We’d love for you to consider becoming a FOC Walking Tour Guide. (cross-posted to NOLA History Guy)

“It used to be a gas station” – Ursulines and Chartres Streets

Friends of the Cabildo Walking Tour Guide Class 2026

Apply for the class here!

The Friends of the Cabildo (FOC) operate one of the best French Quarter Walking Tours in New Orleans. The program ranks consistently in the top thirty (of over 500) tour programs listed on TripAdvisor. I took the FOC’s tour guide class this past February, and really enjoy leading the tours.

LSM Support

The Friends of the Cabildo is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the five Louisiana State Museum (LSM) properties in the Vieux Carré. Those are the Cabildo and the Presbytere (the buildings on either side of St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square, the 1850 House Museum (located in the Lower Pontalba Building, on the St. Ann Street side of the square, Madame John’s Legacy, a French Colonial house/museum at 632 Dumaine Street, and the Old United States Mint, located at Esplanade Avenue and Decatur street. The Mint houses the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The biggest money-making activity for FOC is our tour program. The funds we raise from tours enable us to do a wide range projects in conjunction with the LSM.

Volunteers

While most tour companies in New Orleans are for-profit operations, FOC’s tour guides are volunteers. We lead tours because we enjoy them! Of course, it’s not for everyone, but if you have an interest in New Orleans history, you like talking to people, and you’re up to walking around Da Quarters for a couple of hours at a time, we’d love to talk to you more.

The Class

Our Tour Guide training program is challenging and comprehensive. It goes well beyond the minimum requirements set by the city’s Ground Transportation Bureau for commercial guides. The program is four weeks long, and usually begins right after Mardi Gras (first day of class for 2026 will be March 2nd). Class sessions are Monday-Wednesday-Friday, with one Saturday “field trip” in the third week.

FOC Tour Guide candidates attend over 100 hours of training. You’ll learn a good bit of New Orleans history, from the Colonial period into the present. The course covers a wide range of cultural subjects, all presented by subject matter experts you’ll enjoy hearing from.

You’ll also learn how to be a Tour Guide! FOC Walking Tours are not scripted. Guides learn how to develop their own 2-hour walk. Assisted by experienced mentors, class members map out a path, plan out stops and what to say to your guests, offering a quality experience. It’s not as daunting a prospect as one might think–since the tour comes from you and your personal style, both Guide and guests have a great time.

Additional Opportunities

Once students complete the program, they do their tour one-on-one with an experienced FOC guide. After clearing that step, they complete a written examination. A passing score on the exam makes one eligible to apply for a city license as a commercial tour guide. After those steps, the new guide does a “critiqued tour,” where they lead a scheduled group of paid guests under the supervision of an experienced guide. Then we put you out on the streets! FOC asks guides for a commitment of two tours a month for two years.

As Tour Guides gain experience with the French Quarter Walking Tour, they become eligible to train for and lead our Garden District Walking Tour, as well as the various “neighborhood” walking tours, such as the Bywater, Irish Channel, and Battle of New Orleans tours. If you’re interested in working for a commercial company, such as Gray Line or Two Chicks Walking Tours, your FOC colleagues will be able to connect you with the various tour companies.

Join us!

Now is the time to apply for the 2026 class. Go to the Walking Tour Guide information page on the FOC website, download the application, and email it back to volunteers@friendsofthecabildo.org. That’s a good address for any questions you may have about the program as well. Once you submit your application, you will be contacted by the Tour Guide Committee for an in-person interview. If you’re accepted in the program, you’ll play the course fee and join the class on 2-March-2026.

Feel free to contact your humble NOLA History Guy if you’d like to discuss the program.

The evolution of New Orleans Then And Now

How we cooked up New Orleans Then And Now

A while back, I was chatting with my friend Craig Ernst discussed podcasts we enjoy. As we talked, it became clear that we liked shows with multiple hosts, where there was interaction and banter.We focused on local (New Orleans) podcasts, and concluded that, while some are good listens, they didn’t have that back-and-forth of, say, the ObamaBros or The Bulwark crew.

My pod is a good example of this. As much as my NOLA History Guy pod is fun and informative, the show is pretty much me talking. Once in a blue moon, I’ll have a guest, but it’s me talking, as if I’m speaking to a local group of some kind. In fact, that’s how Craig and I got to know each other–he coordinates continuing education for the Friends of the Cabildo Walking Tour Guides.

So, we’ve kept this conversation thread alive, exchanging ideas on what would make a good New Orleans podcast. The back and forth between two knowledgable hosts, maybe bring in a guest host on occasion for more of a roundtable, add some interviews with local personalities and business owners, and a beer discussion evolved into a plan. That plan is ready to advance.

Newsletter first

Our plan includes not only a podcast, but an email-based newsletter. The newsletter rolls out right after the first of the year. You would think it totally “New Orleans logical” that we’ll drop the first issue of the newsletter on Twelfth Night, but that’s’s coincidence. We decided to drop podcast episodes on Wednesdays, with the newsletter hitting inboxes the day before. January 6th is a Tuesday, so there you go.

The newsletter’s mission is twofold. First, to promote the podcast. The main “spotlight” content, however, stands on its own. The “then” articles will include historical stuff by me. Craig adds the “now” with articles we call “Nice NOLA News” and “Great NOLA Reads.” While we’ll reference podcast episodes and tease upcoming topics, the newsletter is meant to attract readers on its own.

The podcast

This is the real fun part. Craig and I are opinionated and not lacking for things to talk about. Our over-arching theme for the pod is New Orleans Neighborhoods. We both have business motivations here, of course. Craig is a realtor, so talking about neighborhoods will (hopefully) lead to new listings for him and sales. I’m looking to increase the number of speaking engagements I do, which brings in honorariums and book sales. We will talk to folks who also have business motivations, such as authors, business owners, community leaders, and what we call “wild card” personalities.

Listening

To say New Orleans Then And Now is a work in progress is an understatement. We would love to hear from our friends and colleagues–what topics interest you for both articles and podcast episodes? You can subscribe to the newsletter now (the form is at the top of this article and on the home page. Drop us a line (Craig or Ed) and tell us what you think.