15 Things To Do In New Orleans Whether It's Your First Or Fifth Visit
The coronavirus pandemic is still impacting travel, and destinations around the world have different COVID-19 restrictions in place. Always check and adhere to local government policies as you're planning any trips.
1.Stroll through the French Quarter — NOLA's historic heart — with a hurricane 'go-cup' in hand.
The French Quarter is *the* quintessential New Orleans. You know, the one featured on postcards and what most people probably think of when you say you're visiting. There you'll find the neon lights and constant noise of Bourbon Street, old-world architecture, antique shops, and the French Market — a solid stop for souvenirs whether you're after a cheesy T-shirt or some homemade pickles.
2.Take a dinner cruise down the mighty Mississippi with New Orleans Steamboat Company.
So I *know* I said dinner, but it can actually be brunch or lunch, too! And depending on the cruise you pick, live jazz may also be a choice.
New Orleans Steamboat Company — which operates the Steamboat Natchez and its sister vessel the Riverboat City of New Orleans — has been at it since 1817. Their leisurely two-hour tours include a whole lot of history and fun facts as you pass by NOLA landmarks like the Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery. Grab a drink at the on-board bar (may I suggest the St. Germaine Sparkler✨) and then a seat along the deck's railing for panoramic views of the city's shore.
Get your ticket from TripAdvisor for $39+ (four tour types available).
Address: 400 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130
3.Explore the city's ~haunted~ side on a ghost and/or cemetery tour. Heck, might as well do multiple 'cause you'll learn something new every time!
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, this is a must! Not only will you learn about supposed spirits, but also some key historical events in NOLA's past — including the fact that it was home to the largest slave market in the United States, and that not one, but TWO massive fires consumed the city whole in 1788 and 1794. These facts — which are as central to the tour as ghost lore — help visitors piece together a contextual puzzle and give you a better appreciation of everything the city has to offer today including incredible food, culture, and architecture.
I've personally taken many a tour and two of my favorite companies are Hottest Hell Tours (book with them via Airbnb for $29+) and Witches Brew Tours (book via TripAdvisor for $24.99+).
While I don't want to give too many spoilers, it's likely your tour(s) will take you by must-see sites like the LaLaurie Mansion (pictured above), Louis Armstrong Park, and St. Louis Cemetery #1. The latter houses voodoo queen Marie Laveau's tomb and seeing that is a special treat as the cemetery is only open to official tour groups — so it's not something you'd be able to visit on your own!
PS: Check out all of Airbnb's New Orleans experiences here.
4.Take a self-guided tour of the Garden District to see the neighborhood's massive oak trees, historic St. Charles Streetcar, and simply stunning Greek Revival, Georgian, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Colonial, and Victorian mansions — many which belong to celebs.
Architecture buffs are apt to start their NOLA trip here as the Garden District boasts some of the best-preserved historic mansions in the entire Southern United States. Oh, and it's alsooooo home to famous residents like the Brees and Manning families, Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage, John Goodman, and Trent Reznor. All of the house are worth an ogle but if you're looking for highlights, here are a few:
Buckner Mansion (1410 Jackson Ave): If you're an American Horror Story fan, you'll recognize this grandiose estate as “Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies”. IRL it originally belonged to a cotton kingpin — Henry Sullivan Buckner — who wanted a mansion that would rival his business partner's.
Briggs-Staub House (2605 Prytania Street): This baby was built in 1849 and made some waves around town as it featured Gothic Revival architecture (including arched windows) which violated Garden District tradition at the time.
Anne Rice House (1314 Napoleon Ave): It's only fitting that this six-bedroom, 7,609-square-foot, supposedly haunted home was once owned by Anne Rice, the late gothic fiction author known best for The Vampire Chronicles.
Joseph Carroll House (1315 First Street): This Italianate stucco manse was built shortly after the Civil War and is easily recognized thanks to its pink facade, ornate cornices, and two-story cast-iron gallery.
