The Local Arrangements Committee of the 127th annual meeting has organized 14 tours highlighting the historical resources of New Orleans. See historians.org for full tour descriptions.

Preregistration for tours is highly recommended. Tour tickets are nonrefundable and cannot be exchanged. Tour participants must be registered for the AHA meeting. Those who want to review the annual meeting Program (published in late October) before purchasing tickets may call 508-743-0510 to add tickets to an existing registration. Tour tickets are nonrefundable and cannot be exchanged.

Some tours will travel by bus, others are walking tours. All tour groups will meet in the Marriott New Orleans, Preservation Hall Studio 1. Be aware that sidewalks in the French Quarter can be uneven. Contact the AHA office for additional information or to request an accessible tour bus.

Tour 1: Historical Geography of New Orleans (a preconference tour)

Wednesday, January 2, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Tour leader: Richard Campanella (Tulane Univ.). This bus tour will introduce participants to a wide range of historical and cultural topics interpreted through the prism of greater New Orleans's physical, urban, and human geography. The route will cover the full range of the metro area's historical cityscapes, from 18th-century downtown, to the eastern coastal periphery, to the 20th-century lakefront, to 19th-century Uptown. Please note: Tour participants should make hotel reservations early, as only a limited number of rooms are available at the discounted meeting rates on Tuesday night. Limit 25 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 2: Government Archives in New Orleans: City Archives and Special Collections, New Orleans Public Library and Clerk of Civil District Court Notarial Archives Research Center

Thursday, January 3, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Tour leaders: Irene Wainwright (City Archives, New Orleans Public Library) and Christina Bryant (Notarial Archives). A behind-the-scenes tour of the City Archives and Special Collections at the New Orleans Public Library and the Notarial Archives Research Center, which pride themselves on documenting all of the people of the Crescent City, not just the rich, powerful, and famous. Participants will take a bus to the library and then walk one block to the Notarial Archives. While the library building is handicapped accessible, some areas in the storage area have narrow aisles. Limit 20 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 3: Exploring the Roots of Historic Preservation in the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel

Thursday, January 3, 1:00–4:00 p.m. Tour leader: Jane S. Brooks (Univ. of New Orleans). This bus tour will provide an overview of the early to mid-19th-century neighborhoods of the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel, which were part of the upriver expansion of New Orleans following the Louisiana Purchase. The tour will focus on post-1970s revitalization of the area. Limit 25 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 4: The Insider's Guide to New Orleans Food

Thursday, January 3, 2:00–4:00 p.m. Tour leader: Liz Williams (Southern Food and Beverage Museum).The walking tour will take participants through the French Quarter, pointing out important culinary institutions and offering sneak peeks into the kitchens of the oldest restaurants in New Orleans. Liz Williams, a culinary historian, will talk about how the world-renowned cuisine of the city developed and what is happening now in the city. Limit 20 people. $35 members, $40 nonmembers.

Tour 5: New Orleans Jazz History

Thursday, January 3, 3:00–5:30 p.m. Tour leader: John McCusker (jazz historian). Participants will tour a dozen New Orleans jazz historical sites by bus, including visits the homes and haunts of early New Orleans jazz musicians including Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Buddy Bolden, and Louis Armstrong. If this tour sells out, additional tours can be arranged on request by emailing jazzhistorytour@yahoo.com. Limit 20 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 6: Historic Cemetery Tour

Friday, January 4, 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Tour leader: Tour guide from Save Our Cemeteries. Save Our Cemeteries is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of New Orleans's historic cemeteries. This walking tour will explore four cemeteries at the end of Canal Street, as well as the Katrina Memorial. Participants will take the streetcar to the cemetery. Please bring $1.25 in exact change, each way, for streetcar fare. Limit 25 people. $20 members, $25 nonmembers.

Tour 7: A Walking Tour of Reconstruction Street Battles in New Orleans

Friday, January 4, 12:45–3:00 p.m. Tour leader: James K. Hogue (Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte). This walking tour of Reconstruction street battles analyzes the interplay of force and politics in the struggle for power in the Louisiana state government after the Civil War. A unique combination of demographics, geography, and wartime events caused New Orleans to become an epicenter in the upheaval of Reconstruction. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk one to two miles in about two hours with multiple stops along the way. A guide with maps, dates, and brief explanations of the New Orleans street battles is available at Jim Hogue's UNC-Charlotte faculty website. Limit 12 people. $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

Tour 8: Beyond the Silver Lining: Education, Race, and Inequality in New Orleans, 1727–2013

Friday, January 4, 1:00–5:30 p.m. Tour leaders: Walter C. Stern (Tulane Univ.), Rev. Otto Belkin (St. James A.M.E. Church), Grant Cooper (Fortier High School Students for a Democratic Society), Dennis Griffin (Fortier High School Black Student Union), and Jay Altman (FirstLine Schools). This bus tour considers the history of the city's public schools and the roots of their educational challenges. In addition to considering school segregation, the tour examines the relationship between parochial and public education in New Orleans, the role of gender, and the significance of school policy to broader issues of urban development. Limit 25 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 9: The Williams Research Center, The Historic New Orleans Collection: 300 Years of Louisiana History

Friday, January 4, 2:00–3:00 p.m. Tour leader: Alfred Lemmon (Williams Research Center of the Historic New Orleans Collection). A major repository of regional history, the research center boasts an extremely fine rare book collection, an extensive manuscript collection, as well as an extraordinary collection of maps, prints, photographs, and paintings. The Williams Research Center is home to the Vieux Carré Survey, an ongoing project to document the historic French Quarter. Participants will walk to 410 Royal Street. Limit 20 people. $10 members, $15 nonmembers.

Tour 10: The National WWII Museum

Saturday, January 5, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Tour leader: Nathan Huegen (The National WWII Museum). The museum tells the story of why the war was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. The tour will include full access to the museum's galleries and entrance to the 4D film, Beyond All Boundaries. The tour of the museum will be self-guided. The museum's A-team of speakers and WWII veterans will give a presentation to the group. Limit 50 people. $35 members, $40 nonmembers. Fee includes a boxed lunch.

Tour 11: New Orleans Black History Tour of St. Louis Cemetery #2

Saturday, January 5, 9:30–11:00 a.m. Tour leader: Raphael Cassimere (Univ. of New Orleans). This bus and walking tour of Square 3 of St. Louis Cemetery #2, the second-oldest existing cemetery in the city, which was set aside for black Catholics starting in 1824. Square 3 probably contains the largest number of monuments in one place to note the achievements and struggles of black Americans in the 19th century. Limit 30 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 12: A Walking Tour of Reconstruction Street Battles in New Orleans

Saturday, January 5, 12:45–3:00 p.m. Tour leader: James K. Hogue (Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte). See description under Tour 7. Limit 12 people. $15 members, $20 nonmembers.

Tour 13: The National WWII Museum

Saturday, January 5, 1:00–5:00 p.m. Tour leader: Nathan Huegen (The National WWII Museum). See description under Tour 10. Limit 50 people. $30 members, $35 nonmembers.

Tour 14: Louisiana History Galleries Tour, the Historic New Orleans Collection

Saturday, January 5, 2012, 2:00–3:00 p.m. Tour leader: Bunny Hinckly (The Historic New Orleans Collection). The Louisiana History Galleries, located in the historic 1792 townhouse of merchant Jean-Francois Merieult, provide a comprehensive look at the development of the settlement and region through an exciting display of documents, broadsides, paintings, and books supplemented by a wide variety of material culture artifacts. Please note: Participants will walk to 533 Royal Street. Limit 20 people. $15 members, $20 nonmembers.