How to Plan a Streetcar Tour of New Orleans
- 1). Purchase a RTA VisiTour Pass. A One-Day VisiTour Pass is $5 and a Three-Day VisiTour Pass is $12. A validated pass allows for unlimited boarding of Streetcars and RTA buses on the days that the pass is good. Without the pass, streetcar rides are $1.25. RTA VisiTour Passes are available for purchase at a variety of downtown locations. Check the NORTA website for specific addresses.
- 2). Board the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line at just outside of the French Quarter at the corner of Canal Street and Carondolet Street. Stops are marked with a small yellow sign that says, “Car Stop.” Be prepared to deposit exact change in the box or to show the driver your validated pass. Lift the window to take advantage of a breeze and to get a better view as you chug through the Central Business District, around Lee Circle, and head Uptown along St. Charles Avenue.
- 3). Exit the streetcar at the Washington Avenue stop to explore the Garden District. Wander the neighborhood between St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street, and 1st Street and Toledano Street. This area is home to antebellum mansions, the famed Commander’s Palace restaurant and Lafayette Cemetery Number One. Catch the streetcar at the Washington Avenue stop and continue traveling Uptown.
- 4). Continuing Uptown, Audubon Park on is on the left side of the car and Loyola and Tulane Universities are on the right. Exit the streetcar and stroll through the campuses or around the 1.7-mile track in the park. If time permits, cross Magazine Street at the rear of the park and spend several hours at the Audubon Zoo. Board the streetcar at the Audubon Park stop and continue traveling Uptown.
- 5). The trip will continue through the Riverbend neighborhood, turn onto Carrollton Avenue, and run to the end of the line at Claiborne Avenue. The Riverbend area and Carrollton Avenue are home to a variety of restaurants and bars for anyone ready for food or drink. At the end of the line the driver will ask everyone to exit the streetcar so that it can change directions. Board the streetcar again to make the return trip to the French Quarter.
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