Carriage Rides by Robin Coffey

Robin took us on a private carriage ride last night and it was just what we needed to get to know a bit more about NOLA and the French Quarter. As the other reviews say, Robin knows this town from the inside out, with tips galore and no holds barred on what’s good, bad and ugly here in the Crescent City. Like other guides, she’s got a set «patter» for most of the places she points out, but unlike others she actually talks to you when you ask questions or for her advice. The price tag is steep, but Robin’s knowledge and expertise are well worth it. Her mule (Aretha Franklin) is a kick, too, but Robin says 35 year old Aretha will be retiring next month … So try to book Robin and Aretha while they are still a team.
Tip: if you are driving a car in the French Quarter and encounter Robin & Aretha, DO NOT try to cut them off! If you do, she will let you have it like nothing I’ve seen since my days driving the crazy streets of the other LA (Los Angeles)!

We chose Robin’s carriage based on Unilocal reviews and were happy we did. If it’s your first time in NOLA take the tour first thing. Robin will give you a ton of information you’ll want right from the start of your stay. Overall it was a great experience and well worth the money.
Curbside! :)

Robin is fantastic! She helped my boyfriend (now fiancé) plan the most amazing proposal using her carriage. She helped make sure it was the most perfect and magical moment. She was extremely instrumental in the planning process and helped him find the perfect spot to stop and pop the question. Thanks Robin! We strongly recommend her to everyone!

Just AWESOME! We took a Jackson Square tour with a large group and had an amazing time. Aretha, our mule, was really sweet too. The Hurricanes at Lafitte’s were delish and Robin’s colorful knowledge of NOLA history was most entertaining.
Thank you Robin for the unforgettable tour!

recently returned home to maryland from a girls vacation/​bachelorette party, and everyone is asking what my favorite part was… all I can think about was the amazing carriage tour from robin!!! hands down, the best! Thank you robin!

ROBIN IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!!
I found her here on Unilocal and after reading the reviews, I was determined to get her for the carriage ride. So I called her and made the arrangements with her. She was very professional. I’m a local here in New Orleans and I had some friends come into town from Houston, TX and I’d thought it be fun to do a carriage ride. Robin was super friendly and so down to earth! I love how she does the tour from a local’s perspective rather than a tourist. Gives you more of an inside scoop on things (; I’ve done a carriage ride before in the past, but Robin is the most knowledgeable tour guide in my opinion! I love how she stopped in front of Lafitte’s blacksmith shop (the oldest bar in America) and yelled «CURBSIDE» so we could get drinks haha. She was amazing and I love her mule Aretha Franklin, the sweetest, most adorable mule ever! (:

Robin was great she picked us up at the omni royal Orleans and dropped us there as well she is a native of New Orleans and is an educated women I have went on many carriage rides Robin was one of the best!

Awesome! Robin picked me and my Girlfriend up at our hotel booked for 1 hour led by Her mule Aretha Franklin. We had an amazing time. Robin was funny and informative, she gave us great history and recommendations. read Robin’s other reviews and was not let down. she lives up to her high ratings. Thank you Robin Jeanette and I had a blast.

Was in NOLA the first week of March 2013 with a very special man and wanted us to take a romantic carriage ride… in a carriage that looked like Cinderella’s…it was a special time and I wanted it to be memorable sooooo… I read the reviews and decided Robin Coffey was the one for us (partly because of her reviews and partly because we have the same name)! I contacted her and we set a date and time for a hour ride. The night before our ride, Robin had an emergency and wasn’t going to be able to take us. Her husband, John Coffey, however could take us and she assured us that he was very capable of giving us a great tour and time so I agreed. I spoke with John the day of our ride and set a time to meet in Jackson Square. He recommended a restaurant, Tujague’s, and it was everything he said it was and more… he called 30 minutes before our scheduled meeting time to let me know that he was in Jackson Square but not to hurry, he was just letting me know he was there. We finished dinner and walked over to meet John… I must tell you that I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have the «Cinderella» carriage, it was a three-​seated wagon type but that passed because John and his mule, Cadillac, are awesome. John is a wonderful storyteller and knows the area and legends and folklore very well. I’m sure we went past our hour time but it went very quick. In no time, he was letting us off at our hotel…
He gave us tips and recommendations for places and things to do and see and based on that we went to a jazz place that was amazing.
While I’m sure that Robin is great, her huaband John is also. We plan on going back to NOLA and will definitely contact John or Robin for another carriage ride… it was one of the highlights of my trip… it was that good!

Robin really knows how to show us tourists the ‘real’ NOLA!
She’s willing to customize a tour to your liking, just let her know what you’re interested in. She’s got a wicked sense of humor and is witty beyond belief. Between her candid and hilarious storytelling, and her mule, Arethra Franklin’s loud hee-​hawing, you’ll have the ride of your life!
We opted for the hour tour, and I’m pretty sure she spent more than the hour with us! We even got curbside service from Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop Bar! It’s was indeed a night we will never forget!
You’ll pay more than the other carriages lined up at Jackson Square, but it’s worth it! Trust me, call Robin!

After reading Unilocal reviews– I decided to call Robyn for our carriage ride. She was very easy to contact by phone, however she only works 3 days a week– so make sure you plan a day she’ll be available. Robyn will pick up at Jackson square or your hotel (for $ 10-​$ 15 extra) and give you a tour of the French Quarter. She will stay away from the stench on Bourbon Street, and take your over to Frenchmen Street where the ‘real’ party is for the locals. Robyn keeps it real, and will tell you both the beauty and nitty gritty of New Orleans. which I enjoyed! :) Robyn will stop by an old slave ‘hospital’ and even Laffite’s bar (which serves an excellent and genuine hurricane).
The mule we had was Aretha Franklin, and she was very sweet— stay after the ride to take pictures with ‘retha! Also, make sure you have cash for payment and tip. You won’t be disappointed with Robyn.

