Hidden History Tours

I can’t recommend this tour highly enough to anyone interested in developing an authentic understanding of historical and contemporary New Orleans. As other reviewers have stated, Mr. Waters has a wealth of knowledge that he delivers comprehensively, with a genuine passion and commitment. The tour gave us much to reflect on, it was challenging and thought-​provoking. We found all the necessary contact details o the Hidden History webpage.

Mr. Waters kindly accommodated our request to provide a personalized 3-​hour tour of New Orleans in his own car as it relates to black history that tourists would not get from regular tours or pamphlets. He also gave us a packet of information that briefly described a number of places we visited in and outside French Quarter. It became a concrete set of historical evidence that reinforced Mr. Leon’s eloquent stories. The tour poignantly made it apparent that historical racism and classism still continue to this day in New Orleans.
Yet, the tour reminded me of the continuing racial divide about the perceptions of the significance of race and racism in the United States, as expressed in «Black Lives Matter» vs. «All Lives Matter» in today’s language. The type of information and perspective offered in the tour is still a minority view that somehow needs to be mainstreamed without stigmatization.
I don’t really know how we could do it. But, perhaps one way that the Hidden History tour could improve toward this end is to incorporate historical and contemporary instances of intersections with other social groups (e.g., race and ethnicity, gender, citizenship status, and poor/​working class/​middle class) in New Orleans to demonstrate ways in which different social groups have had common interests. This could possibly facilitate an understanding for tour participants to see and create common grounds with different social groups for social change in a variety of ways and localities around the country and perhaps the world. I believe it is critical to develop strategic coalition politics to build power for social change.
In any case, highly recommended!

Earlier this month, had a great time visiting New Orleans. One of the highlights of the trip was the Hidden History tour. We did the 3 hour New Orleans City Tour. Highly recommend it! It was truly excellent from beginning to end.
After a little research online, I came across the website for Hidden History Tours. What a find! After reading about the tour options, we wanted to book one immediately. Even though we were leaving the next day, we definitely wanted to fit this in to our agenda. I contacted the company on Friday morning, and Mr. Waters called me back immediately. He accommodated our tight schedule (we were flying out the next day in the evening, so he was able to book us for an early morning tour Saturday morning).
He picked the two of us up bright and early from our hotel the following morning, in a very clean and comfortable car, and started us on our private tour.
Mr. Leon Waters provided such an informative, fact-​filled and interesting perspective on the history of New Orleans, countering the revisionist/​sanitized version so often promoted. We both still talk about the tour even though we’ve been home two weeks. Mr. Waters also provided a folder of information, outlining many of the topics that serve as an excellent take home reference.
Over three hours of great history across the city. If you have the chance, definitely check one of his tours out on your next visit! May also make you re-​think patronizing some of the businesses in the French Quarter.

OMG THEE BEST TOUR IN THE FRENCH QUARTER — Caps because its truly that good.
Mr. Waters is a WEALTH of knowledge, fortunately it was just 2 of us on the tour that day. Although not ALOT to look at we got some much history in one tour that you would think we saw the whole town. From the discovery of the island to the Haitian Revolt… I left knowing more than books can ever share and a new found disdain regarding the FQ.
Knowledge is power and if you are a history buff like me — Mr. Leon Waters is the man to contact about tours in New Orleans — tell him I sent you! Two of my friends have tried his tour since I went during Memorial Day and even today we still talk about all the info we received in a 3 hour walk

Truly the best tour one could have in New Orleans. Whether you are a tourist or local, there is so much to learn from hidden history. This tour company goes way beyond the surface — uncovering and exposing important urban history that has been suppressed by the white elite of the city. I walked away with a far greater understanding of the racial politics still at play in this city. Support this incredible tour company! It’s well worth your time.

