New Orleans, Louisiana! The BIG EASY!
There’s a reason my TOP 13 things to do in New Orleans list is a little larger than any other city I have written about. Be patient as I have snuck in a few extra little gems I couldn’t bring myself to leave out! Of ALL the cities we’ve traveled to, NOLA superseded my highest of expectations and has firmly rooted itself into a little corner of my heart as my favorite. I feel so at home there with it’s welcoming vibe, unparalleled food choices, and vibrant music scene!
Nestled on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico you will find this city and all it has to offer. Although there are a multitude of activities to keep you busy, the close proximity of them all in and around the French Quarter really helps if you are short on time. Ideally, a 3 or 4 day weekend is what I would recommend if not longer. And pants with a stretchy waistband! Not kidding. You will want to eat 4-6 square meals a day, the food is THAT good!
Let’s Pack For This Trip!
Louis Armstrong Airport is a short 30 min drive to the French Quarter and the best way in is via shuttle or taxi. It will cost $36 for two passengers, $15 extra for each additional person. They have Uber however from the airport, a $4 surcharge is added. Worth spending it to just GET there and get going. The drive winds you through the suburbs and there are some things to see along the way such as the Superdome and a multitude of above ground cemeteries (New Orleans answer to bury the dead in a city that is below sea level!)
You have arrived in the French Quarter… hopefully! If you have chosen to stay outside the French Quarter, you can still follow our
Here we go! Comfortable shoes are a must… the sidewalks are uneven at times and we have MILES to cover!
Top things to do in New Orleans
If you do this on your first day, you will know the ins and outs of your favorite eateries and types of foods. My first trip there I flew on a red-eye and hit the ground running with a 10:30 am
The guide gave us a rich history lesson on the city as we walked from restaurant to restaurant. We got to try Gumbo, Oysters, Jambalaya, Po Boys… all the staples! Our tour guide gave us a few nuggets of great information on places to avoid which were hyped up commercially, instead pointing out smaller, more authentic eateries. For more information on tantalizing food options and watering holes, follow this link…
Early in your trip, treat yourself to a historical event you won’t soon forget. Preservation Hall. It is THE place to hear New Orleans traditional Jazz. If you don’t get in your first night, you have time later in your trip. It is a dusty old building with cushions on the floor and bench style seating. People tend to line up 30 minutes before each show. They now have 5 shows a night. 5pm, 6pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm. General admission seating is $15-$20 each at the door and cannot be reserved.
Cash only. There is a cash machine in the bar directly across the street…and there
Part of the city’s heritage and home to the city’s past on musicians and voodoo queens! Ornate and eerily beautiful make these cemeteries a photographer’s dream. The reason to take a tour is not everyone is allowed to just enter on their own. Dating back to 1789, St. Louis #1 is New Orlean’s oldest active cemetery and is on the Historical Registrar, requiring a tour guide to lead you through.
They will explain the historical process of how they bury their dead as you wind through over 700 tombs which are the resting place of over 100,000 deceased. There is a multitude of cemeteries you CAN tour on your own, however, this particular one is the home of Marie Laveau the famous Voodoo Queen, the movie set from a particular scene in Easy Rider, and home of Nicholas Cage’s future resting place… an out of place pyramid tomb!
The tour lasts roughly 90 minutes and the walking distance is less than one mile. These tours are a dime a dozen and there’s no need to pre-book unless you like to lay out your trip with a plan in order to take the thinking out of things once you get there. This company offers reasonable prices and fantastic tours. F
4-FRENCH MARKET…
This market is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year and spans 6 blocks. It is nestled down towards the water just past Jackson Square. This is a great stop to pick up souvenirs or a little piece of art from your travels. Cafe du Monde is right next door for a snack of beignets and coffee if you need sustenance! There is plenty to eat AT the market as well. You might be lucky and luck into seeing the Brass Band come marching through playing their lively tunes!
5-SECOND LINE…
This is one you can’t book, reserve… or even prepare for! You will almost certainly luck into seeing one though! Second Line is a tradition in New Orleans that has been part of their culture for generations. It is part of what makes New Orleans so unique. Most cities you visit, you capture a glimpse of that city’s culture in galleries, museums or theaters.
In New Orleans… the culture is ALL AROUND you, and if you keep an eye out… you’ll see it rounding the corner in this unique local expression of celebration or mourning, bubbling over with brass instruments and outfitted in a vibrant dress. Second Line is a parade of sorts. Yet more. It is a celebration of weddings, birthdays, funerals, ANYTHING worth celebrating feels worthy of a Second Line in NOLA. They are a proud group, and we reap the benefits by sharing in this with them as they pass.
