Who wouldn’t want to travel to New Orleans?
New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the top travel destinations in the U.S. It is rich in culture, has spectacular nightlife, and tons of history. If you have ever watched Girls Trips then you know that New Orleans is a good time. They are known for Mardi Gras festival and Bourbon Street. Two things that you have to experience and cross off your bucket list.
I traveled to New Orleans for the first time with a list of things to do and an astronomical amount of restaurants to try all in the span of the weekend. Food was top on my list because I wanted to try foods specific to New Orleans such as red beans and rice, gumbo, jambalaya, and seafood. Then going to Bourbon Street was a requirement for me so I can get a hand grenade and enjoy the lively party scene. I am not a dancer or partier, but the energy of New Orleans seems infectious.
Unfortunately, during my time there I got sick with the worst stomachache. However, the party does not stop completely. I did my best to push through and enjoy my time the best I could. I am going to share some of the things I was able to do and recommend that you check out as well.
During my time in New Orleans, I stayed at Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown. It is a nice, modern hotel with an amazing view of downtown. Every morning, I would wake up and watch the sunrise. This hotel was about a 15-minute walk from Bourbon Street. You can definitely walk to many places that you want to visit, but the 15-minute walk can become exhausting under the blazing sun during the summer. Your stay does come with a complimentary breakfast that is actually enjoyable. I do recommend this hotel if the walk does not scare you off.
Things to Do in New Orleans
We are going to start off with things that I was able to ACTUALLY do in New Orleans. Later in the post, I will list the other activities that I am going to go back to NOLA to do.
1. Go on a swamp tour with Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour.
You have to do this. Take a break from Bourbon Street and go to the swamp to see the alligators, turtles, and things. This tour was really entertaining and the tour guide had an amazing personality making it all the better. The tour guide we had has been doing tours for more than 10 years so he had a wealth of knowledge.
If you do not drive to New Orleans, Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours has a shuttle that can pick you up from a hotel near you. It does cost a little bit more if they pick you up, but it’s worth it to shuttled around.
2. Get a Beignet
If it is your first time in New Orleans, you have to get a Beignet. I recommend getting a Beignet for Cafe Beignet and Cafe Du Monde. I was only able to get a beignet from Cafe Beignet because I got sick, but I do plan to go back and get one from Cafe Du Monde. They are both tourist locations to get beignets so you have to go at least once.
3. Visit City Park
I went to City Park specifically to get on the Swan boat ride with Wheel Fun Rentals. You can do the romantic, night swan boat ride with your significant other or you can do the day time swan boat ride with a friend. It is definitely worth the experience and it is only $11 per person for an hour. That is more than enough time. Make sure you go with someone who will pedal you around. I you don’t excercise a lot you are going to want to be with someone who will do all the work. Just kidding…kinda. City Park also has the New Orleans Muesuem of Art so you can stop by there as well. It is $15 per peson.
4. Take picture with New Orleans Mural
With any city that you travel to if the city has a greetings from (name of city) mural you have to take a picture with it. If not, have you really gone there. I was not able to take the quinessential photo so it is mandatory that I go back. It was on my itenarary, but life happens so I did not go.
Tips for traveling to New Orleans
- Stay closer to Bourbon Street but not on Bourbon Street. I would recommend staying on Canal Street or adjacent to that street. It will make getting around easier especially in the heat. It makes it convienent to change close in the heat.
- New Orleans is a walkable city depending on where you are staying. If you want to get around to further places you can ride the Streetcar. We rode the Streetcar to City Park where the New Orleans Musuem of Art and the Swan Ride is located. The Streetcar is $3 for 24 hours.
- Organize your trip with Wanderlog or Google Maps so that you make sure that you complete all the activities that are located in the same area so you don’t backtrack.
Places to Visit Next Trip
Restaurants
- Neyow’s Creole Cafe (Lunch or Dinner)
- Beacoup Eats (Lunch or Dinner)
- Barrows Catfish (Lunch or Dinner)
- Cafe Du Monde (Snack- Beignets)
- Ruby Slipper Cafe (Brunch)
- Curio (Lunch or Dinner)
- Gumbo Shop (Lunch or Dinner)
- Morrows (Lunch or Dinner)
- Willa Jean (Brunch)
Activities or Things to Do
- Bourbon Street – New Orleans is known for the infamours Bourbon Street where you can party all night long. It is something that you have do at least once even if its not your thing. You can barhop, people watch, interact with the entertainers on the street, dance, whatever makes your heart content.
- Frenchmen’s Street – this is where people say the life of the party is really at. I was riding the streetcar and one of the locals referred to this area as the local’s hangout. She stated that Bourbon street is fun but Frenchmen’s Street is really where the party is. Frenchmen’s Street has a really nice live music scene. That’s about all that I know about it because unfortunately I was not able to go in person.
- Garden District – is a neighborhood in New Orleans known for its historic houses. There is a self-guided walking tour or guided walking tours that you can take to learn more about the area besides looking at all the beautiful houses.
- The Historic New Orleans Collection (free tours) – This is a history musuem. The best type of musuem there is. In the musuem you can really learn about the different cultures that have come to make New Orleans that city that it is.
- Jackson Square
New Orleans is an amazing city to travel to and there is no way that you can experience everything the city has to offer in one weekend. However, you can definitely try. I hope this helps you to plan your next trip. Some other resources you can try are my New Orleans Pinterest board and the Visit New Orleans page to stay up to date with any events that are occurring. While you are here, you want to check out how to create your travel budget blog post so that you can make sure that you have enough money set aside for your trip.