Experience this on: Southern Grace<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Arriving in Louisiana aged 17 with her family, Barbara studied for a Masters in Urban and Regional Affairs in New Orleans, and fell deeply in love with its community. New Orleans has now been her home for over 30 years, and she founded Great Delta Tours<\/a> six years ago with her colleague, Dr. Peter Yaukey, a local science professor and naturalist.<\/p>\n Originally working in Community and Economic Development, Barbara\u2019s entire life has been about building up this community. She tells us that it was when working as a consultant with coastal communities after Deepwater Horizon<\/a> (the BP oil spill) in 2010, that her \u2018aha\u2019 moment happened.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Orleans is known around the world for its distinctive culture and the richness of its food, music and architecture,\u201d Barbara explains. \u201cBut we\u2019re less celebrated for our natural environment – one of the most important river delta systems in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith ecotourism fast-growing, I realized there was an opportunity to build on that sector of our travel and leisure economy; to tell the story of this amazing natural environment and to also build awareness of how we sustain ourselves as a coastal community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what we celebrate on Great Delta Tours<\/a> and what guests of Luxury Gold will experience,\u201d says Barbara. \u201cWe offer a fresh and unforgettable perspective and understanding of New Orleans. And we reveal the beauty and importance of one of the largest river ecosystems in the world, through cultures, wildlife, fisheries and economic assets that are not found anywhere else.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the river. Everything comes from the Mississippi that’s created this amazing tapestry of land and people and diverse cultures and wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n You may also be interested to read: Why New Orleans\u2019 Ritz Carlton Hotel is a cut above the rest<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u2018The Mississippi Delta\u2019 refers to the bottom third of Louisiana and is a massive wetland system – a 200-mile-long swathe from Texas to Mississippi. \u201cIt\u2019s sometimes referred to as a \u2018Rainforest of North America\u2019,\u201d Barbara says, \u201cbecause of its diversity of plant life, marine life and wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese wetlands are like giant nurseries of life and on this tour Luxury Gold guests will get to truly experience that bounty. We go beyond the flood walls and visit places most visitors don\u2019t get to experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Highlighting the importance of the Mississippi as a navigable waterway and one largest port systems in the world, she explains that the wetlands protect incredibly important economic resources. \u201cWe are one the largest producers of energy in the country,\u201d says Barbara, \u201cand this land protects all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Explaining that the Mississippi Delta is also one of the great bird flyways of the world, Barbara tells us \u201cRight now, there are millions of birds moving from South America to North America on a great migration. The wetlands provide them food and habitat along their way, and we endeavor to seek out birdlife on our tours.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the tour we\u2019ll celebrate some of conservation success stories that we’ve been able to achieve. Whether it’s saving the Brown Pelican, our state bird<\/a>, that was on the verge of extinct extinction from the 60s to the 80s, or the alligators<\/a> whose population is once again rising steadily. These animals are no longer threatened, and we have a very rich number of them here now. It’s a great success story for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Discover another spectacular experience on Southern Grace: Brenda Lee: The pop icon who inspired some of the biggest names in music<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe wetlands have a very important role to play in flood prevention,\u201d Barbara explains. \u201cThey\u2019re a crucial part of the fortress of levees and flood walls protecting the people of Louisiana.\u201d<\/p>\n New Orleans is surrounded by water and is located in a depression between the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico that is up to five meters deep. This makes the city especially vulnerable to flooding from hurricanes, the river and heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n \u201cThe wetlands act like giant speed bumps and barriers, protecting around 1.5 million people from storms and hurricanes that come off the Gulf,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor various reasons we’ve been losing these wetlands and the land is sinking, partly due to natural evolutionary processes and also as the result of human activity. So now in South Louisiana we have underway one of the largest climate adaptation projects in the world, working to restore what\u2019s been lost since the 1930s.\u201d<\/p>\n Louisiana is recognized as a global pioneer in taking action to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis to its communities. In place since 2007, a $50 billion, 50-year plan<\/a> developed using the best available science and engineering, guides the state\u2019s efforts to sustain its coastal ecosystem, safeguard coastal populations, and protect vital economic and cultural resources.<\/p>\n \u201cOur future depends on ensuring that we have a flood protection system as well as restoring and conserving our wetlands here,\u201d says Barbara, \u201cand this is what guest will also see as we point out these projects on our tour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my favorite parts of the tour is the Yscloskey fishing village, where we go to have lunch and meet with a fifth generation Isle\u00f1os fishermen,\u201d Barbara tells us. \u201cIt\u2019s a very quaint, small village, you feel like you’re in in a fishing village in the South Pacific, with lodges up on stilts 20 feet high as is the requirement beyond the flood walls.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also a major commercial fishing community (Louisiana has the second largest fishery in America), that also defines who we are as a coastal community. Families have been here for generations, and they harvest and process blue crabs, shrimp, crawfish and oysters, everything we celebrate in our restaurants.<\/p>\n \u201cHere you can just drink in the beautiful nature with birds and wildlife. You\u2019ll see the fishermen coming in with their catch and have the chance to talk with a local. It\u2019s like taking a step back in time.\u201d<\/p>\n You may also be interested in: Why a Luxury Gold tour is perfect for families with grown-up children<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhile New Orleans is more often known for its French influence, we like to celebrate the city\u2019s very distinctive Spanish culture,\u201d Barbara says. \u201cArchitecturally the French Quarter and its surrounds is more Spanish in character than French.\u201d<\/p>\n Defeated by the British in the French and Indian War, France gave up control of Louisiana to Spain from 1763 until 1801. The Spanish recruited militia and farmers from the Canary Islands, a Spanish colony, to defend New Orleans from British expansion. They were known as \u2018Isle\u00f1os\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201c3000 Isle\u00f1os were recruited, and we share the whole story with guests in the Islenos Village Complex,\u201d she says. \u201cThere is a museum and also several of the original homes that the Spanish built. It’s a fascinating culture that most people don’t know about, and we celebrate this at the Isle\u00f1os village that is now St. Bernard Parish.\u201d<\/p>\n You might also enjoy reading: 9 essential cocktails to drink (and where to drink them) in New Orleans<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll also see architectural hidden gems such as New Orleans Lakefront Airport, one of the finest examples of art deco in the country. When it was built in 1934 it was the largest and most modern airport in America. Renovation after Hurricane Katrina revealed eight priceless murals by the Spanish muralist Javier Gonzalez on the second floor. The building and grounds also include a beautiful bas relief fa\u00e7ade and a sculpture fountain by Mexican born Louisiana artist Enrique Alvarez.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Smiling](\"https:\/\/www.luxurygold.com\/lg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_2671-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFounding Great Delta Tours<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nA fresh perspective<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nA rainforest of North America<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nCelebrate birds and conservation projects<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nA fortress we must protect<\/h4>\n
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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nDiscover fishes and fishermen<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nCelebrate Spanish culture<\/h4>\n
Fresh eyes on New Orleans<\/h4>\n
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\u201cThrough the Mississippi Delta tour, we take guests on a deep dive into the history of New Orleans, to show how it emerged from a backwater settlement on the edge of a cypress swamp to one of the most prosperous cities in America by the mid 1800s,\u201d Barbara explains. \u201cYou\u2019ll see the colorful and beautiful historic architecture of neighborhoods that we travel through and understand the city’s development from living on the edge of the river, on the natural levees, to how we were able to expand into the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
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