I have been to New Orleans many times over the years and wanted to get an inside look to the true New Orleans and the true history of the area minus any whitewashing of facts. Almost all the Plantation tours exclude the harsh truth of history with respect to slavery and other cultural artifacts. My wife and I both love history and stumbled across Hidden History Tours. Being a Canadian, I truly am ignorant of the history of slavery in the United States. Leon opened up a new perspective to us on the history of slavery in Louisiana and the south. Leon was full of knowledge and pulled back the veil on slavery and the 1811 Slave Revolt. We so enjoyed our first tour with Leon, that we went on a second tour with him the next day. This is a MUST DO for anyone visiting New Orleans.
Also one other note: On our bucket list is to visit the Whitney Plantation as they were the only one we had found that focused on the slavery perspective, but we had run out of time to go on their 90 minute tour…

you should START any visit to New Orleans with this tour.
I would recommend it to EVERYONE. taking this tour and educating your mind and yourself is one way to bring those «invisible» in history to the majority of people into the light! once you understand the history that is NOT told, you will always question the one that IS told, and always be curious and questioning and truth seeking about history in the future. Hopefully one day these tours will not have to be named «hidden» history tours, because real true history won’t be hidden.

On visiting New Orleans for the first time, we were keen to learn a little of the history of the place and the people who built it. Naively we went along to a couple of plantations, hoping to learn more. We did learn something, that the history of slavery on these plantations is not being shared with tourists. Sure, you can hear about the fans the plantation owner ladies used, or that the rich families had city homes to use for the opera season but the silence on the subject of slavery was deafening. In effect, the history of slaves is very much hidden away. Being so disappointed with the tourist trail we searched the web and found ‘hidden history tours’. Here is a tour that will reveal to you the history of slaves in this area, with particular attention being paid to the 1811 revolt. We were treated to a private tour from a man who has devoted years to finding out as much as he can on this subject and shares his knowledge with such passion that he had our attention for the whole four hours. Taking us along River Road, we were shown the actual sites where various parts of the rebellion took place, including the graves of some of those involved and the plantation houses affected. Indeed, seeing the very trees that the rebels, fighting for their freedom, marched past and fought under left us open mouthed. If only the trees could talk this history would not be hidden at all and we hope
tours will become so popular, so widely talked about that Mr Waters will have to change the company name. If you have a genuine desire to learn on a tour, and not just see nice houses with pretty trinkets then this is the one for you. I would say it’s essential to get a clear, well rounded picture of the history of slavery in New Orleans!

Though I use Unilocal frequently, I never post reviews until now. This tour should not be missed by anyone visiting New Orleans. My partner and I had hoped to gain some insight of N. O. history from the African American perspective, however what we received far exceeded expectations. Even though the tour was an overview, we felt as though we had a thorough history lesson. We greatly appreciate the guide book given us at the start of the tour. It reinforced learning about more than 40 sites and stops covering Africans and their descendants’ involvement in the creation of the city and the rebuilding after devastations. We also gained far greater insight to the injustices, struggles and fortitude of these magnificent people as well as pride in their contributions to education, religion, politics, and entertainment. The owner, Mr. Waters, gave us excellent service and introduced us to a fantastic coffee shop in the Marigny area called café Rose Nicaud. The mexican coffee was delicious!
This tour was the highlight of our trip to New Orleans and we highly recommend it to all visitors of the city who seek what is untold in history books!

A Hidden Gem in New Orleans!
I found this tour service while wanting to learn more about the full history of New Orleans and dive deeper into the Black History in New Orleans. This tour was by far the best tour I’ve ever taken and was definitely the highlight of our trip.
They answered the phone promptly and organized a tour especially for us. The owner recognized my area code and created a pamphlet for me and my group that included our home state. The pamphlet then clearly outlined in numerical order significant markers we would visit and a map that chronicled the historical tour. We covered the entire city of New Orleans from the time New Orleans was settled by the French until present day. We learned about second lines, levies, and the real reason why people are buried above ground (hint: it’s NOT because they’re below sea level). Our guide was EXTREMELY knowledgeable and friendly. He even took us to a nice café for some of the best beignets in town!
If you’re ever in the New Orleans area check out Hidden History tours!