Should You Do A Bike Tour in NOLA? What You Need to Know

Trying to decide if a New Orleans bike tour is worth it? Read on for details of our experience and recommendations!

I’ve visited New Orleans four times – it’s a city that really grows on you, and I’ve loved it more each time I visit. We’ve done a large variety of activities in New Orleans, but I have to say that our bike tour of the Garden District was one of the most relaxing and idyllic experiences.

There’s something about just casually biking through a gorgeous neighborhood, the sun shining and the breeze blowing through your hair that makes you feel alive!

This is a fantastic activity to do in New Orleans and a great way to experience a historic neighborhood of the city. I spent a ton of time researching different bike tour options in New Orleans before settling on one, and I definitely chose well.

So, in the rest of this guide, I’m sharing exactly what the experience was like, why you should do it, and a few helpful tips and things to know before you go.

Quick Link: This is the bike tour that we did and LOVED

Where to Do a Bike Tour

We did a bike tour through the Garden District because this is an area that I had only spent a little bit of time in previously. We had already spent quite a bit of time over previous trips in the French Quarter, and that part of the city is a little bit busier. I wanted something laidback and to learn about a new area, so the Garden District was perfect.

There are bike tours that go into the French Quarter, and you can find French Quarter + Garden District combination tours as well.

Another reason I liked the Garden District is that, outside of St. Charles Avenue, it’s actually a very quiet and residential area, which made for easy and non-stressed biking. There weren’t a ton of cars or tourists filling the streets.

What About Kids? Are Bike Tours Good for Kids?

We’ve always taken our kids with us when we visit New Orleans, and this trip was no exception – I had my 13-year-old and 8-year-old with me. So I wanted to find a bike tour that was good for kids as well as adults.

Here are a few things to know about doing a bike tour with kids:

✔️Both of my kids had a great time and loved the biking aspect of the tour. The combination of biking + listening to stories struck a great balance that kept them interested for the duration.

✔️Many bike tours will only take adults (or at least only take 16+). There are only a few tours that will allow younger kids. The youngest age allowed on a bike tour, that I could find, is 7. The bike tour we did was one of the tours that allowed 7+ year olds.

✔️The tour had kids’ bikes and helmets that fit an elementary-age child well.

How to Get to the Bike Office

Whether you do a bike tour of just the Garden District or opt to do the Garden District + French Quarter combo, you’ll meet at the bike office located 2 blocks north of St. Charles Avenue, in the Garden District.

There are a few parking stalls in front of the office, as well as street parking nearby, so if you have a car you can drive yourself out. This is what we did, but only because we did this on our last day in New Orleans and we were heading straight out of town after the tour.

(We actually did the bike tour in the morning and a swamp tour in the afternoon before heading out. The swamp tour was also insanely fun and I’d highly recommend).

I would only drive if you’re on your way in or out, as finding parking in New Orleans is kind of a pain and I highly prefer leaving my car parked as much as possible.

Instead, you can just take the St. Charles Avenue streetcar. It’s just $1.25/ride, you can get on near the French Quarter, and there’s a stop just a couple of minutes from the office.

If you don’t want to do the streetcar, you could also easily Uber.

What is Provided

✔️Of course, you get to use a road bike that’s in good condition. You are able to choose your bike from the various options they have available.

✔️You also get a 16-oz water bottle, although I’d recommend bringing your own water as well – on a hot day, you very well may need more.

✔️You can also ask to have a basket put on the front of your bike – most people in our group opted to get a basket, and they’re really handy for stowing water bottles, bags, etc.

>>Check prices and availability for this bike tour here

What the Garden District Bike Tour Was Like

After getting fitted up with our bikes and gear, we took off with the guide and a small group of <10 people through the Garden District.

Our first stop was actually at the St. Joseph Cemetery, just a few blocks away. We stopped for about 20 minutes to learn about the cemetery, and New Orleans funeral traditions, and had a few minutes to walk around and explore.

Even though we had already done a cemetery tour of St. Louis Cemetery #1 that was very comprehensive, I still learned some new things about how New Orleans handles their dead on this stop.

For example, cemeteries in New Orleans are known as cities of the dead, and this particular cemetery was built to hold victims of the 1830-40 Yellow Fever epidemic, which killed 50% of the people it infected.

From here, we really started to explore the charming streets of the Garden District. The general pattern is that we would bike for several minutes, then stop and park our bikes while we listened to fascinating stories about a particular home and its inhabitants.

We learned about how the district really flourished in the 1800’s, and how one man privately owned the entire neighborhood until the 1830s. From there, it was divided up into large parcels to go to wealthy merchants. These “OG” mansions were primarily constructed in Greek Revival, Italianate, and St. Anne’s style.

Most large estates have been divided up over the years as economic distress happened, so most properties in Garden District today are much smaller than they originally were.

The Stories

While of course we heard about the mansions themselves, we really enjoyed the stories of the wealthy people and their sometimes crazy escapades. For example, one of the houses in the district belonged to the man who invented the burlap sack.

Another home belonged to an insurance salesman who refused to own enslaved people or indentured servants, so people thought he was clinically and mentally ill and ostracized him.

Another notable stop was the Buckner mansion, the largest mansion in the Garden District. The home has 3 ballrooms, is often featured on shows about New Orleans, and is reportedly haunted by the ghost of an enslaved woman who worked there.

To bring things back to modern times, we also stopped by one of Anne Rice’s homes (the novelist who set many of her stories in New Orleans – apparently she has multiple homes in the Garden District), as well as Sandra Bullocks’ home.

The Irish Channel

After the exploration of the Garden District, we headed south of Magazine Street to the Irish Channel, a neighborhood full of colorful homes belonging to Irish, German, and East European immigrants.

Homes here are much smaller, but are vibrant and charming, with interesting features and unique accents.

We stopped at a local bar for a quick drink before pedaling back through the Garden District to the office.

So, Was the Bike Tour Worth It?

Oh, absolutely. The neighborhood was stunningly beautiful, both from the historic homes and the gardens that surrounded them. The smell of jasmine and magnolias was in the air. The breeze on our necks felt fantastic in the warm air, and the whole thing was a very pleasant mixture of fascinating stories and idyllic cruising.

Our tour lasted just over 2.5 hours, which we thought was a perfect amount of time – no one had gotten bored yet, and we ended before we pushed into getting tired territory.

And we aren’t the only ones who have enjoyed this experience – the activity has an average rating of 4.94 of 5 stars.

While the rest of the people in the group were adults, the company was clearly used to hosting children, and my kids were easily able to keep up and had a great time. I think it’s a great activity for any children (age 7 and up) as well as adults.

>>Ready to Book? You can make your reservations for this delightful bike tour here