New Orleans is an incredible city, full of culture, music, art, food, sports, you name it. It's perfect for a weekend getaway if you're looking for somewhere unique to visit! We spent 4 days (3 nights) and it was perfect to be able to explore all the city has to offer. Let's dive into the details!
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Table of Contents:
Things To Do:
New Orleans is extremely walkable and best explored on foot! It's all about wandering around the neighborhoods, soaking in the culture, and discovering the city along the way.
Jackson Square
This is New Orleans' main square, lined with shops, restaurants, and the iconic St. Louis Cathedral. It’s always buzzing with energy, filled with street performers, artists, and tourists taking in the sights. Right across you can visit the Mississippi River and stroll through the riverwalk, as well as grab a beignet at Café du Monde.
French Quarter
The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans and likely where you'll spend most of your time in the city. As you wander its cobblestone streets you'll be surrounded by historic architecture and those iconic iron balconies. Here are some notable streets to visit while you explore:
Bourbon Street: this is the place to go if you're looking to party. It's the heart of New Orleans' nightlife with a ton of bars for every taste from live music venues to piano bars.
Royal Street: this street is known for its antique shops, art galleries, and boutique stores, a great place for unique shopping finds.
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
This is a fun little extra to visit if you have the time. It was the home and apothecary of the first licensed pharmacist in the US so it's full of interesting bottles, medical tools, and other artifacts. It's also an affordable, self-guided experience so it's easy to add on to your itinerary.
Address: 514 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Price: $10 per Adult
Website: https://pharmacymuseum.org
The Sazerac House
This was our favorite tourist attraction in the city, and the best part is, it's free. This museum dives into the history of the Sazerac, New Orleans' most famous cocktail, combining rye, Peychaud's bitters, and absinthe. The exhibit is really cool showcasing the processes of how spirits are made, diving into details about Prohibition, and even giving you samples to taste along the way.
Address: 101 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Price: Free, reserve in advance
The National WWII Museum
If you are a history or WW2 buff, you will love the National WWII Museum. It's extremely well-curated full of amazing artifacts, immersive displays, and powerful personal stories.
Address: 945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Price: $36+ per Adult
Preservation Hall
If there's one way to really take in the culture of New Orleans, it's with jazz, and Preservation Hall is the perfect place for it. This iconic venue has been around since 1961 and offers an intimate listening experience with no photos or videos allowed during the performance, so you can truly enjoy the moment.
Address: 726 St Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116
Price: $25+ per Adult
Extras (that we didn’t get to):
Sometimes it’s impossible to hit every spot on your list, but here are a few highly recommended places we didn’t make it to this time:
Garden District: one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in New Orleans known for its historic mansions as well as the famous Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
Mardi Gras World: this is a museum that is fully dedicated to Mardi Gras where you can see items that have been used in parades including floats!
New Orleans Museum of Art: a must-visit for art lovers, featuring an impressive collection
Day Trips:
On our last day we decided to rent a car to explore a bit outside of the city. About an hour outside of New Orleans you will find several plantations you can visit, here are the ones we went to:
Whitney Plantation
The Whitney Plantation is non-profit museum dedicated to the history of slavery. They offer self-guided audio tours that allow you to explore the grounds while listening to the powerful stories of the people who were enslaved there. The museum focuses deeply on honoring their stories, featuring memorials, artwork, and sculptures that pay tribute to their lives and experiences.
Address: 5099 LA-18, Edgard, LA 70049
Price: $25 per adult (self-guided tour)
Website: https://whitneyplantation.org
Oak Alley Plantation
Oak Alley is one of the most famous plantations in Louisiana, best known for its oak-lined entrance that has been featured in several movies and music videos. They offer two tour options - one that includes a guided tour of the house and one that only allows you to explore the grounds at your own pace. The property features exhibits, reconstructed slave cabins, and memorials that provide a deeper understanding of its history.
Address: 3645 LA-18, Vacherie, LA 70090
Price: $28.57 per adult (including a guided tour of the home)
Website: https://oakalleyplantation.org
Where to Eat:
New Orleans is a must-visit for anyone who loves great food. On every corner you'll find incredible restaurants serving up unique dishes that perfectly capture the city's rich culture. I'll move from lightest to heaviest on this list, starting with snacks and wrapping it up with dinner!
Café du Monde
You probably already know about this one, and that's ok. Café du Monde has been serving beignets since 1862! This is their original location and is always a must when visiting New Orleans. You will absolutely make a line but especially if you grab it to-go it goes by quickly.
