The Mrs. and I are headed to the New Orleans Jazz festival in a couple of weeks. Please give advice on other things we ought to see and do while there.
NOLA tips and must-sees
- Thread starter Marshal Jim Duncan
- Start date
NOLA is my favorite haunt.
- Preservation Hall - Go see a show there, I really can't describe it from a historical perspective.
- Jean Lafitte's
- Many good places to eat
- Frenchman Street
- Have a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's
- Skip Bourbon Street - It is a frat party and nothing more
- The Vampire Tours can be fun
- Take the Street Car (not a Trolly) to the Garden District to see the nicer of the old cemetaries. If you go to the St. Louis cemetery no. 1, look for Marie Laveau's grave. Also, be safe getting to and from it... ie, don't walk. Don't go to St. Louis #2.
- No fights, no matter how much you have to swallow your pride. The cops arrest everyone, no questions about who started it
- If you see lots of young guys with Pittsburgh Pirate hates, they are The Pimps, avoid them
- If you are on Bourbon street and become disoriented, always walk towards the sky scrappers. Going too far the other way = no bueno.
Walk all the streets in the quarter, yes even Bourbon. The architecture is amazing.
Ride the streetcars. They are cheap and they take you to interesting areas.
Go see the major cemeteries. I know it sounds creepy, but they are amazing.
Do get beignets. I actually like cafe beignet more than Du Monde, but Du Monde is history.
Wonder around Jackson square/st. Louis cathedral.
Go to Frenchman street and listen to live music.
See if someone good is playing at Tipitinas
Ride the streetcar through the garden district. Get off and walk where you are interested.
French market. Touristy but fun.
WW2 museum. We haven't gone, but I wish we would have. Heard great things
Food
Jacques - imo's
Cafe Amelia
GW fins
Johnny's Po-boys
Mothers (breakfast and po-boys)
Cochon butcher
Irene's cuisine
The ruby slipper (breakfast)
Jimmy j's (breakfast)
Willie Maes scotch house
If money isn't an issue I'd due restaurant August (John Besh) or one or Emerill's
Bars
Get a frozen Irish coffee at Molley's
Go to the carrousel bar at Hotel Monteleone
Lafitte's blacksmith
Erin Rose
The sazerac bar (get a sazerac)
Tropical isle and get a hand grenade
Nola brewing company
And I guess you have to get a hurricane from Pat O'briens
If I think of more, I'll edit. Tagging @CowboyJD for his take
Ride the streetcars. They are cheap and they take you to interesting areas.
Go see the major cemeteries. I know it sounds creepy, but they are amazing.
Do get beignets. I actually like cafe beignet more than Du Monde, but Du Monde is history.
Wonder around Jackson square/st. Louis cathedral.
Go to Frenchman street and listen to live music.
See if someone good is playing at Tipitinas
Ride the streetcar through the garden district. Get off and walk where you are interested.
French market. Touristy but fun.
WW2 museum. We haven't gone, but I wish we would have. Heard great things
Food
Jacques - imo's
Cafe Amelia
GW fins
Johnny's Po-boys
Mothers (breakfast and po-boys)
Cochon butcher
Irene's cuisine
The ruby slipper (breakfast)
Jimmy j's (breakfast)
Willie Maes scotch house
If money isn't an issue I'd due restaurant August (John Besh) or one or Emerill's
Bars
Get a frozen Irish coffee at Molley's
Go to the carrousel bar at Hotel Monteleone
Lafitte's blacksmith
Erin Rose
The sazerac bar (get a sazerac)
Tropical isle and get a hand grenade
Nola brewing company
And I guess you have to get a hurricane from Pat O'briens
If I think of more, I'll edit. Tagging @CowboyJD for his take
Great stuff, so far guys. Keep it coming. I knew some of this, but not all.
Here's a question: if we take a shuttle/taxi from the airport to downtown (we're staying at The Whitney), would be able to get around everywhere by foot/street car/occasional Uber?
Here's a question: if we take a shuttle/taxi from the airport to downtown (we're staying at The Whitney), would be able to get around everywhere by foot/street car/occasional Uber?
That's right off Poydras toward the river. Easy walk to Jackson square and the French quarter 6-12 blocks probably - depending on where you're headed. If you want to go someplace outside the French quarter and the cbd, you might want to uber. We went to commanders palace, and could have ridden the st. Charles streetcar from the cdb, and then walked a couple blocks, but we cabbed and it was easy.
You're just a block from mothers and a block north of Decatur. Pretty good locale for hoofing it, in various directions.
You're just a block from mothers and a block north of Decatur. Pretty good locale for hoofing it, in various directions.
Mostly, certainly for the mainstream tourist sites. You can take the streetcar from downtown to the Garden District or the two big parks (should do). But the streetcars can be very packed and run infrequently on off times. Uber would be better. You cold also Uber to the Battle of New Orleans site.
