<p>Help me out here, I am thinking about going to New Orleans for a long weekend, 3-4 days. This is purely a pleasure trip. Probably between the end of April and Memorial day.
Suggestions??</p>
<p>We were there for a few days right after Christmas. Here’s the thread where people gave me great advice about what to do and see: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/782072-christmas-new-orleans.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/782072-christmas-new-orleans.html</a></p>
<p>The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is April 23 through May 2 this year. Both weekends are huge events at the Fairgrounds with incredible music and authentic New Orleans cuisine. Here’s a link. Be sure to check out the music schedule:</p>
<p>[New</a> Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival | April 23 - May 2, 2010](<a href=“http://www.nojazzfest.com/]New”>http://www.nojazzfest.com/)</p>
<p>If you can still get hotel reservations, I highly recommend going on a weekend of the Jazz Fest. We’re going this year for the first time since Hurricane Katrina and we can hardly wait. It’s so much fun!!</p>
<p>Mke sure you make a reservation to eat at Mr. B’s in the french quarter–I’ve been many to New Orleans many time and love it!! Also, stay in or near the quarter-- there are areas that are not safe–also beware of the -I bet I know where you got your shoes scam-- the person bets you and the answer is always-- on the street!</p>
<p>Justamomof4, we’re going there for Spring Break! D has to be back early for a drill team trip, but we’ll have 4 days which should be about perfect. I’m ususally a meticulous trip planner, but all I’ve done so far is booked flights and hotel.</p>
<p>There’s lots of good advice over on the Tulane thread. Set time frame to “past year.”</p>
<p>Experts, if you had time for a day trip out of the city, would it be to see one or more plantations, or to “cajun country” or somewhere else? (We’re renting a car.) I don’t know how I feel about plantation tours…I love to visit old homes…are they sensitively done?</p>
<p>We enjoyed the swamp tour we went on with the kids. I never knew that alligators liked MARSHMELLOWS of all things! Loved the oysters rockafeller!</p>
<p>I have only one piece of advice: don’t go to Bourbon Street first. See some other parts of the city, and even of the French Quarter, before you go there.</p>
<p>My husband “kidnapped” me from work in December and took me to New Orleans for a long weekend to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. He had packed all my clothes, shoes, jewelry, makeup, etc. He also made all the reservations and had everything planned for the entire long weekend. It was fabulous and I didn’t have to do a single thing except HAVE FUN! We had such a fabulous time. We stayed at a B&B in the Garden District and took the trolley back and forth into the French Quarter. Some of the places we visited that I highly recommend (in no particular order):
- Commander’s Palace - we enjoyed a fabulous anniversary brunch there and they treated us like royalty. Fabulous atmosphere with live music (jazz band). The band had all of us join in for the second line dance.
- **Coop’s Place ** - delicious red beans and rice!<br>
- Cafe Du Monde - DO NOT leave N.O. without stopping here for the most fabulous beignets.
- Brennan’s Restaurant - a MUST for breakfast. Expensive but well worth it.
- Napoleon House - wonderful muffaletta sandwiches.
- New Orlean’s School of Cooking - this was SOOOO much fun! We had reservations to take a cooking class there and we learned to make red beans and rice, spectacular cornbread, pecan pie and pralines. YUM! There was a class of approximately 20 people and Big Kev was our chef. He was so much fun and made everything look so easy.<br>
- Preservation Hall - this is THE place to listen to live music - be sure to go early as a line forms outside approximately one hour before the doors open.</p>
<p>HAVE FUN!!! You can’t help but have fun in NOLA!</p>
<p>p.s. wilners - note regarding Mr. B’s. We did eat dinner there one night and didn’t have a very good experience. My husband was SO disappointed because he had read such fabulous things and that was our special anniversary dinner. He was so upset with our service that he e-mailed the manager and told them how disappointed he was - she refunded the $100+ that we had spent there. It has made us decide we will definitely give them another shot the next time we’re in New Orleans.</p>
<p>I love New Orleans … this is a summary of my first 3 day trip for a business conference to NO …</p>
<p>Breakfast - Cafe Du Monde beignets … warned to only eat a couple … they are TREMENDOUS so I eat about 6 … they are esssentially fried doe so they eventually explode in my stomach.</p>
<p>Lunch - after the beignets decide to have a calm salad for lunch … instead go for the blackened fish wish was TREMENDOUS … so now my stomach is burning from spice to go with the exploding fried doe </p>
<p>Dinner - after breakfast and lunch decide to go for a calm lunch … instead go for the gumbo which of course is TREMENDOUS … my stomach is not happy with me</p>
<p>(footnote … we wander up and down Bourbon Street where for free we hear Jazz that puts any Jazz we’ve ever heard to shame)</p>
<p>Morning of day 2 … my stomach is still grumbling so I’m going to take it easy … </p>
<p>We got to Cafe Du Monde and I end up eating 6 beignets again …</p>
<p>Etc - etc - for 3 days</p>
<p>Just could not not eat the amazing food although by the time I left my stomach was ready to kill me! I loved the trip … I’m sure you’ll love your trip also.</p>
<p>3togo, you sounds like my kind of girl/guy!</p>
<p>splashmom - where did you stay in the garden district?</p>
