A TOUR OF THE NEW ORLEANS GARDEN DISTRICT

The New Orleans Garden District, located just 20 minutes by streetcar from downtown, is a great place to spend a peaceful day. You can travel from downtown New Orleans and the bustle of the Garden District to the charming St. Charles Streetcar. It takes you to majestic mansions, tree-lined streets, and magnificent mansions. We will share everything you need to know about the Garden District in New Orleans.

A tour of the New Orleans Garden District

What is the Garden District?

The Garden District is home to the New Orleans wealthy, and tourists can enjoy a day of peaceful walking tours through the Lafayette Cemetery, celebrity mansions, and boutiques.

To begin our day, we met Sheila from Welcome New Orleans Tours in the lobby of The Rink. Although the Rink was once an arena for roller skating, it now houses a bookstore, gift shop, and coffee shop.

It’s the perfect spot to meet as it’s right next to Lafayette Cemetery Number One, where we began our afternoon tour. She gave us some background information about the area before we set out.

The New Orleans Garden District’s History

In 1720, it was laid out grid-like. Land grants were also granted to those who lived outside the city. Some people decided to grow sugarcane and indigo on their plantations or rural land. The Livaudais Plantation occupied a large portion of the Garden District. This plantation’s story is interesting because its last owner was a woman.

New Orleans women owned their land in the 1800s. We were surprised by this, as women didn’t have many rights or even the ability to manage their finances back then. However, things were different in NOLA.

Jacques Livaudais, who was originally the owner of the plantation, was later too lazy to appear for the divorce proceedings and was transferred to Celeste Marigny by the courts.

She sold the plantation to a group that divided it into blocks and then sold off sections. It was becoming a luxury area by the middle of the 1800s.

Things to Do in the Garden District of New Orleans

We detail The BEST Areas in New Orleans. Find the best places to stay within the Garden District.

Lafayette Cemetery Number 1

Unlike the Saint Louis Cemetery Number One downtown, you don’t need a guide navigating the Lafayette Cemetery in The Garden District.

It is much more fun when you have a guide.

Dave and I visited the Cemetery last year and didn’t learn much. We were enriched by Shelia’s stories and the richer experience we had.

The Vampire Lestat Crypt, featured in Interview with the Vampire, is one of the highlights. Sheila showed us where the replica was built to film the scene. That movie is fantastic.

There are several tombs in this Cemetery for members of various organizations, such as the German Presbyterian Community, the YMCA, and volunteer firefighters.

The Home For Destitute Orphan Boys was the most tragic tomb. We could see the dates and notice several people died from yellow fever. Sheila stated that many children were left with their parents during this time.

Anne Rice lived in the Garden District.

Anne Rice was a big Anne Rice fan. She also told us about Anne Rice’s parade in the Cemetery in the 1990s to promote her novel Memnoch the Devil.

Strangely, the experience of walking through a cemetery felt relaxing.

People walked through the grounds, looking at elaborate tombs with crosses, angels, draped urns, and statues of children. Birds sang, and people swam. It’s pretty stunning. After an hour of touring the Cemetery, it was time to move on to the Garden District mansions.

Here are celebrities and the ultra-rich of New Orleans. Blocks of land are taken up by mansions hidden behind brick walls and high shrubs.

Mansions Of The Garden District

The first step was to learn about the various designs in the area. The Gothic Revival significantly influences housing design, but Roman and Greek are also important influences.

Many houses have cast-iron fences with the same design that run down the block, crossing between properties.

Famous Garden District Residents

Sandra Bullock, a part-time neighborhood resident, is one of the most well-known residents. Her house was deserted, and I wondered how much she spent in New Orleans. Sheila stated that she used to visit New Orleans quite often.

Sheila stated that John Goodman has a home here. It is his home, and his family also lives there.

The Garden District is home to the Manning family. Both NFL greats, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, were raised in this mansion. Their father, Archie, was a New Orleans Saints player from 1971 to 1982. According to our sources, this family home remains the family home. You can spot them on the streets if you’re lucky.

Anne Rice left after her husband’s death. It was sad news to me. Anne Rice moved closer to her son, who moved to California. We did visit her home, where she wrote The Witching Hour.

Sheila pointed to her fence of wrought iron with rosebuds but explained that Rice fans often see skulls. It is easy to see why they believed that. Those rose buds do indeed resemble heads.

Nicolas Cage had a Garden District mansion in his best days.

He seems to have squandered his wealth in New Orleans, buying a massive eyesore of an underground tomb in Saint Louis Cemetery Number One and then purchasing the LaLaurie Mansion in American Horror Story: Coven for a brief period. It is only natural that he owned a house in one of the city’s most exclusive areas.

He lost all his money and had to sell the mansion, but his tomb remains his. Although he might no longer live in the area, he could spend eternity in New Orleans. It asks if he kept his treasure there in case of a storm.

Movies Filmed In New Orleans Garden District

The Garden District is the ideal location for a movie. It’s as if time stands still.

A few of these houses were also used as movie sets. It’s easy to imagine any number of these mansions doubling for plantation houses, quiet turn-of-the-20th-century neighborhoods, or country estates. With each turn, it felt like we were on our own movie set.

Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt stars in Benjamin Button, a beautiful fantasy movie. The Garden District was used for the main house scenes. The Benjamin Button House was situated on one corner of one street.

It is hard to imagine the excitement that must have been in the area when Pitt was at his peak.