5.Take a 45-minute trip across the causeway to check out the Abita Mystery House — aka the UCM Museum — a passion project more than two decades in the making.
Memorabilia, junk, roadside treasures — whatever you want to call it, the UCM Museum — which is lovingly curated by Louisiana inventor and artist John Preble — is full of 'em. A $5 admission fee gets you access to tens of thousandssss of "displays" including rejiggered arcade machines (bring yer quarters!), push-button-activated dioramas, taxidermy, and much, much more. Self-guided tours take as long as you want them to and when you're done, you can head across the street to the Abita Brew Pub for some boudin egg rolls and flagship beers.
Address: 22275 Highway 36, Abita Springs, LA 70420
6.Ride an airboat through Jean Lafitte Bayou and see a million gators along the way. The free AC generated by the boat's speed doesn't hurt, either.
Getting to a bayou may seem like a lot of work if you're visiting New Orleans without a car but that's where Airboat Adventures comes in clutch. The company will pick you up at your hotel, shuttle you off to gator land — aka Jean Lafitte Bayou — and bring 'ya back once your tour is over.
Get your ticket from TripAdvisor for $59+.
7.Chow down on a mouthwatering fried catfish, alligator sausage, or grilled shrimp po'boy at Guys on Magazine Street.
Po'boys aren't hard to find in New Orleans but Guys — a down-home eatery tucked behind a bright blue exterior on Magazine Street — doles out some of the best. Chef/owner Marvin Matherne can be seen hard at work assembling ~behemoth~ sandwiches behind the restaurant's single counter. For good measure, add a sweet tea to your meal and a basket of fresh fries which are served up in newspaper.
Address: 5259 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
8.Double fist Irish Coffees at Erin Rose. I've seriously NEVER met a frozen drink I enjoyed more and I don't think I ever will.
This delightful little dive — just a quick turn off of Bourbon Street — was once a family home but in the 1950s, the hundred-year-old beaut was converted into a neighborhood bar and since then, it's sustained a local feel and (relatively) low prices. They've got a big ol' selection of Louisiana brews (including Abita, Tin Roof, Dixie, and Urban South) as well as Irish Whiskeys but trust me, you're gonna want to try the frozen Irish coffee — ESPECIALLY when it's a million degrees outside.
Address: 811 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
9.Catch a jazz show at one of New Orlean's iconic clubs like the Maple Leaf or Tipitina's. Even if it's not your genre of choice, I bet you'll find plenty to appreciate.
Skip the bars on Bourbon and head instead for one of New Orlean's legendary venues where you'll find incredible artists and groups like George Porter Jr. — an award-winning bassist and one of the progenitors of funk — and the Rebirth Brass Band which was founded in the city's Tremé neighborhood back in the 80s.
If you don't have time to buy tickets ahead of time but still want to see live music, you can also head to Frenchman Street where you'll find clubs like Blue Nile, The Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor, and Three Muses.
PS: Check out StubHub for events all over the city from concerts and comedy shows to New Orleans Saints games.
10.Take a stroll through Jackson Square — a National Historic Landmark in the center of the French Quarter.
Jackson Square is one of New Orleans' main landmarks and you're sure to see it on a postcard or two, but it's certainly worth a stroll whether you're already in the French Quarter or not. The park is actually quite small (2.5 acres, to be exact) but it's beautifully maintained and also houses an open-air artist colony along its iron fence — so stop by if you're looking for local art!
Address: 701 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116
11.Inhale a beignet literally ~anywhere~ in the city — it *doesn't* have to be from Cafe Du Monde if the wait is wild!!!!
This tip comes courtesy of one of my last Uber driver and I feel the need to spread it far and wide!!! So, let me repeat: Your beignet *DOESN'T* have to be from Cafe Du Monde!!!! If you can get in and out in a reasonable amount of time, by all means, do so!!, but if not, spots like Cafe Beignet (there are three — including one on Bourbon Street), Morning Call Coffee Stand, and The Vintage are all just as worthy (and Instagram-able, if that's a concern).
