new orleans, louisiana
New Orleans is definitely one of my favorite cities in the US. It has so much culture and vibrance, endless options for delicious food, AND you can walk down the street with a drink in your hand legally! I’ve visited nola many times, and here’s what I’d recommend
where to stay / when to go
Make sure to do some quick research when looking up places to stay in NOLA. The main tourist areas including the French Quarter, The Garden District, and Magazine St are all pretty safe, but some neighborhoods definitely get a bit dangerous. I highly recommend staying in the Garden District if you can. This neighborhood is beautiful, full of historic houses, and safe walking distance to a ton of restaurants + shops. You can take a quick uber (or hop on the streetcar) to get to the French Quarter.
It’s helpful to have a car when visiting if you plan to do things outside of the city, like a swamp tour or plantation tour — more on that later — but not necessary. Many tour companies offer pickup and dropoff in the city for additional cost. If you do have a car, make sure to keep valuables out of sight when you park, and drive carefully. The city roads are extremelyyyy bumpy and full of potholes. I had to get the protective shield under my car completely replaced after spending a month down here.
The best time to visit is spring. It’s usually warm but isn’t too hot and swampy yet, theres a lot of events, and no risk of hurricanes. I’ve been to Mardi Gras many times and it’s something I highly recommend everyone experience at least once. You don’t need to stay through Tuesday to get a taste of it, there are parades in the city every single day for the entire week prior. There are also parades most weekends for the month leading up to Mardi Gras, so check the schedule if you plan to visit around this time and make sure you can see one!
St. Patricks Day is also a fun time to be in the city, with a huge parade down Magazine street, and Jazz Fest which usually occurs in late April/Early May.
what to do
The best thing to do in New Orleans is eat and drink everything you possibly can. But in between meals, here are some other options:
swamp tour
Swamp tours are one of the top things I think you should do when visiting NOLA. It requires around a half day commitment, so I totally get if you don’t have time to squeeze it in, but it’s one of the most unique experiences about this area. I’ve done two and both were super fun, and we saw lots of gators. I’d recommend Cajun Pride Swamp Tours: this one was pretty close to the city and our guide was so much fun. Plus I got to hold a baby gator. But there are tons of options and I don’t think you can really get a bad tour.
explore the parks
City Park is a huge and absolutely beautiful place to walk around when you need a break from the chaos of Bourbon St. There are gorgeous old oak trees with moss hanging, and it makes the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot. I actually recommend going to the Cafe Du Monde here over the one in the quarter. The lines are usually much shorter and it’s a beautiful spot to sit and relax with your beignets. There’s also Audubon park which has a 1.8 mile path to walk or jog around.
whitney plantation
This is NOT a tour about a beautiful historic plantation, it’s a museum dedicated to educating visitors about the brutal history of slavery that happened here. It’s a heavy experience but absolutely one worth doing. They offer self-guided tours through a free app, and I definitely recommend this option. You can take your time moving through the exhibits while learning the history and hearing the stories of former slaves. It’s about an hour outside of the city and you’ll need a car to get here. Tickets are about $25 each and I’d plan to spend at least 2 hours here.
cemetery tours / ghost tours / voodoo tours
There are a lot of tours around the city, and many of them are half history/half bar crawl. Do your research to make sure the one you choose is actually what you’re looking for. I’ve only done a ghost tour and it was around the french quarter but tbh I got really drunk and don’t remember any of the actual history, whoops. Cemeteries in NOLA are really cool, and if you’re interested in visiting one you have to book a tour, most places will not allow you entry unless you’re in a tour group.
frenchmen street
Bourbon street is fun and all but this is the place to go for live music and dancing. Highly recommend spending at least one night out here.
drink all the dumb sugary drinks
You’ll need at least a hurricane from Pat O’Briens, a hand grenade from Tropical Isle, and purple drink (voodoo daquiri) from Lafitte’s to complete my my top trio. But you’re on vacation, get all the big dumb drinks you can!!
what to eat and drink
Now we’re getting into the good stuff. There are TONS AND TONS of great restaurants in nola and even spending a month there wasn’t enough time to try them all. This list is places I’ve been and recommend. Much of it is around the Magazine Street area because that’s where I’ve spent the most time. There are many more options so please don’t take this list as a comprehensive guide to new orleans cuisine. If you’re looking for spots in the french quarter, you’re gonna have to go somewhere else.
sit down/nicer restaurants (aka, make resi if you can)
Saba — Delicious middle eastern/mediterranean food. Go with friends so you can try as much as you can. The fresh pita + dips are incredible
Saffron — Indian food and great cocktails. The oysters here changed my life and I don’t even like oysters
Jack Rose/Hot Tin — Fancy and expensive but sooooo good. If you can’t get a reservation at Jack Rose, try to see if you can grab a seat and order food in the lounge area, we were able to get cocktails and a bunch of apps here. Plus it’s really cute. After dinner (or while you wait for a table) go up to Hot Tin for rooftop views of the city and more fun drinks.
