New Orleans, Louisiana: What To Do In A Weekend
When taking a trip to New Orleans, there isn’t a travel guide out there that excludes the French Quarter and that is for good reason. The French Quarter was beautiful by day and offered some delicious and huge portioned food to eat as well as some great music to fill the ears by night. We went, we saw and we dined and couldn’t have asked for much more on the trip. Need a weekend escape? Head to New Orleans to see the sights, sounds, and more.
Plan a trip to the historic New Orleans French District:
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How To Get Around
On Foot: You can definitely walk throughout the French Quarter easily and see most everything you’ll want to in the area there. To go a bit further, you’ll want to take advantage of the bus system or Hop on Hop off bus.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus: There is a double decker tour bus that you can take with informative guides. The buses stop every thirty minutes so you can get around to major stops easily and enjoy a day of getting around. This is great if you have kids who might need to sit a bit more between spots or who just love sitting on top of buses! The entire loop takes just 1 hour and 30 minutes in one go. Hop off in the Garden District, French Quarter, and CBD.
- Hours: Every day: 9:30am ~ 5:30pm
- Admission: Adults: $39.00; Children: $10.00
- Book Ahead: Book your tickets in advance on Klook.
How To Save Money
Go City All-Inclusive Pass: If you plan to get around do a lot of sightseeing while you’re in New Orleans, definitely look into purchasing the Go City All-Inclusive Pass. With the pass, you get free admission to more than 20 activities and attractions and you can save up to 55% off the retail prices on others. It includes places like the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old US Mint, National WWII Museum, Mardi Gras World, a ghost tour, swamp adventure tour, Garden District tour and so much more. You’ll want to sit down and plan ahead to make the card worth it for you, but it can save you a lot of money if you want to do a lot.
- Buy the pass: Purchase the Go City All-Inclusive Pass on Get Your Guide.
Where To Stay
Ace Hotel
Heading to New Orleans? It’s an amazing city with amazing places. Check into one of those amazing places called the Ace Hotel. Located in the Warehouse District of New Orleans, within a 5-minute walk to Harrah’s Casino, Ace Hotel New Orleans boasts a rooftop bar and award-winning restaurant. The hotel is decorated with artwork from local artists and friends of the property and is extremely chic.
Book a stay at Ace Hotel on Booking.com or on Agoda.com
The Magnolia Mansion
If you want something with a little more old world charm, The Magnolia Mansion is the best southern comfort stay you could ask for. This romantic boutique bed and breakfast is located in the Garden District of New Orleans and features lavish decor. You’ll get the luxury of today with the splendor of the past.
Book a stay at The Magnolia Mansion on Booking.com or on Agoda.com
What To Eat
There is so much incredible cuisine to try in New Orleans. You will certainly not go hungry. Here’s a quick list of the must-eats but always be on the lookout for more and let your nose be your guide.
Cafe du Monde Beignets
There isn’t a book or a list of what to do in the area out there that doesn’t include Cafe du Monde and so that was one of the first places we headed bright and early in the morning. The first day we meandered by the place around 11 and the tables were full with a line waiting. Here’s a helpful hint though that we learned from some locals: don’t wait in the line! Tourists make a line assuming someone will seat them when there is an open table, but there is no one to do that.
You seat yourself as soon as you see a table available. If there’s a line and you notice that the people ahead of you are just gabbing and obviously unaware that they should seat themselves, well just walk around them and sit down. They might think it’s rude, but you’ll look like a local or at least someone that knows what they’re doing.
Cafe du Monde originally opened in 1862 in the French Market and has been serving beignets or square French donuts covered with a few big spoonfuls of powdered sugar since then and that is the extent of the food on the menu. We ate our beignets around 8 in the morning and I have to admit, they were far too sweet for me that early. The coffee offset them nicely, but I still needed some more savory dishes just an hour later to feel like I’d eaten breakfast. If you’re not a sweet eater in the morning, I’d say that Cafe du Monde might be better for dessert later in the day though they were very delicious and perfectly soft and chewy.