12.Learn something new at local institutions like the WWII Museum or the Museum of Death.
The first — now don't get too shocked here — is a military history museum with a focus on the United States' contributions to Allied victory while the latter houses macabre, death-related oddities like taxidermy, letters written by serial killers, and exhibits on modern embalming practices. It's certainly (and I mean certainly) not for everyone (PLEASE DON'T BRING YOUR KIDS), but if you're not too squeamish/are interested in everything true crime, it's worth an hour.
Get tickets to the World War II Museum (945 Magazine St) via TripAdvisor for $32.90+ // tickets for the Museum of Death (227 Dauphine St) have to be bought in person.
13.Have a nice sit-down meal at one of the city's longstanding restaurants or try out innovative dishes from award-winning Top Chef alums like Nina Compton and Isaac Toups.
Commander's Palace has been servin' up refined Creole cuisine since 1893 with renowned chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Jamie Shannon, and Tory McPhail at the helm. Best of all, if you fall in love with the rich, slow-cooked gumbo, the pork boudin-stuffed quail dressed with Cognac jus, or the sugarcane-infused pecan pie, you can go ahead and order more at home via Goldbelly!
Andddd if you wanna see what the city's newcomers* are up to, consider Compère Lapin — an elevated Caribbean and European restaurant from James Beard Award winner Nina Compton, or Toup's Meatery — a contemporary Cajun restaurant from chef Isaac Toups whose family has been in southern Louisiana for more than 300 years. Willa Jean's is also a spectacular spot for fried chicken biscuits and NOLA-style BBQ shrimp if I do say so myself.
* newcomers being a relative term when compared to 1893 lol
PS: Check out all available New Orleans foods and gifts on Goldbelly here.
14.Indulge in a little retail therapy along Magazine Street — a charming thoroughfare that follows along the Mississippi.
This 6-mile stretch has allllll sorts of shops from clothing boutiques to artist's galleries and 18th- and 19th-century antique centers to CBD dispensaries. If you're a vinyl collector, you'll also find Peaches Record Store and Sisters in Christ — two locally owned and operated spots with new, used, and vintage vinyl and cassettes as well as books, zines, graphic novels, and punk ephemera.
15.Anddddd grab a drink at The Carousel Bar & Lounge and/or Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. Yes, I know these are "touristy" spots, but they're still fun — so kick rocks! (Not really, but please don't come for me.)
And if you don't believe me, here are endorsements from my former colleague AnaMaria Glavan.
For The Carousel Bar & Lounge (214 Royal St): "Touristy? Perhaps. But if drinking a delicious Fleurs des Lis cocktail (Hendrick's gin, Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice, cucumber, ginger ale, and club soda) in an ornate, slow-moving carousel is wrong...I never want to be right again. This unique experience is something you should cross off your bucket list at least once, preferably for a midday treat, as I've heard it gets extra packed in the evenings."
Just a heads up: getting a prized seat at the carousel can be reallyyyy tough — even midday or on a weekday. That said, though, there's still plenty of other seating (and a bar tucked away in the back) where you can get a good view of the main attraction.
For Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop (941 Bourbon St): "Every photo I took of Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar came out blurry, and while, yes, I had many drinks at this point, my hand was steady! I blame the resident ghost and namesake of the bar, Jean Lafitte. Live piano music and strong drinks aside, this is a must-stop on any tourist list because a) there's barely any electricity and the place is lit primarily by candles, and b) it's considered one of the most haunted spots in the French Quarter. The structure itself dates back to the 1700s!"
And don't miss out on their signature cocktail! The Voodoo Daiquiri is a sweet, grape-flavored frozen drink spiked with bourbon and Everclear — 190 proof, grain alcohol — sooooo if you have plans after, just stick to one or two, mmkay?
What's are your favorite things to do in New Orleans? Be sure to drop 'em in the comments below!
Don't forget to check out Bring Me! for all of BuzzFeed's best travel tips and hacks, vacation inspiration, and more!
