The Big Easy Study Tour of New Orleans

Few American cities rival the allure of New Orleans—a place where centuries of history, architecture, music, cuisine, and cultural traditions converge in a setting unlike anywhere else in the country. This fall, Charles Chamberlain and Stephen Fox invite you to experience the city through a carefully curated program designed to reveal both its celebrated landmarks and lesser-known treasures.

From Creole culinary traditions and legendary jazz venues to historic neighborhoods, private homes, and significant cultural institutions, this four-day immersion offers a richly layered introduction to the incomparable spirit of New Orleans. Guests will be based at the elegant Windsor Court Hotel, ideally situated for our explorations.

Thursday, October 22     Arrival & The French Quarter
Suggested flights:

Southwest Airlines 206 dep. HOU 8:05 A.M. arr. MSY 9:15 A.M.

United Airlines 491 dep. IAH 7:30 A.M. arr. MSY 8:45 A.M.

Guests are asked to make individual flight arrangements and transfers to the Windsor Court Hotel.

11:30 AM
Our program begins as we gather in the Windsor Court Hotel lobby and stroll to Drago’s Seafood Restaurant for an introduction to one of the city’s most beloved culinary traditions: the legendary charbroiled oysters created by Tommy Cvitanovich. Following lunch, we will board the historic New Orleans Streetcar to Jackson Square for an exploration of the Lower French Quarter. Our afternoon continues with cocktails featuring the famed Peychaud’s Bitters at the former residence of Antoine Amédée Peychaud, whose herbal elixir became essential to New Orleans cocktail culture.
Nearby, we will enjoy an intimate early performance at Preservation Hall, the iconic institution devoted to safeguarding the city’s extraordinary jazz legacy.
7:30 PM
This evening, we reconvene for dinner at the celebrated Brennan’s, where the story of Bananas Foster—created in 1951 by Ella Brennan and Paul Blangé—offers a delicious lens into the city’s historic banana and coffee trade.

This morning is devoted to the elegance and architectural grandeur of the Garden District. Highlights include a driving and walking tour featuring Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Coliseum and Second Streets, the Irish Channel, and the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. Lunch will be served at Ralph’s on the Park, a refined Brennan family establishment overlooking City Park. Our afternoon includes visits to the distinguished New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, followed by a gallery visit to George Schmidt Gallery in the Arts District. Dinner this evening is at Gianna Restaurant, where contemporary Italian cuisine is served in the heart of the Warehouse District.
After Dinner (Optional)
  Guests wishing to continue the evening may enjoy live jazz in the Windsor Court Polo Club Lounge or independently visit Mahogany Jazz Hall.

This morning we travel to the Lower Ninth Ward for a meaningful visit to the TEP Center, where we will explore the history of civil rights in New Orleans and the organization’s continuing work in anti-racism education. Returning to the French Quarter, we will visit the historic Old Ursuline Convent and pass the storied LaLaurie Mansion en route to a gracious private residence on Dauphine Street for a light luncheon. Following a brief visit to St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, the afternoon is reserved for the lively Tremé Fall Festival—a spirited celebration of neighborhood culture featuring acclaimed jazz artists, local artisans, and beloved culinary traditions.
Dinner will be at the legendary Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, a landmark of New Orleans culture, hospitality, and civil rights history since 1941.

Sunday, October 25    Marigny & Departure

Guests may enjoy a leisurely farewell brunch at their convenience in the Windsor Court Grill Room (reservations required).
12:00 PM
Our final afternoon explores the vibrant Faubourg Marigny, where French, Spanish, and Caribbean influences have shaped one of the city’s most colorful and artistic districts.
The program concludes with a self-guided visit to the New Orleans Jazz Museum located in the US Mint Building.
4:00 PM
Departure by bus from the Windsor Court for the airport.

We look forward to sharing this extraordinary city with you.

Our guides:
Charles D. Chamberlain III, PhD

Dr. Charles Chamberlain is a professor of history for the University of New Orleans, concentrating on Louisiana studies and music history. He received his PhD in U.S. History from Tulane University in 1999, and is the author of New Orleans: A Concise History of an Exceptional City (LSU Press, 2025). Chamberlain has worked as a museum professional, curator, and consultant on numerous exhibits throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Since 2014, Dr. Chamberlain has served as a licensed tour guide for the City of New Orleans, and he specializes in developing and presenting cultural tourism globally. As an active musician, he performs a variety of styles encompassing jazz, blues, American roots, and traditional French music.

Stephen Fox 
Stephen Fox is an architectural historian and a lecturer at the Rice University School of Architecture. He is also a lecturer at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston and a fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas. Fox’s work is focused on architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially that of Houston and Texas. In his scholarship, he examines the ways that architecture engages such social constructs as class identity, cultural distinction, and regional differentiation. Fox is the author of the AIA Houston Architectural Guide, The Country Houses of John F. Staub, and is a contributor to the Society of Architectural Historians’ The Buildings of Texas: Central, South, and Gulf Coast, edited by Gerald Moorhead. He has contributed chapters to The Open-Ended City: David Dillon on Texas Architecture, edited by Kathryn E. Holliday; Victor Lundy: Artist Architect, edited by Donna Kacmar; and Avant-Garde in the Cornfields: Architecture, Landscape, and Preservation in New Harmony, edited by Ben Nicholson and Michelangelo Sabatino. Most recently, his writing can be found in Making Houston Modern: The Life and Architecture of Howard Barnstone, edited by Barrie Scardino Bradley and Michelangelo Sabatino.