- Address: 800 Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Hours: Monday-Sunday: 7:30am ~ 11:00pm
- Website: Cafe du Monde
Gumbo
This quickly become my husband’s favorite meal in New Orleans. Coming from Korea it had the rice he recognized, the spice he loved and all of it with a twist. Gumbo originated from an African word for okra. The boiled stew comes in a variety of ways and can come with chicken, fowl, sausage, seafood, and lots of seasonings. Looking to tell the difference between the Creole gumbos and the Cajun gumbos? With both options abounding, the easiest way to tell the difference is whether or not it comes with tomatoes. You won’t find any tomatoes in a Cajun gumbo, but they’re all the rage in the Creole version.
Jambalaya
My husband’s second favorite dish in New Orleans was jambalaya. A rice and pork or rice and seafood dish that comes with vegetables and will easily hit the spot. It’s filling and delicious and again, the easiest way to tell the Cajun version from the Creole version is to check out the tomato situation. Oh, and there are a variety of jambalayas out there with some even including alligator, so see what you can find.
Po-Boys
The most famous sandwich in town, just ask anyone. The substantially sized Po-Boy is served on crusty New Orleans style French bread and has lettuce, tomato, and mayo along with your choice of fresh seafood, smoked pork, meatballs, and more. You’ll want to eat this multiple times to really try all of the options. This is a great dish to share because they are HUGE!
What To See
French Quarter Facades
Just take a walk around the French Quarter and see what you can see. The buildings are beautiful and ornate and you’ll be swept back in time as you walk along the streets and alleys.
Jackson Square
Just kitty-corner to the always popular Cafe du Monde is Jackson Square. Early in the morning when we visited nothing much was happening and the usual artists, palm readers and tarot card readers that squat in the vicinity of the park were just setting up for the day. Early New Orleans was centered around this park that was originally called Place d’Armes and changed to Jackson Square in 1815 after the victory of the US in the Battle of New Orleans. There is a statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback in the center of the square that was erected in 1856 to commemorate the victory of Jackson during the battle.
On the north side of the park sits the majestic St. Louis Cathedral and to its left, the Cabildo, or old city hall where the Louisiana Purchase was signed. Now the buildings surrounding the cathedral are museums that welcome visitors to learn more about the area and its history. If you visit the area a bit later than we did, you’ll find musicians, artists selling their works and artists doing caricatures as well as those that wish to tell you your future.
This is a hot spot to just sit and enjoy the scenes that happen around you in the center of the gorgeous French Quarter. The architecture is stunning and the locals that set up shop are fun and interesting to talk with and learn from.
- Address: 701 Decatur St, New Orleans, Louisiana
- The block between Decatur, St. Peter, St. Ann and Chartres St.
- Hours: Every day: 8:00am ~ 6:00pm
French Market
Walk through this large, open-air market also called Shops of the Colonnade and you’ll find local artisans and lots of good food to eat. Makes for a great lunch spot. Walk through the artists’ stalls, hop around the food stalls and you can buy local crafts and cuisine all in one spot.
- Address: 1008 North Peters, St., New Orleans, Louisiana
- Hours: Every day: 10:00am ~ 5:00pm
The New Orleans Jazz Museum in the Former United States Mint
The current building that is standing there was erected in 1835 and was designed by architect William Strickland. From 1838 until 1861, the mint was used to by the US Federal government to mint coins, but in 1861 Louisiana seceded from the Union and the Confederate Army used the mint to make Confederate currency for a time.
After the Civil War, the mint once again resumed minting US money until it was closed in 1909. The mint produced over 427 million gold and silver coins and if you spot one of the coins minted here, you should hold on to it! After that the building was used as a variety of things including a federal prison, a storage facility for the US Coast Guard and since 1981 it has been a museum. It is the oldest structure that served as a US Mint that survives in the country.
Today, the New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrates the jazz of New Orleans with interactive exhibitions and they even host performances.
- Address: 400 Esplanade St., New Orleans, Louisiana
- Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 9:00am ~ 4:00pm
- Admission: Adults: $8.00; Students: $6.00; Children 6 and under: Free
- Website: New Orleans Mint
Louis Armstrong Park
A block from our hotel sat the almost empty and very green Louis Armstrong Park. With benches, bridges and ponds to walk around and an extremely attractive main arched entrance, the park is a great place to have a picnic or just take a stroll in the morning before it gets too hot in the middle of the summer heated days in the city.
