Historic Garden District Walking Tour

Robin Gabriel-Parson was outstanding , very knowledgeable, friendly and committed to her customers.

Our guide Robin was fantastic! She covered a lot of history and was very knowledgeable. It was a very interesting tour.

Robin gave us an excellent walking tour of the Garden District. We learned more than we could have imagined about the roots of New Orleans, the French Quarter, the Garden District and modern-day living in the city. She answered all of our questions and offered a variety of explanations. If you’re looking for a historical, informative, and fun tour with a super knowledgeable tour guide, book your tour now!!

This was a wonderful experience that was a change from the French Quarter Vibes. Learning the history while also learning about the various historic homes and mansions of this area of New Orleans was so welcome and so fun! Robin knew her stuff and delivered the history is a fun, interactive way! I’m sure this can differ, but I also noticed that our tour size was smaller than several others that were going at the same time. Robin was very good about calling out tree roots, pot holes, etc. and sticking to the shade when possible, but if you have mobility issues, can’t stand for long times, or are sun and heat sensitive, do beware. New Orleans sidewalks and street are a bit like hiking so take that into account when deciding about any walking tours in this town :).

My husband and I enjoyed the tour, especially Robin and Harris! They are extremely knowledgeable and super friendly and FUN. We did a private Garden District Tour and loved it! We enjoyed our trip so much, we are going back to NOLA in June just to do the Jazz tour and Plantation tour!!!

We had an excellent tour with Robin! She was very knowledgeable on the history of the area and provided a lot of great insight. Would definitely get a tour from her again.

Harris was a true delight! From the moment he met us until he left us with a listing of incredible recommendations, we felt like he was an old friend just talking us on a walk through the district. The information he shared was wonderful and engaging, and his delivery was spot on. So glad I paid the extra few dollars to get the best guide there was versus the other options. His recommendations already have us planning our next trip!

Oh my goodness where do I start! Our tour guide Mr. Harris Parson Was the real deal. A native of New Orleans, he has extensive knowledge of the city’s rich history and architecture and he shares it in the best way. I’m not one for a lot of history and didn’t know what to expect out of this tour at first but man oh man the way he speaks makes it very interesting also he is very personable. Me and my husband enjoyed the tour with him. 10/10 recommend!!!

Harris was a great tour guide for this 2 hour walking tour of the Garden District. His knowledge of 19th and 20th century history of the city is augmented by fun facts about modern personalities and happenings from the modern era. Anyone who can sprinkle in a little Nine Inch Nails with the events that lead to the founding of the Louise McGehee is the kind of guy you want to hang out with to learn about this historical area.

The Garden District Walking Tour was phenomenal and our guide, Harris, was second to none with his knowledge of the district, city, and culture. Harris’ unique knowledge of the city of New Orleans, the Garden District, and first-hand experience with the New Orleans art scene and culture enabled him to weave great stories and answer any and all questions on a lively, informative tour of some of the most beautiful and historic homes in the city. Recommend to everyone.

Harris is AMAZING!! He has SO MUCH knowledge and is a wonderful storyteller! We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and wish we had done this tour on our first day in New Orleans! I highly recommend this tour, we learned so much!

Marvelous time strolling the Garden District with Harris (aka the Historian!) with Tours By Steven. He was a delightful wealth of knowledge and brought the stories of the area to life. Wish the weather hadn’t been so warm, but when it was available, Harris found us shade in order to continue the narrative. VERY highly recommend!

The Garden District is a wonderland of history and the fantastic elements comprising New Orleans. There is no better guide than Mr Harris Parson, he is knowledgeable, articulate, exceptionally personable and charming. Very highly recommended

WOW! My mom and I decided last minute to take a Garden District tour w/ Tours by Steven and were set up on tour with Harris. He is truly a gift 💖 and we loved every minute of it. He was an incredibly knowledgeable oral historian, mixing past with the present in his stories as we walked through the garden district. His pace and delivery were flawless and made sure he was engaged with everyone in our group. Even walking past a few other tour groups- we’d hear their guides say- ya’ll have the best guide! He also sent out a very comprehensive post tour guide with additional resources on what we learned and some great suggestions for places to watch some jazz- which we followed! All in all it was the highlight of our trip. Thank you Harris!! 💖🙏🏻

Our 2nd tour with Harris. 10+ stars. He is so knowledgeable & interesting. FANTASTIC! We will return & highly recommend!

Our Tour guide Harris was extremely knowledgeable and helpful to everyone in our group. His tour was amazing because he gave it purpose and passion to it, you really can enjoy some time with him.

Amazing tour! Harris was our tour guide and he was phenomenal! The homes were beautiful and his narration on the architecture and history is not to be missed. He is a wealth of knowledge!

