The tours follow St. Charles Avenue from Canal Street to Carrollton and Claiborne avenues. The Quarter is home to charming examples of early Louisiana architecture. The handsome brick mansion was built in 1831. Madame John s Legacy, a Creole raised cottage built in 1728, is one of the oldest homes in the Mississippi Valley, while Lafitte s Blacksmith Shop, now a bar on Bourbon Street, was allegedly used as a front for pirate Jean Lafitte s smuggling operation. Top Nurturing Nature Nature abounds everywhere you go in and around New Orleans.
Visitors can hike or bike on the surrounding levees.
It s a great way to get out and about. In 1787, a free mulatto built Destrehan Plantation, which was remodeled in the Greek Revival style in 1840. Today, this is the oldest documented plantation home remaining in the lower Missisppi Valley. This imposing Greek Revival and Italianate mansion was completed in 1859 and saved from Civil War destruction by a Union officer. The interior has been restored with authentic reproductions of period antiques and lavish friezes.