What's a Buggy Ride?

One thing everyone should do when visiting New Orleans, Louisiana's Vieux Carre (Old Square) better known as The French Quarter, is to take a guided tour through it. There are few other places in the United States with more history per square inch and much of that history took place before there was a United States.

There are four companies with a total (of 30 buggies). There is a day shift and a night shift (the coming of the casino may add a third shift). The mules are different for each shift as are the drivers though a driver can work multiple shifts if he wants, the mule cannot. The use of the mule is governed by the SPCA and other laws. The driver's level of expertise ranges from beginner to old-timer with many of the newer drivers being as good as or even better than the "old-timers". Most are excellent.

A popular misconception is that the drivers own their own buggies, mules, etc. All of the drivers work for a company. None own their own buggies. A good and honest buggy driver will not negotiate on price as the prices are set by the company and there are checkers to see that the proper amounts of money are turned in to the company. If a driver "negotiates" with you and quotes you a price lower than the going rates listed above, he may be trying to "steal" from the company he works for. If this is the case, he may try to do the same to you by giving you a short tour, not giving you a proper tour or "make it up" in some other manner. Like anything else in life, you get what you pay for.

Group Tours

One of the best ways to "experience" this history is to take a narrated buggy ride of the French Quarter. Buggy rides begin at $9 for adults and $5 for children under 10 for a "group tour". To take a group tour, go to Jackson Square, take the first Surrey (roofed 3-seated buggy) in line, sit on the buggy until it is loaded and go on a tour with as many as 7 other people. You may wait as little as 1 minute or as long as 20-30 minutes for the buggy to load.

Private Tours

Private tours are given on "Vis-a-vis" (face to face) carriages (convertible 2-seated buggies). The prices start at $45 ($25 for "drop-offs") for anywhere from 1 to 4 people. If your group has more than 4 people, each person over 4 costs $11 for adults and $6 for children under 10 (with appropriate adjustments for drop-offs). You have the buggy to yourself and your group. No other people are taken unless you want to share a buggy with someone. In which case the same prices apply though they can be shared among the group.

To take a private tour, find a vis-a-vis carriage anywhere. There are usually some at Jackson Square and you don't have to take the first one in line as you do with the group tours. Take the one you want. You can also find them throughout the French Quarter or at hotels in the Central Business District. The drivers go wherever they feel passengers will be easiest to find at that particular time. Wherever you see one empty, you can board.

Full tours should be between 25-30 minutes (drop-offs NO MORE than 15 minutes) depending on the traffic and other factors. The driver should point out sites of interest, tell you about the restaurants and entertainment as well as give you a history of the city and answer your

Who is "Big Ray" and how to contact him.

"Big Ray," aka Ray Jones drives a "vis-a-vis" carriage and offers private tours of the Quarter. He is very knowldgable about the Quarter and the City, as well as quite colorful. Ray is a regular on the New Orleans Mailing List, and is an avid netsurfer when he's not driving his buggy.

Here's how you can contact Big Ray to arrange a buggy ride:

Phone (cellular): +1.504.884.9572
Beeper: +1.504.547.8032
email: rjones@communique.net

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