<p>Going to NOLA for the first time ever for a long weekend in early December with DH. We have our hotel in French Quarter; now looking for some restaurant suggestions. Restaurants: we’d like one “special” place and the rest casual - just looking for good food! No price restrictions. I don’t think we’ll be renting a car (do we need one?) One other question: what are the "must-do"s there? Thanks!</p>
<p>For casual you MUST go to The Joint in the far corner of the Bywater (I was just there a few weeks ago) OMG!!! I would walk across hot coals for that brisket!</p>
<p><a href=“http://alwayssmokin.com/”>http://alwayssmokin.com/</a></p>
<p>I loved the sculpture garden at City Park - I wouldn’t recommend the adjacent museum though. You can take a street car up Canal to the end an that is the entrance to the park. The sculpture garden is free.</p>
<p>Our current favourite restaurants are: Palace Café, Redfish Grill and Ralph’s on the Park. Ralphs is not in the Quarter, but you can take a cab. Commander’s Palace in the Garden District (you can take the streetcar) is great for brunch on the weekends. </p>
<p>Lots to do in New Orleans. We like going to Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World to see all of the Mardi Gras floats. And the D-Day Museum is excellent. Walking tours of the Quarter are usually fun too. The ghost tours are fun and silly - if you don’t take it too seriously. Definitely take a streetcar ride. </p>
<p>If you are spry and somewhat adventuresome you can go to the Second Line parade. The routes will be posted on Friday before the Sunday parade. We took a cab to the start of the route then had a plan for where we would cut back out to the main street to get a cab back. It was a peak experience . . . nothing like it! While we were at it we saw neighborhoods that we would never see otherwise and it was just a sea of really happy, friendly humanity.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2014/08/21/2014-2015-2nd-line-season-schedule”>http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2014/08/21/2014-2015-2nd-line-season-schedule</a></p>
<p><a href=“Takin' It To The Streets | WWOZ New Orleans 90.7 FM”>http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/inthestreet</a></p>
<p>Both those web sites are also great for seeing who is playing where. They will update closer to your trip. Are you staying over Sunday night?</p>
<p>Central grocery in FQ. Best muffaletta around. A grocery with a counter. Great food. Buy some Praline liqueur while you’re there.
Lots of great high end places. Commander’s Palace is a great experience. Garden district, Best food/dining ever. If there is a special occasion mention it in your reservations.
Emeril’s is wonderful. Warehouse district. (taxi and worth it).
I’m getting hungry… there are lots of great places in NO–it’s hard to not find great food.
Pat O’Briens is an icon.</p>
<p>You won’t need a car but wear good shoes. The taxi from the airport to town is a bit long–get your driver to tell you about things as you drive in–with a good driver it’s like having a private tour.</p>
<p>Visit the cemeteries–Ask at the hotel before starting off on your own (there are areas you don’t want to be) and get suggestions. We happened upon someone offering a tour which was really fun.</p>
<p>Visit the garden district (CP is here).</p>
<p>Many tours are available depending on your interests. But for a long weekend and first timer you won’t have time to do anything but explore the city and have a great time.</p>
<p>Don’t go to cemeteries on your own for safety. We did a 2 hour Treme walking tour which was excellent and small - just us and another couple. It was a 2 hour history lesson really with interspersed walking - not a death march. We saw lots of people on “ghost tours” which I would avoid like the plague. They were about 25 people and a corny, yelling guide and just didn’t look that fun. The Treme tours leave at 10am every morning. Our guide was Robin who was excellent.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.groupon.com/biz/new-orleans/french-quarter-phantoms-1”>https://www.groupon.com/biz/new-orleans/french-quarter-phantoms-1</a></p>
<p>We went to NO on our honeymoon eons ago and try to go back every 5 years.<br>
Well, we went everywhere of course on our honeymoon and had a great time. We went back 25 years later and went to the area where our first hotel was and the close cemetery. Had another great time but we shoulda got a clue…the nearby little grocery had bars on the windows…not a good sign. We got back to the hotel and talked to the concierge about other things to do. She about had a heart attack when she found out where we had been…</p>
