Here is our 4-day itinerary for our visit to New Orleans, LA (NOLA)! We took this trip over a weekend, flying in on day 1 (Friday) and flying out on day 4 (Monday), packing most of our activities into Saturday and Sunday.
We visited NOLA in February 2024, during the season of Carnival. We were looking for a weekend in February that was not the one right before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)--knowing that would be a very busy weekend--so we went the weekend before: 4-5 February. There were so many parades still taking place everyday and people were out having fun in the streets, but we never found it too overwhelming! I had visited NOLA once before several years ago in August, and I remember it being miserably hot. We much preferred the weather during our winter visit: 70s during the day, upper 50s at night. Our hotel was right on Canal Street for easy access to the French Quarter--where most of our activities for this trip were--but next time, I would like to stay in one of the more artsy neighborhoods such as Marigny or the Garden District, or even the up-and-coming Warehouse District. Our trip was hampered a bit by rain, and I didn't do as much planning beforehand as I would have liked (surprising, I know!), so there were some things we had to miss out on, like: going to a jazz club, getting out of the city for a swamp tour, and exploring the Garden District homes. I am sure we will be back!
Day 1:
We ended up arriving to NOLA around 4pm local time (CST) and caught an Uber to our hotel for check-in. We stayed at The Jung Hotel and Residence which was a pretty average hotel (nothing to write home about), but the rooms were big and it was located within easy walking distance to the French Quarter.
After checking in, the winter light was already fading but we still walked around the Quarter a bit before our dinner reservation at Muriel's in Jackson Square. My husband and I love ghosts, and upon reading Reddit looking for NOLA ghost recommendations, this restaurant came up a bunch. The atmosphere here is wonderful, and all the staff were super nice and willing to share about their own interactions with the local ghost, but we ordered the 3-course meal and unfortunately, none of it was good. So while I can't recommend the food, I would recommend coming here to have a drink at the bar and maybe grab an app. Any paying customers are allowed access to the second floor to check out the creepy seance room and take in the views from their balcony--we had it all to ourselves on a Friday night. My husband and I are not big drinkers or partiers, so we headed back to the hotel, but there is plenty of nightlife to enjoy if that is your scene! The city is also open carry, so you can enjoy your beverages while walking around.
Day 2:
When in NOLA, expect some rain! We definitely got a lot this day. Luckily, it was only a light drizzle in the morning so we were able to go on our 10am Free Tours by Foot Voodoo tour with High Priest Robi. For the tour, we wandered Armstrong Park as Robi explained aspects of Voodoo, from history to present day, from misconceptions to modern rituals. His energy was incredible and his passion for Voodoo was very clear! My husband and I were a little disappointed that we didn't learn more about the history of NOLA Voodoo and its evolution--the tour focused mostly on Voodoo's misconceptions as well as challenging modern day stigmas that hold no place in this religion, despite other religions perpetuating them. We agreed with the social aspects of the tour, and found Robi's take refreshing, but when the tour ended I still could not really tell you what Voodoo was or where it came from. The tour comes highly rated though, and since it is free (please tip your guide!), it is probably worth it.
Our afternoon was full of pouring rain so after wandering the lively food and shopping scene at the Colonnade, we opted to explore the Audubon Aquarium and attached Insectarium. While there are great museums in the area (the National WWII Museum, NOMA, etc), this was more in line with our vibes for the day. It was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we picked up some sweet treats at the very cute Cafe Beignet on Royal Street, perused the shelves at the beautiful Faulkner House Books, and picked up the best muffuletta sandwiches and Pimms cocktails at Napoleon House. The atmosphere at Napoleon House was very cool! And their muffuletta sandwiches were served warm so the cheese was melty and bread toasty, which was my favorite; most other spots served them cold. We made it back to the hotel afterwards--getting soaked in the process--right before a flash flood shelter in place warning was issued. So we spent the rest of our night indoors staying dry.
Day 3:
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day! After a morning spent drying our shoes, we wandered over to French Truck Coffee to try the local favorite of iced coffee with chicory which was delicious. We also loved their almond croissants since they were free of the typical almond cream/marzipan. One of the most important reasons we chose to visit NOLA on this particular weekend was to attend the Krewe of Barkus parade. This parade route was throughout the French Quarter and showcased the parade's King and Queen dogs, the Celebrity Grand Marshal (3-legged dog Pippa!), the Duke and Duchess dogs, etc. There was a marching band, an appearance by NOLA Polices' new service pony Patches, lots of dog costumes and floats giving tribute to the year's theme of Barbie: it was so much fun! Not only were there dogs in the parade, but I think every local dog was also in attendance just to watch. We had such a great time talking to locals and petting dogs!
After the parade, we wandered the shops on Chartres Street and walked to Frenchmen Street to take in the jazz. We wandered the beautiful Marigny neighborhood some before grabbing an early dinner at Elysium Bar. We enjoyed our meal in the courtyard and everything was delicious and the drinks were great. The interior is absolutely stunning, with each dining area feeling unique and intimately cozy. Heading back to Frenchmen Street, we had such a fun time exploring the Frenchmen Art Bazaar and chatting with local artists. My husband loves to eat and despite just having dinner, he grabbed a hot dog from Dat Dog and said it was one of the best he has ever had. It was a very fun restaurant!
We then wandered back to the Quarter to end the night with a 2-hour walking ghost tour that was easily the highlight of our trip! Our guide, Raven, was a NOLA local and had amazing gossip, insight, and experiences to add to her horrific true stories of the city's dark history. While the tour is long, we stopped at the famously haunted Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar in the middle to grab a drink and take a quick break. We highly recommend this tour!
Day 4:
While our flight wasn't until mid-afternoon, we took the morning to sleep in and then gave ourselves ample time to get to and explore the airport. This airport has recently undergone extensive upgrades and is super nice!
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