Thursday, January 8
7:00AM – 2:00PM
(Ticketed Event - $180)

Designed by Jack Nicklaus, this 7,078 yard, par-72 award-winning Championship Golf Course presents a unique challenge to golfers of any skill level.  At English Turn, each hole is different and challenges you with its own personality. Giant sand and waste bunkers guard many holes, and numerous grass depressions and mounds line the sculptured fairways.  Huge tiered greens challenge putting strokes and are notoriously undulating.  The famed 18th of English Turn was consistently rated one of the most challenging on the PGA Tour.  A round of golf at English Turn is truly an extraordinary experience. 

The English Turn Golf & Country Club is conveniently located just 8 miles from the Sheraton.  Transportation by motorcoach will depart from the front entrance of the Sheraton at 7:00am to allow time on the driving range and prepare for an 8:00am shotgun start.  Green fees, cart fees, a box lunch, and transportation are included in the event fee of $180 per person.  Club rental is available for an additional fee.

Friday, January 9
10:00AM – 1:30PM
(Ticketed Event - $100)

It’s often said in New Orleans that people don’t eat to live, they live to eat! Chefs at The Savvy Gourmet see cooking as a lifestyle, an adventure and a learning experience. It’s about sharing time with family and friends in the kitchen and around the table. Helping you develop a deeper appreciation for great food and providing the know-how and tools to make it yourself is what The Savvy Gourmet is all about.

Join the Chefs at The Savvy Gourmet for a multi-station, interactive cooking program featuring a delicious Creole feast, including items such as Chicken and Andouille Sausage gumbo and New Orleans’ famous Bananas Foster. After welcoming remarks, attendees will be divided into three groups that will rotate through the cooking stations, one for each luncheon course.  The groups will switch stations at set intervals so that everyone has a chance to prepare each course.  The group will then reconvene and be seated to enjoy the wonderful lunch that they just prepared.  Finally, before departing the Savvy Gourmet facility, attendees will have an opportunity to browse through the impressive collection of kitchen gadgets, cookbooks and cookware available for sale in the Savvy Store.

Saturday, January 10
10:00AM – 12:00PM
(Ticketed Event - $40)

Join us for a private, docent-guided tour of the Presbytère and its permanent exhibit “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana.”

The Presbytère, originally called the Casa Curial (Ecclesiastical House), was built as a home for the priests of St. Louis Cathedral and is one of New Orleans’s earliest structures. While originally intended to house clergy, it was never used as a religious residence.  The building was once home to the Louisiana Supreme Court.  In 1908 the city of New Orleans sold the building to the State and in 1911 it became part of the Louisiana State Museum.

Today, the Presbytère is home to a fantastic 16,000 square foot, 2-floor exhibit entitled “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana” which traces five major themes of the celebration: History, Masking, Parades, Balls, and the Courir du Mardi Gras.  Based on meticulous research, the exhibition traces Mardi Gras from its ancient origins to the 19th century emergence of New Orleans’s parades and balls to the present-day statewide celebration that attracts millions each year.

The exhibition also features three focus galleries filled with dazzling Mardi Gras memorabilia. Here you will find handmade gowns worn by Kings and Queens of some of this city’s krewes, magnificent crowns and scepters that donned Mardi Gras royalty and antique invitations to the bal masques.

The exhibits will delight and entertain, along with clever displays that underscore the festival’s whimsical appeal. You will also learn about the Mardi Gras celebrations in the state’s rural areas, with rites that resemble those associated with village festivals of 12th-century Europe.

The Museum’s unique gift shop is worth a visit as well! Here you can purchase a treasure trove of Mardi Gras memorabilia—perfect souvenirs for those back home.