<p>I might have a chance to go for 2-3 day in late June. Is it really hot there then?</p>
<p>3bysmom, we stayed at The Grand Victorian B&B on St. Charles Avenue. The owner, Bonnie, is very kind and helpful. The location is very nice and there is a trolley stop just outside the front door. We bought a three day pass for $12 each (available from our innkeeper) which allowed us to use the trolley as much as we liked. We stayed in the Rosedown Room which was on the first floor of the B&B. If I stayed there again, I would choose another room as we could hear the very early risers that came down to the breakfast room (near our room) each morning. It’s the first time I’ve ever stayed at a B&B and I’m not sure it’s totally for me, but I did enjoy our stay. Although I appreciate the architecture and design of an older building, I tend to enjoy staying in newer facilities when out of town. Enjoy your trip. I’m ready to go back!!!</p>
<p>I’m local so here’s my advice:</p>
<p>Cafe Du Monde for Coffee and Beignets (as many have already mentioned). It’s also right across from Jackson Square and the St. Louis cathedral. </p>
<p>Cochon for an authentic cajun dinner in a nice but not stuffy location: [Cochon</a> Restaurant](<a href=“http://www.cochonrestaurant.com%5DCochon”>http://www.cochonrestaurant.com)</p>
<p>Carriage ride through the quarter (never done one in 20 years here but might be worthwhile for a visitor)</p>
<p>Streetcar ride on the St. Charles Route.</p>
<p>Shopping on Magazine street (much cheaper than Royal Street.)</p>
<p>Franky and Johnny’s is a good ‘dive’ place that locals eat at : <a href=“http://www.frankyandjohnnys.com/[/url]”>http://www.frankyandjohnnys.com/</a></p>
<p>Also, another GREAT ‘dive’ restaurant that’s famous is Mother’s : [Mother’s</a> Restaurant - New Orleans - World’ Best Baked Ham - 401 Poydras, New Orleans, LA 70130 Tel: 504-523-9656](<a href=“http://mothersrestaurant.net/]Mother’s”>http://mothersrestaurant.net/)</p>
<p>For plantations, the most famous one nearby is Oak Alley, [Oak</a> Alley Plantation - Visiting, Bed & Breakfast, Groups & Private Events, and About Us](<a href=“http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/]Oak”>http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/)</p>
<p>If you have specific questions ect., I’d be glad to answer what I can. Also, keep in mind that New Orleans is and can very easily be a walking city (Oak Alley being the exception) so you don’t necessarily need a car for 90% of the city.</p>
<p>HImom recommended a swamp tour and I’d second that as well. </p>
<p>NOLA’s is a good place to eat as well that’s more casual that Commanders : <a href=“http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/2/NOLA-Restaurant/welcome[/url]”>http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/2/NOLA-Restaurant/welcome</a></p>
<p>I always recommend at least a couple casual places since some aren’t used to walking around in the heat and want someplace that they can just walk in without needing to ‘dress up.’ Also, it’s in the Quarter and walkable to from Jackson Square, ect. within 5 minutes.</p>
<p>If you have time, Commanders really is one of the top restaurants in the US but it’s outside the Quarter. You could technically take the streetcar however. <a href=“http://www.commanderspalace.com/[/url]”>http://www.commanderspalace.com/</a> Jacket is required and obviously no shorts. So be aware of that before you trek all the way down there. It’s fantastic and worth sprucing up for.</p>
<p>Best Inexpensive Eats: </p>
<p>Yes, Cafe Du Monde, as others have said.</p>
<p>The Central Grocery’s take out muffallettas brought my wife back in time to her East Boston Italian family roots with sandwiches groaning with Italian cold cuts and cheeses. </p>
<p>Acme Oyster House on Iberville in the French Quarter has great po’boys, is always crowded with locals and is quite reasonable.</p>
<p>Camellia’s Diner is at the big corner after the garden district on the St. Charles streetcar line, and was a great combination of a streetcar tour of New Orleans and ecstatically wonderful omeletes and pecan waffles.</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>Two restaurants I like that no one mentioned: Galatoire’s (it’s a New Orleans institution) and Birgtsen’s. Brigtsen’s isn’t in the French Quarter, but IMO it’s fun to go out into the city and the food is great. I’d second the recommendation for Commander’s palace. We went to a Sunday brunch.</p>
<p>In November, we went to NOLA for our wedding anniversary. We’d been there numerous times, but this was the first time back since the Katrina. For that trip, we stayed at the Soniat House. We’ve also stayed at the Windsor Court on other trips. Both were very nice; Soniat is much smaller and it has a great courtyard area.</p>
<p>We’ve done a fair amount of sight-seeing: went on a walking tour of the Garden District, which I enjoyed. Also did a tour of the French Quarter (that was through the National Park Service). H and I drove out to see Oak Alley Plantation–it was well done. My Ds and I went on the swamp tour. It seemed a little too “staged” for my taste, but my kids liked it. I liked the Audubon Aquarium. You can take a trolley to it from the French Quarter. If you like art galleries and antiques of all kinds–walk through the French quarter, especially Royal Street or Magazine St. Have fun. NOLA is a great place to visit.</p>
<p>You guys are fantastic!<br>
We will be staying in a French hotel in the French Quarter. Probably won’t rent a car.
Bourbon Street is definitely on the list!
Thanks for all the food suggestions. I feel like I need to lose 20 lbs before the trip - lol!</p>
<p>Splashmom - can you clone your hubby? ;)</p>