New Orleans, Louisiana
From the September 2022 “Over the Back Fence” by Cori Daniels
It had been a long time since the Daniels family took a vacation, and with our oldest starting her senior year this fall, we knew we needed to plan one before life got too hectic for us all to get away together. After some thought, we decided on New Orleans. Cajun food, ghost stories, shopping, and the chance to see some mules made it an easy choice. We aren’t really beach people and we didn’t quite have the time needed to make a trip to the mountains, so Louisiana it was.
On the way down, we stopped for a swamp tour and got treated to seeing some very big alligators (from the safety of our boat). But that was just our first of many tours. We basically spent three days eating and going on tours. It was fantastic and just what we needed.
We went to Vacherie, La., to tour the Laura Plantation. We learned about the history of The Duparc Sugar Plantation, and the lives of the people who both owned it and worked on it. That same day we did the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 tour. Much of New Orleans is above sea level, so burying their dead underground didn’t really work. They used above-ground family tombs and civic association tombs, so even though it is only one city block, it contains thousands of the city’s deceased.
Our favorite tour was the mule-drawn carriage ghost tour. In March 2017, Royal Carriages appeared on the cover of Mules and More, and had a great story about the company’s history with New Orleans. So when we went to book our ghost tour, they were our first choice.
As we were cruising around the streets of New Orleans that night, we passed a lot of walking ghost tours and we were extremely grateful we had a ride. Even at night, the humidity was a lot higher than we were used to.
Our mule’s name was “Miss Kentucky,” and she was a big sorrel mare mule. She and our tour guide Matt expertly maneuvered us through the French Quarter and the surrounding areas, and we learned about ghosts, voodoo, pirates, and haunted restaurants and hotels.
All commercial carriage companies in New Orleans use mules. In the 1980s, regulations were put into effect that ban the use of horses for carriage rides in the city. There are laws on the amount of work a mule can do each day (they can only work for 4 hours at a time and must take 15-minute breaks in between tours to rest and hydrate), as well as weather-related rules regarding the heat.
We finished up the trip with dinner at The Pelican Club Saturday night and a quick breakfast at The Ruby Slipper Cafe Sunday morning, and it was time to go home. After three days of cajun seafood, beignets and chickory coffee, laughs, and late nights, we returned to Missouri. My parents took care of our animals while we were gone, which was very much appreciated.
It was really nice to take a trip away that wasn’t centered around sports or work. Having no expectations let us really enjoy each other’s company and spend some truly valuable time together.