<p>This isn’t to scare you (you MUST visit the cemeteries!) but don’t go into the cemeteries in deserted areas in the oldest parts of town (garden district is pretty safe). Especially if you are alone. The safety issue is that the graves are above ground and close together which gives ample hiding space to unsavory characters… Be watchful.</p>
<p>Here is my NOLA food thread from before our trip. There are lots of good suggestions in there.</p>
<p><a href=“Favorite places to eat in NOLA - Parent Cafe - College Confidential Forums”>Favorite places to eat in NOLA - Parent Cafe - College Confidential Forums;
<p>I was just there for the first time this past July. H had been there twice before as a group of faculty, staff and students from his college went down after Katrina to help rebuild.</p>
<p>We stayed in the Marriott on Canal Street. For restaurants, we very much enjoyed Oceana Grill. Very friendly people and great food. We liked it so much for dinner, we went back for breakfast, and that too was delicious. </p>
<p>For activities, I highly recommend the World War II museum. We spent three hours there and I could have spent more. It was truly amazing. We walked along the riverwalk and also took a paddle wheel boat ride that was cool. </p>
<p>As we were meeting up with a group on two of our nights there, it kind of limited our restaurants and activities, so it would be interesting to visit NO again.</p>
<p>Go read the Tulane thread for a ton of great restaurant recommendations. My s just moved from NOLA after 6 years.No more foodie trips :(</p>
<p>Wow…thank you all! I knew I’d come to the right place 
I’m a little spooked by the cemetery warnings, but glad to know. I’d assume that going with a tour would be OK though? I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t totally think plans through before booking our tickets. We’re leaving on Thursday morning and coming home early afternoon on Sunday. I saw that the Saints have a noon home game; I would’ve gotten tickets for that and planned for Fri - Monday instead of Thurs-Sun. Oh well!<br>
Megpmom - a friend told me about the Mardi Gras museum; since we won’t actually be there for MG, I think that might be fun to see the floats, etc.<br>
I can’t wait to start looking into all of the restaurant suggestions! Saintsfan - " I would walk across hot coals for that brisket!" What an endorsement…I think I will have to put that one on our list!
Thanks again!</p>
<p>You are there great days for music though. As it gets closer I can give you some recommendations. Cemetery tours are just fine - you just don’t want to wander around them on your own. I would absolutely do to The Joint for lunch one day. </p>
<p>Thanks, saintfan!</p>
<p>I’m from New Orleans. I would recommend for the cemetery, going to St. Louis Number 3. It is on Esplanade Avenue, where it meets City Park Avenue. From here, you can go to City Park and see the sculpture garden. Not far away is Parkway Bakery, which has the best po boys. St. Louis No. 3 is not in a scary part of town, a beautiful cemetery, and I go there often by myself, it’s where my family is buried. You can also take the streetcar down Canal Street and also along St. Charles Avenue, the best thing to do in NOLA. There are some great restaurants in Mid City. Mandina’s is awesome! Palace Cafe on Canal Street near the Quarter is very good, if you want to go to a Brennan’s restaurant. K Paul’s did not disappoint for our 30th anniversary dinner a couple of years ago. Make reservations. Don’t know if you picked a place to stay, but the Omni Royal Orleans on St. Louis and Royal is very nice. Walking distance to K Pauls and the Quarter. Safe. Music played outside your window day and night. Wonderful street musicians. Enjoy!</p>
<p>I am still longing for all that food that we didn’t have time to eat!</p>
<p>I kind of had my heart set on that oyster artichoke soup at Mandina’s</p>
<p>This cracked me up. Pay particular attention to #4 LOL on “perfected the art of sandwiching” 
</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.clickhole.com/article/8-things-only-people-your-state-understand-1126?utm_campaign=default&utm_medium=ShareTools&utm_source=facebook”>http://www.clickhole.com/article/8-things-only-people-your-state-understand-1126?utm_campaign=default&utm_medium=ShareTools&utm_source=facebook</a></p>
<p>Thanks @montegut! I am cutting and pasting all of these comments into a document to take with us. Can’t wait! :)</p>