Crawl together now: The Balcony Bar in the Irish Channel
Irish Channel Bar Crawl
review by Ameila Parenteau
Strolling up to Parasol’s on an auspiciously autumn-like August evening, I’ll admit I was already inclined to enjoy the Irish Channel Pub Crawl hosted by New Orleans Crawling. I’ve been on my fair share of New Orleans history tours over the years, and this boozy spin on the classic French Quarter walkabout promised to enthrall our group with stories of battles, music, and pirates. What’s more, a free beer is included with each stop on the 4 bar, 2 hour 15 minute journey, so if nothing else, we’d at least get tipsy.
Happily, our tour guide Mary delivered on the history (and the beers) and even the most local member of our group learned a thing or two. The storytelling was divided up into four parts: pirates at Parasol’s, the Battle of New Orleans at Tracey’s, jazz at the Balcony Bar, and historic women of New Orleans at Rendezvous. The guides have discretion over their scripts and itineraries, which provides incentive to be a repeat customer, and the variety of subjects covered promises something for everyone.
Mary had a wealth of information to share, including a slideshow of accompanying images. What’s more, she was open to fielding our questions, and honest about the gaps in her knowledge, even looking up answers for us in real time. Her acting background was apparent from her ability to keep us, her audience, engaged, even as we got chattier after a few pints. Talking about her love for Louis Armstrong, I swear she shed a real tear.
Started in 2015 by Bobby Heaney, parent company America Crawling is founded on the simple premise of “good times, fun stories, and cold drinks.” New Orleans Crawling opened for business in October 2022. Although other food and beverage tours are on offer in New Orleans, they are mostly concentrated in the French Quarter. The laid-back nature of the Irish Channel bars, particularly on a summer weeknight, provided a comfortable setting for our group to gather and focus on the information being shared.
Peppered throughout the tour were facts about the Irish Channel and the bars we visited. We were all interested to learn that the Irish Channel had the largest Irish population in the South during and after the period of the channel’s construction, and that Tracey’s was the first legal bar in the neighborhood (amongst a sea of speakeasies). My only criticism is that I was expecting more Irish Channel-specific history from the location of the crawl, and the bulk of the stories shared were more broadly New Orleans-based. That aside, our group spent a delightful evening being regaled by Mary, and walked away with a deeper knowledge of this incredible
city we know and love.
The Irish Channel Pub Crawl runs seven days a week. Tickets and more information available here.
More stories:
REVIEW: THE DRINK AND LEARN TOUR
MORE NEW ORLEANS ATTRACTIONS AND TOURS REVIEWED
review by Ameila Parenteau
Strolling up to Parasol’s on an auspiciously autumn-like August evening, I’ll admit I was already inclined to enjoy the Irish Channel Pub Crawl hosted by New Orleans Crawling. I’ve been on my fair share of New Orleans history tours over the years, and this boozy spin on the classic French Quarter walkabout promised to enthrall our group with stories of battles, music, and pirates. What’s more, a free beer is included with each stop on the 4 bar, 2 hour 15 minute journey, so if nothing else, we’d at least get tipsy.
Happily, our tour guide Mary delivered on the history (and the beers) and even the most local member of our group learned a thing or two. The storytelling was divided up into four parts: pirates at Parasol’s, the Battle of New Orleans at Tracey’s, jazz at the Balcony Bar, and historic women of New Orleans at Rendezvous. The guides have discretion over their scripts and itineraries, which provides incentive to be a repeat customer, and the variety of subjects covered promises something for everyone.
Mary had a wealth of information to share, including a slideshow of accompanying images. What’s more, she was open to fielding our questions, and honest about the gaps in her knowledge, even looking up answers for us in real time. Her acting background was apparent from her ability to keep us, her audience, engaged, even as we got chattier after a few pints. Talking about her love for Louis Armstrong, I swear she shed a real tear.
Started in 2015 by Bobby Heaney, parent company America Crawling is founded on the simple premise of “good times, fun stories, and cold drinks.” New Orleans Crawling opened for business in October 2022. Although other food and beverage tours are on offer in New Orleans, they are mostly concentrated in the French Quarter. The laid-back nature of the Irish Channel bars, particularly on a summer weeknight, provided a comfortable setting for our group to gather and focus on the information being shared.
Peppered throughout the tour were facts about the Irish Channel and the bars we visited. We were all interested to learn that the Irish Channel had the largest Irish population in the South during and after the period of the channel’s construction, and that Tracey’s was the first legal bar in the neighborhood (amongst a sea of speakeasies). My only criticism is that I was expecting more Irish Channel-specific history from the location of the crawl, and the bulk of the stories shared were more broadly New Orleans-based. That aside, our group spent a delightful evening being regaled by Mary, and walked away with a deeper knowledge of this incredible
city we know and love.
The Irish Channel Pub Crawl runs seven days a week. Tickets and more information available here.
More stories:
REVIEW: THE DRINK AND LEARN TOUR
MORE NEW ORLEANS ATTRACTIONS AND TOURS REVIEWED
