1 week in New Orleans

Old Jan 14th, 2012, 10:36 AM
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1 week in New Orleans

staying at the Quarter House in late October. Is there enough to do for a whole week? or do we need to plan day trips with a rental car? any suggestions?
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Old Jan 14th, 2012, 11:00 AM
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A week in NOLA is perfect. Rent a car and take a plantation tour. Destrehan is the closest Plantation Home to NOLA. Take I 10 W to Exit 220 just W of the NOLA airport and go S on I 310 to Exit 6 just before you reach the river. Turn and go E to the home. They offer tours daily except major holidays.
Destrehan Plantation @ 13034 River Road, Destrehan, LA 985 - 764 - 8785.
http://www.destrehanplantation.org/
Laura, Evergreen and Oak Alley are within 10 miles of each other. You can reach these homes in about an hour. Evergreen and Laura are very good tours that are presented from a historical perspective.
Take I 10 E to Exit 194 and take Highway 641 S to Gramercy Bridge. Cross the river and turn right on Highway 18 and go W to Laura Plantation. The tour information is available at the LP website. Tours are available daily except holidays. To get to Evergreen Plantation take a left when you cross Gramercy Bridge and go E on Highway 18/River Road. Evergreen Plantation is a working plantation with 37 buildings in the National Register of Historial Places. Tours are available daily.
Laura Plantation @ 2247 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 225 - 265 - 7690.
http://www.lauraplantation.com/
Evergreen Plantation @ 4649 Louisiana 18, Edgard, LA 985 - 497 - 3837.
http://www.evergreenplantation.org/
After you tour Laura Plantation and/or Evergreen go W on Highway 18 to Oak Alley Plantation. You can view the home from the Highway and see the grand oak trees lining the driveway from the river road to the house. Take pictures from the road. There's no use touring OA. It's not very impressive.
Oak Alley Plantation @ 3645 Highway 18, Vacherie, LA 225 - 265 - 2151.
http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/
There's a nice B&B on a small farm near Vacherie, LA if you decide to spend a night in the area.
Cottage on the Farm @ 19637 Hwy. 643, Vacherie, LA 504 - 289 - 0923 or 225 - 265 - 4654.
http://www.cottageonthefarm.com/
You can have lunch at B & C Seafood down the road from Laura.
B & C Seafood Market and Cajun Restaurant @ 2155 Louisiana 18, Vacherie, LA 225 - 265 - 8356.
Or you could have lunch after you leave OA at Grapevine Cafe and Gallery. Drive W on Highway 18 to Donaldsonville, LA and have lunch at Grapevine Cafe.
Grapevine Cafe and Gallery @ 211 Railroad Avenue, Donaldsonville, LA 225 - 473 - 8463.
http://www.grapevinecafeandgallery.com/
After lunch take Highway 1 NW to White Castle to Nottoway Plantation and tour this home. It's a working B&B and has a nice restaurant. It's one of the most beautiful plantation homes IMO. It's about an hour and a half from NOLA.
Nottoway Plantation @ 31025 Louisiana Highway 1, White Castle, LA 225 - 545 - 2992.
http://www.nottoway.com/
Take Highway 1 back SE to Donaldsonville, LA and cross the Highway 70 Bridge. Turn left on Highway 44/River Road and go NW to Houmas House which is another very beautiful home. It's about an hour from NOLA to Houmas. Lunch and dinner is served there if you are interested. They offer tours daily and also offer a tour that will pick you up in the FQ in NOLA at 10:30 AM and returns around 4 PM. You ride in a 32 passenger bus and get to watch a video presentation of Houmas Plantation on your drive to the home. If you want to stay at a plantation Houmas House has one cottage. If it's booked, half a mile down the road is Bocage Plantation and it's a B&B. On the other side of the river, Oak Alley has cottages too.
I would suggest planning your trip to have dinner at Houmas House. It's upscale, fine dining, and reservations are required. But if you end up there at lunch time, the casual lunch is wonderful! Nice menu with lots to choose from. Check out the menus online: www.houmashouse.com
Houmas House Plantation @ 40136 Hwy 942, Darrow, LA 225 - 473 - 9380.
http://www.houmashouse.com/
You could also dine at Cabin Restaurant which is near Houmas House. Bocage Plantation is a nice B&B open for tours near Houmas House.
Cabin Restaurant @ 5405 Highway 44 # Msc 85, Gonzales, LA 225 - 473 - 3007.
http://www.thecabinrestaurant.com/
Bocage Plantation @ 39050 Louisiana 942, Darrow, LA 225 - 588 - 8000.
http://www.bocageplantation.com/
You should be able to drive from the FQ to Houmas House or Nottoway in an hour depending on traffic. You should be able to drive to Evergreen, Laura, and Oak Alley in less than an hour. The roads are good and it's a safe drive.
Driving on the River Road is slow and there is not much to see. You can't see the river because of the levee. Don't depend on your GPS to get from the Laura/Oak Alley area to the Nottoway/Houmas area. Use a road map.
Littleman is offline  
Old Jan 14th, 2012, 11:03 AM
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Plantation Adventures has a combo plantation/swamp tour. You will tour two plantations in the morning and then have a great lunch overlooking Lake Pontchartrain at Frenier's Landing. After lunch you will go on a swamp tour. They will pick you up.
www.plantationadventure.com/tour_details.php…
If you decide to take your car on a plantation tour stop by Frenier's Landing for good seafood.
If you want great fresh seafood and an outstanding view of Lake Pontchartrain get off I 10 at Exit 209 and go N on Highway 51 one mile to Peavine Road. Take a right and go another mile to Frenier Landing Restaurant. The Crab Trap is also a great place for fresh seafood next door to Frenier Landing. CT is only open Thursday/Friday/Saturday for dinnner.
Frenier Landing Restaurant @ Peavine Road, LaPlace, LA 985 - 224 - 2178.
http://www.frenierlanding.com/
Crab Trap @ 100 Peavine Road, Laplace, LA 985 - 651 - 4150.
urbanspoon.com/r/…Crab-Trap-Laplace

