The Badly Behaved Women Who Made New Orleans Tour

Overview

Hear 300 years of history of vice and red light districts in New Orleans, and all that's not fit for print!

» Small groups: 15 guest max

» Suggested cocktails

» Fun extras: historical images, a take-home Polaroid of the group, and more!

France shipped women from the brothels and prisons to the colonies in the 1720s, sending them to Ursulines nuns for 'correction'. Instead, many hung their red lanterns out back of town, and created the most thriving red light district in the hemisphere. Gov. Bienville complained “Whatever the vigilance exercised upon them, they could not be restrained.”

In Storyville, our turn-of-the-20th-century red light district, madams decked in diamonds reigned in 'palaces of sin'. Some were so rich and powerful they committed murder and got off with no charges (one killed a U.S. Senator!).

Take home a piece of this amazing and scandalous history you'll never forget.

CAUTION: Includes discussion of sexual topics, drug use, and other vices -- BOOK NOW

City: New Orleans

Sun 23 Feb

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $30.00

Make a reservation

Sun 23 Feb

Starting at $30.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

We have suggested cocktail stops at the start and one of the tour breaks. Drinks are NOT included but we do have fun suggestions on historic cocktails.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
We follow all city safety policies, including mask and vaccination requirements. There are none in effect at the time of this writing but guests will be required to follow all Federal, state, and local requirements if reinstituted.

What To Expect

French Market

We'll see the French Market -- once Gallatin St., the most dangerous street in the country, in the late 1800s. You might find a dance hall brothel where the whole floor descended into an orgy, or be garroted and robbed of all your possessions openly. It was a place police rarely went, except with 30 or 40 men.

Old Ursuline Convent Museum

See the convent of the Ursulines nuns, the oldest building in the French Quarter (construction began 1727), and hear how the church and King Louis XV became sex traffickers to force more women to the colony, and had the nuns keep these "correction girls" in line with nude public lashings. But the girls were the ones with the problem?

Golden Lantern

Often on our route we make it to the Golden Lantern, and discuss the history of Southern Decadence at its home bar -- a working class gay bar in the French Quarter.

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

Often we stop by this oldest building housing a bar in North America, and discuss its history as a smuggling front. Although not one of our historic cocktail spots, we often take a break here and cool down in the heat.

Marie Laveau House of Voodoo

Actually we won't see this shop on the tour, we'll go to the real Marie Laveau's birthplace, and discuss... "Wait, she doesn't belong on this tour! She's a voudou leader not a... " High class madam? Find out where she made most of her real money!

Louis Armstrong Park

The decadent palaces thrown up in Storyville on Basin St. were replaced by the Iberville Projects. So we take you to the gorgeous Louis Armstrong Park that overlooks what once was Storyville, with enough seating and shade for guests to sit and view photos of this historic time period, see and hear about its wildest characters.

May Baily's Place

May Baily's became the first legal brothel in New Orleans when the owner paid a license fee in 1857 -- still mounted on the wall! [closed temporarily]

Show 4 more stops

Cancellation Policy

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

Reviews (1)

margarettracy

Oct 2022

My sister was visiting from out of town and it gave us locals a chance to finally go on this walking tour. Our guide, Jackson, was patient, thoughtful, and well researched. His stories were interesting and helped contextualize the reputation New Orleans still maintains to this day. I enjoyed meeting these historical and impactful women. The weather was beautiful, sidewalks not too treacherous, and plenty of stops for shade and drinks!