If you want the best, hire Robyn. We contacted her to take us around the quarter so I could take pics. I am handicapped and cannot walk so good. NOLA is not very handi friendly for wheelchairs. Robyn was very accommodating and nice. Along with her partner, Sideways the mule, who is a real crazy girl they rock the quarter! Robyn takes you to the out of the way places that usual tourists don’t see. She has a wealth of historical storied and local lore that are fun and interesting. If she taught history I might have stayed awake in class! Her tours are first rate, no rush, stops for pics, shows you interesting places and is really reasonably priced. Don’t forget to tip well and give Sideways a treat, they both deserve it! Don’t be fooled by cut rate operators hanging in the square… Robyn also works with others that she can recommend if She’s busy. Contact her @
and have a great time. Does groups or couples, lots of options.

Robin, all I can say is AWESOME. Based on reviews I decide to give you a try. Within ten minutes of my phone call, you came and met my family. We hopped in and went on a ride of a lifetime. We learned about the city from a locals point of view, learned about the history, and were very entertained. My children thought you were very funny with your sense of adventure. When the tour was over, my children wanted to go on another one. We all agreed, we could have gone for hours. Thanks for being so accommodating. Will definitely recommend you and this tour to everyone.

Robin was great and everything we were hoping for on our first tour of the Quarter. She was really a lot of fun and gave a great tour.
The pricing is regulated for the carriage rides so you definitely get more bang for your buck by riding with Robin! The stop at Lafitte’s bar was fun and welcomed!
Glad we read the Unilocal reviews before coming out. I contacted Robin by email and made plans to be in Jackson square during her normal times. It was a great way to begin our vacation.

We contacted Robyn based on other reviews. She was flexible, knowledgable, answered any questions and gave us random facts which we loved. She wasn’t able to drive the carriage due to injury so her husband John drove while Robyn entertained us with stories. They picked us up at our hotel for an added fee which was great. We loved the stop at Lafites for drive by cocktails!
Based on other reviews and in hindsight, we feel we may have been overcharged. Even considering that, we would recommend them highly as a couple. We liked John’s contributions just as much as Robyn’s.

Fun, informative, and a nice break from all the walking we did.

Folks, look no further. If you’re planning a trip to New Orleans (and post-​Katrina, the city still needs a whole lotta love) and, you want to sit back, relax and steep yourself in all that is good and wonderful about NOLA…(the history, the seedy bits, the beauty… and, everything in between) then rock up to Jackson Square, look at the available carriages, and find Robin Coffey.
She’s the most entertaining, informative, wonderfully delightful carriage driver we’ve experienced in New Orleans and this is our third trip in two years. She’ll tailor the trip to your interests (we love the music scene) and the audience (we have young daughters). We saw places in the French Quarter I had yet to read about or discover, stories we had never heard… and have come away feeling more in love with this city than we already were. She’ll tell you where to eat, where the locals go, the ghost stories, the best music venues and places in three lengthy trips to the city we had yet to find. We did the curbside cocktail service at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop… and she let our girls drive her lovely mule the last half-​mile to our hotel (yes, our hotel… and yes, the girls LOVED it).
She’s in episodes of Treme folks… it doesn’t get more local then that. Find her, give her your business… she’s the real deal and you will love every minute. You go to New Orleans for the food, the scene, the experience… a tour with Robin is a true NOLA experience!

Robin, Robin, Robin… We’re pals for sure.
For my ex’s birthday a year ago, I asked her to pick me up at a restaurant after I had treated him for dinner and to give us locals a historical tour of the French Quarter and tell us some ghost stories.
She was marvelous. She picked up up right on time. It was in November when it was really cold and she had plenty of blankets to keep us warm. She even stopped in front of Jean Lafitte’s bar for some to-​go drinks. She scared the crap out of us with some freaky and disturbing stories. She’s a very smart and intelligent lady.
She has her masters degree and everything. She does her job well because she loves what she does and that makes this experience 100 times better than with someone who’s doing it just because.
I loved the ride. I enjoyed it very much and she even took us back to my car. I’d love to do it again. Hopefully next time, someone will surprise me instead of the other way around. :hint: :hint: to the next guy I date and hopefully he Unilocal so he knows who to hire!

On a recent trip to New Orleans I was walking by Jackson Square (river side where the carriages line up across from Café DuMonde) and decided to hop on a carriage ride tour. Out of all of the carriage ride drivers, I don’t know what drew me to Robin, but I was glad after that I picked her. She gives a great tour! She is a local native with a wealth of knowledge and a really quirky personality. She will give you the locals tour and an insight to what the locals do for fun, because they sure do not hang out on Bourbon Street. She throws in a few ghost stories about the local landmarks and even stops at a bar for curb to carriage drink service. She has a lot of spunk and personality, and made some historical stories that could be boring, really interesting and funny.
I really loved her tour and her personality. I learned a ton about the city on this short tour. I think I payed under $ 20 for the tour itself but added a generous tip since I had such a great time. When I return with friends, I’ll find her again and take my friends on her tour.
It can be quite daunting trying to figure out who’s carriage to jump in, but if you remember my review, find Robin. You could easily shout her name out or look for the short and petite white woman with blonde short hair. Mid to late thirties, kind of tan. Shes generally out there from late afternoon on. Her cards says, Available SUN, MON, TUES & THURSDAY evenings. Her husband John does cemetery tours on the same nights, and I would have liked to take his tour if I have been in town longer. I will next time.
Her e-​mail on her card is
if you want to inquire about taking her tour the days you are going to be in town.