People stop and applaud, shout, wave, dance, and smile or take pause to respect the mourning families. The First Line is the main family who leads the procession usually… the Second Line is the party that follows! Cameras out…because you won’t want to miss it. A side not… they have police escorts to help block traffic and they do require a permit. They can happen at all hours.
6-FRENCHMAN STREET…
A little off the beaten path yet still walkable from the French Quarter is Frenchman Street. It is where the Locals go to watch great live music and get away from the crowds of Bourbon Street. The music is as authentic as the crowd. Or at least it used to be… nowadays word has gotten out that it’s the place to be for live music, so you can imagine… it’s getting more crowded with tourists. If you can stay away from there on weekends, you might have a better chance of feeling a little more like a local. The Maison is one of our favorites. They also have a Jazz Brunch worth checking out! https://www.maisonfrenchmen.com/
All in all, worth the stroll over (about 45 min through fabulous neighborhoods of architecture) or grab a pedicab and bounce along the cobblestone streets! Just watch you don’t spill that “go cup”! If you go to Frenchman St on Thursday evening, you will be in for an extra treat! There is a street market that is fabulous! It’s small, yet packed with fantastic wares to bring home from your travels. It is lit up with artsy lighting and has unique seating areas set up to look like living rooms!
7- STREET CAR/GARDEN DISTRICT…
Take the St. Charles Street Car from the French Quarter through the Garden District and take in the oak tree-lined streets of single-story cottages and shot-gun houses to historical mansions with lavish gardens! This is the Mardis Gras route and so that adds a little extra “feel” to it. The sidewalks are uneven (it’s at 3’ elevation… so the streets and sidewalks have shifted and heaved with the passing storms) so watch your step if you get off the streetcar to dine at any one of the high end or casual dining options along the route.
The streetcar itself is the oldest continuously working streetcar in the world and costs a mere $1.25 (cash as you enter) to take it to the end! You will pass the stunning campus of Tulane University here in the Garden District as well as Audubon Park across from it. If you feel up to it and like shopping, you could hop off the streetcar on the way back and make your way over to Magazine Street. This is NOLA’s well-known shopping street and won’t disappoint. Prepare to walk a significant amount though. It is long and a bit of a hike (over an hour from Bourbon street walking). A taxi home after your shopping might be the way to go!
I know not everyone is a fan or tours. I get that. The more I travel, the more I see the value in tours though. In NOLA, you could fill every minute of every day with a new tour! Believe me, I have done almost all of them I swear! The haunted tour is not the highest on my list of must do’s… but it was creepy beyond belief and again, showed us a different side of New Orleans… a city with a dark side!
It lasts about 60-90 minutes and definitely gives you something to talk about over drinks later that night! Whether you believe or not in the paranormal, New Orleans claims to have a level of Ghosts and Hauntings that few other cities can rival. It’ll set you back about $20 each, and will almost certainly give you a chill… or a nightmare!
ghost city tours
9-ROYAL ST.
How can a street other than Bourbon St. in N’Awlins be in the top things to not miss? I’ll tell you why! Royal St. is only one block over (towards Jackson Sq) from Bourbon and feels a world apart. It is dotted with antique shops, buskers and restaurants to tempt that appetite of yours. It is an artsier, slower pace, yet there is so much to take in.
The Buskers flock here so you are destined to bear witness to some pretty amazing talent. Musicians, Magicians, dancers, balloon artists, poets. You might even opt to pay one to type out a personalized poem on his antique typewriter to frame as a memento from your trip! Pretty unique souvenir I’d say. I have bought my fair share of CD’s, to not regret it (as I usually do when I buy CD’s caught up in a moment!) returning home and craving some good
The Royal House might LOOK fancy with its doorman and all, but trust me… settle up at the bar and order a mixed plate of oysters and a Caprese salad and prepare for yet another gastronomical celebration!
10-POLICE STATION…
No… do NOT go there as a customer of their service! Just pop in to see it! Trust me, I thought this was strange when someone told me to do it too. It is on Royal St in the French Quarter and worth a look! They are so kind in there and completely used to tourists coming in… so much so they installed a VENDING machine to sell T-Shirts in the lobby!
Once in New Orleans I lost my ID and needed it to board my plane a few days later. You can imagine a bit of panic set in. The reason I mention this now is the police department in the French Quarter was where I had a friend mail my passport so I could board the plane! Officer Jones… I will never forget that sweet woman. She put my mind to rest and I planted quite the hug on her when I went to retrieve my passport.
