About Henley's Private Tours
Step into the stories and the laughs with Glen Henley, your host, driver, and lifelong enthusiast of all things New Orleans and Louisiana. A licensed New Orleans tour guide since 2012 and owner-operator since 2016, Glen has taken countless guests through the city’s vibrant neighborhoods, historic mansions, and plantation landscapes, all with warmth, insight, and a deep local connection.
Interested in Learning More About Our Tours?
Transportation:
Comfort, Luxury, Room to Spare.
Your tour begins the moment you step into our pristine white Lincoln Navigator—spacious, quiet, and outfitted for comfort. With plush leather seating, climate control, and plenty of legroom, you can relax and enjoy the ride as much as the destination. The Navigator’s elevated seating offers excellent views of the city and countryside, while its smooth ride makes even longer drives to plantations or Lake Pontchartrain a pleasure. The automated running boards make for a very easy entry too. Whether it’s just the two of you or a small group, there’s room for everyone to travel in comfort and style.
Ironic that I drive a "Gator" in Louisiana, huh?
Glen Henley
Owner Operator
Henley's Private Tours
I usually don't discuss my qualifications and prefer my guests' reviews speak for me. Thus, I encourage you to read our reviews before delving into my background. With over 200 five-star reviews, I've had the pleasure of meeting families and individuals from diverse backgrounds. The most rewarding aspect of running a private tour company is the opportunity to engage with my guests, who share in their experiences, and, of course, I share the vibrant stories of New Orleans. In addition to the reviews on my website, we have hundreds of reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor, Viator, Google, Yelp, and others.
Henley's Private Tours Mission:
My goal is simple, I make sure that every guest leaves with a deeper understanding of New Orleans and/or Plantations - and we have a few laughs along the way.
Glen Henley Biography
I'm a native of Louisiana and have lived in various parts of the state during my lifetime. Although I was not born in New Orleans, I am a native of South Louisiana, and I’ve lived in the area for decades. I spent much of my formative years in the wetlands (swamps and marshes) of Louisiana, and I have been an avid fisherman all my life. My family were asuccessful entrepreneurs in the restaurant and grocery business in south Louisiana for over 40 years. My Great grandmother was 100% Cajun French. (I explain what a Cajun is on my tours) In addition, I've spent a lifetime learning the cultures, history and natural resources of Louisiana.
Shortly after high school, I joined the United States Air Force and served for 4 years. Immediately upon completing my tour with the Air Force, I started a career in sales. For most of my career in sales, I've called on business owners and managers selling and installing computer systems and software solutions. I am familiar with the accounting and customer service systems for varíes types of businesses. To make a long story short, I left the sales business in 2012 and decided to start a new career in the tour business.
I had seriously considered getting into the tour business many years earlier, so I got my tour guide license and my Commercial CDL license and applied for a position with a large tour company and was given a chance in the tour business. (They hired me knowing I didn't have any experience in the tour business, an absolute miracle!) I have done thousands of presentations in my career in sales, so this was a great fit for me. However, I didn’t realize how much I had to learn, so after several years with them I realized I really needed more knowledge to do city tours properly and I didn’t have the expertise needed to present this correctly. So, I began spending countless hours reading dozens of books and articles on various topics about New Orleans, slavery, plantations and Louisiana, and much more. After continuing working for a few tour companies, I decided to start my own private tour business,(Henley's Private Tours), in 2016. Since then, I have had the pleasure of meeting thousands of people from all over the United States and many other parts of the word.
My passion now, is to share factual stories about the first explorers, the Mississippi river, the past and present history, the cemeteries, the architecture, the legendary citizens, many of the famous landmarks, our wetlands, the flood control systems in the area, the plantation life, slavery, the neighborhoods, the food (the po-boy story is unusual), the music, the diversity, (French, Spanish, English, German, Italian, Irish, Croatian, African), the origins of the people, the architecture, the mansions and the Catholic church influence. We will also discuss the Creole and Cajun cultures and such topics as, our ports, the Battle of New Orleans, the Civil War here, the building of the National World War 2 museum, Hurricane Katrina, Free people of color, Mardi Gras, Jazz, and even more. Please join me in a fun and exciting adventure through one of most unique and beautiful cities in the world.
Glen A. Henley