New Orleans: What to Do
We just got back from a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana for Mardi Gras, and we absolutely loved it! Beyond just the Mardi Gras celebrations, there is so much to do, and so much to eat and drink in New Orleans (Keep an eye out for a future post or two dedicated specifically to food + drinks!). Here are some things to do in the city apart from Mardi Gras and drinking in the city.
Listen to jazz!
As the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans has so many great places to hear it, and you absolutely must go to one! Preservation Hall is one of the best (and apparently Louis Armstrong thought so too). Sadly it was closed during Mardi Gras, so we’ll have to check it out next time. Instead, we visited the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street. They don’t take reservations and there’s just a $5 cover, so it’s easy to show up without much advance planning. And the music was so phenomenal! We also heard that the Davenport Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street has great jazz, but they sadly didn’t have any performances when we stopped by. Next time! Other great jazz venues include Tipitina’s and Balcony Music Club (Thank you to my coworker Michael for the tips!).
Explore the oldest extant cemetery in New Orleans.
Touring St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, established in the late 1700’s, was one of our favorite parts of our trip. We learned so much about the cemetery’s different burial style, those buried there (“Voodoo Queen” Marie Laveau and Homer Adolph Plessy from Plessy v. Ferguson), those planning to be buried there (Nicholas Cage), and New Orleans history. In order to visit the cemetery, you must go in with a tour group, so we booked with Save Our Cemeteries (just $25). The tour was great, and even better, they’re the only organization in the city that uses the money earned from giving tours towards the preservation of the cemeteries throughout the city.
Check out historic homes in the Garden District.
Walk through streets lined with Spanish moss and some of the most beautiful, large, and historic homes. You can walk by Sandra Bullock’s house, the Payton and Eli Manningchildhood home, and filming locations for movies and shows such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and American Horror Story. Here’s a walking tour that includes some of these homes and more. After you’re done exploring the neighborhood, walk for a few minutes down to Magazine Street for shopping, food, and/or drinks.
Shop at the French Market.
The French Market, located just off Jackson Square and open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., is full of vendors selling various handcrafted goods and has tons of food too. It’s definitely a great place to grab a souvenir!
Get on the water.
We really wanted to take the Steamboat Natchez for the jazz brunch, but the timing didn’t work out with some of the parades we wanted to go to. With that being said, we did take the ferry over to Algiers (much cheaper), and the views were awesome!
There’s so much to do in New Orleans, and heck – we had a blast even just walking around the city, especially in the charming, historic streets of the French Quarter. I hope these tips help, and keep an eye out for future posts on New Orleans and our time at Mardi Gras.
What experiences in New Orleans have stood out the most to you? Please share in the comments below!
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