For the student of French, there is a great opportunity to study French culture, language and cuisine in the United States: New Orleans, Louisiana.
Also known as “The Big Easy,” New Orleans was originally colonized by the French. Contemporary New Orleans still retains the characteristics of French architecture, art, society, cuisine and language to the present day. The city also retains its Spanish influences today.
The French Quarter is reminiscent of New Orleans under French colonization, and many of the Creoles who have been there for many generations speak a language that is both French and “Louisiana homespun slang” mixed together to form its own language, French Creole.
Educational Travel Consultants encourages students learning French to be inspired by French influences in the U.S. Take students studying French on a class trip to New Orleans to immerse them in the language and ambiance of the French in America. Request a French speaking tour guide. Instruct students to speak only in French while on tour. Some group leaders even sponsor contests where students compete in French to gather information on tour.
Whatever the intent, the French Immersion Tour of New Orleans should be fun and memorable and require students to utilize language speaking skills while exploring the destination of New Orleans.
Highlights of the French Immersion Tour of New Orleans
Saint Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square
Saint Louis Cathedral is one of the finest examples of French Colonial architecture in the U.S. For students, Jackson Square will be an exciting place to visit. Here, musicians play New Orleans jazz right on the streets while visitors drink coffee and eat French pastries and donuts.
The French Quarter
Not far from Jackson Square is one of the oldest sections of New Orleans, known as the French Quarter. The French Quarter is nearly one half mile in perimeter and is 3 feet above sea level. Positioned this way, the French Quarter was spared from extensive flooding and damage by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Students will be able to visit historic homes in the Quarter, Mardi Gras World, and dine at a French restaurant for lunch or dinner.
Acadian Village
Recreating the life of early 19th Century Acadians in Southern Louisiana, the Acadian Village is the perfect place to study French influences in the U.S. Here students will hear the stories of French settlers and how they survived and thrived through hard work and skill. Growing corn, spinning yarn and making beeswax candles are some of the activities students will witness in this living history village that replicates French Colonial life in the early 19th Century.