They are accommodating and very friendly while out on foot or in their little golf carts. A friend of mine clam ins she has had them drive her back to her hotel many a madras Gras after the festivities where done, and they were entirely sweet about it. So if you’re in the area, pop in for a peek. It’s a strange thing to do and I am thinking only in NOLA would I do this!
11-PADDLE WHEEL BOAT DOWN THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI
There are a few options here. You could take a paddle wheel dinner cruise on the Creole Queen narrated by a local historian while you enjoy some fine dining, followed by a jazz band and dancing (if you please!). The cost is $80 and it lasts 2 hrs. The other option is to do a day trip down the mighty Mississippi’ on the paddle wheel boat to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and the historic Chalmette Battlefield.
I’ve done both and enjoyed each of them. The Battle of Chalmette tour gave an insight into the final battle of the war of 1812. It was informative and interesting, although if you are at all short on time you may want to rethink this one. It takes a few hours and costs $35 with additional add ons such as a buffet lunch ($19) and cash bar. creole queen
12-SWAMP TOUR/PLANTATION TOUR
This was FUN. The swamp tour is obviously not IN the French Quarter… although an early morning stroll down Bourbon St, especially after a rain fall, might feel like a swamp tour with all the spilled drinks and beads! The swamp tour folks will pick you up at your hotel and drive you out to the beauty of the Bayou!
Yes, you will travel to Cajun country where you will board what appears to be a boat with a GIANT fan on the back. These airboats are SO fast (up to 45 mph) and SO loud (they give you ear protection) and you zip through the murky waters dodging cypress trees and searching for alligators, turtles and yes, even snakes. The tours range in length from 2 hrs to full day. You can pair the tour with a Plantation stop on the way home. The plantation is set up in Civil War-era style and wander around seeing sugar cane waving in the breeze.
Historians will fill you in on the Spanish, French and American cultures that shaped this area. The combined tour is a full day and is not cheap! Average price for both combined is around $150/pp. If you just want to experience the Bayou via Swamp Tour, the cost is significantly less and can range from $50 depending on the size of the airboat you choose. Bear in mind, alligator sightings are seasonal. If you are there in the winter you may not see any (it is still a fantastic tour and cost might be less with smaller crowds).
This is an inexpensive and super cool way to explore outside the French Quarter. We have done this more than once and always have a great time! There are bike rental shops in both the French Quarter and around Frenchman St. They will give you maps and ideas of where to go and where to steer clear of (some streets are busy and that takes away from the experience).
We biked up towards the 9th Ward and were struck by how devastation from Katrina is still visible all around stemming the Hurricane that made landfall just east of New Orleans, the fifth deadliest hurricane and the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. Multiple breaches in the levees of at least four canals resulted in catastrophic flooding in a majority of the city, especially here in the 9th Ward.
By renting bikes, we feel we were able to lay eyes on this area without making the locals living there feel like they were a spectacle (they have bus tours of these areas where tourists take photos and gawk at the destruction… I can’t imagine that feels very good to someone living there. We were respectful, never taking photos… just taking it in.
There are a couple of breweries worth hitting in the area.
Let’s Unpack This…
New Orleans, to sum it up, is a melting pot of culture, round the clock nightlife, and food and music that will leave you wanting to make this an annual destination! The great part of this is…Mardis Gras is NOT the only fun thing to do in New Orleans! Yes, we’ve been during Mardis Gras (a 10 day long memorable trip!)… but we’ve also been during other times of the year. New Orleans has more festivals than any city I know! In fact, they have over 130 festivals a year! Music is at the heart of most of them, but there are also many more to choose from!
My suggestion is to sign up online for the monthly newsletter. https://www.neworleans.com/things-to-do/festivals/. It really gives you an insight into what time of year you might want to go! Believe me, as fun as Mardis Gras is… it’s not for everyone. The crowds are astronomical and the costs are high. Starting in January is “Carnival Season” and I once went mid-January and had outstanding weather, saw tons of parades, and kept the cost lower with hardly any crowds (aside from Friday and Saturday nights right ON Bourbon St).
This city will leave you feeling full… not just of food, but of rich culture and an appreciation for a city hanging onto it. The tourists come and go… New Orleans culture refuses to change making it feel like a hidden gem in a country of chain restaurants and big box stores. As they say in N’Awlins… Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! For more info on NOLA check out these links to our other articles.
