Congratulations! You’re planning your very first trip to the great city of New Orleans, LA. There are infinite activities and attractions here in New Orleans, so you’ll want to be prepared. From stunning sights like the homes on the Saint Charles streetcar lines, to exciting shops at the French Market, and delicious cuisine on Magazine Street, you are sure to be booked and busy. Follow along for your complete itinerary guide for the best things to do in and around New Orleans. Let’s go!
New Orleans is filled with endless activities and wonders. Here are some of our favorite attractions in the city, and the best time to visit each place.
NOMA, New Orleans’ oldest fine arts museum, is the perfect place to visit on a hot afternoon. Located not far from the intersection of Esplanade and Carrollton, this multi-level art museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 am- 5pm. Check out their website for admission rates!
Before you spend an afternoon at NOMA, take a morning stroll through the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden! Located just steps from NOMA, this unique beauty is free to the public every day of the week, from 10am- 6pm.
Your go-to place to catch free live jazz music! Not far from Bourbon St, Frenchman is a locals favorite. We recommend visiting on the weekends after 7pm. This is around the time when the music scene picks up, however, live music will continue late into the night.
Perfect for an evening stroll, shopping, and fine/casual dining options, Magazine St is the place to be as the sun goes down. Filled with endless dining options, Magazine is the perfect place to end a long afternoon of adventure! We recommend visiting on a week day as restaurant wait periods may be longer on the weekend.
Summers in New Orleans are hot, so it’s important to plan your activities accordingly and prepare yourself to brave the heat. The good news? Summer in New Orleans is not peak tourist season, meaning you are significantly less likely to experience large crowds and wait times. However, this comes with a trade off- hot weather that doesn’t really go away as the sun sets. The best way to structure your days to beat the heat is to try and do your outdoor activities in the morning. Although it will likely still be hot, it won’t be quite as bad as the heat you’ll experience from the afternoon sun. We suggest complementing a morning outdoor activity with an afternoon indoor activity. For example, you could start your morning walking around the City Park Sculpture Garden and then grab a beignet breakfast and a refreshing frozen cafe au lait from Cafe Du Monde’s City Park Location. Afterwards, head on over to the World War II Museum for an educational and AC-filled afternoon.
Trouble shooting transportation for an upcoming vacation can often be stressful and overwhelming. Should I rent a vehicle? Is there reliable public transportation? What do Uber prices look like in the city I’m visiting? These are all thoughts to take into consideration before you visit The Big Easy. The good news is that New Orleans does have an incredibly cheap and unique mode of public transportation: the New Orleans Streetcar! Admission for the streetcar is 1.25$. They do not take card payments, but you can purchase your tickets from the “Le Passe” app. Keep in mind the historic streetcar won’t take you everywhere and features only three routes: the Saint Charles Avenue lines, Riverfront lines, and Rampart/ St. Claude lines. If you aren’t afraid to do a medium amount of walking, we strongly urge you to use the Streetcar as your primary mode of transportation at least one day of your vacation. The Saint Charles Streetcar is the perfect way to transport yourself between neighborhoods such as Uptown New Orleans and the famous Garden District. Start your morning with a serene walk through Audubon Park in Uptown, followed by a lovely street car ride down to the Garden District. Here you can grab coffee or breakfast, and continue on to Magazine street for some light shopping. If you aren’t tired after all of that, walk back to Saint Charles and take the streetcar all the way down to the French Quarter! Although the streetcar isn’t the fastest mode of transportation, it is by far the best way to observe the beautiful and historic homes along Saint Charles Ave. There are other adventures where we strongly recommend renting a car or scheduling an uber. Leaving the airport, for one, is a journey you will want to be prepared for. Unlike some cities, which have airports in or near their city centers, the Louis Armstrong International Airport is in Kenner, LA, about a 25 minute drive from Orleans Parish. Other destinations, including Lake Pontchartrain are most easily accessible by car. Whether you rent a car, taxi, or Uber is completely up to you, but be prepared to choose one of those avenues during your visit to New Orleans.
Mapping a clear budget for your vacation is a key way to ensure that you do not overspend or get carried away during your trip. It’s also a great way to prioritize the activities that are most important to you, and will allow you to enjoy your trip without constantly worrying about money. If you are functioning on a tight budget, you may want to utilize public transportation and your own feet as much as possible. In this scenario, close proximity to the activities you want to do should be one of your main priorities. Consider booking a hotel or airbnb in Orleans parish, one ideally close to one of the streetcar lines. This will save you money and time on transportation. If you’re interested in experiencing New Orleans’s nightlife, do a bit of research on the vibes and price points of bars in different neighborhoods. You’ll want to know which bars have covers and which don’t, and where to get the best bang for your buck. Although bars on Bourbon street generally have no covers, drinking on Bourbon is expensive. With it being such a high volume area for tourists, most drinks on Bourbon will cost you about $20. Neighborhoods such as Frenchman are close by and a little bit cheaper. If you have a little extra money in your budget, we recommend visiting the National World War II Museum. Located at 945 Magazine Street, this is an attraction you won’t want to miss. If you’re bringing kids, you’ll want to add the Audubon Aquarium to your list of things to do. Again, it’s gonna cost you, but this fascinating aquarium along the Mississippi River will entertain the family all day! The good news is that New Orleans is filled with free treasures you can visit to fill up your time. City Park, Jackson Square, Audubon Park, and Bayou St. John are examples of just a few free neighborhoods and parks worth your attention.
Do not accept any “free drinks” from strangers on Bourbon Street. Bear with me. Although you would think this would be common sense, it’s actually a common scam tourists fall victim to every day. Scammers will stand by bars with shot glasses filled with colorful liquor and try to convince you to take the shot. After you take it, they will demand that you pay them for the drink, even though they said nothing about you having to purchase it. Good rule of thumb? Just don’t accept any drinks not given to you from a designated bar. Avoid driving to the French Quarter, especially at night. Parking will be difficult to find, and you will almost certainly have to pay to park by the hour. We suggest taking the street car or ubering to any destination downtown. The biggest mistake you could make of them all? Not trying authentic New Orleans cuisine. Try to avoid chain restaurants and tourist traps and find local businesses for unique traditional foods like po’boys, beignets, jambalaya, and more.
Now that you have your complete itinerary for your next vacation to the Big Easy, it’s time to put your dreams into action! For more information on specific tours and special offers, don’t forget to check out our website.
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Riding down St Charles, you can’t miss the ornate and colorful buildings enticing you as you cruise past. From shotguns to sprawling mansions, each house has a unique character. Architecture in Louisiana is more than just buildings, instead, it reflects history, identity, and survival. Louisiana architecture is known for being a blend of cultures, French, […]
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