Pestilence, Pandemic & Plague Tour

Overview

Infectious outbreaks have plagued New Orleans for centuries, and if you're a bit curious about the strange history of our city, you'll want to look no further than our relationship with disease.

We'll take you on a historic and strange tour of the squalid conditions of mass disease that New Orleans has encountered. As well, we'll tell inspiring tales of coping with filthy and foul conditions.

Walk with us to uncover how epidemics such as Yellow Fever, Cholera, and more have infected our inhabitants and how our resilient city recovered. We'll talk about odd medical practices of long ago, including how voodoo and religion played a part in trying to contain the "uncontainable."

Included in the tour is a walk through the French Quarter to see where it all went down.

City: New Orleans

Sat 21 Jun

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $37.00

Make a reservation

Sat 21 Jun

Starting at $37.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Professional Guide

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

What To Expect

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

We'll go into the history of strange ways the medical field approached various pandemics.

Jackson Square

The center of the French Quarter has a lot of history with pandemics and other disease.

French Quarter

Visit various stops across the French Quarter important to historic and recent pandemics and plague.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (22)

Jeff_K

Mar 2025

Mikko is extremely knowledgeable about the topic and New Orleans in general. Be prepared for a rapier wit and wonderful humor to be a tasty side dish to the info imparted. We saw a good smattering of the French Quarter along the way. While the Pharmaceutical Museum was closed on the day of our tour, don’t pass up this gem. Of all the Viator tours I’ve been on (all over the world), Mikko was by far the best tour guide. And, of course, the view of the in-ground garbage is not to be missed!

Robert_K

Mar 2025

Mikko was a fabulous tour guide. He spoke of the city, current and past, the tour topic - Pestilence, Pandemic, and Plague throughout the history of New Orleans and the US, and as we were visiting during Mardi Gras season, a bit about what to enjoy around town. Mikko is a world traveler and it shows. Highly recommend this tour. It is not at all grim and gross but educational.

716miquim

Oct 2024

The tour guide, Mikko, was knowledgeable and charismatic, which made for a wonderful time to learn about the diseases/plagues of New Orleans. The best stop of the tour was definitely the floor trash can. Recommended!

Response from Host

Oct 2024

Mikko is an excellent guide. I am happy you enjoyed learning how our city handled different diseases on tour with him. (And Trash cans) Thank you for your review.