Address: 800 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Reservations: N/A
Brennan's
Brennan's is one of the highest rated restaurants in the city and highly recommended by everyone. Although we weren't able to snag a reservation for a full meal, we did have the opportunity to grab a seat at their bar in between services and order their famous Bananas Foster. It was incredible and you need to try it! So if you can't get a reservation for brunch or dinner at least stop by for this delicious dessert, it is so worth it.
Address: 417 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Reservations: https://www.brennansneworleans.com/reservations/
Broussard's Restaurant & Courtyard
We chose this spot for brunch because of their Jazz Brunch, where musicians wander through the restaurant, playing live music as you eat. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with a great menu to match. Some of the highlights for us were the warm skillet cornbread and the chicken and waffles, both delicious.
Address: 819 Conti St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Napoleon House
This is a cool restaurant in the heart of the French Quarter that has been serving classic creole staples since 1914. Here you'll find New Orleans classics like po' boys and gumbo but they are best known for their Warm Muffuletta sandwich that was insanely good. I would suggest going for lunch, they had a line out the door for dinner.
Address: 500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Reservations: N/A
The Original Pierre Maspero's
There's an abudance of historic restaurants in this city that serve creole cuisine and this was another great one. This restaurant is also in the French Quarter and was established in 1788. Here we went the more classic route with a shrimp po' boy and the crescent city sampler, which I highly recommend. It gives you samples of the city's most famous dishes - Cajun Jambalaya, Crawfish Etouffée, Red Beans and Rice, and Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, every single one was amazing.
Address: 440 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Reservations: N/A
Tableau by Dickie Brennan & Co.
This was the fanciest dinner we had, but also our favorite. Every single dish that we tried was a 10/10. This restaurant describes themselves as highlighting local ingredients combining them with European influences and a modern approach, and that they did. They have really unique dishes like fried oysters combined with brie, these beautiful truffled crab claws (left photo), and classics like turtle soup and gulf fish almondine. If there's one restaurant i'd have to choose to recommend, it's this one!
Address: 616 St Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116
Reservations: https://www.tableaufrenchquarter.com
Briquette
You’ve probably noticed a trend in the types of restaurants we visited on our trip, and this spot is no exception. It’s another great place to try classic New Orleans seafood dishes like redfish and oysters. The seafood was really fresh, the portions were huge, and everything was delicious.
Address: 701 S Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Reservations: https://briquette-nola.com
Compère Lapin
This is the most unique restaurant we ate at, it really leans into Caribbean flavors but with a New Orleans flair. Here you'll find really interesting fusion dishes like jerk pork belly and curried goat on a bed of sweet potato gnocchi. The menu is innovative and it's also got a great vibe/atmosphere.
Address: 535 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Where to Drink:
New Orleans has no shortage of bars, you can find everything from dive bars to craft cocktail bars that are on the 50 Best Bars in the world list. As i've stated in previous posts we are craft cocktail lovers so that's what i'll recommend below!
Peychaud's at the Celestine
Peychaud's presents a menu of primarily classic New Orleans cocktails, so if you want a true taste of the city through drinks, this is the place. You'll find the Sazerac, Vieux Carre, French 75, all the local favorites. It also has a really intimate, low lit atmosphere that is perfect for enjoying a cocktail.
Address: 727 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Reservations: N/A
Manolito
This was a fun find in New Orleans, a Cuban-inspired bar in the French Quarter. Here they specialize in daiquiris and for such a small space they have a huge menu. You can order blended, shaken, and thrown cocktails that showcase a variety of flavors. We loved the Jazz Daiquiri that is a frozen coffee flavored one, so good!
Address: 508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Reservations: N/A
Cure - #47 on The North America's 50 Best Bars List 2024
Cure has been a repeat bar on the North America 50 Best Bars list. It has a vibey atmosphere and another extensive menu. You can get the New Orleans classics like at Peychauds but they also have a menu of curated seasonal cocktails highlighting really interesting ingredients.
Address: 4905 Freret St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Reservations: https://www.curenola.com
Jewel of the South - #34 on The World's 50 Best Bars List 2024
Another bar from the World's 50 Best Bars list is the Jewel of the South. It's set in a house with a really charming patio area offering a really cozy atmosphere to enjoy a drink. The cocktail menu features creative craft cocktails that are a spin-off of New Orleans classics.
Address: 1026 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Reservations: https://www.jewelnola.com
And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your time in New Orleans.
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