New Orleans Vacations: Bike & Blues, a Real New Orleans Vacation

Things to do in New Orleans: Bicycle Tours, Kayak, Swamp, Plantation - Home Page

Bike & Blues Tour
A Real New Orleans Vacation

New Orleans Vacations: Our Bike & Blues tour is a real New Orleans Vacation with cycling, Creole and Cajun food, live local music and the finest B&Bs. Please look over this sample itinerary.

ARRIVAL DAY
	Arrival at your Bed and Breakfast.
6:30pm	Meet the tour guides and staff at Laid Back Tours' scenic Bayou St. John location. Then savor a sumptuous New Orleans dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, enjoy an evening of live New Orleans jazz/blues at a local New Orleans music club.
DAY ONE - 25 to 34 MILES
9:30am	Meet at Laid Back after breakfast at your hotel/B&B. Relax with a 2^nd cup of coffee or tea as you fill out paperwork and choose your bike and helmet.
10:00am	New Orleans City Tour: Pedal along beautiful Bayou St. John and view the architecture of the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, Faubourg St. John, with petite plantations dating from 1784. After a stop at historic St. Louis Cemetery #3, pedal down Esplanade Ridge and through the French Quarter. Take a ferry across the Mississippi River to the Algiers Point neighborhood. After a brief stop at Mardi Gras World, ride under the Mississippi River bridge to a German settlement. Take a different Ferry back across the Mississippi.
1:00pm	Lunch at a great New Orleans neighborhood restaurant.
2:00pm	Ride through the garden district with its antebellum, Victorian and other period mansions. This part of New Orleans was called the "American Sector".
5:30pm	Arrive back at Laid Back Tours and cool down with spring water. Return to your hotel/B&B to prepare for dinner and a night out on the town.
7:00pm	Dinner at a favorite locals' restaurant. After dinner we venture out to one of the many New Orleans music spots to hear live jazz or rhythm & blues.
DAY TWO - 32 to 52 MILES
9:30am	Meet at Laid Back Tours and relax with a 2^nd cup of coffee or tea.
9:45am	Mississippi River/Plantation Tour: From Laid Back, ride through Uptown New Orleans and onto the beginning of the Mississippi River Levee Bike Path. Ride on the levee top, which is between the Mississippi River and River Road, to Destrehan Plantation.
12:30pm	Tour the Destrehan Plantation, a 1790 Creole plantation beautifully restored with period furnishings, outdoor kitchen, slave cabins and other out buildings. Also, see demonstrations of daily life activities of the early 1800's.
1:30pm	Lunch at a small town Destrehan or St. Rose restaurant.
2:30pm	Return to New Orleans by cycling back along the Mississippi River Levee with an optional stop near the end of the ride at The River Shack, a unique tavern along the Mississippi River Levee Bike Path.
5:00pm	Arrive back at Laid Back Tours, relax and cool down. This evening is open for personal exploration of the city. We will be happy to recommend restaurants and music clubs to suit your tastes.
DAY THREE - 25 to 45 MILES
9:00am	Meet at Laid Back Tours and relax with a 2^nd cup of coffee or tea.
9:30am	City Park/Lake Front Tour: Ride through historic City Park, a 1500-acre urban park with the largest collection of mature live oaks in the world. Next stop, Lake Pontchartrain and the West End fishing village.
1:00pm	Lunch at a West End restaurant overlooking Lake Pontchartrain.
2:00pm	Ride along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, then head back along a bird sanctuary which is the center of a residential neighborhood. Take an alternate route through City Park, down the other side of Bayou St. John.
4:30pm	Return to Laid Back for final goodbye.

*Alternative day 2: Kayak swamp tour or Tammany Trace/Abita Springs bike tour north of Lake Pontchartrain (36 - 50 miles).

ADDITIONAL TOUR INFORMATION
TOUR PRICE:	$795 per person. This price includes tours as described as well as the rental of one of our ultra comfortable bikes. Meals are also included as described below. Accommodations are not included unless you choose to have us book them for you.
PAYMENTS:	A down payment of $295 per person must be received 8 weeks prior to the tour date. The balance of $500 must be received within 4 weeks of the tour date.
TOUR DATES:	Many dates available. Groups of 4 or more persons may book a private tour (based on availability).
ACCOMODATIONS:	You may choose and book your own accommodations. We will provide you with a list of hotels and B&Bs within 1.5 miles of our shop. We can also provide a package that includes B&B accommodations (see below for pricing*)
MEALS:	All 3 lunches are included as part of the tour. Dinner is included on two nights only. Alcoholic beverages are not included at any time. Taxes and gratuities are included (with included meals).
TRANSPORTATION:	Transportation costs are not included.
MISCELLANEOUS:	All tour guides are licensed by the City of New Orleans. Daily mileage between 25 and 52 miles. Tour group sizes range from 2 to 10. Extra tour days may be added**.
CANCELLATIONS:	You may cancel at any time up to 8 weeks prior to the tour date and receive a full refund. No money will be refunded for cancellation within 8 weeks of the tour date, however you will get a rain check for a future tour date. Laid Back Tours reserves the right to cancel any tour up to 8 weeks prior to the tour date and in this case will give a full refund.

* Price with B&B accommodations from $930 to $1,050 p/p depending on B&B/room. Price without music $695 p/p.
** Combined bike & kayak vacations available.

ALTERNATE DAY - 36 to 50 MILES (replace/add a day)
8:45am	Meet at Laid Back Tours and relax with a 2^nd cup of coffee or tea.
9:00am	St. Tammany Trace - Abita Springs Country Roads Tour: From Laid Back, drive or take transportation across to the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain to old Mandeville. Ride the trace, a rails-to-trails bike path. Ride on the trace through Fountainebleau State Park to the town of Lacombe. Then turn around and ride back to the historic town of Abita Springs.
1:00pm	Lunch at a local Abita Springs restaurant.
2:00pm	After lunch, we cycle the scenic country roads past horse farms in a loop around the outskirts of this beautiful little town. Depending on your desire for mileage, this loop can encompass 9 or 14 miles.
4:00pm	If time permits, make a stop the UCM museum and have a short look around this interesting and eccentric museum. Take the Tammany Trace back to old Mandeville.
5:00pm	Drive your car or take transportation back to New Orleans.

You may also do a kayak swamp tour as an alternate day.

Book your tour now!

Call us at (504) 488-8991
E-Mail us at info@laidbacktours.com