Things To Do
Live Music
Seeing live music is naturally Rob's favorite pastime. There are dozens of live shows every single night in this city. Some favorite venues include Maple Leaf Bar, Tipitina's, Gasa Gasa, Bacchanal, Bayou Bar at Hotel Ponchartrain, and Snug Harbor. There is also ample live music on Frenchmen Street - just be sure to tip the band wherever you go!! For a full listing of live music in the city, check out the WWOZ Livewire, which is updated daily (linked below). Feel free to ask Rob for specific recommendations.
Food
New Orleans is famously one of the best cities in the country for food. The only thing that we insist on is that you tip your servers generously, as many people in this city make their livelihoods from the service industry (not to mention that Louisiana's minimum wage for tipped employees is $2 an hour). April is prime crawfish season! There are boils at various restaurants around the city, though we love getting our crawfish with all of the fixings to go from Cajun Seafood (on Broad or Claiborne). Our favorite brunch spot is Cafe Fleur De Lis on Chartres St, where Maryellen worked for many years. Try the grits! We love 1000 Figs for Mediterranean, Taqueria Guerrero for Mexican, Ba Chi and Pho Tau Bay for Vietnamese, Queen Trini Lisa's for Caribbean, Parkway for poboys, and Angelo Brocato for gelato and Italian pastries. We also encourage you to try Sweet Soulfood, Morrow's, Neyow's, Katie's, Monday, Nice Guys, and Lil Dizzy's. Ask Rob's mom for fine dining recommendations!
Drinking
There is a strong alcohol culture in New Orleans. Yes, it is legal to drink on the street here. Please, for the love of god, do not get so obliterated that you disrespect our local community. People really live here! If it's your first time here, there's nothing wrong with visiting Bourbon Street (though we personally avoid it like the plague). Frenchmen Street also has similar vibes and lots of live music. If you are spending time in the French Quarter, please be aware and respectful of the unhoused community there - those are our neighbors too! Chances are, wherever you stay, there is at least one bar within a two block radius of you. Please tip your bartenders and do not drive drunk!
Attractions
There are many different kinds of outstanding museums in this city! For art, check out the Ogden, NOMA, Cultural Arts Center (CAC), and the free sculpture garden in City Park. For history, we recommend the Backstreet Cultural Museum, Jazz Museum, The Cabildo, Southern Food and Beverage Museum, and the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. The WWII Museum is huge and also absolutely worth visiting. Family-friendly attractions include the Louisiana Children's Museum, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium, and JAMNOLA. We discourage guests from attending planation tours with the only exception of the Whitney Plantation, which is a crucial historical museum less than an hour from the city that centers the experience of enslaved people in the Antebellum South. Accessibility note: folks who have a food stamp or EBT card can go to the Ogden, CAC, Children's Museum, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium, and Long Vue House and Gardens for free!
Outdoor Activities
Weather in April in New Orleans should be outstanding! City Park is an easy streetcar ride up Canal Street from downtown. It's is huge and contains a gorgeous botanical garden, a lake with swan boats, a birdwatching sanctuary, and plenty of places to lounge. Bayou St. John runs from Mid City all the way up to the lake, and it is a favorite location to sit and picnic or just enjoy the sunshine. Lake Ponchartrain is gigantic, and there is a park that runs all along Lakeshore Drive where you can sit and enjoy the view. This is also where we got engaged! There are a few great nature attractions within the city, including the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center in the East and Sankofa Wetland Park in the Lower 9th Ward. Further out from the city is Fontainebleau State Park on the north shore, which has walking trails and a beach, and Jean Lafitte to the south, which is on the bayou and is a great spot to see gators! Fan boat tours are also available in the area.