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:
After high school, I joined the United States Air Force and served for 4 years. Immediately upon getting out of the Air Force, I started a career in sales. I started as a sales representative for a nationally known office products company and worked for them for about 4 years. But for most of my career, I called on business owners and managers selling computers and software solutions. I usually sold accounting and customer service systems over 10 years, then started with a nationally known software vendor which specialized in the Property and casualty insurance market.
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I was one of the top representatives with them, for 14 years and did very well financially. Unfortunately, they laid off 26 people on December 11th, 2006, This was only six weeks after Katrina. As, a result, with very few choices back then, I found a job selling and working 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, even though I loved the people I worked with and greatly respected the company I worked for, I decided to leave.
I had seriously considered getting into the tour business years earlier, so I applied for a position with a large tour company in 2012 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. After several years with them and working for several other 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 didn’t have that expertise needed until 2018. I've read and self-educated myself since 2016 and still do today. I have spent countless hours reading dozens of books and articles on various subjects 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, and stories about the food (the po-boy story is unusual), the music, the nationalities and languages, (French, Spanish, English, German, Italian, Irish, Croatian, etc.), the origins of the people, the architecture, and the religions here. We also talk about 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, unique food here, Slavery, and even more. This may explain the reason I do a 4 or 5 hour tour. (Please look at the “Details and Pricing” page on my website)
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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​However, you should know that I only deal in facts, and not fiction. Although I know a lot about how Voodoo started here, and many of the ghost story origins, my tours are about history, architecture, cultures, and these kinds of facts.
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Thank you for your time. (I talk too much sometimes too, huh?)
- Glen A. Henley
