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May 27 – June 1, 2025
Explore the heart of Creole and Cajun culture on a captivating trip to New Orleans and Lafayette. Discover the French Quarter and iconic landmarks while learning about the French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences shaping the city. Engage with local experts through workshops on music, language, and cuisine. Enjoy hands-on cooking classes, and experience live Zydeco and jazz. Delve into the mystique of Voodoo and its rich history, and embark on an unforgettable swamp tour adventure. This program promises to deepen your appreciation for Louisiana’s vibrant cultural heritage and its impact on American culture.
Travel to New Orleans, a city rich in culture and history.
Begin your exploration with a guided tour of the French Quarter that will offer insights into the authentic history and culture of New Orleans. After lunch, visit the New Orleans African American Museum to delve deeper into the city’s cultural heritage. In the evening, attend a jazz concert at Preservation Hall or a Zydeco dance class, each offering a different perspective on how cultural traditions are maintained and shared in New Orleans.
Start the day with a self-guided tour of the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, followed by a visit to the Backstreet Cultural Museum. Here, you’ll explore exhibits that focus on Black street cultures and Mardi Gras Indians. The day’s activities also include a Voodoo Walking Tour and a cooking class. These experiences will encourage you to consider how different practices and traditions are preserved or commercialized.
Travel to Lafayette, where you’ll visit the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and the Acadian Cultural Center. Participate in workshops including a beignet demonstration and a Cajun dance class. These activities will help you understand how Cajun culture is preserved and presented, and you’ll reflect on the difference between genuine cultural preservation and commercialized representations.
In Opelousas, explore Creole culture at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, where you’ll learn about traditional practices, folk medicine, and everyday life. Later, participate in a music workshop, which will provide insights into the preservation of regional musical traditions. End the day with a Cajun Swamp Tour, reflecting on how nature and culture intersect in the preservation of Louisiana’s unique heritage.
Return to New Orleans to begin the journey home. Consider how the lessons learned about genuine versus performative efforts to preserve culture will influence your understanding of cultural preservation moving forward.
Insight has delivered international trips for a wide variety of audiences, including both adults and youths, since 2013. Our top priority from start to finish is the health and well-being of our participants. In the event conditions change while on trip, Insight may need to adjust the itinerary to ensure participant health and safety.
As with all trips, risks do exist and participants will need to complete Acknowledgement of Risk documentation prior to departure. Insight will take every precaution to ensure this experience is truly unforgettable, all for the right reasons. To learn more about our health and safety practices, please contact us.
Please refer to instructions sent by your school.
We take students out of the classroom and challenge them to learn about how the world really works in different places, delivering truly unique study abroad and student travel opportunities.