A Huge shout out to a wonderful tour guide Harris Parson. He had our group of about a dozen individual full attention. He was very polite. His voice was loud enough so that everyone could hear him. He was clear and informative. During our tour of the Garden District Neighborhood of New Orlean we saw several single-story cottages to grand historic mansions. We learned and discussed several topics. Some of the topics included the Code Noir of 1724, the Swill Scandal of 1858 and much more. Some of the mansion and places we visited were Lafayette Cemetery (lots of history here), Col. Shorts Villa, Braddish Johnson House, Louis McGhee School for Girls, Womens Opera Guild, Brad Pitt, John Goodman, Archie Manning, Nicholas Cage, Sandra Bullock homes and many more. This was definitely a great tour. Thanks again Mr. Parson. Great job

Harris is a one of a kind tour guide with an in depth knowledge of the local New Orlean’s history. He has a sense of humor and a wonderful ability to inform about so many areas of New Orleans lore. A must when visiting New Orleans to join one of his tours!

We took the tour with Harris Parson, who treated us all like family. We learned a lot about the history of the city and the district, in a fun and interesting way. Would definitely recommend this tour to others!

Went on this trip after looking at some reviews and hearing about the Garden District as a must see. We had Harris Parson as our tour guide and was excellent! I learned more in those two hours than I had in my whole trip this year and the few other times I can to New Orleans. He had a great cadence to his lecture and with many insights about not only the architecture of the building but also the cultural movements and history. He was extremely mindful of our comfort making sure to move us to shady spots or quieter locations and paused when noise cars went by. Truly one of the best tour guides I have ever had. He also gave us a host of other suggestions that would help us on our other ventures in the city. I wish him the best :)

“Cousin” Harris is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining…very interesting tour, we learned a lot and had a great time!

Our guide was Harris and he is excellent! Harris is extremely knowledgeable and makes history interesting . The tour exceeded all expectations

Our guild was Harris Parson. He was knowledgeable, funny and provided a lot of historical cultural context that made the tour memorable. I highly recommend the tour & taking it with Mr. Parson if you have the opportunity.

Harris Parsons is an excellent guide! He has a genuine passion for sharing his knowledge of New Orleans!! He is entertaining, encourages you to ask any question you may have & also provides numerous recommendations. What a treat this tour was - thank you Harris!

Harris was an amazing guide. Learnt so much from Harris about this fascinating city and its history. Thank you Harris for a wonderful informative tour of the Garden District.

Harris was a great guide, including in depth history, architecture info and a dash of humor! The variation of homes is remarkable Highly recommend this tour!

Our Garden District Tour Experience with Robin was amazing. She is a delightful, educated, passionate, historian. She provided a mind changing narrative of the local historical homes, local people, and snapshot in history. It was apparent that she was not just doing a job but influencing the education of all she speaks to regarding the progressiveness of the early New Orleans people who lived and worked together without prejudice towards color or creed. Robin's post tour follow up was a lovely surprise. She emailed a comprehensive outline of places, names, dates and info we had seen on the tour but couldn't possibly remember all details. Her efforts set the bar high. I am a tough critic but her tour receives a 5+++ from me.

Brilliant walk around the garden district. Harris was a friendly and knowledgeable guide who presented well, articulated the history of many houses, and shared some amazing insights into the cemetery

Highly recommend any tour led by Harris Parson. I thoroughly enjoyed my Garden District walking tour with him. I particularly appreciated his acknowledgement of the indigenous peoples that were on the land prior to it being named New Orleans and the historical insights he brought about free POC and those that were enslaved at the time. He is a wealth of information on ALL things NOLA and graciously shares his knowledge to any who ask. He also has an orator or storytelling skill that makes the tour enjoyable.

I’ve been to NOLA 3 times prior to my most recent trip and had never done a Garden District tour. Boy, am I glad we did. It was a beautiful Spring morning in the city. The tour was easy to access from the St. Charles streetcar and close to great shops and lunch. Harris was our guide and had a captivated audience from the beginning. He has a genuine love for the city including the culture, history, and architecture. I learned so much and it motivated me to want to learn more about such a delightful city. Harris is an outstanding guide. Would definitely book again!

The Garden District tour was surprisingly one of our favorite NOLA activities. Harris was a very informative guide and we felt like we learned so much cool & interesting information in the span of 2 hours! It made us appreciate the town and its history even more. He’s a local expert in this field and is a great story teller. He also had an answer to every question that was asked on our group - very impressive!

