Your first night in New Orleans won’t be spent in the city, but on the water. Drop off your bags at the hotel and meet your fellow travelers at 6pm – our Local Insider will greet you and accompany the group throughout the trip. Head to Toulouse Street Wharf, where the old-world Steamboat Natchez awaits. Dine on fresh-caught Louisiana seafood on the Mississippi River while a jazz band plays upbeat, Nola-style swing. Grab a partner and get boogieing, or stroll the decks and take in the views of the twinkling city lights.

You'll start your day by meeting Keith Abel, a local and expert on New Orleans music, who’ll take you on a walking tour through the French Quarter. You'll stop at Armstrong Park, the Royal Orleans Hotel and Preservation Hall to get the full flavour of the incredible musical heritage of the city. Afterwards, you’ll swing by the New Orleans Drink Lab. In a city known for spirits, expert mixologists will teach you how to whip up a classic cocktail, such as a Ramos gin fizz. End the day back at Preservation Hall – we’ve secured coveted tickets for an intimate jazz performance by master practitioners of the genre.

Escape the city for a day on the Louisiana bayous. These mellow waterways are primed for kayaking through the slow-moving (and supposedly haunted) Manchac Swamp, just half an hour from New Orleans. You’ll spot the ruins of Ruddock, a ghost town destroyed by a hurricane in 1915, and, if you’re lucky, a gator or two. Once back on dry land, you’re free to explore the city until dinnertime, where you’ll tuck into a down-home, Cajun-style crawfish boil. But the night doesn’t end here – Hurricane cocktails on Bourbon Street, anyone?

For your last day in New Orleans, you’ll have the option to go out singing, as you join a gospel choir for morning service. Then it’s time to say your farewells and head home at 12pm – or make your own way to brunch and bloody marys at one of the nearby Warehouse District restaurants.