A Reason to Walk 

So many individuals and businesses are affected by COVID-19 . Our business stopped operating on March 19 th, 2020, and we were forced to lay off our entire team of 46 people and 54 mules. Due to city regulations restricting "vehicles" from operating tours until Phase 3, we will be offering our tours in a different way. In lieu of Mule - Drawn Carriage tours we are now offering our award-winning tours as walking tours. You will be supporting our families 80-year-old, 3rd generation, veteran-owned business. Let our professional tour guides navigate your family or small group through several different historical areas of our beautiful city. Our new offerings will include : 

• Mules in the Marigny Creole Neighborhood Tour -  Visit our stable and interact with our mules. Discover the intriguing history of the oldest existing stable in New Orleans. Tour the Faubourg Marigny, the 2nd oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, and see Frenchman St, the home of Charles Laveau , the father of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.
• History and Haunts Tour -   Experience for yourself the storied spectacle of the most haunted city in America. Hear eerie spirit tales of ghosts and voodoo that will shock and intrigue you. 
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 /French Quarter Tour -  See unique and mysterious above-ground tombs... the resting place of Marie Laveau. Also, tour the world-famous French Quarter.

Safety Standards 

Our walking are $29.99 per guest utilizing small groups, no larger than 14 guests per tour. The tours are 1.5 hours long. All guides and guests are required to social distance and wear masks. Hand sanitizer will be provided. 

Give us and yourself a reason to walk, let Royal Carriages' 80 years experience show you the history of New Orleans, the most authentic way you can. 

Hope to see you soon

Sincerely, 

Team Royal 

It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to temporarily close the operation of tours beginning March 19th, 2020, and will reopen July 3th, 2020.

This is in keeping with the declaration by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards regarding containment of Covid19 – the Corona Virus. It is determined to be in the best interest of our guests and our employees.  

Please check back with us for updates.

If you are scheduled between now and July 3rd, 2020 and would like to reschedule, please contact us at [email protected] 

All of the mules and team members cannot wait to see you when we resume operations. In the meantime please support your local businesses and buy gift cards. 

Sincerely, 

Royal Carriages Management

Royal Carriages cares deeply about your health, wellness, and safety. We’re in unnerving times, and we want to express our appreciation to our always thoughtful community as we work together to safely navigate the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

We know from many of you that getting away is often an important respite in the most stressful of times - whether during an intense period of work, school, or something else. If you're willing, well, and comfortable, we want you to know that we are here for you and welcome you to join us in the City of New Orleans whether you are a Native New Orleanian or seeing our city for the first time, and experience the simple joys of exploring our city.

Here are some of the things we are doing in response to the coronavirus:

• We have intensified cleaning procedures to ensure our carriages are more deeply disinfected to prevent germs from spreading and to ensure your safety. 
• We are closely monitoring the guidance of local health officials and the CDC for our area. We are following all the recommendations to provide for our guest’s safety and comfort on our tours.
• Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, we are forgoing our standard all sales final policy.  If you have a reservation and feel sick or otherwise do not feel up to joining us, please reach out to us 48 hours prior to your reservation and we will provide you with a  full refund and hope you can join for some fun in the future.

Until then please stay healthy and safe!

This week, Royal Carriages was featured on "Another Vieux: Singing In the French Quarter With Irma Thomas" featuring Sheba Turk on WWL TV. 

It was a total joy having such a legend on a carriage ride with us, and we have to say that we learned a lot too!

Singing along and having a grand time, the weather was gorgeous and absolutely perfect for a New Orleans French Quarter Tour. We definitely had to pinch ourselves to make sure that such an illustrious day was real! But that's what it's like to live and breath New Orleans, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Big thanks to Sheba Turk, WWL TV, and the legend herself, Ms. Irma Thomas for choosing Royal Carriages for this wonderful excursion.

See the full spot here.

We are in the early 1970’s during an Eastern Equine Encephalitis outbreak. Equine Encephalitis is a potentially deadly virus which can be spread to horses and mules by infected mosquitoes. As a precaution, the New Orleans City Council imposed a local quarantine on individuals and businesses that owned or used horses or mules. Our animals were to be kept in-place at our stable in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood adjacent to the French Quarter.

The timing of this quarantine was during the springtime, a very good time of year for our business. We obeyed this work stoppage and waited. Weeks went by with no change. But waiting could not pay our bills or support our dedicated employees. Many who literally lived check to check! Our World Famous French Quarter Carriage Tours are a staple to New Orleans and our drivers make a good living doing so.

So, after much thought, I consulted our company attorney. He determined that this injunction was not legal and that we were in our rights to go back to work. I took his advice and we returned to work. But on the first day back to work, someone must have called City Hall because I received a phone call from our oldest and most trusted driver, Joseph Coleman, that all the carriage drivers had been impounded and were heading back to the barn with the police in tow! I rushed to the stable and was promptly arrested by the head detective. He could simply have given me a ticket for court, but he wanted to be a big shot and brought us all to jail!

Well, here we were! All in jail locked up with the drunks and dregs of New Orleans! Quite a sight to see. Several elderly black gentlemen all dressed in the historic carriage driver part. Top hat, white starched long-s;eeve shirt, black bow tie and pants. I used my one phone call to notify our attorney that his advice was flawed! Needless to say, that was the last time I used his services!

P.S. I did eventually go to court and the Judge started laughing when he read the charges against us. He immediately dismissed the case when I explained that we were incarcerated because of sick mosquitoes!

LOL, Y’all!

Jim Lauga

Retired CEO

Current Chief of Security