EXPLORING THE BEST OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

For New Years Eric and I decided to travel from Nebraska to Louisiana on a spontaneous trip, we thought this trip for about whole 5 minutes before hitting the road. On our way there we booked our hotel and researched a few things to do while visiting. 16 hours later we arrived and hit the ground running by booking ahead a ghost tour for later that night.

Jazz music, Gumbo, and Beignets! Have I convinced you to visit NOLA already? Let’s get started with how to spend a awesome weekend in New Orleans!

Getting to New Orleans

By Flying - New Orleans has a fairly large airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport so you can fly into the city from nearly everywhere. Now how to get to your hotel you can get there a few different ways.

After landing, you’ll want to take the escalators down to the baggage claim area and follow the signs for Ground Transport/Taxi. (If you are taking the bus head to door #7 on the Upper Level)

Take a Shuttle - To schedule a shuttle you must purchase your ticket at the kiosks near baggage claim or you can request a ride through Airport Shuttle New Orleans here. Their prices are $44.00 round trip per person or $24.00 one-way per person.

Take the bus - If you are a solo traveler or don’t mind taking a little longer to get to or from the airport. For roughly $3 you can go from the airport to the French Quarter, first you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the bus/trolley system. NOLA’s bus system offers a limited service and the ride can take roughly an hour, but it is the cheapest mode of transportation. You’ll then board from door #7 on the Upper Level of the airport and board the RTA Bus #202 (the Airport Express), this bus will then drop you off at Duncan Plaza where you’ll then board your second bus. The next bus is the 88 St.Claude, this bus will arrive at Duncan Plaza it’ll just be a quick transfer.

Take a Uber/Lyft - If you had a long flight or simply just want to arrive to your hotel faster, book a quick ride through either Uber or Lyft.

Where to stay in New Orleans

Depending on where you are looking to stay, either the Garden District or in the French Quarter, here are a few of my recommendations!

The Quisby - This beautiful hotel offers free breakfast, free luggage storage, and is only steps away from the green line (canal) streetcar.
Le Méridien New Orleans- This hotel can be affordable if you book ahead of time, not a great choice if you wait for the late minute as it will be several hundred dollars more. It has some great city views, and conveniently located.
The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery - If you want a luxury stay at half the cost this is a great option! On site coffee shop, Tout La Coffee Bar serves fresh coffee and pastries.
Henry Howard Hotel - This is another hotel that is worth way more than the price you pay and will likely be booked up quickly. I suggest booking ahead of time, and I mean months ahead of time, it’s very elegant and aesthetically pleasing. Overall, a charming and comfortable place to spend a great weekend in New Orleans.
Hotel Peter and Paul - This is by far one of the most beautiful hotels It has such a french atmosphere feel to the room that you won’t mind spending a day off relaxing in your room.

Looking for some spooky hotels?

Courtyard of The Haunted Hotel at 623 Ursulines

Dauphine Orleans Hotel - hauntings of well-dressed ladies and Civil War soldiers are rumored to appear at night wandering the courtyard.
Le Pavillon Hotel - build at the turn of the nineteenth century, it’s said to be home of spirits left over from the neighborhood's murderous past.
The Haunted Hotel at 623 Ursulines - It’s said to be haunted by the spirit of the Axeman, a serial killer who terrorized the Big Easy in the early 1900’s. Plus the fact it was built in 1829 and home to a dozen murders might have something to do with the hauntings.

Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, I would consider all those these hotel recommendations as they are beautiful and affordable. Don’t be discouraged!

Exploring the French Quarter

To get this weekend started take a guide around the French Quarter to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and to get a good understanding of New Orleans. I recommend booking a tour through Free Tours By Foot, they offer 8 different tours in and out of the French Quarter for free. They offer some ghostly tours for the night hours, we’ll go more into that later! But if you are interested in booking a tour I suggest booking ahead of time!

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore and wander the French Quarter, there is so much to do and see! The beautiful historical buildings makes it extra hard to put your camera down, but be aware of your surroundings and be cautious for pickpockets.

While exploring here is a mini list of places to stop by:

New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum - If you’re interested in information about voodoo, this is the place to do just that. If you plan to visit arrive with plenty of time as it tends to be packed, tickets are $7.00 a person.

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum - Visit the first pharmacist in the United States, a 1823 apothecary that is now a museum with exhibits of early medicines, superstitious cures for a entry fee of $5. You’ll see historical pharmacy items and various types of medical devices, read the information cards explaining the history of each item and how they were used in everyday life.

