New Orleans Steamboat Company | Steamboat Natchez

Address | 400 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130

One tour that we were really interested in during our visit to New Orleans was the New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise. When you visit their website you’ll have your choice of daytime or evening cruises and you can even enjoy lunch or dinner on the steamboat. We opted for a daytime Jazz Cruise without lunch since we had a long list of restaurants to try while in NOLA.

It was a lot of fun boarding the grand paddle-wheeler for a cruise on the mighty Mississippi. From the moment we boarded, a live jazz band was performing upbeat tunes. We headed to the top deck on the fourth floor and found a shaded table by the bar directly across from the band. We ordered their famous Bloody Mary and a cold local beer. It was hot but a really pleasant atmosphere. Once we took off we enjoyed the cool breeze off of the Mississippi river and took in some great views of the New Orleans skyline. Our tour beyond the city had really just begun—maybe 15 minutes into what should have been two hours—when it was announced that the water on board was no longer running. Without water, no steam. No steam, no steamboat. Sadly our tour was cut short, but the jazz band played on and carried us back to port.

Despite our trip being cut short, I would highly recommend this activity in New Orleans. Currently, another steamboat is doing the work of the Natchez and the city was really great about refunding us without us having to put in a call or wait in a line. The music was great, the drinks cooling, and the perspective of the city great to take in.

Next time, we’ll try to get a solid two hours in!