(Optional) Steamboat Natchez Evening Jazz Cruise

NOTE:  This event is an “optional” event and tickets are to be purchased directly from The Natchez.  A link will soon be provided, along with a special “discount code” only for AFL members and their guests.  When you go to purchase your ticket(s) be sure to select the “First Dining Session.”  Please check back soon for the link and additional details.

As an optional event before the Annual Meeting starts the next day, we invite you to come aboard and enjoy New Orleans hospitality… Paddlewheel Steamboat Style!  We can’t think of a better way to kick-off the 2026 Annual Meeting then to cruise the Mighty Mississippi on the very ship Lafayette traveled on – or, at least its 20th century recreation.  As part of our April 2025 Bicentennial event in New Orleans, we did the Natchez lunch cruise and many members said this was one of the most enjoyable events we did.  This time around, we’re doing the evening cruise with a live jazz band while enjoying famous New Orleans cuisine while taking in the New Orleans night skyline.  Come feel the cool Summer breeze of a New Orleans evening.

We will journey down the mighty Mississippi, see captivating views of the French Quarter fade into the distance as the joyful tunes of traditional jazz carries you down the river.  Stroll the multiple decks, explore the beautiful, refinished interiors and savor the leisurely two-hour cruise that will give you panoramic views of the Mississippi River and the many unique sites along the way, with live narration.  The Natchez’s Louisiana flavored menu consists of local favorites – red beans and rice, fried catfish, jambalaya, salad, New Orleans style bread pudding, and more.

True to tradition in every detail, boarding the NATCHEZ makes you feel as if you have entered another era. The captain barks his orders through an old-time hand-held megaphone. The calliope trills a melody into the air while the great wheel, 25 tons of white oak, churns the heavy waters of the Mississippi. You soon find yourself slipping into a sense of the old, vast, and timeless river.

LAFAYETTE’S CONNECTION

The steamboat Natchez was fitted out with every convenience to convey Lafayette to New Orleans and up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri. After attending the Mobile Alabama ball, Lafayette and his entourage boarded the Natchez, which set a course for New Orleans. She stopped at the Chalmette Battlefield on Sunday, April 10, 1825, where the Governor welcomed Lafayette to the state and Lafayette spoke.  He would spend four more days in New Orleans, departing upriver on April 15, 1825 and arriving in Baton Rouge the following day.