New Orleans is one of my favorite places. Even though, I have only been once. It’s by far one of the best places that I have visited. I was shocked at how quickly I fell in love with the city. Everyone knows Bourbon Street or the French Quarter in New Orleans, but there is so much more to see.
Sazerac House
Sazerac is the drink of New Orleans. The building consists of 3 floors, and each floor is STUNNING. They have a complementary tour that is roughly 90 minutes long. On the website, it says that it’s self-guided but when I went we were in a group and had a guide with us the whole time. They talked about the exhibit and then we could explore on our own before going to the next exhibit. The Sazerac House has other tours and events for a charge. During Carnival season, they have king cake pairing. Each floor has exhibits about Sazerac from how it’s made and the history behind the drink. At the end of the tour, we received a Sazerac. They are so delicious.
Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone
The Carousel Bar is located in Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. It actually goes around in circles. We didn’t get a chance to go here, but it is on my next trip.
Pharmacy Museum
This was on my list because of NCIS: New Orleans. They did an episode about the owners of the Pharmacy. It was interesting to go inside and take a look around. They have self-guided tours but you can go in and look around. This is close to Bourbon Street.
Cafe Du Monde
You can NOT go to New Orleans and NOT have beignets. Just writing about it makes me want some right now. They are so good. I had one every day I was there for breakfast. The most popular or familiar location is in Jackson Square. My favorite is in City Park. I don’t drink coffee, but I heard the coffee is delicious.
Mardi Gras World
I highly recommend visiting. This is where all (or most) of the floats are made for Mardi Gras. It is a self-guided tour through the warehouse. According to their website, most people stay about an hour. I think I was there for 90 minutes. It starts with a movie about the history of Mardi Gras along with king cake. Afterwards, you’ll go through the building and take as many pictures.
St. Louis Cemetery
This is a popular site to see in New Orleans. I didn’t get a change to visit before I left, but it’s on my list for next time. The cemetery is New Orleans’s oldest burial ground with some famous residents. There are so many cemetery tours available. I recommend finding one that fits in your schedule.
City Park
New Orleans city park is 1,300 acres with something for everyone. I didn’t even realize everything that is available to see and do there. My visit was during Christmas and New Years so they had the whole park decorated. They have events there all year. If I lived there, I would be spending all my time at the park.
Audubon Park
This park has the Tree of Life. I went there but I wasn’t able to get pictures because it was super muddy. The park has a nice trail that will go around the lake.
Airboat Tour
disclaimer: we went during the off-season but it was still a blast. We had the whole airboat as a family. We were able to bring our own food and drinks. Our guide was amazing and I can’t wait to go back for another tour. He was so knowledgeable about gators and land. Not only is he a tour guide he helps with the repopulation of gators. I learned that when you moved gator eggs you have to keep them how you found them or else the mother won’t acknowledge the egg. Since it was off-season the tour went a little longer than normal and he took us to more spots. But unfortunately I didn’t see any gators.
Jackson Square
This spot gave me LIFE!! The energy and kindness was just contagious. When I got to the square there was a big band playing. There were artists throughout the square
Tours
There are a variety of tours you can do in New Orleans. I saw ghosts, foodies, boozy, cemetery, a night life, sightseeing, a plantation and boat tours. My favorite place to check out tours on TripAdvisor or Viator. They usually have pretty good deals.
