing tour. With your 1-day ticket, design a personal itinerary with several stops, including the French Market, Jackson Square, and the Garden District, plus available walking tours, depending on the option you buy. Enjoy unobstructed views and fun onboard commentary as you soak up ‘The Big Easy’.

Exploring New Orleans in the evening can seem like an intimidating quest on your own, but this ghost, voodoo, and vampire walking tour takes you to the city’s most eerie sites at night in the safety of a group with a knowledgeable guide. Stop by top attractions such as the LaLaurie Mansion and New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, all while listening to your guide’s detailed stories of the paranormal and beyond.

Journey back in time to when New Orleans was a budding port town that dazzled visitors with its colorful Creole culture. Board the historic riverboat for a morning or afternoon float down the mighty Mississippi. Stroll the deck, admire the iconic paddlewheel, enjoy live music, and snap picturesque shots of the beautiful urban shoreline. This family‐friendly excursion offers an optional buffet lunch (additional expense).

Discover the most legendary vampire haunts in New Orleans on this 2‐hour evening walking tour! Your local guide will lead a lamplit promenade through the French Quarter to visit places imbibed in vampire lore such as the filming location of Interview with a Vampire. You’ll also hear some ‘real’ stories of the undead from public archives and police reports, and peek in at a known vampire tavern. Think twice before accepting any free drinks! 

If you're looking for a no-holds-barred fright in New Orleans, explore the city’s dark history on this adults-only tour from Hottest Hell, one of the top-rated haunted tour operators in town. Storytelling guides save the most grizzly true-crime tales, voodoo legends, and paranormal frights for this one, taking you on the choice of two different routes through the most haunted locations in the French Quarter and beyond.

Rich history and voodoo legends make New Orleans one of the most fascinating places to visit, but if you see the sights alone, you could miss out on some of the key details that bring this vibrant city to life. This voodoo walking tour takes you through the city during daylight hours—perfect for those who don’t want to get too scared, but still want a look into the city’s mysterious past. You'll leave with feelings of trepidation and excitement, as well as an appreciation of New Orleans' incredible history.

Explore New Orleans’ "Cities of the Dead: on the only ghost tour offering cemetery access after dark. While most haunted history tours stay in the bustling French Quarter, this one takes you into the silent, shadowy realms of some of the city’s oldest and most haunted graveyards. Hear chilling tales of paranormal activity while exploring the curious above-ground burial practices of these famous final resting places.

Discover one of Louisiana’s last preserved wetlands on a Honey Island Swamp boat tour. After making a short drive to Slidell, travel deep into the secluded swamp across Lake Pontchartrain to view native wildlife and witness a remote Cajun village only accessible by boat. Enjoy guided commentary on Cajun culture and the lush swamps as you spot alligators, wild boar, snakes, and native birds. This tour does not include transportation.

Although not your typical tour of New Orleans, this expedition through the Big Easy takes in some of the major points of interest, including the French Quarter, Treme, the Esplanade, the Garden District and the Metairie Cemetery. Relax in air-conditioned minibus comfort, and listen as a guide leads you through one of America's most historic cities.

Gaze at the spectacular sights of New Orleans from the comfort of a luxury coach on an unforgettable 3-hour city tour. With a professional guide, cruise past historical highlights like the French Quarter and the Garden District while listening to illuminating commentary. See the the lakefront area and the 17th street canal where the canal bank was breached by hurricane Katrina, and delve into the city’s rich history as you take a tour of the best museums in New Orleans. Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation from your hotel in Downtown New Orleans on this informative tour.

Experience the grandeur of New Orleans’ antebellum south on a half‐day tour of Oak Alley Plantation. Take a journey through time to the manicured estate and into the gorgeous home, built in 1839. View stunning architecture, oak‐lined esplanades, and enduring sugar cane fields while learning about the plantation’s fascinating – and often somber – histories from expert guides.

Experience New Orleans’ vibrant jazz scene on a night out with a knowledgeable local guide. Learn about jazz’s origins and culture and visit landmarks like Louis Armstrong Park, Marigny, or Frenchman Street. Your guide will have chosen a special route for you that evening- to ensure the best music is heard. Enjoy live jazz music and a drink and leave the tour armed with recommendations and insights from your guide.

Combine cycling with partying with this nighttime bike ride for small groups of up to six people. You'll be provided with a light-up bicycle and glow bracelets before heading out on the town with your DJ guide to explore the French Quarter. you'll make plenty of stops along the way to eat, drink, and be merry.

Experience the unforgettable sounds of New Orleans on a 2-hour musical tour with an experienced guide. Learn about the efforts to protect New Orleans jazz at the Preservation Hall, then explore the historically vibrant Tango Belt. Visit unnamed and famous musicians at the New Orleans Musicians Tomb in St. Louis Cemetery #1 and hear the stories of Congo Square’s rhythms and rituals as you tour Louis Armstrong Park. See the former home of J & M Studios then learn about today’s New Orleans Bounce Music and thriving street music scene.

New Orleans is world-renowned for its rich musical heritage, and the best way to expand your knowledge of this musical mecca is by exploring the French Quarter with a local musician. Tick off musical hotspots—including New Orleans Jazz Museum, and Frenchmen Street—and get invaluable advice on which venues to visit, and the best local bands to look out for.

Explore the world’s richest musical city. Starting with Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square, historic site of African slave gatherings, it is the only place in North America where pure West African religious ritual and musical traditions were performed. Congo Square is the wellspring of all New Orleans music and so many of world-famous songs. Visit the building which housed Cosimo Matassa’s groundbreaking J&M Studios - the true birthplace of rock’n'roll. See the New Orleans Musicians Tomb. The first burial to take place was for Lloyd Washington of the Ink Spots on October 23, 2004. The Musicians Tomb was restored and is administered by Robert Florence of NOLA Historic Tours. Learn about the Second Line & stroll down Basin Street to the remains of Storyville, fabled red light district whose parlors presented Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton. Then move through the Tango Belt to May Bailey’s and the French Opera House, ending with the legendary Preservation Hall.

Come tour this Music Mecca with a 6th generation New Orleanian. We will tour the French Quarter, Treme and Marigny neighborhoods talking music history and listening to local street performers and bands on Frenchmen Street and keeping our eyes and ears peeled for a second line!

When visiting the birthplace of jazz, meet some of the artists who are keeping New Orleans' musical traditions alive with this backstage meet-and-greet. Venture away from the tourist bars of Bourbon Street to catch a live act at a speakeasy club in the Treme neighborhood. After the show, chat with band members in person.

See the famous sights of New Orleans, without putting in the hours of research time, thanks to this expertly-crafted private guided walking tour. As you listen to commentary about the city’s history, stroll past the highlights of the French Quarter—including Bourbon Street and Cafe Du Monde. As well as teaching you about the city’s history, the tour is also a lesson about Dixie Jazz, and the famous Mardi Gras festival.