New Orleans probably has the most diverse history compared to the rest of the United States. Before the Louisiana purchase, Louisiana was ruled by the French and Spanish. Here are some facts about Louisiana and New Orleans:

  • Home state of Britney Spears (what more reason do you need to visit Louisiana?)
  • Louisiana is the only state that refers to their counties as “parishes”
  • Louisiana is known to be the birth place of jazz.
  • For my not so literate sports people (including myself) New Orleans is home of the NBA’s Pelicans and NFL’s Saints.
  • New Orleans have been having their first Mardi Gras parade since 1837

Where To Stay

I highly recommend to stay at Holiday Inn Express St. Charles or anywhere near The French Quarter. This will make traveling to the highlight areas of New Orleans so much easier because it’s a walkable distance or a short Uber/Lyft ride. Click here to my blog post about Holiday Inn Express St. Charles. I loved my stay here. It was affordable, the staff were very friendly, they had excellent breakfast options daily (yogurt, pancakes, oatmeal, omelets, cereal, pastries, coffee, juice), had full sized shampoo/conditioner/body wash, and their beds were very comfortable.

When To Travel: Take note of the festivals

If there is one thing New Orleans knows how to dominate, is how to party. They have several festivals and if you are looking to go at a “trendy” time, I recommend to research the festivals that appeal to you. Mardi Gras, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, French Quarter Festival, and St. Patricks Day to name a few. Click here to view the festivals.

I wanted to travel during Mardi Gras but not on the actual day because that would make the city much too crowded and expensive. I traveled 2 weeks prior to the actual day of Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras.

Where To Eat

Gumbo, Crawfish, Beignets, king cake, charbroiled oysters, and crab are some examples of local dishes in New Orleans.

My favorite restaurant to eat at was BOIL Seafood. I got snow crabs, garlic sauce, with no spice and charboiled oysters. It was so amazing I had to eat here twice and get the same thing.

I had a few different gumbos but my favorite gumbo was at Oceana Grill and I think that may be because the other ones I had were a lot more spicy. The gumbo at Oceana was perfect: the amount of soup, seafood, and rice had the most harmonious combination. Max, who likes more spicy things, liked Pêche‘s gumbo.

Gumbo from Oceana and cocktails from Spirits, home of the skull “resurrection” drinks.

Beignets: Cafe Du Monde is by far the most tourist, favorite place to get your beignets. Cafe Beignet is equally as great. Cafe Du Monde is open 24 hours and Cafe Beignet is open until 10PM.

I will have to give the beignet crown to The Vintage.

The Vintage open from 7AM to 10PM on weekdays and weekends starting at 8AM. They serve wine, coffee, food, and all kind of pastries. Not only are their beignets huge, you can also get fancy with adding filling to your beignet like matcha and s’mores.

Beignets from The Vintage

What To Do

Listen to Jazz

Go to Preservation Hall – The jazz here is beautiful. The drummer played so passionately, he broke part of his drums. They don’t serve drinks here but you can bring your own bottle, just make sure your drink isn’t in glass (in Bourbon Street they only allow you to walk out with a plastic drink so this should be easy). The cover charge is $20 cash. About one third of the room stands up so if you don’t want to stand the entire time, I recommend to either get a reservation or get in line early enough to grab a seat. They play jazz nearly every hour and expresses New Orleans jazz culture beautifully. The room is intimate with no microphones so when the musicians are playing and singing, it couldn’t be more personal and special.

Some other honorable mentions I personally did not go to but are very popular is the Jazz Brunch at Commander’s Palace and The Court of Two Sisters.

Visit a Swamp

I went on Small-Group Swamp Tour by Airboat with Downtown New Orleans Pickup which visits Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

During the Winter, alligators hibernate and I went on this tour during February. I wasn’t able to see any alligators in the swamp, which I was fine with because you get to see New Orleans’ beautiful swamp. Their swamp is very extensive. Our tour guide brought out a baby alligator for us to take a photo with and pet since we couldn’t see any alligators. I was concerned the airboat tour was only fast paced and we couldn’t slow down to take photos or learn anything. That is not further from the truth. Yes, this airboat does go fast but it’s not a roller coaster and I didn’t get wet even though I was in the first row.

Check out a Plantation

Pictured: Houmas House

Plantations are located about an hour outside of New Olreans so I recommend to either rent a car to drive to these locations or book a tour.

Whitney Plantation is more focused on slavery and is a museum. They only offer guided tours and you will be able to see slave cabins and get more of a history of the life of a slave.

Oak Valley Plantation is a sugar plantation. They have a gorgeous landscape with oak trees, a blacksmith shop, they also have a slavery exhibit to learn about the history of the plantation.

Houmas Plantation is a historic, sugar plantation. Inside the house you get to view art, furniture, and other decorative items that not only show the way of living in the 1800’s but a great part of the history of the owners and property.

Check out Audubon Park, Zoo, and Aquarium

Audubon Park

Audubon Park is free and has gorgeous views with statues, small lakes, and oak trees. It is unreal how gorgeous this park is and reminds me a lot of Hyde Park in London, England. There is also a tree there called “Tree of Life” and is believed to be 500 years old.

Tree of life at Audubon Park

Lion at the zoo

Jellyfish at the aquarium

If you book your Audubon tickets online, you save $2 per person. Click here to book. Both of these locations are two seperate sections of New Orleans. The zoo is right by the Audubon Park and the Aquarium is close to the French Quarter. I was able to do the zoo and the aquarium in one day.

Have A Relaxing Spa Day

I am far from a glamorous traveler but the Belladonna Spa was not only affordable, but such a opulent experience. They had massages, facials, and waxing. I recommend to check in to Yelp for a chance to get a discount before your purchase. 

Visit the Museums

The National World War II museum is ranked number one on things to do in New Orleans on TripAdvisor (as of 2020). They have a variety of different exhibits.

For only $5 for adults, you can visit The Pharmacy Museum. They have a 1PM daily guided tour included with admission Tuesday through Friday. It’s easy accessible because it’s in the french quarter. The hours of operation is Tuesday-Saturday 10AM to 4PM. According to “New Orleans Pharmacy Museum History and Collections Guide“:

“The building that houses the Museum was constructed in 1823 for Louis Dufilho Jr., America’s first licensed pharmacist. In 1816, Louisiana became the first state to require licensing for medical practitioners, including pharmacists, physicians, dentists and midwives. “

Mardi Gras World: See how the parade floats are made.

Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes and Culture: Get the history of Mardi Gras

See a Burlesque Show

Bayou Blues Burlesque at the Allways Lounge had a combination of live music with a strip tease. It was very entertaining. They have a bar inside the lounge, the cover charge was $10, and tips are encouraged during the show. There were a total of four dance routines. The show room was packed and the energy was very high.

Visit A Cemetery

Cemetery number one (where voodoo queen Marie Laveau is buried) is not open to anyone, all visitors have to be accompanied by a tour guide. I went on this tour. It was really cool to get a background on the history of the graves and go on a walking tour in New Orleans to learn more about the history of voodoo and the architecture.

The rest of the cemeteries in New Orleans do not require a guide: Saint Louis Cemetery No. 2, Saint Louis Cemetery No. 3, and Lafayette Cemetery #1 for example.

Stop By The Coven House

For my American Horror Story fans, stop by the Buckner Mansion also known as “Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies”. Although the inside is not open to the public, you can take a photo outside.