Top 10 things to do in New Orleans

Embrace the Festive Culture of the Big Easy

New Orleans, Louisiana is an energetic party town infamous for its huge Mardi Gras celebration. Aside from the wild night life, New Orleans is also known as a melting pot of American, African, and French culture. Mixed in with rich history, Jazz music, and amazing Cajun food there are plenty of activities to keep you busy on your next visit. Here’s my top 10 favorite things to do while in New Orleans.

10. Cemetary Tour

Starting off on a bit of a creepier note, there are many large cemeteries that offer free guided tours. The Garden district is a wonderful area to walk around and has one of the biggest cemeteries, Lafayette Cemetery #1. Most of them are all above ground and embedded with interesting voodoo history.

9. Voodoo Museum

Speaking of Voodoo, there’s an excellent museum located right on the infamous Bourbon Street. It’s a small exhibit but filled with a plethora of artifacts to observe. With an extremely low entrance fee of $5, it’s a pretty good deal if you want to see more of the New Orleans voodoo sorcery past.

8. Steam Boat Natchez

To take a break from partying in the city, or just enjoy it from a different perspective, check out a river cruise on the Steam Boat Natchez. Sail down the grand Mississippi River as you enjoy a variety of event options.

7. Eat a Beignet

And for all the foodies out there, you can’t take a trip to New Orleans without eating a Beignet. This delicious, fried, sugary pastry is a French gourmet delicacy that taste amazing. The most famous is Cafe du Monde which also serves coffee. The other biggest Beignet shop is Cafe Beignet which is located right on Bourbon Street. Cafe du Monde is a bit more crowded but is worth it. Check out Cafe Beignet for a jazzier atmosphere, with a live band and beautiful fountain area.

6. Bourbon Street

Also known as the French quarter, Bourbon Street is essentially what everyone thinks about when they hear New Orleans. This raunchy party district always has something going on, from live music, crazy costumes, and lively bars, to street magicians and artists. Take a walk during the daytime to admire some of the astounding baroque architecture on each of the buildings. As the sun goes down, this area lights up even brighter. Drinking is allowed on the streets so try some of NOLA’s signature drinks like the Hand Grenade, Hurricane, and for the classy types a Sazerac. The streets can get a little rowdy so keep your wits about you.

5. Jackson Square

After wandering through the eccentric Bourbon Street in the French Quarters, you should reach the St. Louis Cathedral. The surrounding area is called Jackson square, in honor of the late Andrew Jackson. The church is quite an impressive structure as well. Here you can shop around for souvenirs and be entertained by street performers. Stop by Cafe Du Monde if you have time!

4. Frenchmen Street

Just a few blocks from the French Quarter is Frenchmen Street, a collective of musical venues all jam packed into one strip. Frenchmen Street is slightly less rowdy than Bourbon street so its a nice change of pace, especially if you like Jazz music. Enjoy live performers as you bounce from bar to bar.

3. The National World War II Museum

Its always good to diversify your travels with a little history. And there’s no better place to broaden your horizons than the National World War II Museum in downtown New Orleans. Ranked on Trip Adviser as the second best museum in the USA (after New York’s very own MET of course), the exhibit leaves quite the impact. With an immersive submarine exhibit and other well preserved items on display, this museum is definitely worth your time. Plan to spend a few hours if you want to witness all they have to offer.

2. New Orlean’s Cajun Food

If there were any singular reason to visit New Orleans, surely it would be that delicious Southern-food. And I will attest that it does not disappoint. Created with the perfect blend of spices, almost all of the specialty dishes I tried were excellent. From a simple Muffuletta sandwich, to the authentic Gumbalaya (Gumbo and Jambalaya mixed together) there are great foods for all times of the day. Try an oyster Po Boy at Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar and Fish House, Some Blue crab Beignets at La Petite Grocery, and a crawfish etouffee at Atchafalaya just to get you started.

1. Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is New Orleans unique version of Carnival. It’s a super festive time of year that engulfs the entire city in the colorful spirit of carnival. The entire town seems to shut down as they focus on parades and other events for the celebration. Usually Starting in January and preceding until mid February or early March, the largest parades is on the final day known as Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It’s an entertaining experience that has to be lived in order to understand. Many attractions have different hours during the festivities so be sure to check their schedules beforehand. Watch out for flying beads.

New Orleans is a wild town with lots of opportunities to have fun. The weather is pretty warm year round so it always makes a great destination. Be sure to enjoy the food while you can! As a parting tip I will teach you the legend of the King Cake. Basically a large sugary doughnut, there is a tiny plastic baby placed randomly within. Meant to be shared with friends, the person that finds the baby in their piece is gifted the responsibility of planning the next year’s Mardi Gras trip! Thanks for reading and keep leveling up.

Here’s my New Orleans Bucket List Tour Vlog for all of you to enjoy!

And check out our latest budget travel vlog to the French Quarter where you show you what $20 in the city can get you!

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