My great friend, Sami, and I went on a trip recently to New Orleans, mostly in pursuit of the historical parts of this area in the US. We had both never been, but having been well-traveled, lovers of food, and lovers of history, it was on our list of places to go.
Since Sami and I became friends about 3 years ago, we have gone on trips together every single year. Our first adventure was a day trip, essentially, to Albuquerque to watch the International Balloon Fiesta.
The following year, we took a trip to the South Western corner of Colorado to go camping and check out the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. I cannot stress the importance of going on adventures with your best of friends. Getting to talk about dreams and passions while seeing great things and going on grand adventures is a spectacular way to build a strong friendship.
We had a number of things we wanted to do when we visit New Orleans, none of which contained us purchasing mass amounts of Hurricanes. We planned some impromptu adventures upon arriving too. And although people told us August wasn’t the greatest time to go, we quite enjoyed the time we went.
So for you non-party animals out thinking there ain’t nothing else to do in New Orleans other than party, there is so much more and here’s what we did on our trip to New Orleans.
1. Stay at the Pelham Hotel
We wanted to stay near the French Quarter, preferably in the French Quarter, but with a small budget for each both Sami and I, we also wanted something affordable yet nice. After a significant amount of searching for the right place, we settled on the Pelham Hotel. It was perfect.
We paid less than $400 for three nights with them and we were a block away from Canal Street which was just on the other side of the French Quarter. From that hotel, we were just a few blocks from the Mississippi, steps from the French Quarter, and restaurants were around every corner.
Being so close to Canal street, you can catch a streetcar or bus anywhere too. New Orleans is incredibly walkable.
2. Take the St Charles Streetcar and Visit the Garden District
From Canal Street, you can take the #12 bus to the green streetcar on St. Charles, and within a few minutes, you’ll be screeching to a pleasant halt in the Garden District. From there, you’ll wander the pavements where crazy oaks seem to stretch across the road to creat grand canopies. Hanging from porches are iron lanterns with wild flames so well contained in their enclosures.
You can pay to go on a tour through the district, but there are also great self-guided tours to take so you can go at your own pace. I felt this self-guided tour was very useful.
If you have a keen eye, try and see if you can guess the type of iron fences around the balconies of the homes in the area. Are they wrought or cast iron? What’s the difference?
In the Garden District, you’ll run into Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which is worth a visit, although it is very unkempt compared to other
3. Take a Voodoo Tour With Nate Scott
Starting at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum in the French Quarter, you can take a very informative tour in and near the French Quarter to learn about the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. If you are at all interested in the voodoo culture, this tour is a must.
Nate Scott of N’Awlins works with Islands of the Algiers Tours and has been working with the museum for 20 years. He holds a world of knowledge in voodoo practice and understanding. He also knows important information about Marie Laveau the Voodoo priestess.
Nate Scott has been consulted for information on voodoo practices for the purpose of movies. He has also been visited by many celebrities to enjoy his tour, he that’s good. He’ll also recommend to you the best place to get gumbo and po boys.
4. Try the Crawfish Platter at Deanie’s
We made it a point to ask the locals about the food and what they recommended for tasty eats in NOLA. We wanted to eat like the locals and not just like tourists. One heavily recommended restaurant was Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant just off of Canal Street in the French Quarter.
You can’t go to New Orleans without having crawfish, so my recommendation is their crawfish platter. It comes with crawfish etouffee, crawfish bisque, fried crawfish tails, and fried crawfish balls. It is heaven. This is a little more pricey but definitely worth a single night with a lavish dinner.
5. Walk the National World War II Museum
We often forget our history, especially if that history is painful. But the National World War II Museum is worth a trip, and don’t be afraid to get emotional during your visit.
You’ll learn more about the reign of Hitler and the bombings of Iwo Shima and Nagasaki and it’ll be more information than you ever learned in school. You’ll walk through an exquisitely curated collection of memorabilia and facts about the infamous war that took so many.
The final remains of the bombings in Nagasaki and Iwo Shima were in black and white pictures on two walls from floor to ceiling. Beneath was a soldier’s letter to his father next to two warped glass bottles encased in glass. The young soldier detailed the bottles being a few of the things that didn’t crumble to ash upon touching them.
I was in tears.
6. Take a Louisiana Swamp Tour
Sami and I originally weren’t going to take a swamp tour because she thought we would be on a fan boat. Luckily, we could get on a big passenger boat that held 20 people.
The tour was with Louisana Tour Company. From the Pelham Hotel, you’ll be picked up by a shuttle bus and driven to Marrero just 35 – 40 minutes outside of New Orleans. From there, you’ll find your seat on whichever boat you choose and take a pleasant journey through a swamp to learn about the history of the are and see some gators while you’re at it.
You’ll even get the chance to hold a baby gator.
7. Sip and Snack at Cafe Beignet (Of Course)
On this trip, Sami and I vowed to eat beignets every day of the trip. We succeeded of course. We did have our obligatory beignets at the Cafe du Monde on the riverwalk just blocks from the hotel. However, we were totally drawn in by the cuteness and the warming atmosphere of Cafe Beignet. We also found Cafe Beignet’s beignets to be more fluffy than Cafe du Monde.
There are more Cafe Beignets to visit than Cafe du Monde’s and they are always busy. They don’t just serve beignets either. You can go in for a pleasant breakfast and even get some of New Orleans’ favorite dishes like Jambalaya and Gumbo.
8. Visit Jackson Square Park at Sunset
If you like to walk and discover new corners and crannies of New Orleans by foot, you’ll find more than you expect. Sami and I were walking around the French Quarter at night, finding it to be more pleasantly cool in the evenings. We came upon the church in front of Jackson Square Park and a gorgeous sunset.
Somewhere in the distance, there were bagpipes sounding. We followed the pleasant shrillness of the pipes and found a spot near the Mississippi where people just sit and enjoy the scenery. It’s a perfect place to settle down after a day within this bustling city.
9. Have Lunch at Mother’s Cafe
Our first meal in New Orleans was in pursuit of crawfish anything, of course. And we were recommended to visit Mother’s Restaurant just a few blocks around the corner from the Pelham Hotel. They’ve been around since 1938 and hold a great deal of history in serving soldiers who passed through.
They are known for the World’s Best Baked Ham and their Thursday white bean soup special is to die for. But you can find po boys, etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and a whole bunch more.
The best first meal to have once you get to NOLA in my opinion.
10. Listen to Jazz Music at the Preservation Hall
For this jazzy adventure, definitely order your tickets in advance. There is incredibly limited seating in the Preservation Hall. You can get tickets the day you arrive, but you may find yourself sitting on the floor or standing in the back.
If you want a good seat above the small crowd, you can buy a bench seat for around $40 – $60 a person for a 45 minutes show. If you plan on getting pictures of the show, don’t bother, they will stop playing if they see your phone out. They want you to spend your time enjoying music in the moment rather than trying to capture it on your phone to show your friends back home.
I enjoyed the mystery of the hall and that they encouraged us to be present with the music. It was a truly incredible night with these talented musicians and I highly recommend it to people visiting New Orleans for the first time.
Tell Me About Your Journey!
What are some of your favorite things to do in New Orleans that don’t involve partying? Leave us your recommendations in the comments!
