New Orleans Plantation Country
Mélange
Where long ago is not far away, Antebellum
plantations located along the river from Baton Rouge
to New Orleans reveal a lifestyle shaped by the flow of
the Mississippi. See the homesteads that still exist today
and learn their unique, fascinating stories.
African American Cultural tour of
New Orleans and Plantation Country
Experience the rich music, cuisine and folklife created
by enslaved and free people of color in New Orleans
and its surroundings. See the handiwork of skilled
craftsmen who built both grand mansions and humble
Creole cottages. Explore the lasting influences of
African and Caribbean culture on Louisiana. Remember
and honor the not-so-distant past.
Come with us as we introduce you to a time and place
where Native Americans, French, Spanish, German
colonists, enslaved Africans, exiled Acadians and free
people of color settled, bringing with them their culture
and traditions.
This is Mélange!
All tours are customized to
accommodate your group’s
schedule and needs
Enhance your Mélange Experience:
Private Mardi Gras Indian
suit beading lesson
African Dance and Drum lesson
Enjoy a leisurly lunch at a local favorite
To book your group call:
Mélange is a tour experience
and a physical reminder of
Louisiana’s not-so-distant past
PH: (504) 289-3507
FX: (800) 579-6486
New Orleans, LA 70122
www.WorldWideConceptsVacations.com
AfricanAmerican
Cultural
Tour
Of New Orleans
& Plantation
Country
A Diverse Cultural Heritage
Tremé the beat that is New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS’ diverse cultural heritage is best
experienced in our dance and food, the way we greet
each other and remember to ask,
“How ya mama n ‘em?” Our story
begins at the Mighty Mississippi,
where ships bringing enslaved
Africans from the Senegambia
region – and later from Haiti – arrived
in New Orleans. So began the rich
history of African and Caribbean
influences on the city.
Tremé evolved around Congo
Square which was the focal point
of black social activity. Today, the
Tremé neighborhood continues to
pulsate with the rhythms of jazz and
Mardi Gras Indians. We will visit the
Backstreet Cultural Museum, which showcases beautifully
beaded Indian “suits”.
Trading was commonplace in the open-air center now
known as the French Market, which was designed by
architect Joseph Abeilard, a free man of color. Today,
one only has to step onto the cobblestone streets of
the French Quarter to hear the sounds of sweet jazz
and soulful blues while conjuring up visions of the 1700s
where Native Americans, French, Spanish and free
people of color traded freely with each other.
From there, we will visit the
Hermann-Grima House
and discuss the relationships
between the Creole families,
their slaves and the free people
of color living on the property,
referencing documented events
gathered from family letters, wills, bills of sale and
runaway slave advertisements.
The influence of African and Caribbean artisans
on the city’s architecture is evident in the brick
facades and iron-laced balconies of the
French Quarter as well as the plastered
walls of Creole cottages in Tremé.
Locations listed in bold represent stops on the tour.
The museum tells the
story of the Mardi
Gras Indian culture,
a colorful tradition
that provides a unique
window into how a
culture that is African
in form but local in
content grows, adapts
and serves the needs
of its community.
Tremé is also home to
one of the oldest AfricanAmerican parishes in the
nation, St. Augustine
Roman Catholic Church.
We will learn about the
“War of the Pews” while
standing in the same
sacred place Henriette
Delille, Rodolphe
Desdunes, Homer Plessy
and A.P. Tureaud called
their place of worship.
Your visit will not be
complete without a stop
at the New Orleans
African-American
Museum, housed in the
Villa Tremé and dedicated
to protecting, preserving
and promoting the history
of African Americans in
New Orleans and the
African Diaspora
Your Mélange Experience is rounded off with a stop
at the Amistad Research Center, the nation’s oldest,
largest and most comprehensive independent archive
specializing in the history of African Americans and other
ethnic minorities.
New Orleans like many Southern
States, holds it’s place in Civil Rights history.
we Remember New Orleans’ role in Plessy v. Ferguson,
the Supreme Court segregation case that made
“separate but equal” the law of the land. This landmark
ruling originated in 1892 with the arrest of shoemaker
Homer Plessy. Major players in the New Orleans Civil
Rights Movement of the 20th century include education
champion Oretha Castle Haley and activist/organizer
Ernest Wright.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC) was originally founded as the Southern
Leadership Conference in New Orleans,
Louisiana, on February 14, 1957, with Martin
Luther King, Jr. elected as its president.
We honor Homer Plessy, who is
buried in St. Louis Cemetery #1,
where we will stop to pay homage.
A. P. Tureaud successfully
obtained equal pay for Louisiana’s
black teachers and the admission
of qualified students — regardless
of color — to state-supported
professional, graduate and
undergraduate schools.
Your tour also takes you past
Frantz School where, in 1960,
Ruby Bridges integrated the school.