What to do and see in New Orleans, LA (NOLA)

The first thing I do when planning a trip is get my bearings.  I study the map and learn where everything is, learn the neighborhoods etc.  (This came in handy when I forgot the map at home and lost the travel book, since it’s in my head I could still navigate  in the city.) Links to NOLA maps are listed at the end of this post.  Also check local news and papers just before and during your visit.

The Touristy things to do

• Walk around the French Quarter - A collection of houses with ornate
  

  The French Quarter

  balconies, many street musicians, shops, restaurants

• Bourbon Street (in the French Quarter) – A collection of loud bars/clubs etc. (Saturday night the crowd is generally wild and people toss beads from the balconies)
• Walk along the Mississippi River
• Visit Jackson Square and see the Cathedral
• Mardi Gras artifacts at the Prebytere Museum in Jackson Square
• Take the free ferry to Algiers and you can visit the Mardi Gras Museum
• Visit the Louisiana State Museum
• Get your fortune told, all over the French Quarter after Dark
• Sunday Brunch at the House of Blues
• Ride the Street Car either along the River, along Canal Street, or to the Garden District
• Walk the streets of the lower Garden District – Upscale Mansions
• Visit Lafayette Cemetery (people are buried above ground because most of NOLA is below sea level) in the Garden District
• See Tulane and Loyola Universities in the Upper Garden District, visit Audubon Park across the way
• Walk around, plan a picnic at Armstrong Park, City Park at Mid City
• Visit Metairie Cemetery near Mid City
  

  Above Ground Tomb

• Watch a second line parade, if you can find one (weddings, funerals, etc.)
• Take a Swamp Tour
• Ride a bike around the city
• Volunteer with Reconstruction
• See the Eiffel Tower building

Food Related Activities

• Eat Beignet’s at Cafe Du Monde
• Eat a Muffulatta from the Central Grocery
• Eat Fried Chicken at Willie Mae’s Scotch House (off the beaten path, lunch only)
• Eat a Snow Ball (same as a snow cone)
• Eat Cajun Food, Alligator, Southern Soul Food, I used Urban Spoon iPhone App and Yelp

Music Related Activities

• Listen to the local Jazz Station, WWOZ, they have an iPhone app.
  

  Shop Sign

  Also, they list music events around the city each day.

• Listen to Swing music at Music Legends Park on Bourbon
• Music Clubs on Frenchman Street - many options that generally do not charge cover before 10 or so.  We just hopped between each club listening to a variety of music.
• Visit St. Augustine’s Church on Sunday morning, they have a Jazz Choir
• Preservation Hall on Bourbon Street, well known and charges a hefty cover

Festivals

• Carnival – The weeks of celebration leading up to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras)
• Mardi Gras – Varies between late February and early March
• St Josephs Day – Sunday closest to March 19 (Super Sunday)
• French Quarter Festival – April
• Jazz & Heritage Festival – (2 weekends) April

Do be careful, especially at night.  Crime is an issue in NOLA.  If you are visiting non-touristy areas at night, take a cab.

I Love NOLA – Planning a visit to New Orleans, LA

I did a lot of research before visiting NOLA for a long weekend.  It all started with trying to find a deal on my plane ticket with less than three weeks until departure.  You can read about that challenge and the lessons learned on my other post.

The Cathedral at Jackson Sq.

New Orleans sign right near Cafe Du Monde

Next was the search for a decent hotel.  Many of the reviews I read on Yelp and other sites suggested that most reasonably priced hotels were outdated and had thin walls which was problematic in this party city.  I was worried that lots of partiers would still be around the weekend after Mardi Gras.  It turns out most hotel sites did not have accurate information on hotel availability.  Hotels.com and Hotwire did not show any decent hotel available in my price range.  But when I searched www.NewOrleans.com, they had rooms available at some decent hotels, and I finally decided on the Country Inn and Suites on Magazine Street in the Central Business District (CBD).  The hotel was clean, no reports on BedBugReports.com, was in a quite neighborhood, even during a weekday, had a tasty breakfast with little changes each day and make your own waffles, fresh cookies, and friendly staff.  The walls weren’t too thin and the hotel seems recently updated (maybe after the hurricane?).   I did not use the NewOleans website for any other services, but they also show tour and other visitor information.

Then I spent hours researching where to do, restaurants to visit, what to see, where to hear good music, etc.  I marked everything on a map and made a list, both of which I accidentally left at home.  Luckily, my seat neighbor on the flight into NOLA went to college there in the 60′s and rattled off a list of restaurant recommendations and most of the info I marked on the map stuck in my head (I always remember things better when I write them down).  So all was not lost.  I did remember my public transit map from the RTA website.  You can take the E2 bus from the airport terminal to downtown CBD for $2.00.  It’s about 40 minutes and you get to see the real people of NOLA.  Shuttle rides might be 20-30 minutes, at least $20, and not an authentic experience.

Cool view of the Cathedral

  Visitor Resources:

• Fodor’s New Orleans website
• Why New Orleans Mattersby Tom Piazza
• Nine Lives by Dan Baum
• Treme HBO series about life in NOLA – I have not yet started watching the first season.

More to come on New Orleans after Mardi Gras and Visiting NOLA