French Quarter Secret Garden Tour 2026
April 2026The beloved annual tour hosted by Patio Planters featured seven historic houses in the French Quarter, including courtyards in the former homes of Tennessee Williams and world-champion boxer Pete Herman - and the postage stamp garden in the building known as the LaLaurie Mansion.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Note: For optimum viewing, enjoy this feature with a large-screen device. If your photo appears here, you may copy it onto your own computer and even share it on social media – please simply credit the photographer and French Quarter Journal – and consider joining our Readers' Circle to support our stellar creative team. These images have been optimized for fast loading on the internet, so they're not print quality. If you'd like to purchase print-quality files directly from our photographer, contact us here and we'll forward your email. Entering the building that was formerly a club owned by World Bantam-Weight Champion and French Quarter resident, Pete Herman
The magnificent hidden courtyard of a N. Rampart Street historic complex
Inside the former home of Tennessee WIlliams
A second courtyard in the former home of Tennessee Williams features a lawn that is home to two free-ranging tortoises.
The courtyard pool of a Burgundy Street residence
The courtyard of a Dauphine Street residence
At the Spring Fiesta House on St. Ann Street
In the small courtyard of the Caffin Mansion, that is often mistakenly called the LaLaurie Mansion. The Federal-style mansion that the LaLauries resided in burned in 1834. The current structure was built on the site in 1838. Read more here on the HNOC Vieux Carré Survey.