My name is Glen Henley. I am the owner/operator of Henley’s Private Tours. I have been a tour guide since October 2012 and started "Henley’s Private Tours" in November 2016.
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I usually don't discuss my qualifications and prefer guests' reviews speak for me. Thus, I encourage you to read those 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 life 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.
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So, with that said, here is a summarized Bio:
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. I started as a sales representative for a nationally known company. Still, for most of my career in sales, I called on business owners and managers to sell computers and software solutions. I usually sold accounting and customer service systems over 10 years, then started with a nationally known software vendor that specialized in the Property and casualty insurance market. ​ I was one of their top representatives for 14 years and did very well financially. Unfortunately, the owners decided to lay off 26 people on December 11th, 2005, (and I was on that list). This was about 8 weeks after Katrina. As a result, with very few choices back then, I went to work for a well-known insurance company selling life and health insurance to individuals. I quickly learned I was not suited to selling insurance, especially life insurance, so, I decided to resign.
I had seriously considered getting into the tour business many years earlier, so I applied for a position with a 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 had done thousands of presentations in my career, I felt this was a great fit for me. However, I didn’t realize how much I had to learn, so after several years with them and another couple of tour companies, I decided to start my own private tour business, "Henley's Private Tours", in 2016. I must admit, I really needed more knowledge to do these private city tours and I didn’t have that expertise needed until 2018. But I started reading and self-educated myself starting 2016 and still do today. I have spent countless hours reading dozens of books and articles on various topics about New Orleans and Louisiana.
I love to share stories and subjects 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 here, the plantation life, the neighborhoods, the food (the po-boy story is unusual), the music, the nationalities and nationalities, (French, Spanish, English, German, Italian, Irish, Croatian, etc.), the origins of the people, the architecture, the mansions and the religions here. 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 National World War 2 museum, Hurricane Katrina, Free people of color, Mardi Gras, Jazz, the unique food here, Slavery, and even more. New Orleans is one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the world. (It's not just the French Quarter either.)
Although I was not born in New Orleans, I’ve lived in the area since 1975. I spent much of my informative years in the wetlands, (swamps and marshes) of Louisiana and I have been an avid fisherman all of my life. I am a native of Southeast Louisiana and have both French and English heritages.
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Although I know how Voodoo started here and know several ghost story origins,​ I only deal in facts, not fiction.
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"We guarantee you will Laugh and learn. "
Thank you for your time.
- Glen A. Henley
