New Orleans Slavery Voodoo and Resistance Self Guided Tour

Key facts

What's included

Itinerary

1. Stop 1

   Begin at one of the oldest markets in the United States, where trade predates the founding of New Orleans. During the colonial period, enslaved people were permitted to sell food and crafts here on Sundays, and some saved those earnings to purchase freedom for themselves or family members.

   5 minutes

2. Stop 2

   Meet “Joanie on the Pony,” New Orleans' gilded tribute to Joan of Arc, the teenage French heroine who became the city's patron saint. Across the street, the National Park Service's French Quarter Visitor Center offers free exhibits exploring Louisiana history and the Battle of New Orleans.

   5 minutes

3. Stop 3

   Walk beside the Mississippi along the same waterfront that once helped make New Orleans the largest slave market in the Deep South. Between 1804 and 1862, an estimated 135,000 enslaved people were bought and sold in New Orleans at more than 50 sites throughout the city.

   5 minutes

4. Stop 4

   Stand in the historic heart of New Orleans, once known as the Place d'Armes. The beautiful square was a military and civic center, but it also stood only steps from places where enslaved people were bought and sold, revealing the complicated history beneath one of New Orleans' most photographed landmarks.

   5 minutes

5. Stop 5

   Step inside one of the Quarter's best-known voodoo shops, filled with ritual candles, talismans, books and spiritual objects. The tour uses this stop to look beyond Hollywood stereotypes and introduce the African spiritual traditions behind Louisiana Voodoo

   5 minutes

6. Stop 6 Pass by

   See one of America's legendary jazz venues. Opened in 1961, Preservation Hall provided a home for Black New Orleans musicians during segregation, while preserving a musical tradition whose rhythms can be traced back to the gatherings of enslaved Africans at Congo Square. Greg New Orleans’ Slavery, Vood…

7. Stop 7

   See two buildings representing dramatically different sides of New Orleans history. Napoleon House recalls a bizarre plan to rescue Napoleon Bonaparte from exile, while across the street the former St. Louis Hotel hosted elegant balls and some of the South's busiest slave auctions beneath the same roof.

   5 minutes

8. Stop 8

   Stand at one of the most important cultural sites in New Orleans. Enslaved Africans and free people of color gathered here on Sundays to drum, dance, trade and preserve traditions that would ultimately help shape jazz, blues, rock and other forms of American music. Greg New Orleans’ Slavery, Vood…

   10 minutes

9. Stop 9

   Explore a park honoring some of New Orleans' greatest cultural figures, including Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Buddy Bolden and Mardi Gras Indian Chief Tootie Montana. It's a powerful bridge between the traditions of Congo Square and the music New Orleans eventually gave the world.

   10 minutes

10. Stop 10

    Visit a landmark founded in 1841 by New Orleans' free Black community and described in the tour as the country's oldest African American Catholic parish. Beside it stands the Tomb of the Unknown Slave, a moving memorial dedicated to enslaved people buried in unmarked and unknown graves.

    10 minutes

Meeting point & pickup

Meet at the starting point

Begin at one of the oldest markets in the United States, where trade predates the founding of New Orleans. During the colonial period, enslaved people were permitted to sell food and crafts here on Sundays, and some saved those earnings to purchase freedom for themselves or family members.

Cancellation & confirmation