Who doesn’t love a good walk through some beautiful scenery? For icing on the cake, take that walk in beautiful scenery on a guided tour so you can also learn some history! That’s my experience in the New Orleans’ Garden District.

Garden District Tour by Free Tours by Foot

From the moment I started to research places to visit outside the French Quarter, the Garden District landed on my radar. Bloggers and travel sites alike said the quiet, beautiful neighborhood is a nice contrast to the “vibe” of Bourbon Street. Since our time was limited, I decided to book a walking tour of the neighborhood. After looking at several companies, I settled on a company called Free Tours by Foot.

I was intrigued by the concept of this company. The gist is you reserve your tour with a small, optional fee (that goes to corporate overseas) and no further payment is necessary. You do your tour, then tip your tour guide what you can afford or deem fair based on the quality of the tour. Seems too good to be true, yeah? Well, my experience told me otherwise.

I scheduled the 2-hour afternoon walking tour. I got a text and email from our tour guide, Daniel, a couple of days before the tour introducing himself and supplying us with a few instructions for the tour day. This is the first time I can recall ever being personally contacted by the tour guide beforehand. It was a nice touch.

The Tour Itself

Upon arriving at the tour, I knew we’d find Daniel to be an excellent tour guide. He was very engaging and humorous from the get-go. He is a lifelong New Orleans native outside the period his family was displaced due to Hurricane Katrina. He’d been giving tours for the past 9 years and is a history major. All these things checked the right boxes for making a great tour guide (especially majoring in history).

I won’t pretend to know the first thing about architecture. Daniel told us about all the different styles of homes in the Garden District, but the only thing I retained is something about Greek revival. What I do know is what my eyes tell me, and that was the neighborhood is beautiful. Also, this is the celeb home hotspot in New Orleans. The likes of Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, and the First Family of Football, the Mannings, all have made their abode there. If Peyton Manning lived there, you know it’s good.

Daniel paced the tour well. It never felt rushed nor did any of us do that awkward look around because we lingered in one place for too long. He also kept us entertained through interesting historical information and humor. By the end of the tour, I felt like we all learned something, crushed a few calories, and got in a relaxing stroll all in one tour. And did Daniel then try to guilt us into giving a big tip? Nope. Not in the least. He simply stated he’d appreciate anything we were able/comfortable giving. (Psst: I didn’t leave him hanging).

You might be asking yourself a couple of questions at this point. For one, isn’t this blog supposed to talk about history? For two, how much did Free Tours by Foot pay this guy for this post? First of all, how rude! Secondly, I will get to the history in a sec. Thirdly, paid? As if. I just think it’s a great business concept and the experience backed that up.

History of the Garden District

We did learn a lot about Garden District history on the tour. The land was bought from a Creole aristocrat with the intent to settle the flood of Americans arriving to the area. Prior to the United Sates obtaining New Orleans from Napoleonic France in the Louisiana Purchase, most residents of the area were of Creole, French, and Spanish descent or free people of color. The Americans wanted an area of their own.

The Garden District was originally a town in itself called Lafayette. This explains the unique architecture compared to the surrounding area. It also explains how Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans, got its name.

Speaking of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, it has quite the history in its own right. The cemetery is above ground not only because of the high water table, but also due to Spanish influence (Spain owned Louisiana for a time). Lots of its residents settled there due to the 1833 yellow fever and cholera outbreak (pardon the macabre humor). They weren’t residents of Lafayette, but the help (Irish, German, and Italian immigrants as well as free people of color). The most recent burial at the time we visited in March 2024 was three weeks before. On a personal note, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is a big reason why I chose New Orleans for the trip. My daughter’s high school theater department performed a play of that name concerning a 1816 yellow fever outbreak in the city. It got them to the state championships!

Originally, the city blocks in the Garden District only allowed for four houses each surrounded by large gardens (hence the Garden District). However, only a few blocks in the district remain with that original format. Further, it is against the law to tear down a house in most cases. Owners must remodel or refurbish the current structure. This makes the land itself basically worthless.

One last thing I found really interesting about the Garden District is the oak trees. Daniel pointed out on the tour the neighborhood, although lined with immaculate residences, had terribly uneven sidewalks. This is because of the oak trees many of which predate the district itself. Though beautiful and provide much needed shade in the New Orleans sun, their roots cause major issues for the streets and sidewalks. So make sure to watch your step when you are there!

Take a Stroll Through the Garden District

Upon walking through and learning of the Garden District’s history, it’s no wonder why it is on the National Register of Historic Places. After the tour, I agree with the bloggers and travel sites that a stop here is a welcomed change of pace. We enjoyed it so much we lingered around at a bookstore and moseyed through the neighborhood to a restaurant called Deanie’s Seafood for some great food and to celebrate Pi Day with some pecan pie.

I highly recommend checking out the Garden District when you visit New Orleans. A tour is a great way to do it and I can’t praise Free Tours by Foot and our tour guide, Daniel, enough. It was a truly awesome experience.

Learn More About New Orleans

I am doing this blog for fun, but I do hope to benefit others by providing some insight into the places I travel or would like to travel. If you know anyone planning or interested in traveling to New Orleans, please share this post on your social media platform below! Speaking of social media, History with Legs just joined Facebook and X/Twitter! We’d love to hear from you about your experiences traveling and learning history. You can follow HwL here:

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Lastly, you can read 5 Things History To Do in New Orleans to find out more of what’s on tap in NOLA. So long for now!