New Orleans is one of the most vibrant cities in the world—full of rich history, diverse heritage, and mouthwatering cuisine. And the city’s Black communities and cultures have long been a driving force in shaping New Orleans, which was founded in 1718, into the city we know today. Visitors who only hit Bourbon Street for a hurricane cocktail will largely miss out on the unique and memorable Black experiences that can deepen understanding and appreciation of the very pulse of New Orleans.
From the influence of West and Central Africans who were trafficked to the city through the transatlantic slave trade, to the influence of African Americans born and raised there more recently, there are many tours and experiences uplifting New Orleans’ African and African-American history and culture. From a Black ghost tour (which is incredibly rare to find, due to lack of detailed documentation around Black people in America’s antebellum), to a full day cooking experience centered around the many enslaved cooks that helped the city operate, these tours are sure to ground you in the richness of New Orleans through the city’s most exquisite treasure—her people.
“Free people of color” (FPC) or gens de couleur libres, was once a legal designation in Louisiana for Black people who were free that included those who were born free and those who were manumitted before the Civil War. Archives show evidence of their presence in New Orleans starting in 1722, and although free Black communities existed all over the US, New Orleans had one of the largest, most economically empowered FPC populations. Le Musée de f.p.c. is one of America’s few attractions dedicated exclusively to preserving the material culture of, and telling the story of, free people of color. The stately home the exhibits sit in is full of historic documents, art, furniture, and photographs that chronicle the rich community of free people of color in New Orleans.
On this walking tour through the French Quarter, discover the haunted history of New Orleans through an Afrocentric lens. Scholars and High Priestesses of Louisiana Plantation Vodou, Malika Hadley Freydberg and Eshé Bleu, lead this tour through the French Quarter, highlighting the experiences of Black people, both enslaved and free. Their lives and deaths are shared through vivid storytelling based on years of archival research and stories passed down in the oral tradition. Each stop along the tour is a location where sightings of their ghosts have occurred throughout the years. From a tragedy at a hotel ballroom to the horrors of the LaLaurie mansion, this tour weaves the supernatural with the historical for a two hour long journey through time.
Join Hollis Burton, a former Mardi Gras/Second Line King of Tremé, on a walking food tour and bar crawl through the streets of Tremé, the oldest African American neighborhood in the country. On this tour, experience the richness of Tremé’s African American cuisine, from the best seafood restaurants to delectable street fare. Be sure to come hungry! This tour includes very generous samplings of each dish. As you eat, Hollis shares the history of the neighborhood, and how community members are working to preserve its culture in the present day. The tour ends with a delicious daiquiri at one of Tremé’s many jazz clubs.
Louisiana was home to the largest slave revolt in the US, when approximately 500 enslaved people organized across the River Parishes with the plan to descend upon New Orleans and take the city. Through walking and bus tours, writer, researcher, and historian Leon Waters shares information about Black history in New Orleans, with a particular focus on liberation, in both a historical and present-day context. With full day and half day options, this tour includes visits to local neighborhoods, universities, and historic sights, with introductions to Black artists, music, and cuisine.
