THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Taste the history of New Orleans’ French Quarter on a 2.5-hour tour featuring classic cocktails and live jazz. Visit iconic bars while diving into stories that define this legendary city.
Taste the history of New Orleans’ French Quarter on a 2.5-hour tour featuring classic cocktails and live jazz. Visit iconic bars while diving into stories that define this legendary city.
Book with New Orleans Steamboat Company
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by New Orleans Steamboat Company · New Orleans, Louisiana
In the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, directly adjacent to the Mississippi River at Woldenberg Park (400 Toulouse St), the New Orleans Steamboat Company offers a unique way to taste the city’s deep-rooted cocktail culture. The New Orleans Craft Cocktail Walking Tour uncorks 2.5 immersive hours through streets steeped in history and living tradition. This guided journey invites visitors to sip classic New Orleans cocktails while stepping into some of the city’s most iconic and atmospheric venues.
Starting near the Steamboat NATCHEZ dock, the tour meanders through the French Quarter, a dense grid of cobblestone streets, wrought iron balconies, and historic courtyards. Along the way, guests delve beyond the usual Bourbon Street scene, encountering places like the Court of Two Sisters, where a sprawling courtyard shaded by a 130-year-old wisteria vine sets a lush backdrop for a jazzy welcome. The tour also includes a stop at the former home of Antoine Peychaud, the Creole apothecary whose herbal bitters defined America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac. Here, the chemistry of local botanicals and history tastefully intersect.
A highlight arrives in Pirate’s Alley beneath the towering St. Louis Cathedral, where guests sample absinthe, the famed "green fairy" of intoxicating legend. The journey crescendos at Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub, a revered jazz venue where live performances celebrate New Orleans’ unrivaled musical heritage. Each cocktail stop offers carefully curated drinks paired with stories that connect the city’s diverse cultural threads—from Spanish wrought iron gates blessed by Queen Isabella to bohemian creativity drawn from century-old elixirs.
New Orleans Steamboat Company’s walking tour shines as a spirited alternative to typical daytime sightseeing, revealing a side of New Orleans that hums with history, music, and mixology craftsmanship. It’s an essential choice for visitors seeking both education and entertainment in an authentically local setting. Whether you’re a cocktail aficionado or simply craving a walk rich with flavor and lore, this tour serves as a lively gateway into what makes New Orleans a singular adventure destination.
easy.
2–3 hours.
Participants should be comfortable walking at a moderate pace over uneven cobblestones for about 2.5 hours.
Guests must be 21 years or older to participate due to alcohol service.
The tour includes approximately 2.5 hours of walking on mostly flat, cobblestone streets.
Locations and cocktails may be substituted based on nightly events or availability at local partner establishments.
Some venues may not be wheelchair accessible; please notify your guide beforehand to discuss accommodations.
Yes, additional beverages can be purchased at participating venues beyond the three included cocktails.
The tour begins at Woldenberg Park, 400 Toulouse St, near the Steamboat NATCHEZ dock, and ends nearby at Fritzel’s Jazz Pub.
New Orleans is credited with creating America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac, thanks to Creole apothecary Antoine Peychaud in the mid-1800s.
Efforts to limit vehicular traffic in the French Quarter help preserve historic streetscapes and promote pedestrian-friendly cultural tours like this one.
New Orleans Steamboat Company operates historic riverboat cruises and guided excursions based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The company offers a range of Mississippi River sightseeing and jazz cruises aboard the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS and seasonal sailings on the Steamboat NATCHEZ, plus swamp, plantation, walking, and specialty small-group tours. Cruise experiences include daytime and evening sightseeing jazz cruises with live music performed by the Dukes of Dixieland, multiple dinner seating options with Creole buffets or plated lunches, brunch sailings, seasonal party packages, and holiday-themed departures such as Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve events. Land-based offerings include swamp and airboat adventures, guided tours to Oak Alley and Whitney plantations, craft cocktail and cooking walking tours, cemetery and Garden District strolls, and interactive ghost and spirits walks in the French Quarter. Each trip description lists duration, meal options when applicable, live music or narration, and onboard amenities such as full-service bars and multiple observation decks. Local guides provide historical context about New Orleans, the Mississippi River, Jean Lafitte, and regional wetlands and wildlife on swamp and plantation tours. Many cruises feature live jazz and family-friendly programming; several airboat and swamp tours emphasize wildlife viewing opportunities. Bookings are arranged per listed trip schedules and seating times. As a long-established New Orleans operator featured by tour aggregators and known for narrated riverboat cruises, the company combines maritime tradition with local culture to deliver interpretive sightseeing and entertainment on and off the water. Public and private group bookings are available for many departures.
Book with New Orleans Steamboat Company