MAGAZINE STREET.............
Take the St. Charles streetcar to Washington and walk two blocks to Commander’s Palace and enjoy their weekday $20.00 lunch special and 25 cent martini’s. After lunch walk 3 blocks to Magazine Street and visit the neat shops and stores in the 3,000 to 5,000 block area. You can take the Magazine Street bus back to the FQ or walk back to St. Charles and catch the streetcar.
http://www.magazinestreet.com/
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Old Jan 14th, 2012, 11:05 AM
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. There are some great places for cheap eats in the FQ.
Red Gravy is the best place in the FQ area for breakfast or lunch. It’s just a block W of Canal. Take Chartres St. to Camp from the FQ. El Gato Negro is a great Mexican place in the French Market for lunch or dinner and breakfast on the weekends. Mena's Palace is a local's favorite that serves NOLA comfort food for breakfast and lunch.. They serve 25/30 different po boys. Johnny's Po Boy's is in the FQ on St. Louis and has outstanding po boys. Felipe's has great Mexican food using local ingredients. Clover Grill is open 24/7 for breakfast and good burgers and it's inexpensive. Rampart Food Store has good po boys. Antoine's has 25 cent martini's at lunch. Commerce Restaurant is a couple of blocks W of Canal in walking distance of FQ and has good inexpensive breakfast and lunch. Buffa's Lounge has good tamales.They have a great Sunday Jazz brunch. Daisy Dukes serves good breakfast, lunch and dinner open 24/7.
Red Gravy @ 125 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 504 – 561 – 8844.
http://www.redgravycafe.com/
El Gato Negro @ 81 French Market Place, New Orleans, LA 504 - 525 - 9752.
http://elgatonegronola.com/
Mena's Palace @ 200 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 525 - 0217.
http://www.menaspalace.com/
Johnny's Po Boys @ 511 Saint Louis St., New Orleans, LA 504 - 524 - 8129.
http://www.johnnyspoboy.com/
Felipe's Taqueria @ 301 N. Peters St., New Orleans, LA 504 - 267 - 4406.
http://www.felipesneworleans.com/index.html
Clover Grill @ 900 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 598 - 1010.
http://www.clovergrill.com/
Rampart Food Store @ 1700 North Rampart Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 944 - 7777.
Commerce Restaurant @ 300 Camp St., New Orleans, LA 504 - 561 - 9239.
Buffa's Lounge @ 1001 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 949 - 0038.
http://www.buffaslounge.com/
Daisy Duke's @ 121 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 561 - 5171.
http://www.daisydukesrestaurant.com/
Some of the best dining is in the FQ and the CBD across Canal Street. There's also great restaurants in the Garden District and Uptown. If you are staying in the FQ you will have to take a cab or the streetcar 15 minutes or so Uptown which is not bad. Some people that stay in the FQ prefer to dine there so they can walk. Are you interested in fine dining or casual restaurants. If you prefer to stay in the FQ I like Galatoire's, Muriel's, Bayona, Stella, Irene's, Brennan's, Mr. B's and NOLA. Don't miss lunch at Galatoire's. On Friday there is a party all afternoon so choose your day as you please. Go to The Davenport Lounge at The Ritz Carlton Hotel and listen to Jeremy Davenport's jazz on Friday and Saturday at 9 PM.
Galatoire's @ 209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 504 - 525 - 2021.
http://www.galatoires.com/
Muriel's @ 801 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 568 - 1885.
http://www.muriels.com/html/home.html
Bayona @ 430 Dauphine St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 525 - 4455.
http://www.bayona.com/
Stella Restaurant @ 1032 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 587 - 0091.
http://www.restaurantstella.com/
Irene's Cuisine @ 539 St. Phillip St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 529 - 8811.
Brennan's Restaurant @ Royal St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 525 - 9711.
http://www.brennansneworleans.com/
Mr. B's Bistro @ 201 Royal St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 523 - 2078.
http://www.mrbsbistro.com/index2.php
Nola Restaurant @ 534 Saint Louis St., New Orleans, LA. 504 - 522 - 6652.
http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/2/NOLA-Restaurant/
Littleman is offline  
Old Jan 22nd, 2012, 04:26 PM
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OAK ALLEY DOES HAVE TOURS AND MORE...

