New Orleans is lively city full of rich color, character and amazing food! The activities are endless and there’s a little something for everyone. We were way down in New Orleans for about four days, staying just a couple blocks away from the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. We packed a lot into a couple days, but it was worth it. Here’s what I recommend you do in New Orleans:
Jackson Square
From live music to local artists, restaurants and souvenir shops, Jackson Square is your one stop shop if you only have an hour or two to kill in New Orleans. We walked the square a couple times, and I noticed an incredible artist showcasing some of his works. I thought Ethan might enjoy some of the saxophone elements included in the art, so I brought some home to hang on the walls. We enjoyed the live music that was playing is various locations around the square and admired the horse-drawn carriages that lined the street waiting for riders. There are a lot of memorable moments to be had just off Jackson Square, so make this your first stop and branch out from there!
Cafe du Monde
You’ve probably heard that if you go to New Orleans you need to try the beignets, but not just any beignets will do. If you’re heading to downtown New Orleans, you need to get Cafe du Monde beignets, located just off Jackson Square. But not just that, they’re also famous for their Cafe Au Lait. This is a coffee made with chicory root, giving the coffee a softer edge and chocolatey flavor. Believe it or not, coffee was first brought to the United States through New Orleans. So, give this unique brew a chance.
Swamp tour
When you’re down in New Orleans, there’s no better activity than goin’ down to the bayou. We decided to take a swamp tour during one of our afternoons in Louisiana, so we drove out of the city and into the bayou to Airboat Adventures in Marrero, Louisiana. Our guide, Kody, was amazing! He gave a very informative tour and really engaged with the alligators we came across. We probably saw dozens of gators out in the swamp, including the biggest one they have on their property at about 14-feet long! This was absolutely incredible and reminded me a lot of my time watching crocodiles in the Daintree. I even got to hold One-eyes Willie!
Try the local cuisine
This one was a bit tricky given the fact that New Orleans is known for their cajun cuisine, which heavily features seafood, and I’m a vegetarian. However, here and there we were about to find some spots that had great vegetarian dishes. My favorite was NOLA Poboys right on Bourbon Street where I was able to order a Beyond Burger-styled Poboy (not the traditional shrimp Poboy, but it’ll do). They had multiple vegetarian options which I truly appreciated because it allowed me to partake in a New Orleans staple.
Spend some time on the water
My coworkers and I came down to Louisiana on a work trip, so we got some pretty neat access to boating on the waterways in southern Louisiana. We headed out on Lake Pontchartrain with some members of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and we navigated through the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to Lake Borgne and back again. While we weren’t tubing or ‘boating’ in the typical vacation fashion, being out on the water on a warm sunny day was an amazing feeling, especially when escaping winter in Wisconsin.
Abita
This craft-brewery teeters on the fine line of being a micro or macro brewery. To get to this brewery from where we were staying, we drove across the longest bridge in the United States: The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. In fact, since 1969, this bridge has held the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world. At 24 miles long, let me tell you, it took a long time to get across, but still much better than driving all the way around the massive lake.
Once at Abita Brew Pub, we enjoyed some delicious beer. Blaze and I both ordered flights so we could sample multiple beers (my personal go to option), and they all were phenomenal. For the beer connoisseurs out there, my favorite beers tend to be lighter brews with fruit notes and maybe a sour here or there. However, Abita went wild for a crazy unique brew that I think everyone should try no matter your typical style. The PB and Jams lager is exactly what it sounds like: a Peanut Butter and Jelly flavored beer. And before you go saying, that’s nasty and you’d never drink that, this brew was surprisingly well done. I ordered it with skeptical expectations, but was more than pleasantly surprised. Of the six brews I tasted, this was my favorite. So don’t knock it til you try it (and you better try it soon because it’s a limited brew).
Night out on Bourbon Street
You may think you know what a party town is, but I assure you, whatever you are used to, New Orleans has it beat. Bourbon Street is a hub for party dwellers. With bars upon bars stacked right next to each other all the way down the street, the huge crowds won’t stop you from quickly being served at any given bar. We visited New Orleans between Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day and the streets were still packed with a lively crowd. People were posing with Burmese pythons, you are free to carry your drinks with you down the streets and live music blasts from every corner. We had our fill after one night, but I could see this being a very funny spring break destination.
No matter what you choose to do in New Orleans, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the time you spend in this city. It is truly a gem, one-of-a-kind in the United States and an ABSOLUTE MUST on your bucket list!
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