The Big Easy
(34 Reviews)
100% Recommended
Amy Eben
Sioux Center, IA
Manager and Leisure Travel Specialist
I became a travel agent directly out of college and had fully planned on it being a "stepping stone" job to something different in the future. I fell in love with the industry and the people at The Travel Advantage in Sioux Center and have now bee...
I became a travel agent directly out of college and had fully planned on it being a "stepping stone" job to something different in the future. I fell in love with the industry and the people at The Travel Advantage in Sioux Center and have now been here for over 23 years. I've sailed with multiple cruise lines including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, traveled to the sandy beaches of Cancun and visited domestic destinations such as San Francisco, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, Nashville, and Dallas. My most recent trip took me through Yellowstone National Park, Devils Tower and same amazing scenery in California and Washington State. And my bucket list is long when it comes to other great locations! I love people and I love travel and feel completely blessed that I get to combine both every day! I guess I can say "I know what I want to be when I grow up" and I'm enjoying it right now. Call, email, or stop in Sioux Center at The Travel Advantage today!
Can Be Reached At
1-712-722-3727
New Orleans, nicknamed the "Big Easy," is known for its round-the-clock nightlife, vibrant live-music and spicy cuisine.We explored much of the vibrant city including the French Quarter. Established by the French in 1718, The French Quarter encompasses stunning architecture, balconies decorated with intricate ironwork, and courtyards filled with lush greenery and beautiful fountains.
The Quarter centers around the famous Jackson Square, named to honor Andrew Jackson. The square is flanked by historic structures such as the St. Louis Cathedral and the Pontalba Apartments, the oldest apartment building in the U.S. It is common to see fortune tellers, artists and musicians hanging out in this area.
We got to experience the haunted history of the French Quarter with a 2 hour walking Ghosts and Legends Tour. With legends of grisly murders, plundering pirates, and restless wanderers, New Orleans is called one of the most haunted cities in the United States.
The most haunted location in New Orleans is LaLaurie Mansion. While the TV show American Horror Story put the LaLaurie Mansion on the popular culture map, Madame Marie Delphine Macarty LaLaurie has been a household name in the city since the 1830s.In 1832 Dr. Louis LaLaurie and Delphine moved to a Creole mansion in the French Quarter. Known for their wealth and prominence, the house was attended to by dozens of slaves. The horrifying conditions of their household would not be revealed until 1834 following a fire in the mansion's kitchen. Legend has it that behind a barred door in the attic they found a chamber with tortured and starved male and female slaves chained to walls and children shut inside cages.
Though the house has changed hands numerous times and has served as not only a private home but also a musical conservatory and a school for young women, many of the building’s owners have experienced some form of misery associated with the house, securing its title of haunted.
Beyond its haunted history, New Orleans has a rich cultural history. A guided bus tour bus took us down Canal Street. With two streetcar lines running down the middle of the street and three traffic lanes on either side, it has been cited as the widest "street" in America. We viewed amazing and colorful mansions in the garden district, the New Orleans Saint’s Superdome and made a stop at the beautiful City Park, complete with an amusement park and Botanical Garden.
But, our most interesting stop was at a cemetery known in New Orleans as “Cities of the Dead.” Because the city is built on a swamp, the deceased are buried above ground in stone crypts or mausoleums. Around the exterior are small vaults stacked on top of one another for low income families to purchase while wealthy families purchase larger, ornate tombs with crypts. These tombs, embellished with elaborate statues, decorative artwork and iron fences, form lines along walkways causing them to resemble a mini village.
To avoid overcrowding in a vault, after at least two years, a local ordinance allows the remains of a person to be moved to a burial bag and placed at the side or back of the vault. The coffin is then destroyed and the made ready for the new family member. If a 2nd family member dies within that two-year period, they will be placed in a holding vault and moved into his or her final resting place when two years have elapsed. The burial process was a fascinating and foreign concept to this Midwestern girl.
Visiting New Orleans was a fascinating and unique experience filled with history and culture. No wonder it has been nominated by Reader’s Choice for the best U.S. City. From lively entertainment to bright architecture and haunting ghost stories, I guarantee the New Orleans will not disappoint!