NEW ORLEANS — Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell had his own personal tour guide Wednesday night in New Orleans.

Dabo Swinney gave his team time to enjoy themselves on Bourbon Street after the Tigers arrived to the Big Easy ahead of the Sugar Bowl playoff semifinal versus Alabama, and Ferrell said he had a blast seeing the sights with freshman running back Travis Etienne, a Louisiana native.

“I was with him last night,” Ferrell said during Thursday’s press conference at the Marriott Convention Center in New Orleans. “We were having too much fun. We were just walking around, and I didn’t even have to ask any questions. He was like, that’s over there, that’s where you go buy the beads, that’s the voodoo shop…”

“I’m like, I didn’t ask you to be my tour guide,” Ferrell added jokingly.

Swinney estimated that 95 percent of his team had never been to New Orleans before this trip. Etienne is part of that 5 percent.

However, even Etienne is getting his first real taste of New Orleans.

A native of Jennings, La. — which is located about three hours from New Orleans — Etienne had not experienced the city in the way that he was able to Wednesday night.

“He was just so excited,” Ferrell said of Etienne. “He knows a good bit about New Orleans. But Travis is a young guy, so he’s never been around as far as being around the downtown area and things like that.

“He’s always been like a little kid when he was coming up. But now since he’s a young man, now he gets to see more and gets to be able to tell people more about the city.”

The highlight of the evening for Etienne and Ferrell was their dinner at Café Du Monde, an iconic eatery known for its beignets since 1862.

“It was real fun being around him last night, especially when we went to the beignets place,” Ferrell said. “He was like, I’ve never eaten here before, I’ve always wanted to eat here and stuff like that.”

It has been a memorable true freshman season for Etienne, who leads the Tigers in rushing yards (744) and touchdowns (13) after 13 games.

Etienne continues to make memories with the Tigers in New Orleans ahead of the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.

“He’s really enjoying the experience,” Ferrell said. “He knows about the city, but it’s kind of a new experience for him, too. I’m loving just watching him and seeing how much fun he’s having already.”