New Orleans carriage rides

[dsmrp]

I'm going with my elderly mother and brother to New Orleans before they embark on their cruise. My mother can walk but not long distances. We're bringing a portable wheelchair/walker but I'm afraid the sidewalks in the French quarter will be a bit narrow for it.

I've seen pictures of horse carriages for hire at Jefferson park. Are they readily available? What are approximate costs? I looked at TripAdvisor, and most of the recommended carriage rides are the ghost tours at night which is too late for my mother. She'll want to see things but not walk too much, so I was thinking of the Hop-on-hop-off bus for one of our 2 days there, in addition to a carriage ride.

I would appreciate any sightseeing suggestions for people with limited mobility.
Thanks!

 

[Greg G]

Sandra

You can also hire horse carriage rides at Jackson Square. Where you are staying may dictate the better place to get a horse carriage (I'm not sure but some may even come pick you up). The sidewalks in the French Quarter are wide enough for a wheelchair (they seemed to be pretty reasonable width from what I remember). You can even see The Hop-on-hop-off bus should work for what you want to do, just remember to schedule things with it in mind.

Greg

 

[slip]

We used Lyft a lot while we were there. It was cheap and convenient. The sidewalks can be narrow and uneven so care has to be taken while walking around.

 

[Greg G]

Yes, some of the sidewalks are made of brick or uneven concrete so it can be bumpy, so you may want to test out the well chair on this type of surface to see how well it can negotiate it. Here is a link in regards to wheel chair accessibility,and you can probably find others as well.
http://wheelchairtraveling.com/new-orleans-access-overview-accessible-for-wheelchairs-and-disabled/
IMHO walking/wheel chair is the best way to see the architecture and get the feel of the city, and allows you to linger when you want, although they have limited time. So combining that with Lyft or Hop on/off bus seems like a good choice (if you see something interesting, just hop off and wander around)
It allows you to see things such as the following.

Granted they have only 2 days so you'll need to decide which things to see/concentrate on. Maybe try Jackson Square first, stop at Cafe DuMonde for beignets and coffee . And of course restaurants galore to try. Any special areas of interest your mom or brother have?

The National WWII museum would be well worth a visit, very moving audio/video accounts by veterans. Blane Kerns Mardi Gras World for getting a fell of Mardi Gras.

Greg

 

[dsmrp]

Thanks Greg and Slip for your suggestions.
I agree that walking sounds like the best way to see the place.
Good to know that horse carriages are available around Jackson Square.
I was going to reserve a carriage tour ahead of time, but going to play it by ear cause the weather forecast for the couple of days we have, has been ranging from 40-80% chance of rain

Funny but my mother is of the WWII generation (almost 90) but she wasn't much interested in going to the museum. I think she'll like to see the French quarter architecture and people watching as long as she doesn't have to walk much and do it in some sitting comfort, but not in a wheelchair. (per Mom, wheelchairs are for old people ) Will definitely go to Jackson Square and have some beignets. The Mardi Gras museum sounds interesting.

I expect we'll be taking a lot of cabs. My brother thinks the hop-on-hop-off bus steps might be too high for my mother, so we'll have to see them in person and then decide.

They're only travelling all that way from Honolulu to New Orleans go to on a particular 3 week cruise my brother wants. Mom likes cruises tho', just not the effort to get there. They've been on the around Hawaii cruise about a dozen times !

 

[iwanttoflyaway]

We rented a scooter for my dad in New Orleans, I don't remember who through but I could look it up if someone needed the info. They dropped it off and picked it up straight to our hotel, which we appreciated very much. It would have been difficult to get around with a wheelchair, and unacceptably dangerous to try without it. Between that and Uber, we got to do a lot of exploring.

I think you have a good plan to get to see the sights while minimizing the walking. I hope you all really enjoy your trip!