Mais Arepa — Columbian food. Definitely try the corn appetizer. Everything was delish
Vessel — to be 100% honest I went here after a day of mardi gras parades so I was not the most sober I’ve ever been. But it’s a bar + restaurant in an old church, so the vibe is really cool. We loved all the food we got — but maybe take this one with a grain of salt
Toups — MEATS. just like so much meat. This is a good place to try some cajun specialties like boudin balls, cracklins, and head cheese. For a little taste of everything, share the rotating board.
Baru — Latin/Caribbean but tapas style! I went here for happy hour and it was a perfect spot. the steak was a highlight
Rum House — Caribbean taqueria, and they have alllll your fav frozen cocktails. The mussels and nachos were our fav dishes.
Gris-Gris — fancyish spot on Magazine, lots of southern options. go for happy hour to save $$
casual/takeout spots
Turkey & The Wolf — if you’re looking for a good sandwich, this is your spot. please trust me and get the fried bologna
The Daily Beet — for a break from sugary cocktails and soul food, swing by here for a green juice and a salad. it’s still good, promise.
Lily’s Cafe — some of the best vietnamese food I’ve had!! the bun bowls are so good, as is the tea. they don’t have a website so you know it’s legit
Parish Parlor — ice cream!
Dat Dog — hot dogs!! there’s a few of them around the city
Good Bird — chicken-focused grab and go spot. another healthy option with salads and smoothies
Tacos & Beer — the name says it all. except for margaritas, which they also have (no website)
Blue Oak BBQ — just good bbq
Hi-Hat Cafe — Great spot to get some true southern comfort food. Highly recommend the pimento mac and cheese
Union Ramen — really fun ramen and Asian fusion dishes. The menu changes but I had a spam musubi from here that was a special and it was amazing
Banh Mi Boys — not just banh mis, their menu includes po’ boys and other food too
breakfast + coffee
Mojo — my personal fav local coffee chain! the coffee is great and you can get a lil boudin breakfast burrito
French Truck — another local coffee chain but imo the coffee isn’t as good as Mojo. you can try new orleans specialty chicory coffee here, and some locations offer full food menus. I had a babka muffin from here that was excellent
Stein’s Deli — you are going to wait here, so just prepare yourself for that and plan adequately. Like it took me an hour to order and get a sandwich around lunchtime. But everything is so so good. Traditional NY deli options, lots of bagel and other sandwiches and good for breakfast or lunch
Molly’s Rise and Shine — this place is stupid good. highly highly recommend. only open for breakfast! if you want to try something different get the carrot yogurt or the crispy rice salad!
Hivolt — coffee and breakfast with a lot of options. i recommend ordering ahead or you might end up waiting in a long line. love the burrito
District Donuts Sliders Brew — the sliders and donuts here are honestly meh but the breakfast is where it’s at. get the bacon taco
bars
Urban South — all brewery recommendations come with the caveat that I don’t really like beer. but this is a super popular local brewery and if you like sours, you’ll love their lime cucumber gose.
Barrel Proof — fun cocktail bar with rotating pop up food options
Miel — another brewery! super cute spot
Tchoup Yard — big outdoor backyard bar vibes. This is a fun spot for a group
Bacchanal — wine shop + bar with live music. They also have a full menu of food that was all pretty good. loved it here!
Lafitte’s — this is my fav bar on bourbon street. I love the voodoo daquiri aka purple drink aka basically alcoholic frozen kool-aid, but it’s also a really fun spot to sit outside and people watch during the day
Second Line — another brewery! a bit away from the quarter so def more of a local spot
Carousel Bar — you will def have to wait in line to get in here but it’s pretty fun. There aren’t a ton of eats at the actual rotating bar part so be patient, or just go to see it and order a drink that you can enjoy at a different table
Bakery Bar — its a bar with desserts. hell yeah
The Tasting Room — fun wine bar on magazine. lots of options + cocktails if thats more your speed
30/90 — live music on frenchmen, a good late-night option
Kajun’s — karaoke!
my ideal 2-day itinerary in nola
day 1
Morning: Grab coffee, walk around the garden district, and stop for breakfast at molly’s or stein’s
Midday: Head to the french quarter, get all the fun cocktails, find somewhere in the area for dinner.
Evening: Do a french quarter ghost tour
Late night: Wander around Frenchmen street, find a good live music bar. probably end the night with jumbo slice
day 2
Morning: if you are able to move, head to city park to walk around and get beignets. if you are too hungover….find somewhere to get a bloody mary or something
Midday: Swamp tour! Grab po’ boys or something for lunch
Evening: Walk and shop on Magazine st, get dinner somewhere nice
Night: Outdoor drinks + live music at bacchanal wine bar or tchoup yard or a brewery
thinking about visiting for mardi gras? tips coming soon (:
What to do and where to drink when visiting the NY Finger Lakes