If you are visiting New Orleans and you are tired of following the yellow brick road of tourism and you really want to dive into the culture here then how about a cooking class. This isn’t like cooking in the cafeteria, this is a cooking extravaganza. You will not only get to learn how fun and easy it is to cook like a cajun or creole chef but you will get to eat and eat and eat for less than the price of an entree. The school is called the New Orleans School of Cooking (524 St. Louis St., 504-525-2665) and it is located in the heart of the French Quarter. This school has been around for 25 years and holds three-hour or two-hour classes daily in a renovated 1830’s -era molasses warehouse, as well as hosting private classes for groups of 25 or more.

It wouldn’t be New Orleans without the food and what customers love about the New Orleans School of Cooking is that you really learn how to cook New Orleans style food. What a wonderful gift to take home with you. You will be able to throw a New Orleans party at your home with an entire cajun/creole spread to impress your guests with. Anne Gormly has, and after a lunchtime class at the New Orleans School of Cooking, the Georgia College and State University vice president was able to whip up a menu of Cajun dishes for a charity event when she returned home.

“We couldn’t find crawfish back home, but everything came out great anyway,” she says. “Everyone is still talking about that meal here.”

If this is your idea of the perfect New Orleans experience then make sure that you book your class today because some returning visitors book a month in advance. Frank Leo, general manager of the New Orleans School of Cooking, says there busiest days are hot or raining days when everyone is looking for a comfortable inside New Orleans experience in the Quarter.

Here is more information from the Hotel Monteleone on the New Orleans School of Cooking.

Musee Conti Wax Museum New Orleans

This is a great first stop for visitors of the French Quarter. Most people who come to the city from out of town want to learn the thick history of this land. I would highly recommend the WAX museum because it is a fun and exciting way to learn the stories of our history.

New Orleans history is very intense. It is a significant figure in the beginning of America. The most fascinating piece of New Orleans History that I learned was that of the plans of Napoleon Bonaparte before the Louisiana Purchase. To make a long story short Napoleon was planning to take control of New Orleans and claim it as New France. He then would conquer the rest of the country as New France in the 1800′s. What stopped him was pure luck. Thomas Jefferson had no idea that Napoleon had these plans but he did send over his top negotiator Robert Livingston to buy New Orleans from the French. The luck that saved America from Napoleon was yellow fever. Napoleon had sent thousands of his troops along with his best commanders to take over the Caribbean island Santo Domingo and use the slaves and position to conquer New Orleans. When Napoleon’s army landed in Santo Domingo they met an angry population of people and the yellow fever. This was enough to devastate his army and force Napoleon to release New Orleans. Livingston just happened to be in the right place at the right time and bought, not just New Orleans from Napoleon and the French, but all of the land from New Orleans to Canada for 15 million dollars.

This story fascinated me when I first learned of it because it illustrates how significant New Orleans is to American History. To learn more great history from our great city head on over to the WAX Museum and take a tour. You will not be disappointed. Don’t be one of those visitors who comes here and doesn’t learn the history. I couldn’t imagine visiting New Orleans for the first or second time without learning some of its history.

For more information read the Hotel Monteleone’s review of the Musee Conti Wax Museum New Orleans!

Michael Jackson at the Musee Conti Wax Museum