Katrina Rescue Boat

Long ago, when this tour guide was a kid, the entrance to the Presbytere was home to a Civil War submarine. Today the entrance holds another, more modern boat: One that rescued 3,000 people from rooftops after Hurricane Katrina. The exhibit, held inside the structure built in the late 18^th century to house Capuchin monks, brings tragedy and response into dramatic focus. Glass hands dangle from the ceiling representing lives lost. A piano from Fats Domino’s house in the Lower Ninth sits on its face, just as it was left by receding storm waters. Part of the Louisiana State Museum, Katrina and Beyond is one of the city’s memorials to the storm.

The Gray Line City and Katrina tours includes a 50% discount to the Presbytere and four other state museums in the city. In addition, Gray Line’s Hurricane Katrina Tour has been updated to include stories of rebirth and resurrection appropriate for a city rebounding with unbridled enthusiasm.