Professional Tour Guiding
Professional Tour Guiding & New Orleans Related
The Office of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) offers several Professional Tour Guiding and New Orleans related courses. Whether you are an established tour guide or just love to learn about the City of New Orleans and its rich history, we have a course for you!
PACS is offering a Certificate in New Orleans History, Culture, and Tourism! We support our city, love its deep culture and history, and strive to provide aspiring and seasoned tour guides, as well as life-long learners, educational and fun New Orleans and related courses. In order to obtain the Certificate in New Orleans History, Culture, and Tourism, a learner must successfully complete Professional Tour Guiding 1: History of New Orleans, Professional Tour Guiding 2: Specialty Tours, Research, and Storytelling plus two (2) additional courses from our offerings below.
Please see the course offerings below and click on the link for additional course and registration information.
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Scholarship Opportunity
New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund has partnered with the Office of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) to provide limited, full and partial tuition scholarships to eligible applicants. Applications open at various dates for select tour guiding courses. Please join our mailing list for notifications when NOTCF scholarship applications open.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Aspiring or Licensed Tour Guide of New Orleans
- Demonstrates financial need
- Must attend all sessions and ensure sign-in is completed
- Must complete the mid-point and final surveys emailed from pacs@loyno.edu
Thank You
These programs are supported by the generosity of the New Orleans Cultural and Tourism Fund (NOTCF). We would like to thank the NOTCF for this partnership in growing our aspiring and seasoned tour guides in the City of New Orleans.
Course Description
Whether you are preparing to take the New Orleans Tour Guide Permit exam or just want to learn more about your favorite city, this course has something for you. Gain skills in the tourism industry and knowledge about the City of New Orleans. Students participate in eleven (11) classroom sessions and two (2) field trips that are guided walking tours of the city.
Classroom sessions consist of instructor lectures, guest speakers, and student presentations. Previous guest speakers have included representatives from the Tour Guides Association of Greater New Orleans, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, Gray Line Tours, New Orleans Tours, City Sightseeing New Orleans, and New Orleans Music Tours.
Students also have the option to take the Tour Guide Permit exam for the City of New Orleans on the last night of class.
Course Description
This course is designed for new and seasoned tour guides, as well as anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of New Orleans tourism. Explore a variety of specialty tour experiences—including culinary and cocktail tours, swamp tours, plantation tours, folklore tours, museum and docent-led experiences, and more—while developing the research and storytelling skills needed to create engaging, historically accurate tours.
Through instructor lectures, workshops, guest speakers, and collaborative learning, you will discover research techniques and trusted resources that strengthen both the content and delivery of your tours. Students will investigate topics related to New Orleans history and tourism, distinguish historical fact from popular myth, and present weekly findings as they develop compelling stories grounded in sound research. The final class meeting includes a guided walking tour field trip. Professional Tour Guiding 1 is not required to enroll in this course.
Course Description
This course explores New Orleans' rich LGBT+ history. Topics include: pre-colonial and colonial references, French Quarter Preservation efforts, Arts and Letters, Gay Carnival, Southern Decadence, the UpStairs Lounge fire, bar history, activists and activism, HIV / AIDS, organizational history, queer publications and journalism, trans activism, drag culture, notable characters, and more. The course will contextualize local queer history within a national context and highlights New Orleans' contributions to national LGBT+ historical narratives. The last class period is the instructor's signature Rainbow Fleur de Lis Walking tour, which is a leisurely sashay through the French Quarter.
Course Description
This course focuses on the history of the French Quarter as both the original city of New Orleans and its shifting role as the city’s flagship neighborhood. While the French, Spanish, and early American periods are covered, the emphasis of the course is on 20th century history. Topics include, but are not limited to: architecture, historical preservation, colorful characters, the rise of tourism, literature and arts, drinking culture, crime and vice, and LGBT+ history. The last class meeting is a walking tour of the French Quarter.
Course Description
There is an African (Nigerian) proverb that states, “Until the lions have their own historians the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” In this course, the “lions’ historians” will retrace the journey of African ancestors from the arrival of the slave ships to life in New Orleans in search of their own truth. You will learn about New Orleans African History (N.O.A.H.) & Culture.
This course is for established and future “Culture Bearers,” those who are committed to protecting, preserving and passing on the truth of N.O.A.H. Students will participate in seven (7) classroom sessions and one (1) field trip. Classroom sessions consist of instructor lectures, guest speakers, and student presentations.
Course Description
History of New Orleans Voodoo will give a foundational understanding and challenge common perceptions about voodoo. In this course, you will examine the spiritual aspect of Voodoo absolute, relative or illusory, Haitian, Santeria, and JuJu.
You will attempt to answer questions such as:
- What is the historical relationship between New Orleans Voodoo and Roman Catholicism?
- What are ve ve symbols?
- What is the difference between Voodoo and Hoodoo?
This course is for new and seasoned tour guides, as well as all those “inquiring minds.” Students will participate in seven (7) classroom sessions consisting of lectures and guest speakers, and one (1) field trip.
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