Description

Please Arrive at Our Shop 15 Minutes Before the Tour's Departure Time.

This time will be used to: • Sign in • Get fitted to your bike(s) • Receive the pre-ride safety briefing and tour instructions • Our shop is @ 317 Burgundy St. in the French Quarter.

Kindly Note:

• Tour tickets are Extremely Limited. All tours leave on time.

• The following descriptions, suggestions, and/or requirements are meant to inform, not 'offend.' 400 years later Sir Edwin Sandy's 1599 idiom, 'Honesty is the best policy', is still true.

• As tourism industry professionals, our intent is to prevent the recurrence of problematic issues that have been far too frequent over the last 13 years of conducting bike tours through the streets of New Orleans.

• Upon booking a tour with FreeWheelin', it is understood that all tour participants are familiar with the Company's tour policies listed here.

About:

The 'Garden District' tour is our 2nd longest running tour and is great for lovers of Architecture and classic New Orleans scenery.

Don't break your ankles walking the neighborhood since the sidewalks are the worst you've ever seen. Ride with us and see the sights via a comfy bicycle - cover more ground in less time.

Note - This tour is recommended for good bike riders only, it is not suggested for riders who are not confident in their biking skills, the 'Garden District' tour is our most challenging route.

Whether you book with us or another bike tour company, the routes & traffic patterns are similar and the required skill level is still the same.

The difference is, we wrote the original Garden District bike tour, and it's just plain better when you ride with FreeWheelin' - that's the truth!

Brief Answers to the Most Common Questions:

•This is an Urban Bike Tour -> Bikes are ridden on the street and not on the sidewalk.

• Riders should be comfortable occasionally having to ride alongside auto traffic.

• Skill Level: Experienced (Ages 12+)

• Distance: Approximately 6 Miles

• Duration: 2 to 3 Hours (total number of riders & the average riding speed = total tour time)

• Auto Traffic Level: High

• Maximum Group Size: 8

• Weight Limit = 350 pounds -> this is a hard limit per the bike manufacturer

• Bike Type: American Made, Single Speed Cruiser Bike with a Front Hand Brake & Rear Coaster Brake.

Tour Highlights:

• French Quarter & New Orleans History • The Garden District • Lafayette Cemetery No.1 • A Menagerie of Spectacular 19th Century Antebellum Mansions • Mardi Gras History & Tradition • Celebrity Homes • Coliseum Square Park • Lafayette Square • Plus More... • And Beautiful New Orleans Scenery Throughout the Entire Ride

Before Booking:

Please verify that all riders in your party:

1. Possess the skills to confidently ride a bike in an Urban Environment
2. Are in reasonably good physical shape and 'mentally coherent'
3. Are agreeable to and capable of taking riding instructions from our Professional & Experienced tour guide

Please Do Not book this tour if anyone in your party has balance issues, coordination issues, or poor bicycle riding ability.

This Tour is Good for: • New Orleans first-timers • Families • Solo travelers • Anyone who loves bike riding, beautiful scenery, sightseeing, history, entertaining storytelling and having a good time! • Those who are in Reasonably Good Physical Shape & of 'Sound Mind'

This Tour is NOT for: • 'Safety Risks' -> Individuals who cannot or will not follow the tour guide's instructions and cannot or will not stay or keep pace with the group. • Individuals Adverse to Sweating • Individuals Who are 'Accident Prone' or 'Need Special Attention' • Those with Balance Issues, Coordination Issues, or Poor Bicycle Riding Ability • Chronic Complainers!

If any member(s) of your group fit the description(s) above, we beg of you, please Do Not Book this activity with FreeWheelin'.

A Single Rider Tour Ticket ($55+Tax) Includes: • Helmet • Bottled Water • Poncho on Rainy Days • Photo Stops • New Orleans' Original Garden District Bike Tour • Professional Tour Guide Leading the Group

Tour Highlights (Longer Description):

• Opulent antebellum homes belonging to the famous & infamous characters of New Orleans characters past & present • Exploration of the oldest cemetery operated by the city of New Orleans • The birth of Mardi Gras; would you like to see where it all began? • Entertaining historical accounts of America's most unique city is what comprises our original Garden District bicycle tour.

