| [Image: Longue Vue Gardens] |
| [Image: Besthoff Sculpture Garden] |
| [Image: New Orleans Museum of Art] |
The Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans are pleased to offer six signature New Orleans tours to our guests attending LMG09.
Your registration fee for each tour includes: admission, a box lunch and roundtrip bus transportation. All tours will depart from the Hilton New Orleans Airport Hotel at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2009, and return to the hotel by 5:30 p.m. Space is limited to bus capacity.
A Gardener's Guide to Audubon Zoo
View the zoo from a gardener’s perspective. Our tour guides: Audubon Zoo landscape architect, Diane Weber, and Joe Baucum, master gardener, will share the history of this famous NOLA landmark as we explore the Jaguar Jungle noted for its bamboo and palm collections and the majestic grove of ancient Live Oaks. You’ll observe some of the unique challenges of zoo landscaping where your “clients” insist on eating everything you plant. Peek behind the scenes to see the back road vegetable garden that supplies food for the animals, composting operations―including a compost tea maker―and production greenhouses. The Audubon Marketplace and Swamp Gift Shop also offer a unique shopping experience with zoo-themed merchandise as we conclude our tour. Tour cost is $27.00.
Renaissance House & Garden
Longue Vue House and Gardens, the once private estate of Edgar and Edith Stern, pillars of the New Orleans community, is a model of the fashionable, but conservative taste of wealthy Americans during the 30’s and 40’s. The eight acres of beauty that comprise Longue Vue’s gardens are an idyllic and tranquil oasis in the lively pulse that is urban New Orleans. Though situated less than 20 minutes from New Orleans’ Central Business District and French Quarter, the gardens of Longue Vue are a world apart from the hot sidewalk bustle of Bourbon Street. The cool shady lushness of the Johnson or Goldfish Pond Garden and the serene natural beauty of the Wild Garden are just two of the nine garden “rooms” you’ll explore at Longue Vue. Conclude your visit by browsing The Shop at Longue Vue known for its English creamware pottery, innovative flower holders and unique garden treasures. Tour cost is $27.00.
Art―Indoor and Outdoor
NOMA’s Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden has become the latest cultural destination for locals and a must-see for visitors to the Crescent City. The world-class collection of 50 modern and contemporary sculptures is presented in an incredible, five-acre natural setting with delights at every turn. You will be guided through both the museum and sculpture gardens by the docent who specializes in the Sculpture Gardens where you can stroll along meandering footpaths leading to fifty-seven exquisite sculptures. You may choose to visit the treasures of the New Orleans Museum of Art on your own or receive a tour chosen for you by a NOMA docent. Tour cost is $27.00.
Memorial Day Salute to WWII Veterans
The National World War II Museum illuminates the American experience during the WWII era with moving personal stories, historic artifacts and powerful interactive displays. From the Normandy invasion to the sands of Pacific Islands and the Home Front, the Museum brings to life the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who won the war and changed the world. Learn why and how World War II continues to influence so many aspects of daily life – civil liberties, global economies and laws, women’s rights, advances in technology and medicine, and most importantly, the values that preserve and protect a free society. After receiving a special orientation to the Museum, participants may choose where to begin this wonderful learning adventure. Tour cost is $27.00.
Cajun Swamp Adventure
Nestled in the heart of a working Cajun Fishing Village, Bayou Segnette is the gateway to the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary. If there's anywhere in the world that is filled with legends and lore, it's Bayou Segnette―home of Westwego Swamp Boat Tours. The swamp is an incredible ecosystem blooming with life, and generations of native Cajuns have lived in fascinating harmony within nature's delicate balance.
Beginning with a naturalist presentation at the dock, our two-hour excursion through the bayou by a native captain will introduce you to the wetlands of Louisiana―their wildlife and ecological importance. Be sure to bring a camera to capture images of all types of wildlife from alligators to endangered birds! Take a little bit of your swamp adventure home with you from The Cottage Gift Shop, a Louisiana themed shop housed in an 1897 Creole cottage. Tour cost is $37.00.
Urban Growers: Food Gardens & Farms of New Orleans
Enjoy visiting the diverse food gardens and meeting the folks who make the city greener and tastier! See chickens and value-added goodies in Central City, growing greens by Xavier University, bees and veggies in Gentilly, Mid-City, the 9th Ward, and the Hollygrove neighborhoods. Learn first-hand about the range of urban growing possibilities where local growers have succeeded and how they have improved access to healthful food in the neighborhoods and the markets where they sell. Take a trip around our beautiful, historic, and now greener neighborhoods, with tour guide master gardener Anne Baker, the Sustainable Gardening Editor of NewOrleans.Com and local urban organic farmer. Tour cost is $27.00.
Book one of these outstanding tours when you register for the conference. Click here to begin your online registration.
Questions? Contact Kathy Tolliver at 504-838-1170 or e-mail lmg09@agcenter.lsu.edu.
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