Things To Do in NOLA

Cafe Du Monde

Go for the beignets, stay for the coffee!

Jackson Square

The Disney Castle of the South

Frenchmen Street

Go where the locals go (French not required)

The Cabildo

Royal Street

Riverwalk

There's a Harrah's!

Shops of the Colonnade - French Market

Carousel Bar

It's literally inside the hotel lobby of the wedding ceremony (Hotel Monteleone)

Old Absinthe House

Some of the most authentic Absinthe outside of Europe served here.

Pat O'Brien's

If you don't get a Hurricane, you're doing it wrong

Preservation Hall

Phenomenal Live Jazz...advance tickets recommended.

Audubon Aquarium of Americas near the Ferry

Fishes and mammals, because you know, New Orleans is on the water

Mississippi River

Take a swamp tour! (Can you call yourself a CCR fan if you don't?)

The Garden District

New Orleans' Garden District is the epitome of "Southern Charm". Plantation style mansions have wrap-around porches and verandas, where friends and family enjoy sweet tea and stories in the humid New Orleans climate. Streets are separated by stretches of green parks and the historic cable car line that runs along St. Charles Avenue. Take a walk around the Garden District's lush avenues and you'll feel transported into a southern oasis shaded by blossoming magnolia trees. This district is more than a picturesque neighborhood, some of New Orleans' best boutique shopping can also be found along Magazine Street. Stroll by historic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 where the last names of New Orleans' wealthy families dot the headstones, while establishments along the "Irish Channel" testify to the city's history of immigrant populations.

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

Weather you take a tour, or just simply come to walk among the beautiful structures housing New Orleans' ancestors, this cemetery is mysterious, magical, beautiful and sobering and is absolutely worth the trip to the Garden District. Pair this adventure with a walking tour of the area and grab a coffee at Still Perkin' coffee house.

The Art Garden & Floating Gallery

Grab a drink on Bourbon and take a cab over to Frenchman Street (or walk if its early) for an amazing nighttime art market filled with local artist selling wares...follow this by a night of Jazz at The Spotted Cat, or any of the other amazing live jazz venues alonf Frenchman Street.

The Spotted Cat Music Club

Great spot for lively Jazz and a fun crowd. Get there early, it s a small venue, but worth being cramped for a set of amazing local Jazz.

Cajun Encounters Tour Company

Swamp tours!

Royal Street Antique and Art Shopping

Love antiques and art? Look no further than Royal Street! Royal Street and Chartres Street are home to some of the most interesting and elegant shops in the U.S. Here the serious collector will find museum quality furniture, art and jewelry. The Travel Channel named Royal Street the “World’s Best Street for Antiquing,” and collectors world wide agree.

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

Today its a haven for both locals and tourists, offers amazing slushy drinks called "voodoo daiquiris" and a yummy drink called the Hurricane. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop offers a cozy candlelit ambiance and a great place to sit and listen to the live piano music. But it was once a much darker meeting place for Pirate, and is said to be VERY haunted. Built between 1722 and 1732 by Nicolas Touze, is reputed to be the oldest structure used as a bar in the United States. In 1722, further building is recorded by a realty transfer set down by one Don Andres Almonester. The structure and fence are in the old French Provincial Louis XV or Briquette-Entre-Poteauxe style used in French Louisiana. The building escaped two great fires at the turn of the 19th Century, due to slate roofing. Between 1772 and 1791, the property is believed to have been used by the Lafitte Brothers, Jean and Pierre as a New Orleans base for their Barataria smuggling operation.

Willie Mae's Scotch House

Lauded family-owned spot since 1957, famous for fried chicken & other soul food.

Central Grocery and Deli

Small Italian market selling specialty foods. Inventor of the muffuletta. Established in 1906.

French 75

A posh den of French-infused elegance attached to Arnaud's restaurant in the Quarter, where professor-level bartender Chris Hannah creates a magical experience with crazy good classic cocktails ; part cigar bar, the intimate confines are an ideal place to kick off or end a classy evening.

The Sazerac Bar

New Orleans is home to America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac. Originally a mix of cognac and a local bitters recipe from French Quarter druggist Antoine Amedie Peychaud, the drink became all the rage in New Orleans in the 1850s. Legend has it, Peychaud served his mixed drink in a large egg cup, called a “Coqutier,” from which we get the word cocktail. Today made with Sazerac rye whiskey instead of brandy, the cocktail has it’s spiritual home at the sumptuous Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel. Famed Louisiana Governor, Huey Long, the original King Pin, was so enamored by the bar, he lived on the 12th floor of the hotel and would conduct many of his meetings downstairs in it. The preserved bullet hole in the wall was actually made by one of Long’s over eager body guards.

Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits

Charming, local neighborhood favorite for wine, cheese and low key jazz.

Airboat Adventures

Magazine Street

Strip of Uptown shops and restaurants.

Drago's

The BEST chargrilled oysters in the world.

Mardi Gras World River City Complex

The National WWII Museum

Whitney Plantation

Located ~an hour outside of New Orleans, The Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery.

New Orleans Museum of Art & Sculpture Garden

Located in City Park. The Sculpture garden is free and conveniently located next to a beignet shop.

Blue Nile

The Blue Nile is New Orleans' premiere intimate music venue, located in the heart of the historic Frenchmen Street.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern

Classic neighborhood po-boy shop, Bayou St. John.

The Historic New Orleans Collection

A museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the American Gulf South region. Located in the French Quarter.

French Quarter

Shops, restaurants, bars, antiques, art galleries and more. Take a carriage ride or a guided tour to take in all the sights, and be sure to try some beignets.