Morning Call has the best beignets, in Metarie or City Park.
We've had the debate about Commander's Palace here before. I still say go for lunch. The three course meal is affordable and they have 25 cent martinis. You can walk around the cemetery, then take a self-guided walking tour of the Garden District. Dinner wouldn't be worth it.
Bachanaal in Bywater is the buzziest place to eat and drink. St Roch Market (pronounced "Rock" as this hick learned) is worth the visit (Uber, don't stray from the market). Several food stalls and very good beer bar (not easy to find in NOLA), great restored building. Jacque Imo's is worth it for dinner.
The French Quarter National Park visitors center is great place to get out of the sun and use a clean bathroom, when out and about.
Drago's charbroiled oysters. I eat there at least once every NOLA trip (go about 4 times a year).
Acme's oysters are good for po'boys.
Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleon. Although this is the hotel I normally stay, I have never sat at the bar because it was always so packed.
Acme's oysters are good for po'boys.
Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleon. Although this is the hotel I normally stay, I have never sat at the bar because it was always so packed.
Most have been mentioned.
I would recommend Toup's Meatery in MidCity. House cured meats farm to fork place. Get the butcher's plate and the pickled plate.
If you're into beer, I'd recommend The Avenue Pub in the Garden District. It's right off a trolley stop so easy to get to and from. Top 50 Beer Bar by Draft Magazine.
I would recommend Toup's Meatery in MidCity. House cured meats farm to fork place. Get the butcher's plate and the pickled plate.
If you're into beer, I'd recommend The Avenue Pub in the Garden District. It's right off a trolley stop so easy to get to and from. Top 50 Beer Bar by Draft Magazine.
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National WW2 Museum. Don't miss it
Thanks to all for the great advice. The festival was amazing and we did hit quite a few items on the list, but couldn't squeeze it all in.
As far as the Jazz Fest, itself, Friday we caught: Jason Marsalis (youngest of the Marsalis bros., drummer/vibraphonist and band leader), Buckwheat Zydeco, a little of the subdudes, some of the Dixie Cups w/ Wanda Rouzan, then Michael McDonald, Steely Dan.
Saturday, we were focused on getting the best possible position for Van Morrison, so we stayed at the Gentilly Stage all day (over 6 hours all told). We were on the front row against the barricades, directly in the center, behind the section for those with VIP tickets. We saw: first a sort of NOLA All-Star set w/ Clarence "Frogman" Henry (came out with a walker, but was great!), Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Robert Parker, Sammy Ridgley, then came Big Sam and The Funky Nation, followed by Tab Benoit, then Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and finally Van Morrison.
Other than that we hit:
As far as the Jazz Fest, itself, Friday we caught: Jason Marsalis (youngest of the Marsalis bros., drummer/vibraphonist and band leader), Buckwheat Zydeco, a little of the subdudes, some of the Dixie Cups w/ Wanda Rouzan, then Michael McDonald, Steely Dan.
Saturday, we were focused on getting the best possible position for Van Morrison, so we stayed at the Gentilly Stage all day (over 6 hours all told). We were on the front row against the barricades, directly in the center, behind the section for those with VIP tickets. We saw: first a sort of NOLA All-Star set w/ Clarence "Frogman" Henry (came out with a walker, but was great!), Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Robert Parker, Sammy Ridgley, then came Big Sam and The Funky Nation, followed by Tab Benoit, then Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and finally Van Morrison.
Other than that we hit:
- Cafe Du Monde for coffee & Beignets
- Molly's for frozen Irish coffee (and other cocktails) -- this place is a really great dive bar IMO
- Central Grocery for muffalettas (really good, but LaSalle's in Tulsa is probably actually better)
- Pat O'Brien's -- hurricanes (wife and sister-in-law) and sazeracs (me)
- Sazerac Bar - sazeracs
- GW Finn's - OUTSTANDING, after a long wait
- Ruby Slipper - really good and packed
- Jimmy J's -- even better than Ruby Slipper, went twice, just outstanding little hole in the wall, seats about 25-30.
- WWII Museum -- great, didn't get to spend enough time there
- St. Louis Cemetery -- so unusual the way all their cemeteries are there.
- Liuzza's right by the fairgrounds before the show
- Rode the Street Cars
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Continuing the NOLA music thought, Trombone Shorty is going to be a the Brady in a couple of weeks.
Glad to hear that you had a good time.
Glad to hear that you had a good time.
I'd say you made the most. I'm glad you liked Jimmy J's. We went twice too. The first time was literally just an accident as we were hungry and walked by. I should have told you about the no wait app. It allows you to virtually get in line at several restaurants.
Molly's is a great little dive bar. Locals and tourists alike.
Really jealous about Van.
