DEPOSIT POLICY: A $200.00 per person deposit is required to secure a reservation for your tour, which is not considered firm until the deposit is received. The deposit, however, is fully refundable if you cancel within 72 hours of booking the tour. All cancellations will only be accepted in writing. Email your cancellation to dewi@thedaywetravel.com including your reservation number, full name, and date of travel. After 72 hours, the deposit becomes non-refundable and standard cancellation fees apply. See cancellation fee schedule below.

*Note* - If the booking is made 60 days or less prior to departure, full payment is due at the time of booking.

CANCELLATION FEE SCHEDULE

• 91+ Days Prior: All monies refunded minus initial $200.00 deposit
• 90-61 Days Prior: 75% of tour cost refunded
• 60-46 Days Prior: 60% of tour cost refunded
• 45-31 Days Prior: 35% of tour cost refunded
• 30-8 Days Prior: 15% of tour cost refunded
• 7 Days Prior or less: 0% of tour cost refunded

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• A guided walking tour of the French Quarter + beignets & chicory coffee at the world famous Café du Monde

• A guided tour of the Garden District & Lafayette Cemetery #1

• A guided Cajun food tour

• Boat tour of the Atchafalaya Swamp

• Antebellum home tour in Natchez, MS

• Louisiana State Capitol & Capitol Park Museum

• Frogmore Plantation

• Houmas House & Gardens tour

• Steamboat Natchez Cruise with live jazz

• Rum Distillery & tastings

DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

DAY 1 - Arrive New Orleans, LA - Hotel Check-in - Welcome Dinner

Today, board your flight to New Orleans to begin your exploration of Louisiana’s largest city dubbed “The Big Easy.” Upon arrival, meet your Travel Host and transfer to your hotel in Downtown New Orleans, just a few blocks away from the French Quarter, the oldest neighborhood in the city. Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant with your travel companions. Meal: (D) Overnight: Kimpton Hotel Fontenot - New Orleans, LA or similar

DAY 2 - French Quarter Walking Tour - Café Du Monde - Afternoon at leisure

This morning after breakfast, take a guided stroll through “The Quarter” and learn the history of this colorful neighborhood, its influence of colonial architecture of the Caribbean, its cast-iron ‘galleries,’ and fascinating characters. The tour culminates at the historic 1852 Café du Monde where you will indulge on freshly baked beignets accompanied by coffee & chicory served either au lait (mixed half and half with hot milk) or however else you like it! This afternoon, enjoy exploring the city on your own. Maybe ride a streetcar along St. Charles Ave. or go antique shopping. If history’s your thing, pay a visit to The Cabildo, which dates back to the late 1700s and has played an instrumental role in NOLA’s DNA. Or go to The Presbytère, built on the site of the residence of the Capuchin monks, that’s home to an exquisite collection of Mardi Gras artifacts and memorabilia. There are also various multicultural museums throughout town. Meal: (B) Overnight: Kimpton Hotel Fontenot - New Orleans, LA or similar

DAY 3 - Garden District/Cemetery Tour - Baton Rouge - Louisiana State Capitol - Natchez, MS

This morning, before bidding the Crescent City ‘see ya later,’ we take a step back in time to antebellum New Orleans with a tour of the Garden District, home to one of the best-preserved collections of historic mansions in the Southern U.S. You will see Greek Revival, Italianate, and Victorian architecture, learn about the people who lived there, and the architects that designed the homes. Also included is a visit to Lafayette #1 Cemetery, the city’s first planned cemetery which dates back to 1833. In this section, you will learn about the three most common types of tombs and the truth about why New Orleans buries above ground. This afternoon, travel northwest to the state’s capital to visit the State Capitol. At a height of 450 ft., it is the nation’s tallest State Capitol building. Enjoy panoramic views of Baton Rouge and the Mississippi River. This evening, arrive in Natchez, MS, the oldest permanent settlement on the Mississippi River and come together for a group dinner at an historic establishment. Meal: (B, D) Overnight: Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Natchez, MS or similar

