Let the Good Times Roll in New Orleans
Tour Guide: Dr. Timothy James Standring
Curator Emeritus, Denver Art Museum
April 13th to 19th, 2026
This is a not-to-be missed tour of museums throughout the Big Easy on the Mississippi River Delta. You’ll experience extraordinary hotel accommodations, fine cuisine and the lively collegial and witty banter of the tour’s guide, Dr. Timothy James Standring, Curator Emeritus, Denver Art Museum. This tour coincides with the French Quarter Festival, held from the 16th to the 19th of April, which showcases New Orleans music, cuisine, and traditions. Transportation by Uber, Lyft, and private coach will depend on individual day itineraries. Also, this tour encompasses considerable amount of walking at the various venues of this itinerary.
Itinerary
(as of 18 November 2026; itinerary subject to change)
Monday, April 13th
Arrive at the Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier Street, New Orleans, 70130, (504) 523-6000. in the heart of the French Quarter. The hotel’s renovated five-star rooms and suites provide spacious accommodations and an exclusive escape from the bustling nearby downtown New Orleans area. Award-Winning Dining. Cocktail Bar. Located in the heart of the legendary city of New Orleans, the Windsor Court is a haven for those who seek to experience luxury, revelry, comfort, and beauty in their own unique ways. A shuttle from the airport to the hotel is available but be advised that it also stops at other hotels on the way.
6:30 to 8:30PM: Convivial Welcome Gathering with heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks at the Windsor Court Hotel Polo Club Bar.
Tuesday, April 14th
9:00AM: Depart for morning walking tour of the French Quarter with Patty Smith and Rob Florence.
10:00AM: Enjoy beignets and coffee at the famous Café Beignet, then walk to Cabildo Museum 701Chartres Street, New Orleans, 70130, (504) 568-6968, a historical building in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally the seat of Spanish colonial city hall, the building now forms part of the Louisiana State Museum. It is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral. Visit St. Louis Cathedral, 615 Pere Antoine Alley, New Orleans 70116. Gothic revival architecture.
1:00PM: Lunch: three-minute walk to The Original Pierre Maspero’s, 440 Chartres, NOLA 70130, for a taste of Classic Creole cuisine in a historic 1788 building with weathered brick walls.
3:30PM: Walk to The Historic New Orleans Collection. 520 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, Admission is free. Contacts for docents (504) 523-4662; Exhibition: The Trail they Blazed.
5:00PM: Walk to M.S. Rau Gallery 622 Royal Street, New Orleans. 70130, (888) 711-8084 for a cocktail reception
6:00pm:Return to hotel, 15 minutes walking or 10 minutes Uber/Lyft from gallery). Dinner on one’s own.
Wednesday, April 15th
9:30AM: Depart by Uber/Lyft to the New Orleans Museum of Art and walk through the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboli Circle, New Orleans, 70124, (504) 658-4100 before heading into the museum. New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), is the city’s oldest fine arts institution, opened on December 16, 1911, with only nine works of art. Today, the museum hosts an impressive permanent collection of more than 40,000 objects. The collection, noted for its extraordinary strengths in French and American art, photography, glass, and African and Japanese works, continues to expand and grow, making NOMA one of the top art museums in the South.
1:00PM: Lunch at the museum’s famous NOMA café. Café NOMA by Ralph Brennan features an array of artisanal flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and market bowls, alongside an artful assortment of freshly baked breakfast pastries and sweets from Ralph Brennan Bakery. This stellar venue features a dramatic installation of vessels for food and drink from the museum’s permanent collection.
2:30PM: The City Tour company may take us to the following on a 2–3 hour visit to the Esplanade, Degas House, Basilica of St. John, St. Charles Avenue and other places. More Info.
5:00PM: Attend performance at Preservation Hall, a historic music venue in the French Quarter working to protect, preserve and perpetuate the spirit of traditional New Orleans Jazz.
6:00PM: Return to hotel by Uber (13 minutes) or walk (18 minutes). Dinner on one’s own.
Thursday, April 16th
8:30AM: Walk or Uber/Lyft to the National WWII Museum, 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, 70130, (504) 528-1944; we will assemble into two small group guided tours. Opens at 9:00AM.
1:00PM: Lunch at the American Sector Café at the National WWII Museum. After lunch, continue touring the museum.
3:00PM: Walk to the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum, 929 Camp Street, New Orleans, 70130 (504) 523-4522.
