This is a wonderful museum for those wanting to learn more about "the war that changed the world." It's a museum where you can spend an entire day.
Operations at the world-famous French Market include a Flea Market featuring daily vendors open till 5pm and the Farmers Market with eateries and café-style seating open till 6pm.
Super close to those staying at the Hampton Inn. Small craft brewery, but delicious beer and a great location.
Frenchmen Street is best known for various music venues. Just walk down the street and enter any place where you're feeling the music!
Super close to those staying at the Best Western. Lafitte's is known to be the oldest structure used as a bar in the country. The website provides a lot of history of the bar. It's a wildly popular place among both locals and tourists. Go for the Voodoo Daiquiri (Purple Drink) or the Hurricane (this hurricane is nowhere as sweet at other hurricanes, but equally strong...beware).
Situated in the heart of the French Quarter, Preservation Hall presents intimate, acoustic New Orleans Jazz. It's the Skytas' favorite place to go when they visit! Order your ticket ahead of time if you're interested. It's a well-known venue.
The Steamboat NATCHEZ is the last authentic steamboat cruising the mighty Mississippi River. The boat travels downriver as you learn about the surroundings, as well as some of New Orleans' rich history.
Jackson Square is one of the most famous and historic public spaces in New Orleans, located right in the heart of the French Quarter. It’s basically the cultural centerpiece of the city and a must-see if you’re anywhere nearby. It’s a large open plaza surrounded by historic buildings, street artists, musicians, and performers. Think of it as a mix of a park, an art market, and a living piece of history. In terms of historic buildings, you will see the St. Louis Cathedral (the oldest continuously run Roman Catholic Cathedral in the country), the Cabildo (a museum where the Louisiana Purchase was signed), and the Presbytere (a state museum with Hurricane Katrina and Mardi Gras Exhibits).
Gray Line has several tours available, including swamp, plantation, food and drink, ghost, city and cemetery tours.
Café du Monde is an iconic, open-air coffee shop established in 1862 in the historic French Market of New Orleans, Louisiana. Best known for its traditional café au lait and fluffy, powdered-sugar-covered beignets. This is the original location, but our favorite location is the one in City Park.
The 2026 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival takes place October 9–11, 2026, at Lafayette Square Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, this free, three-day event features a stellar musical lineup across two stages, a massive local arts market, and some of the best regional barbecue.
The Elysian Bar is a highly acclaimed, upscale cocktail bar and restaurant located inside Hotel Peter and Paul in the historic Marigny neighborhood. Operating out of a beautifully restored 19th-century church rectory, it offers a stunning European aesthetic with distinct rooms, including an outdoor courtyard and a sun-drenched parlor. FUN FACT: This was the last restaurant we went to before the great COVID shutdown in 2020.
A highly popular, award-winning breakfast and brunch local restaurant chain. It's also the place where Ryan's 40th birthday celebration started!
One of our favorite bars to stop when we're wandering the French Quarter! They are well-known for their Frozen Irish Coffees, but they also have many other inexpensive classic New Orleans drinks (to stay or to go).
This is the company Alex works for! Dirty Coast is a locally owned New Orleans clothing brand and gift shop known for creating clever graphic tees, apparel, and home goods that celebrate local culture. Check them out!
We love the cocktails at Backspace! It's a very low-key bar that has great drinks with fresh ingredients. Shoutout to our good friend, Fun Lisa, for introducing us to this bar!
Housed inside the historic Old U.S. Mint (built in 1838), the museum uniquely dual-tracks the history of America's quintessential musical art form alongside the legacy of the coin production facility that once operated on-site.
This place grows on us every time we go. Shout out to Alex's sister and wife, Erin and Karla, for telling us about this place! It's pretty centrally located in the French Quarter, which offers all the local cuisine, including charbroiled oysters, a fried alligator sandwich, and a catfish po boy.
If you're looking for a great meal surrounded by beautiful and historic French Quarter architecture, eat at Napoleon House! The culinary identity of Napoleon House is a unique blend of Creole traditions and Italian-immigrant heritage. Ryan highly recommends the Muffuletta. While most places serve this classic New Orleans Italian sandwich cold, Napoleon House is legendary for serving its Muffuletta warm. It features house-made bread stacked with cured meats, Swiss, provolone, and a tangy olive salad.
A big shoutout to Jared, the great friend who ultimately changed Ryan's life by getting him to move to New Orleans! He introduced this place to us! Coop's is an iconic, no-frills Cajun and Creole dive bar and restaurant located in the Quarter. And when we say no frills, we mean it.
Parkway is a New Orleans historic landmark famous for serving some of the best traditional po' boys in the city. Alex recommends the Roast Beef Po' Boy dressed (lettuce, tomato, mayo, and pickles), and Ryan recommends the Shrimp Po' Boy dressed. NOTE: If you go, you may see a long line to order. You can easily avoid the long line by ordering at the bar.
A premier local craft brewery and eatery located in the Irish Channel neighborhood. We will most likely be here on Saturday for anyone who wants to hang out with us after our wedding.