DAY 4 - Rosalie Mansion - Rum Distillery - Frogmore Plantation - Lafayette, LA

Known as the southern terminus of the historic Natchez Trace, Natchez was a prominent city in the antebellum years. What better way to learn its history than through a tour of one of its several antebellum homes. These mansions were the result of successful plantations that harvested cotton & sugarcane using slave labor. Today, we visit Rosalie, an 1823 mansion that belonged to a cotton broker and was the former Union HQ for the Natchez area during the American Civil War. Enjoy scatter lunch in Downtown Natchez, followed by a visit to a rum distillery — the first legally distilled rum produced in Mississippi. Tastings at this family-run distillery are included. Later this afternoon, the history of slavery continues with an educational tour of a working cotton farm whose plantation house has been around since 1843. Also on-site are 19 restored antebellum structures as well as a steam cotton gin. See the old way of cotton ginning in comparison to the modern technology that has advanced the process over time, and maybe even try your hand at picking cotton. Arrive in Lafayette, LA later this evening. Meal: (B) Overnight: Home2 Suites by Hilton Parc Lafayette - Lafayette, LA or similar

DAY 5 - Swamp boat tour - Cajun food tour in Lafayette, LA

Start the day off with an exhilarating ride on a swamp boat through the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland in the U.S. It’s filled with bayous, bald cypress swamps, and marshes, and is home to 100 species of fish, 65 species of reptiles and amphibians, and the largest nesting concentration of bald eagles in the south-central U.S. Explore this fascinating ecosystem and sightings of the American Alligator, which is native to the Basin. This afternoon, we hop aboard a guided Cajun food tour to various local joints around Lafayette. Indulge on Cajun favorites such as gumbo, fried shrimp, boudin sausage, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and king cake! Enjoy the evening at leisure. Meal: (B, L) Overnight: Home2 Suites by Hilton Parc Lafayette - Lafayette, LA or similar

DAY 6 - Houmas House & Gardens - Mississippi River Jazz Cruise with Farewell Dinner

Today we round out our tour of Antebellum homes with a visit to Houmas House & Gardens, a former sugarcane plantation that was founded in the late 1700s whose earliest surviving building is the original main house, built around 1775. But its claim to fame was that it was the center of the largest slave holding in Louisiana prior to the American Civil War. Discover the history of the people that worked the land and its owners who lived in the home and wander the 38-acre gardens. Enjoy an included lunch on-site. This afternoon we return to New Orleans for one more night. Enjoy some downtime, then reconvene for a Farewell Dinner aboard a steamboat along the mighty Mississippi River, accompanied by a live jazz band. Meal: (B, L, D) Overnight: Kimpton Hotel Fontenot - New Orleans, LA or similar

DAY 7 - Au revoir/Bon voyage - Transfer to the airport - Fly home!

This morning after breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home with fantastic memories of your sojourn in the South. Meal (B)

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

• Round-trip transfers from/to the airport and transportation per itinerary

• Hotel Accommodations - 6 nights based on double occupancy

• Meals - 11 total (6 breakfasts, 2 lunch, 3 dinners)

• Baggage handling to and from your hotel room throughout the tour

  • Each person is entitled to ONE checked piece of luggage

• A professional Travel Host will accompany you throughout the tour to coordinate logistics, provide local information, and to ensure your comfort and enjoyment is at an all-time high

• All entrance/sightseeing fees and applicable taxes

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?

• Airfare - You will fly in and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The airport code is MSY. Return flights from MSY should be scheduled after 10:00 AM CST. Airfare can be booked through The Day We Travel. There is a service fee of 10% of the cost of airfare. If you prefer to book on your own, please e-mail The Day We Travel at dewi@thedaywetravel.com your flight information (airline, flight #, & departure time). On departure day, we will arrive at the airport at minimum 2 hours prior to your scheduled flight.

• Meals and/or alcoholic beverages not listed on the itinerary

• Personal expenses (shopping, etc.)

• Gratuities for local guides, your driver, and Travel Host

• Travel Insurance - Missing a vacation is bad enough. Losing the money you paid for your vacation is even worse. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you purchase Travel Protection that helps provide coverage for Trip Cancellation, Interruption, Baggage Loss or Delay, Medical Expenses and more. The Day We Travel currently does NOT offer travel insurance. However, some of the more popular insurance companies are Allianz Travel, Travel Guard, World Nomads, Travelex, Axa Travel, etc. Please look into these to see what policy suits you best.