3:30PM: Walk to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp Street, New Orleans 70130, (504) 539-9600. Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art and is recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature and culinary heritage to provide a comprehensive story of the South. Established in 1999, and in Stephen Goldring Hall at 925 Camp Street since 2003, Ogden Museum welcomes almost 85,000 visitors annually, and attracts diverse audiences through its broad range of programming including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, and concerts which are all part of its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.
5:00PM: Return to hotel by walking or Lyft/Uber.
6:30PM: Uber vans set up by hotel for delivery and return to a New Orleans style outdoor dinner party at Jackie and Bruce Shreves in Lake Vista near Lake Pontchartrain.
Friday, April 17th
9:00AM: Depart by private coach for the Whitney Plantation Historic District, which is preserved by the Whitney Institute, a non-profit whose mission is to educate the public about the history and legacies of slavery in the Southern United States. 90-minute guided tour.
10:00AM: Tour of Whitney Plantation.
12:30PM: Depart for Oak Alley Plantation, established in 1976. This Plantation and Restaurant has been serving the local community and welcoming visitors worldwide by offering a beautiful setting for comfort and relaxation.
1:00PM: Lunch at Oak Alley Plantation, 3645 Highway 18 (Great River Road), Vacherie, LA 70090. Après lunch, take special notice of the Allée, an 800-foot long, iconic canopied path created by the magnificent live oak trees.
3:00PM: Depart for the hotel, with arrival for time to participate in the French Quarter Festival and self-tour of contemporary art galleries Blue Dog Gallery, tiffany Dog, Solari House, among others.
Saturday, April 18th
10:00AM: Depart for pick up for Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours, 553445 US-90, Sidell, LA 70461 (reservations: (985) 641-1769 or (504) 242-5877).
From the Dr. Wagner’s website: “Imagine the moss hanging on gnarled cypress trees as you travel into one of the wildest and most pristine river swamps in America. With the swamp tales of pirates and sightings of Big Foot in the back of your mind, you may be just a little bit nervous at first, but after your first boat ride you’ll want to go back again! You’ll be overcome by the primitive beauty of the cypress trees rising from the water…the sweet smell of wild azaleas in the air…
Honey Island Swamp is unique because it’s one of the least-altered river swamps in the country. It’s pretty much in its original condition, almost a pristine wilderness. Take a personalized narrated nature tour into the 250-square-mile Honey Island Swamp. Nearly 70,000 acres of it are a permanently protected wildlife area – the Nature Conservancy’s first Louisiana Nature Preserve. People from all over the world now explore this wildlife sanctuary.”
3:00PM: Upon return to the city, feel free to participate in the French Quarter Festival.
7:00PM: Antoine’s, 713 St. Louis Street, the world-renowned French-Creole cuisine, impeccable service, and unique atmosphere have combined to create an unmatched dining experience in New Orleans since 1840. We will dine – this is a dress up occasion – in a private room with a trumpet player. Walk from hotel: 15 minutes; Uber 10 minutes.
Sunday, April 19th
End of tour, depart from hotel
Rules of the Tour
The Tour is priced at $4000 based on double-occupancy (2 persons sharing room), with a single supplement of $1,750 (1 person in room) for those wishing single accommodations. All payments for the tour are non-refundable (unless you can replace your position with another participant). Six lunches, welcome dinner gathering, two group dinners, and two special excursions are included in this tour. Alcoholic beverages during lunches and dinners on your nickel.
Deposit of $2000 paid at time of signup.
Final payment of $2000, and single supplement of $1,750 if applicable, due on January 15, 2026.
25 spots available. Each person must register individually.
Some New Orleans travel to museums and other historic sites will be by Lyft/Uber, all reimbursable by the tour.
- Travel insurance policy for the trip is highly recommended. The company our travel agent recommends is Travel Guard and the policies can be taken out over that web site.
Another option would be Travelex Insurance and sometimes the premiums vary a bit due to their age groupings. The premiums will vary depending on the amount of cancellation coverage and the age of the traveler. Cancellation is mostly coverage for cancellation due to medical reasons for the traveler and his/her family.
The traveler must be “physically able to travel” when taking out the policy, and in order to cover for anything that may be deemed “pre-existing,” the policy must be purchased within two weeks of the initial deposit and must cover all non-refundable trip costs. One can add to the policy after the initial deposit if nonrefundable costs are added to the trip, but those increases must take place within two weeks of adding those elements to be fully covered.
Additional travel arrangements for early arrival or extended stay as well as flights and land transportation can be made with David Glanz, ALTOUR, (303) 355-4765, david.glanz@altour.com