Reverend Zombie's House Of Voodoo - Here you’ll find readings, voodoo dolls, jewelry/charms, and more! What I personally found interesting about this store is that most of their items come with information and enjoyed reading what everything was for. Towards the back of the store there is lots of information about Marie Laveau just in case you didn’t get into the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum.

After you take a walk on Bourbon Street make sure to turn into Royal Street to enjoy some live music, local art, and beautiful buildings! On the right side of the street you’ll be able to spot the gorgeous architecture that is Jackson Square!

Jackson Square - Jackson Square is the site of the Louisiana Purchase and a national historic landmark and one of the French Quarter's most popular destinations. Here you’ll find the breath-taking St Louis Cathedral, restaurants and museums. You’ll see local artists display their work of paintings, portraits, and caricatures along side the square's iron fence.

Map of NOLA French Quarter

Go on a Haunted History Tour

New Orleans is one of the most haunted locations in the United States so why not go on a haunted tour? I personally love scary and thrilling experiences real or not so of course I had to sign us up! We paid the $25 per ticket which is a bit pricey since we were on a budget but it was completely worth it! There are numerous haunted tours you can go to but after a bit of research of reading reviews we decided on Haunted History Tours they have 10 different options and we chose “5 in 1 Ghost & Mystery Tour of the French Quarter” this way we could see a little bit of everything! We didn’t go inside any buildings since they are private residences. But we did walk to a handful of different locations such as the LaLaurie House, home of 19th century serial killer, Delphine LaLaurie.

The tour guides go into extreme detail at each location, this tour in general is more historical than ghostly.

*Fun Fact - In 2007 Nicolas Cage bought the LaLaurie Mansion for $3.5 million to try and get inspiration for an American horror book. He also bought several homes in and around the Garden District. Shortly after, in 2009 he declared bankruptcy and all his homes in New Orleans were foreclosed on.

Wander through the Garden district

If you are looking for beautiful instagrammable locations in New Orleans the Garden District is a must! Take a walk down Coliseum Street, this is where you’ll find beautiful mansions and if you are a American Horror Story fan you’ll walk past the Buckner Mansion just down the street! Another great thing to see in the Garden District is the Lafayette Cemetery No.1 it is much smaller than other cemeteries across New Orleans but it certainly is nice to stop by and take a look around.

Click here for a Free Self Guided Garden District Tour!

Here’s a list of a few things to check out while visiting the Garden District:

Buckner Mansion - Also known as Miss Robicheaux's Academy for all you American Horror Story fans. The mansion is privately-owned but you can rent it out for $20,000 or $4000 a night or a minimum stay of three nights, if you want to recreate your favorite scenes from the show.

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 - Visit the city’s first planned cemetery, dating back to 1833 this historic cemetery is still being used to this day. This cemetery hold more than 1,000 family tombs and over 7,000 people. It’s fairly small in size, only a city block wide, it’s definitely worth taking a look.

Palmer Park - Go take a stroll through this beautiful park and maybe stay for a picnic! Enjoy a afternoon of people watching or view local artwork from vendors

Where to eat + drink in New Orleans

Ready for an authentic taste of the Big Easy? Here’s where to eat:

Commander's Palace Restaurant - grab lunch and 25 cent martinis at Commander’s *they do have a limit of 3 per person. It’s more of a high end restaurant with a business casual dress code.

New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co. - We came here for a late lunch and the food here is delicious! I ordered the gourmet hamburger with the garlic herb fries and Eric ordered the rajun’ cajun burger with a side cup of gumbo, and everything was great! We would definitely dine here again.

Pat O'Brien's - hangout by the flaming fountain and order yourself a cocktail or one of their famous hurricane. If you are looking to have dinner here they do offer a handful of great entrees and starters such as the crawfish etouffee, red beans in rice or maybe try some alligator bites if you are feeling brave.

For dessert you have to pick up some beignets, you can find some of the best beignets in two locations:

Cafe du Monde - their delicious beignets are $2.73 for a order of 3 which is a great deal, which is why there is always a huge line, so make sure you get there early!

Cafe Beignet - their fresh handmade beignets are $3.99 per order of 3.

CC's Coffee House - We stopped here to warm up after our ghost tour. Eric got a tall cup of black coffee for $2.50 and I got a tall cup of hot chocolate for $3.00, along with a slice of chocolate cake for $2.00 and everything was great! They have multiple locations but only located in Louisiana.

Well that wraps my visit to New Orleans, Louisiana. I hope you enjoy my recommendations in the Big Easy! Did I miss any of your New Orlean favorites? Let me know in the comments!