Hermann Grima House: Urban Enslavement Tour Experience

Experience the Urban Enslavement Tour at Hermann Grima House, a restored French Quarter home that explores the lives of enslaved individuals in an urban setting. Discover the rich history and contributions of people of African descent in shaping New Orleans.

Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Hermann-Grima House - This restored French Quarter home built in 1831, includes a Federalist architectural façade, original operating open-hearth kitchen, urban slave quarters, and expansive courtyard. The Urban Enslavement Tour at Hermann-Grima House, looks at the experiences of those who were enslaved in an urban setting, how that differed from…
What's Included
  • Professional guide included
Additional Information

This refurbished dwelling in the French Quarter, constructed in 1831, features a Federalist architectural front, an original functional open-hearth kitchen, city slave quarters, and a large courtyard. The Hermann-Grima House’s Urban Enslavement Tour examines the lives of those who were enslaved in a city environment, compares their experiences to those…

Location
Hermann-Grima House
820 Saint Louis St,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(152 Ratings)
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Serena_p
May 26, 2025
Educational - It was very interesting to learn about the previous owners of this home, about urban enslavement, and the connection of previous family member’s ties to the Whitney Plantation. Very educational and would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Sophiafalcon
May 25, 2025
The story of three families - While the Hermann and Grima families owned the Federal style mansion on St Louis Street, there were also enslaved families that lived and worked on the property. This tour humanizes and shows empathy for the families known just by first names in property logs who served the Hermanns and the Grimas by showing their living quarters and what their daily life in the household was like. You get a "back of the house" tour which illustrates the lengths the wealthy went to show and protect their "property." I was very impressed by the knowledge of Leah, the docent giving the tour. She was also familiar with Gallier House and highlighted some of the differences between the homes as well as the circumstances of the families. Highly recommend the tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurelf182
May 25, 2025
Best historic house tour in the U.S. - I'd no idea what to expect during my December holiday visit to this New Orleans site, but it turned out to be the absolute best historic home tour I've ever experienced in the United States. The home's interior is not lavishly decorated, but the goal of the tour is not to awe visitors with the former owner's artistic taste. It's to clearly present the stark differences between the lives of the owners and the lives of their slaves living under the same roof. It's an extraordinary experience. I was lucky enough to be there on a day when the food historians were demonstrating the cooking of historic recipes in the tiny, overheated kitchen and discussing the dangers involved in preparing enormous amounts of food over roaring, open flames. To have your worth as a human based on your skill both in preparing dozens of dishes for each meal and in avoiding serious injury or death over an open flame is horrifying. I couldn't recommend this tour more highly for anyone interested in the history of New Orleans, or U.S. history in general, as we continue to experience the detrimental effects of slavery in our nation even today.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph_c
Apr 26, 2025
Informative Tour! - The tour is a must for anyone wanting to experience historical New Orleans. The tour was only an hour and filled with information. We loved learning about the history of the home and the two families that occupied the home. Learning about enslaved workers in an urban area was great after we learned about life on the Whitney Plantation.
Review provided by Viator
B4572rkemmap
Apr 17, 2025
Really worth it! - This was one of the highlights of our NOLA trip. A fantastic guide (Judith?) who was really knowledgeable and interesting. A very worthwhile experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meganmf1550wj
Apr 12, 2025
Brilliant tour, super guide! - My partner and I took the last tour on a Thursday afternoon, it was just us and our guide, Robert. The subject matter is heavy but the tour is very respectfully done. Robert did a fantastic job of making the information accessible to us non-US visitors and injecting his own brand of humour at appropriate moments - he has great comic timing! He answered and anticipated our question and did an overall brilliant job.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carmen_c
Apr 12, 2025
An expertly conducted... - An expertly conducted tour, highlighting the lives and contributions of enslaved people to antebellum life in New Orleans.
Review provided by Viator
Stacy_r
Apr 8, 2025
I liked this tour. You... - I liked this tour. You got to see some rooms and original furnishings. The grounds are beautiful and it was interesting to hear about the history of this place
Review provided by Viator
Anna_k
Mar 28, 2025
Amazing experience! - Really eye opening and informative perspective on urban enslavement. I am lucky to have been able to do it.
Review provided by Viator
Janqqq
Apr 10, 2025
It starts a bit bumpy at first... - ... because you have to warm up with the guide first. Is only partially understandable for tourists even with excellent English skills and one wonders what you spent the 17 dollars admission including mandatory tour. But then it gets better and I have to say: in the end you are happy to have paid the entrance fee. You get a really good insight into the lives of the rich citizens who had the money to be able to hold slaves and the lives of their slaves themselves. The difference to slave labour in rural areas out in the fields and, as this museum shows, back in 1830 in urban areas is very clear. You learn, for example, such things that there were even insurance policies for slaves back then, similar to how you can now take out fully comprehensive insurance policies for your property, such as for a valuable car.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $17
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).