I joined the Garden District tour at the last minute and was so glad I did. I have taken numerous walking tours in New Orleans (Cemetery, French Quarter, Ghost & Voodoo) but had never gotten to the Garden District. Tour Guide Harris Parson is excellent at his craft. He was, of course, knowledgeable but he was also affable and sensitive to his audience. Addressing the history of New Orleans, tangled as it is in slavery and racial inequality, can be prickly. But Mr. Parson was diplomatic in his accurate accounting of the systems that made possible so much of the displays of opulent wealth. His natural charm made discussions of architecture, real estate, economics, history and culture not just informative but entertaining as well.

Our tour guide Mr. Harris Parson “Cousin Harris” was hands down the best tour guide we could’ve asked for. He is extremely knowledgeable, friendly and he made our first trip to New Orleans one for the books!

Our guide Harris Parson is highly knowledgeable and a wonderful teacher. The two hour Garden District tour was quite special. We learned about the architecture, and history of the homes. He emphasized the history of the homeowners. Many were cotton and other slave trade business merchants before and after the Civil War. He talked about the original inhabitants of this area; the American Indigenous people and how the French and Spanish ruled New Orleans and their influence on the architecture. We learned that some of these homes are now owned by well known movie stars and football/basketball legends. Given the low water table, it was fascinating to learn about this influence’s burial practices down here. Besides being a talented tour guide, Harris is also a drummer and photographer. I highly recommend his tour. Go and enjoy!

We took the 2 hour Garden District walking tour and our guide was Harris Parson. Harris was a FANTASTIC guide! He was extremely knowledgeable, a great performer and storyteller. We learned so much about New Orleans history and the history of the homes in the Garden District. Harris also provided us with an extensive list of additional information and resources. Highly recommend taking this tour with Harris!

Great tour, informative and entertaining. Our tour guide Harris Parson added a summary of the places we visited and suggested dining and reading options. We couldn’t have asked for more.

Harris Parson gave a fabulous tour of this district. As a local man he had great stories of the folks who lived in these amazing houses, past and present. He included not just the owners but those who served them during the 17-1800's. I loved that he emailed a long list of suggestions after we'd finished the tour. He included books, movies, a list of all the houses he talked about, political discussions, history of black, whites, Italians and native Americans, unusual museums, restaurants and more. Great experience.

The Tours by NOLA Garden District Tour with Harris Parson was fabulous! Harris is such a fun and knowledge tour guide and truly engages with his groups throughout the tour. His breadth of knowledge is incredible and you’ll get a little bit of everything—history book history, pop culture, the history they don’t tell you in books, etc. Harris set the bar high for my first tour in NOLA! Please book this tour if you’re looking for a great, personalized experience!

This was a wonderful, informative tour. Harris was an amazing tour guide! I highly recommend him and this tour, which was rich with the history of New Orleans.

The tour guide Harris Parson made the tour special. His passion for New Orleans and getting the history “right” truly showed. A “Must Do” in our opinion for learning more of what the significance of this district means to New Orleans!

My college friend and I took this tour with Harris Parson and loved it! Such a beautiful district and so much history in it--some that we hadn't even been aware of. The tours are small, allowing time for questions and to take some great photos. Highly recommend it!

We had the absolutely best time with Harris!! He was hands down the best tour guide we’ve had. His had a plethora of knowledge about not only the Garden District, but the New Orleans area as well. He captivating our crowd from start to finish.

Garden walking tour, with Harris Parson, Harris is from N.O.,and multi generational, learned a lot of how the garden district became and how it developed into what it is today. Made the tour light and entertaining.I have done many tours , from the U.S to Europe, would suggest in having Harris as a guide, it is worth the time to learn about the local culture.

This was a fascinating tour of the some of the beautiful homes in the Garden District. I would highly recommend Harris Parsons as a guide. He shared his knowledge of the history of New Orleans as well as the architecture of these beautiful homes. He was very welcoming and had a great sense of humor. I learned a lot from him. It was great to have a New Orleans native speak about his city.

We toured the Garden District with Harris, who was born and raised in NOLA. He was a great storyteller and had so much information on the history and architecture of the Garden District. He was very generous with his time and shared suggestions for restaurants and other things to see in NOLA.

Harris was an amazing guide. Knowledgeable, local, endearing, and really transports you back to the times he tells you about. He knows everything you need to know, and anything he doesn’t know I’m sure isn’t worth knowing. He’s friendly, funny, and remembers things about everyone on his tour. The garden district is fascinating and he really brings it to life. Thanks Harris, you were great!

Harris Parson did a marvelous presentation about the garden district of New Orleans. He was extremely knowledgeable about the area and the homes. He was full of information and encouraged us to ask questions. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🌟

Robin was a terrific tour guide. Such a great tour filled with interesting facts about the houses, the cemetery and the history of New Orleans. I would highly recommend this tour!