Fun zone: whether you like tours, local history or red-hot musical acts, there's lots to do in the big easy

Pool & Spa News, Oct 3, 2003 by Mitch Kaplan

You haven't lived 'til you've taken a New Orleans cemetery tour. Or maybe you want to hear that jazz everyone's always talking about. If it's eclectic entertainment you like, you've come to the right place. Here are some ideas to help you plan your off-duty time:

TOURS

Many companies offer all kinds of guided tours. Inquire at your hotel's concierge desk for other options. This sampling will get you started.

* Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Fun factor: 30-foot-long aquatic tunnel

Details: Take a self-guided tour to discover underwater creatures, of North and South America. Enter the Caribbean Reef through the tunnel, surrounded by 132,000 gallons of water and sea life of all shapes and sizes. Check out the multitudes of frogs. Oh, and the adjacent IMAX Theatre is showing holiday-themed films, starting Nov. 1. Open Sun.-Thurs., 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Aquarium-only tickets are $14 adults; $10 seniors, 65 ; $6.50 children, ages 2-12. Aquarium/IMAX tickets are $18 adults; $15 seniors; $10.50 children. For other ticket rates, call the aquarium.

Where: 1 Canal St.; (800) 774-7394

* Cajun Critters Swamp Tours

Fun factor: Exploring the back bayou country up close and personal.

Details: Two-hour boat tours through the Bayou Segnette reveal stories, critters and plenty of flora. Runs daily, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 seasonally. Cost is $20; swamp tour plus transportation, $30/$38.

Where: 645 11th St.; (504) 347-0962 or (800) 575-5578

* Creole Queen Paddle Wheeler

Fun factor: Cruisin' on the Ole Mississip'.

Details' Paddle-wheeler Creole Queen is outfitted with authentic 19th century decor, a 24-foot-diameter paddle wheel, full-service bars, gift shops. Two daytime cruises daily, at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Dixieland jazz and a Creole buffet nightly; boarding and buffet start at 7 p.m., sailing from 8-10 p.m. Cost of the lunch cruise is $22, adults; day cruise only, $16; dinner cruise, $47.

Where: Canal St. Dock at the Riverwalk; (504) 5294567

* French Quarter Walking Tours

Fun factor. Great way to get your bearings.

Details: The Friends of the Cabildo stage tours daily at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The two-hour tours emphasize the Quarter's history and architecture, starting at the 1850 House Museum Store at 523 St. Ann St. on Jackson Square. No reservations needed. Cost is $10 and includes two historic home museum admissions.

Where: 1850 House at Jackson Square; (504) 523-3939

* Historic New Orleans Tours Inc.

Fun factor: Get the inside scoop.

Details: These humorous, entertaining tours cover the French Quarter, cemeteries, Garden District and voodoo landmarks. Tours last about two hours; arrive 15 minutes early; no reservations required. French Quarter History Tour: Mon.-Sun., 10:30 a.m., starting at Cafe Beignet, 1031 Decatur St. Cost: $12, cash only. Haunted French Quarter Tour: meets daily at 7:30 p.m. at O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub, 508 Toulouse St. Cost: $15.

Phone: (504) 947-2120

* Save Our Cemeteries Inc.

Fun factor: Tours of New Orleans' famous aboveground tombs.

Details: Historically accurate guided tours through two of New Orleans' oldest and most historically significant cemeteries: Lafayette No. 1 and St. Louis No. 1. Call for schedule and prices. Insider's tip: Be aware that the walled cemeteries are not safe for single people to tour alone.

Where: 305 Baronne St.; (504) 525-3377 or (888) 721-7493

* St. Charles Avenue Streetcar

Fun factor: Up close and personal with the city.

Details: This ride lakes you from the edge of the French Quarter (St. Charles Ave. and Royal St.) through the Garden District, past Audubon Park, and into Riverbend. Avoid rush hours, when in-town commuters pack the cars. But midday and evening, it's a pleasant, inexpensive way to sightsee. The route itself has been in service since 1835! Travel time is about 90 minutes round trip. Cost: $1.25 each way.

MUSEUMS

* The Historic New Orleans Collection

Fun factor: An in-depth, but very personalized, look at local history.

Details: Gen. and Mrs. L. Kemper Williams' private collection of Louisiana history is housed at the Williams Residence house museum; a museum shop also is on the property. Open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. Admission is $4

Where: 533 Royal St.; (504) 523-4662

* Louisiana State Museum

Fun factor: One-stop shopping for New Orleans history and culture.

Details: A complex of landmarks in various locations houses thousands of artifacts and artworks that reflect Louisiana's history and cultural diversity. Museum properties in the French Quarter include the Cabildo, the Presbytere and the Old U.S. Mint. Open Tues.-Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: single building tickets for adults, $5.

Where: 751 Chartres St.; (504) 568-6968 or (800) 568-6968

ANTIQUE SHOPS

* The French Quarter's famed antique shops are on Chartres and Royal Streets, and brochures with maps are available in any of the shops. In the next4oor Garden District, Magazine Street offers an equally impressive number of antique shops.

FREE PERFORMANCES

* Jackson Square

Fun factor: Unpredictable, ever-changing street scene.