Included social events and excursions are in white. Optional Excursions are show in grey. Email manager@amspc.org to add a tour to your existing registration. |
Whitney Plantation & Bayou Airboat Ride
WEDNESDAY 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM $160pp OPTIONAL TOUR Min. 8ppl **Book hotel for arrival FEB 3**
Immerse yourself in the New Orleans’ history of slavery. at the Whitney Plantation - the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people. Visit Whitney’s restored buildings to enter the world of Louisiana sugar plantation and to remember those built and worked this property. On this 90-minute self-guided audio tour you will see slave cabins, a freedmen’s church, detached kitchen and outbuildings, a 1790 owner’s house and a memorial built to honor the enslaved, with extra time to explore the museum independently. Next we will pass by the Evergreen Plantation (where Django Unchained was filmed) on our way to Destrehan, the site of one of the largest slave revolts in American history. We'll stop for lunch (on your own) then afterwards head to the bayou and board an airboat for a high-speed swamp adventure. Enjoy close encounters with swamp life as you learn about what it is like to live in the Louisiana swamps!
Sazerac House Tour & Tasting
If you are arriving a bit early and looking to "wet your whistle" with some NOLA history and a taste of some spirits, we suggest visiting Sazerac House after you have checked in at The Eliza Jane. The FREE self-guided tour and exploration into New Orleans’ spirited culture and traditions is open to visitors of all ages. Approximately 90 mins. Sample Sazerac cocktails along the tour (must be 21+) or mocktails if you prefer. Last tour starts at 4:20pm. Sazerac House is only a 3-minute walk from the hotel. BOOK EARLY! To reserve your time slot, click here.
AMSPC Registration & Networking
WEDNESDAY 5:00 - 6:30 PM
AMSPC Welcome Reception
WEDNESDAY 6:30 - 8:30 PM Included in registration fee for attendees & social guests
Join us for a casual welcome reception at the hotel in the historic Press Room Library Lounge.
We'll enjoy cocktails & appetizers while reconnecting with old and new colleagues!
Social Guest Activity: Garden District Tour
THURSDAY 9:00 - 11:00 AM Included for registered social guests
Led by a NOLA local, you will begin with a short ride on the historic streetcar to the Garden District. The Garden District was established in 1832 as the City of Lafayette, an elegant garden suburb upriver from New Orleans inhabited by the wealthy American newcomers who found themselves at odds with the downriver Creoles. There is no other neighborhood like the Garden District, at the same time showy and quiet, wild and manicured, modern and antiquated. Grab a coffee to go and start your first day in NOLA with a relaxing stroll through this tree-lined neighborhood. Return to the hotel via streetcar.
Group Tour: Mardi Gras World
THURSDAY 12:30 - 4:30 PM Included in registration fee for attendees & social guestsGo behind the scenes of Mardi Gras float-making! We'll take a short bus ride to Mardi Gras World, the epicenter of float design and building for the Mardi Gras parades, where we will enjoy an authentic New Orleans lunch, watch a brief movie on the history of Mardi Gras, and enjoy a behind-the-scenes private tour of the facility where we will watch artists in action as they carve, paint and assemble floats during the Mardi Gras season. After the tour, we will participate in a hands-on mask-making class where you will get to create your own Mardi Gras souvenir! Don't forget to bring your mask to our group dinner on the final night!
Social Guest Activity: Perfume-Making Class
FRIDAY or SATURDAY 10:30 AM $99pp OPTIONAL BOOK DIRECTLY
Step into the heart of the French Quarter and immerse yourself in the art of fragrance at Tijon Parfumerie. In this charming New Orleans setting, you’ll craft your own signature scent with guidance from our expert perfumers—no experience required. Surrounded by the vibrant spirit of the Quarter, you’ll blend from 12 premixed bases and up to three unique oils to create a luxury fragrance that’s uniquely yours. The hardest part? Naming your masterpiece! Over the course of about 90 minutes, you’ll make three perfumes, bottle your favorite, and leave with a custom creation, certificate, workbook, and a gift bag of Tijon products valued at $45+. Whether you come with other social guests, your significant other, or on your own, this is a one-of-a-kind New Orleans adventure for the senses. BOOK EARLY - space is limited to 18 per class!
