The French Quarter –While, the French Quarter does indeed house the infamous Bourbon Street, it’s also the epicenter of New Orleans’ history and cultural sphere. To get a full understanding of the French Quarter, I recommend taking the Historic French Quarter Walking Tour. It covers everything dating back to the 18th century and the passing of control from the French to the Spanish and eventually to America.
Take a Cemetery Tour – This was one of my favorite activities of the trip. I took this tour with French Quarter Phantoms and my tour was led by Malika. She was a fantastic guide who led us through St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, dropping deliciously, scandalous historical tidbits about the city and cemetery along the way.
Check out the Music Scene– Of all the creative art forms out there, music is my favorite. I think it’s impossible to claim to be a music lover and you’ve no appreciation for different types of genres. From Classical to Jazz of all kinds of music is everywhere in the Crescent City. I loved the street music that filtered into my room from the street below. I loved the raw talent of young players who turned buckets into instruments. I loved the passion of everyone singing or playing. Food and music are not mutually exclusive, tons of restaurants offered live jazz brunch and/or dinner. I stopped by dueling pianos at Tickler’s and at Pat O’Brien’s both on Bourbon St. Heard the live band at 21st Amendment on Bourbon St. This is a tiny bar but music was good the night I went.
For really great and grown folk live music head over to Frenchmen Street. Check out: Balcony Music Club, The Maison, Cafe Negril (reggae), Spotted Cat, and my favorite – Vaso’s. I stayed through two bands – Ed Wills & Blues 4 Sale and Jason Neville Funky Soul Band. I loved it here because I found community! From the band on stage to Tiffany, the waitress, who just kept bringing me shots and the random people I sat with, who turned out to be firefighters from Houston & St. Louis. This made for a memorable last night in N’Orleans.
But to be honest, everywhere you go there will be music. No matter where we went there was always someone or somewhere playing music. And man, are the musicians good!
Shop on Magazine Street– From Jackson to Louisiana there are some great little shops to explore! If you enjoy antique shopping, quirky souvenirs, and cute local clothing stores, this is where you should go. My wallet didn’t love it nearly as much…
Explore the Garden District– I rode the streetcar a couple of times for my own exploration. However, I do recommend booking a guided tour with the numerous tour agencies. Walking around the garden district made me feel like I was transported to another world. The architecture feels like it’s straight out of a movie, which likely explains why so many movies are filmed in NOLA.
Southern Hospitality – I know that good customer service as a standard and everyday occurrence but the truth we don’t experience that often enough. So when it happens it is something that stands out and surprises us. EVERYONE was extremely friendly and I felt attended to. I had wonderful conversations with strangers and I got to learn what people love to do when they are not “working”.
Vibrant Art Scene: An influx of talent, imaginative rebuilding projects and a rejuvenation of spirit are hallmarks of the new New Orleans art scene. From the architecture to performances and design, every one of your scenes will be engaged. You’ll find hole in the wall studios and galleries. I actually stumbled upon The Art of Dr. Seuss gallery! The space is so small it could hardly hold 5 people at a time. Other art treasures are the Saenger Theatre, The Mahalia Jackson Performing Arts Theatre, NOMA, Marigny Opera House and much, much more including a WW2 Museum.
Bachelorette/Stag Party Galore: Groups of bridal parties seemed to pour out of every alley, club, and restaurant. Be prepared to get next level rowdy, and make possibly make questionable decisions that you’ll hopefully never remember.
NOLA has a rich, diverse, complex cultural history. I don’t know that I could accurately compare New Orleans to any other city… I’m still in disbelief about how long it took me to get here. It’s a place you need to visit to truly understand it. My 5-day trip was barely enough, and I need to go back ASAP. Will you join me?
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Wow I love this! I’ve been dealing with the travel bug lately and this really made me want to go to New Orleans! Thanks for the info!