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Offered languages
- Norwegian
- Norwegian
- German
- German
- Portuguese
- Portuguese
- English
- English
- Italian
- Italian
- French
- French
- Spanish
- Spanish
- Japanese
- Japanese
- Danish
- Danish
- Dutch
- Dutch
It is August 1878, and yellow fever is turning the French Quarter into a graveyard. You are Louis Joseph Dufilho Jr., America's first licensed pharmacist, and a coded letter reaches your hands. Walk from the French Market to your apothecary on Chartres Street, decoding the secret hidden across the Quarter's iconic landmarks before the trail — and the city — are lost.
Blending New Orleans history — the Ursuline nuns, the 1878 epidemic, the wrought-iron balconies of Royal and Bourbon Streets, the Cabildo and St. Louis Cathedral — with a gothic conspiracy thriller, every stop reveals the landmark's true story while advancing the intrigue. Augmented reality brings the clues to life, with audio narration in 32 languages.
Start whenever you like, go at your own pace, pause for photos. No guide, no fixed schedule, no app to download — just open it on your phone and play. A perfect blend of sightseeing, storytelling and puzzles for explorers, couples and families visiting New Orleans.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Meet at the north end of the French Market, near Esplanade Avenue. This is a self-guided audio experience — simply arrive here and start the tour on your phone. No guide will meet you.
The tour ends at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum (514 Chartres Street), Dufilho's original 1823 apothecary, one block from Jackson Square — in the heart of the walkable French Quarter.
Itinerary
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1French Market
Begin under the colonnade of the French Market (trading since the 1790s, one of America's oldest public markets). You open Dufilho's coded letter and decode the first French word,— the sharing of scarce remedies that kept the poor alive.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Old Ursuline Convent Museum
At the Old Ursuline Convent (1752), the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley, the nuns turned their halls into a fever ward. the care that comforted the dying.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3
Before the raised mansion (1826) of General P.G.T. Beauregard — bravery tested not by cannon but by contagion
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Bourbon Street
Beneath the wrought-iron balconies of Bourbon Street, the storied heart of the Quarter's nightlife.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Royal Street
Before the famous oak-leaf cast-iron balcony of the LaBranche House (1830s) at Royal & St. Peter, where families once hung mourning crepe
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6Cabildo
At the Cabildo (1799), the Spanish colonial seat of government and site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7St. Louis Cathedral
Beneath the three steeples of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active cathedral in the USA
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8The Presbytere
At the Presbytère (1813), the Cabildo's twin that now keeps the records of the city's resilience
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
9Jackson Square
At the heart of the old Place d'Armes, before Andrew Jackson's bronze statue
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
10New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
Conclude at the 1823 apothecary of Dufilho himself (514 Chartres St), America's first licensed pharmacist.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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