History of Healing & Pharmacy Museum
FRIDAY 2:00 - 5:30 PM $55pp OPTIONAL TOUR
Nuns, nurses, surgeons, faith healers, and voodoo doctors – New Orleans has a unique history of healing that is woven into our overall lore, and we delve into the stories of healers on this 1.5 hour walking tour, focusing of the history of epidemics, medicine, hospitals, doctors, faith healers, public health reforms, and remedies. Among the topics we cover are the healing practices of the Native Americans and enslaved Africans, missionary nuns who established healing gardens in the city, the establishment of the second-oldest public hospital in America, Cajun traiteurs (faith healers), Voodoo practitioners, a midwife who fought the King of France for higher pay in the 1720s, the local doctor who proved the connection between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, and the heroics of healthcare workers during Hurricane Katrina.
Next, we'll step into a world of potions, poisons, and peculiar cures for a private 1-hour tour of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum - housed in the apothecary shop of America’s first licensed pharmacist. This atmospheric French Quarter gem is more than a museum; it’s a spellbinding time capsule of 19 century medicine. Explore antique medical instruments, glass elixirs, voodoo healing practices, and early surgical tools that will leave you both fascinated and slightly unnerved. With tales of questionable cures, leech therapy, and absinthe prescriptions, this tour offers a quirky, eerie and totally unforgettable glimpse into the past where science, superstition, and Southern folklore collide. After the tour, you will have an additional hour to explore exhibits at your leisure. Not included: Guide gratuities at your discretion.
Frenchman Street VIP Jazz Experience
FRIDAY EVENING 7:00 - 10:00 PM $50pp OPTIONAL TOUR MAX. 15 ppl
Go beyond the typical tourist spots on Bourbon Street! Stroll around Frenchmen Street, New Orleans' top nightlife spot for live music, on this VIP evening tour. Listen to guided commentary on the street's colorful history and visit some of the hottest nightclubs, one of which will serve you an included New Orleans-style cocktail (additional drinks are on your own). You can also peruse the Frenchmen Street Art Market to pick up some locally-made souvenirs. Not included: Additional cocktails. Guide gratuities at your discretion.
Ghosts & Legends Haunted Walking Tour
FRIDAY EVENING 5 PM / 6 PM / 8 PM $30pp OPTIONAL TOUR BOOK DIRECTLY
Known for its mystique-laden history, New Orleans is a city where spooky stories lurk around every corner - and you can experience them yourself on our remarkable Ghosts and Legends Tour. Come discover New Orleans’ dark side on this 2‐hour haunted haunted history ghost tour, filled with incredible storytelling about paranormal and haunted places. Hear tales of famous hauntings from your local guide, and visit the French Quarter’s most infamous and eerie locations — hotspots for paranormal investigators and historical videographers. By the end of your Ghosts & Legends Walking Tour, you’ll see the Vieux Carré in a different (and profoundly more ominous) light.
Urban Enslavement at Hermann-Grima House
SATURDAY $20pp Choose your time: 10 AM / 11 AM / 1 PM / 2 PM / 3 PM OPTIONAL TOUR BOOK DIRECTLY
On this tour - voted one of the best tours in New Orleans by Condé Nast Traveler - visitors will learn about the experience of enslaved women, men, and children in urban settings and how they differentiate from that of rural plantations in the South. Hear the stories of Catherine, Maria, and other individuals of African descent who were enslaved by the Hermann and Grima families and view the French Quarter property through the lens of enslavement.Come see our historical cooking experts in action during one of our open-hearth cooking demonstrations! Hermann-Grima House boasts the only working open-hearth kitchen in the city. The hearth and swinging iron crane are original to the house, and the surrounding kitchen has been carefully restored to its original form. Demonstrations are available as part of all house tours on select Saturdays. When you arrive at the open-hearth kitchen, you will see the fire blazing and our cooks busy in the preparation of recipes typical of the season in 19th century New Orleans. Our cooking demonstrations will also teach you about the many diverse influences that contributed to Creole cuisine, and the central role of enslaved cooks in developing this world-famous culinary tradition.
Farewell Group Dinner: Riverboat Cruise on the Mississippi
SATURDAY 6:00 - 9:00 PM Included in registration fee for attendees & social guests
Join your colleagues for the final farewell dinner and Creole dinner as we say goodbye to each other and farewell to the "Big Easy"! Step aboard a historic riverboat for a memorable cruise around New Orleans on the Mississippi River. Hear stories of the Big Easy's rich history, sit back, relax and enjoy the New Orleans atmosphere as the smooth jazz of the world-acclaimed Dukes of Dixieland fills your ears. We'll have a buffet dinner featuring New Orleans classics, an open bar, live music and plenty of dancing as we enjoy the view on the Mississippi River on the City of New Orleans. Don't forget to wear your masks! Mardi Gras costumes & fun attire are encouraged.