New Orleans Garden District
Tour: The Garden District is situated on what was once a large sugar plantation up river
from the French Quarter. The land boom which
produced this elegant nineteenth century suburb began in the late 1830s and continued until the
Civil War. New Orleans 
became
the fourth largest city in the nation and the most prosperous city in the South.
The
Garden District was created by Americans who came here after the Louisiana Purchase of
1803. This era of development in New Orleans was
akin to the 1849 California Gold Rush and to the Silicon Valley expansion in the 1990s.
Ambitious and hard working young men came to make their fortunes and often succeeded
spectacularly.
Lafayette Cemetery
is located in the "dead center" of the Garden District. No matter where one started
from, this is where one ended . The cemetery is an outdoor museum which chronicles the
neighborhood’s fascinating history.
Sight-seeing in the New Orleans Garden District
is a delight year 'round. Tours of the Garden District are by reservation. Tour times vary with
the season, last about two hours, and end at Lafayette Cemetery across from Commander’s
Palace.
Tour cost: $20.00 per person. Special
rates for school groups and organizations.
Tour New Orleans' Garden District and Lafayette
Cemetary.