Statues of jazz greats including Louis Armstrong, but also some others, are scattered around the area and if you have kids, this park would make for a nice little scavenger hunt friendly place as well as a perfect place to take some bread to feed the many ducks swimming around during the day. Concerts and other events are held inside from time to time and checking the local guides for anything happening in the park while you’re in town is a must. For such a nice area it was surprising that it was so empty the two times that we visited on our trip.
- Address: 701 N Rampart St, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Hours: Every day: 8:00am ~ 6:00pm
Contemporary Arts Center
Want to get into the arts scene in New Orleans? Head to the Contemporary Arts Center. Founded in 1976, the center is in an arts complex in the historic district and hosts a number of events and performances throughout the year. You’ll definitely be inspired.
- Admission: 900 Camp St., New Orleans, Louisiana
- Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 11:00am ~ 5:00pm
Bourbon Street
Americans probably get when visiting the French Quarter and see so many drunkards stumbling around. With plastic cups in hand filled to the brim with some alcoholic beverage or another and a selection of beads wrapped around numerous necks even though it wasn’t even close to Mardi Gras, tourists and locals enjoyed the live music that streamed out of almost every establishment lining the road. The weeknights saw tourists, but come weekend, the street was packed with everyone and even more live musicians in the bars and on the streets.
Jazz music here, blues there and even some metal music randomly blasted into our ears as we walked along. At night, the smell of booze, piss and vomit is masked by the fried chicken and other food scents that filter out of the restaurants, but come day and especially in the summer heat, this is not the street anyone could walk down for too long. I have to admit, as a pregnant woman, smells were overwhelming anyway, but then add stale beer to the scents filling the air and it’s sickening. Every morning the street is washed down, but it’s not perfect and I would recommend any other avenue to take a walk down during the day while saving Bourbon Street for your night out fun.
The windows and doors of every place sit open so the music comes from this way and that and if you’ve got a drink in hand while you’re on the street, you can stand just outside of any place and still get quite the show without actually entering. Costumed locals walk up and down the strip and tourists gawk at the spectacles or snap a shot here and there. When the night fun ends, not to worry, there are 24 hour diners at a few different corners ready for those late night eaters and as someone visiting from abroad, I was extremely happy to see some cheap hamburgers and fries that I could get at any hour.
To get a block by block guide to Bourbon Street, definitely look no further than the French Quarter website that has a great guide to the area.
Tours in New Orleans
Ghost Tours
One of the coolest experiences was the ghost tour we went on. Learn about the history of the area and a bit of the supernatural experiences. It’s fun to experience a bit of a different nightlife of the French Quarter. This is a really popular experience when you stay in the area so book early.
Ghosts, Vampires, and Voodoo Tour: You can book this tour on Get Your Guide before you go.
Haunted French Quarter Carriage Tour: Prefer to hear the haunted ghost stories from the comfort of a seat on a carriage? You can book this tour on Get Your Guide before you go.
French Quarter Food Tours
The next best tours after the ghost tours are the food tours and there are plenty to choose from if you’re interested in discovering the flavors of the area. Eat Cajun delicacies and Creole creations and learn about the history of the cuisine in the area with local guides.
Afternoon Food History Walking Tour: Join Doctor Gumbo Tours to visit five distinct eateries and sample nine different dishes while learning about the history of food and the area. Book the tour on Get Your Guide.
Lunch & Lesson: Cajun & Creole Cooking Class: Get even more involved than just tasting and dive into the kitchen. Head to the New Orleans School of Cooking where you’ll get a mix of food, fun, and folklore. You’ll get to make 3-4 course meal with local brew. Now that’s how to fill the belly! Book a spot in a class on Get Your Guide.
Swamp & Bayou Boat Tours
Another fun adventure we really enjoyed was our trip out to the bayou. Get out of the city a bit and do something different… like seeing gators.
Cajun Pride Swamp Tours: We really enjoyed our trip out into the bayou with this tour company. The guide was really informational and fun at the same time. There were jokes, thrills, and a baby alligator too. Book a seat on the boat on Get Your Guide.
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