This tour has all that and a lotta lagniappe to boot (lagniappe = a lil extra). Twist and turn among secret gardens & Oak trees to see one of the rarest neighborhoods in America.

This beautiful tour is everything you want to see in New Orleans, and a few things we keep secret for the ride - this is New Orleans in her most enchanting form.

Heading upriver out of the French Quarter, our destination is one of the oldest and most beautiful in New Orleans (and America), The Garden District. Subdivided in the 1830’s from the former plantation lands, the Garden District was originally established by the nouveau riche Americans as a way to distance themselves from the “stuffy” Creoles who resided in the “Old City”, the French Quarter. Our ride takes us upriver along Magazine St. through the Art’s District where we’ll pass the National World War II Museum and learn about New Orleans’ contribution to that great conflict.

Arriving in the Garden District, we’ll glide under enormous, centuries old Live Oak trees and pedal past some of the most opulent mansions in the United States. Here we’ll: *Hear how these magnificent homes were constructed from immense fortunes made in sugar, cotton, tobacco and coffee. *Learn about the different styles of architecture that came and went as tastes changed over the years.

After a stop for refreshments we’ll explore Lafayette Cemetery #1 and discover the unique New Orleans practice of above ground burial. Here you’ll be able to wander among the tombs, many of which contain victims of Yellow Fever - the scourge of the city in its early years.

We’ll cruise back along St. Charles Avenue, the Grande Dame of New Orleans thoroughfares and the route of the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world. We’ll take time to gaze upon The Rex Mansion and hear about the traditions of Mardi Gras. Continuing our ride through the American Sector, we’ll pass by Lafayette Square, once the campground of Confederate AND Union soldiers that resides across the street from Gallier Hall, New Orleans’ original City Hall. A few blocks away we apply the brakes and come to a halt at home base - our office in the French Quarter, where restrooms and cold drinks await.

All of our tours are free flowing & laid back; no two tours are exactly the same.

Weather: Meteorologists & politicians... Name another job where you can always be wrong and never get fired.

Don't let the "forecast" determine your itinerary; Meteorologists are often wrong, surprise!

If the weather is too bad to ride on the day of your tour (excluding light precipitation), we'll take care of you either by delaying the departure, rescheduling your tour, or issuing a gift card/refund.

• Pedal bike tours roll in light rain but not in severe weather. • In the event of rain, we provide ponchos. • Electric bike tours only roll in dry weather.

*The Company reserves the right to cancel, delay or reschedule tours due to weather events. Our 'Weather Policy' can be found further down beneath 'Important Details' or on our website's FAQ page.

Riders Who Pose a Safety Risk to the Tour: If at any time during the tour the guide deems that a rider poses a safety issue to themself or to the group, the following steps will be enacted by the guide:

1. The problematic rider(s) will be given a single opportunity by the guide to correct the issue so that the tour may continue in a safe manner.
2. If the problem is not or cannot be solved, the guide will kindly inform the problematic rider(s) that they cannot continue with the tour group.

Disqualified Riders:

If a rider(s) is not allowed to continue with the tour, disqualified from continuing on the tour, the rider(s) will:

1. Be responsible for procuring transportation to their destination of choice without the use of the Company tour bike.
2. Not be issued a refund, reschedule, gift card or compensation of any type.

Conclusion:

If you made it this far, congratulations!

Thank you for taking the time to read everything; we know it's somewhat detailed, but... that's because it's based on having to address the same questions & issues that have caused so many unnecessary problems through the years.

We do our best to ensure that we attract riders who can confidently ride a bike and want to have a good time.

Yes it costs us clients and ultimately money, but we believe that quality clients & less stress for everyone is better than the alternative.

Anyway, we look forward to taking you and your krewe out for a great bike tour adventure of New Orleans - Merci beaucoup!