Built on Water, Tested By Storm: Before & After Katrina

1 Review 5.00 out of 5 stars Based on 1 traveler reviews collected by Cool New Orleans and TripAdvisor | Recommended by 100% of reviewers | New Orleans, USA

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On average, this is booked 25 (0) days in advance.

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Instant confirmation
Offered in: English

Overview

Step into New Orleans’ layered history and its complex relationship with water on this 2 hour guided walking tour exploring New Orleans’ history, resilience, and sustainability in relation to water.

Through honest storytelling and expert context, your guide traces floods, engineering decisions, Katrina’s devastation, and the city’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

The tour weaves together culture, policy, and lived experience to reveal how natural forces and human choices shaped the city’s vulnerabilities and innovations.

By the end, you will have a clearer sense of what happened, why it matters, and what the future of New Orleans demands.

What's Included

  • Follow up information if desired
  • Licensed tour guide
  • Environmentalist guide
  • Gratuities
  • Food or Beverages
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Meeting Location

Meeting point

Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116, USA

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Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

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Our secure website provides real-time availability, instant confirmation, and free, no-hassle cancellations up to 24 hours before your activity begins.
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Safe & secure • Easy breezy • Hassle-free

Mississippi River Heritage Park

New Orleans and the Mississippi River are extricably linked. Tourism, trade and commerce are all powered by the river, lakes and the gulf that surrounds it. But the very thing that powers the city’s economy also makes it vulnerable to catastrophic floods. We will discuss this in detail
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15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Latrobe Park

This park was named after Benjamin Latrobe who built New Orleans' first water system
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15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Woldenberg Riverfront Park

This area used to be flood walls, warehouses, and industrial that ran along the Mississippi River. The area was transformed into a public park complete with lush greenery, bricked walkways, and public art, and it opened to the public before the 1984 World’s Fair, which the city hosted that year. The park was named for philanthropist Malcolm Woldenberg, who contributed to the park’s creation.
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15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Jackson Square

Jackson Square, or the Place d’Armes, as it was originally known, began to take its shape in August 1721, when French engineers laid out a plan for the new colonial capital of La Louisiane. We will discuss the histroy as we view this gorgeous square.
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15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

French Market

In 1791, this French Market originated as a Native American trading post along the Mississippi River. From there it continued to evolve into a cultural and commercial hub for New Orleans, as French and Spanish colonists opened the market up to ships and traders from all over the world. Over the next three centuries, immigrants from Europe, Africa and the Caribbean began to open their own venues at this French Quarter market, offering everything from Italian butcheries to African coffee and Choctaw spices.
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15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

French Quarter

This was the original city. When the French created a permanent colony here they initiated a century’s-long effort to pin the Mississippi within its banks by building man made levees on top of the natural ones. But the Mississippi river was not easily tamed. Even Mark Twain said “The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise. And he was right. No matter what man did to try to control the river, floods plagued each generation of New Orleanians.
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45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

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Additional Info

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Not recommended for anyone with mobility issues
  • Tours run rain or shine

Frequently Asked Questions

(7)

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Built on Water, Tested By Storm: Before & After Katrina?

A: You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the activity for a full refund. For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the activity start time.If you cancel less than 24 hours before the activity start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.Any changes made less than 24 hours before the activity start time will not be accepted.Cut-off times are based on the activity local time (CDT).This activity requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund. Read more Apr 2025

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the activity for a full refund.

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Activity code: C-400627P6

Reviews

5.00
1 reviews

Average 5.00 out of 5 stars based on 1 traveler reviews collected by Cool New Orleans and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

5 stars
1
4 stars
0
3 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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On average, this is booked 25 (0) days in advance.

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What's Included

Activity name

  • Follow up information if desired
  • Licensed tour guide
  • Environmentalist guide
  • Gratuities
  • Food or Beverages

Additional Info

Activity name

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with mobility issues
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Not recommended for anyone with mobility issues
  • Tours run rain or shine
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Free Cancellation

100% refund
No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the activity for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the activity start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the activity start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the activity start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the activity local time (CDT).
  • This activity requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This activity requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

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Cool Rewards Terms & Conditions

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Cool Rewards

  • Cool Rewards is a loyalty program operated by Cool Destinations. Rewards may be earned by any eligible person holding a Cool Destinations account, subject to the Cool Destinations customer Terms of Use.

Earning rewards

  • Rewards can be earned by making bookings on the Cool Destinations website. You will be able to see the value of the rewards you can earn during the booking process.
  • Earned rewards will be issued in a pending state and will move to a confirmed state 24 hours after the start time of the experience.
  • Earned rewards will be available to redeem once they are no longer in a pending state.
  • For bookings that are moved to a different travel date, the rewards will be redeemable after the amended travel date.
  • If a booking where rewards were issued is canceled, the earned rewards will not be redeemable and will be moved to a canceled state.

Redeeming rewards

  • To redeem rewards, you must be logged into your Cool Destinations account.
  • Any available rewards will be automatically applied the next time you make a booking, and their value will be deducted from your order at checkout, unless you choose not to apply them, which requires you to indicate this via the toggle switch. Bookings made using rewards are subject to the standard Cool Destinations Customer Terms of Use.
  • You will not be able to redeem only a portion of your available rewards at checkout. It is only possible to redeem all or none of your available rewards.
  • There is no minimum order value required to redeem your rewards. This means that you can pay for 100% of your order with rewards.
  • Rewards are non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash.
  • If rewards are redeemed against a booking that is canceled or refunded, the rewards will be reissued to your account.

Miscellaneous

  • You can check your Cool Destinations account to see the rewards you have collected at any time. You are responsible for ensuring that your rewards balance is correct.
  • We reserve the right to modify these Cool Rewards Terms and Conditions at any time, with or without notice, including the rules for earning and redeeming rewards. Any changes will be reflected in the updated Terms and Conditions.
  • We reserve the right to terminate the Cool Rewards program and cease issuing any further rewards on future bookings. All pending and available rewards balances will be honored.
  • By earning and redeeming rewards, you agree to these Terms and Conditions, as well as any subsequent changes made to them.