The original post stated "Oak Alley does not allow tours." This is not true!!!!

There are 25 acres of historic grounds to tour, besides just the house. I encourage you to take the beautiful house tour [great tour guides], and take an extra hour to tour the historic grounds, have a mint julep, and dine at a fine restaurant.

If you come on specific days, there are either a civil war historian or a working blacksmith on site to answer questions about their areas of interest. See the website for details: oakalleyplantation.org
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Old Jan 22nd, 2012, 04:28 PM
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To see some examples & photos of what 100s of other folks are saying about Oak Alley, visit:

http://www.scoop.it/t/oakalleyplantation-things-to-see
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Old Jan 22nd, 2012, 05:32 PM
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If you run or walk for exercise, take the bus or drive to Audubon Park and do the path that circles the park. It is flat as a pancake and just so beautiful. You can also get a look at Tulane while you are there.
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Old Jan 23rd, 2012, 08:59 AM
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Gary - Littleman didn't say that there weren't tours of Oak Alley, just that the tour of the house isn't all that impressive and can be skipped. Of the plantations I have visited along the River Road, it is my least favorite. It isn't that I disliked the tour, it just wasn't as interesting and comprehensive as the others I have seen.

These are the plantations I have visited in order of my personal preference:

1. Houma House
2. Laura
3. San Francisco
4. Oak Alley
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Old Jan 23rd, 2012, 11:28 AM
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One can easily spend more than a week sightseeing in NOLA if you're thorough. See my threads from a while ago:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...experience.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...y-184065-2.cfm

The actually report on the latter post is found later in the thread.

Note well that NOLA is one of the major food destinations in the US, and I'd strongly urge taking as full advantage as possible.

Re Oak Alley -- I liked the tour there and liked the inside of this plantation very much. Also greatly enjoyed Laura and Nottaway, both of which were visited as well. I think they're all well worth seeing.
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Old Jan 23rd, 2012, 12:11 PM
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I agree with bachslunch: It's nice to visit Oak Alley even as a point of contrast to a plantation like Laura. My kids were fascinated with the dining room fan above the table at Oak Alley. The grounds are impressive. I often wonder if OA will host weddings or do they do that already?
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Old Jan 23rd, 2012, 01:10 PM
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" My kids were fascinated with the dining room fan above the table at Oak Alley."

I found that fan interesting too. And since it was generally a slave child who operated the fan, it probably provided a good connection for your kids - something to bring home the idea of slavery a bit.

Like I said, I didn't dislike the tour of Oak Alley, I just didn't like it nearly as much as the others we took. I found the tour to be rather scripted and shallow. Perhaps it was just our guide, but she clearly had a memorized script and couldn't really answer any questions outside of that script. At the other plantations, we had guides who were much more knowledgable. Also, I thought that the fakey "period" clothing that the guides wore was silly. Either make an effort to dress the guides in something that actually looks authentic or don't do it at all.
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Old Jan 23rd, 2012, 01:46 PM
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I agree with you about the cheesey guides OA.
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Old Jan 23rd, 2012, 01:57 PM
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Plantation Adventures has a combo plantation/swamp tour. You will tour two plantations in the morning and then have a great lunch overlooking Lake Pontchartrain at Frenier's Landing. After lunch you will go on a swamp tour. They will pick you up.
www.plantationadventure.com/tour_details.php…
If you decide to take your car on a plantation tour stop by Frenier's Landing for good seafood.
If you want great fresh seafood and an outstanding view of Lake Pontchartrain get off I 10 at Exit 209 and go N on Highway 51 one mile to Peavine Road. Take a right and go another mile to Frenier Landing Restaurant. The Crab Trap is also a great place for fresh seafood next door to Frenier Landing. CT is only open Thursday/Friday/Saturday for dinnner.
Frenier Landing Restaurant @ Peavine Road, LaPlace, LA 985 - 224 - 2178.
http://www.frenierlanding.com/
Crab Trap @ 100 Peavine Road, Laplace, LA 985 - 651 - 4150.
urbanspoon.com/r/…Crab-Trap-Laplace
If you have never been to Middendorf's Restaurant you must stop at Exit 15 off I 55. Go E to Highway 51 and turn right. Go S about a mile to some fine fresh seafood right off the boat. They also serve great salads, gumbo, sandwiches and steaks. Stop to rest even if you don't eat. Get a cold drink and head back.
Middendorf's @ 30160 Highway 51, Akers, LA 985 - 386 - 6666.

Cajun Pride Swamp Tours @ 110 Frenier, LaPlace, LA 985 - 651 - 4477. AIRBOAT.
http://www.cajunprideswamptours.com/
http://www.plantationadventure.com/t...ails.php?tid=9
Honey Island Swamp Tour @ 41490 Crawford Road, Slidell, LA 985 - 641 - 1769.
http://www.honeyislandswamp.com/
Tours by Isabelle @ 5163 General De Gaulle Drive, New Orleans, LA 504 - 398 - 0365.
http://www.toursbyisabelle.com/
Airboat Adventures @ 5145 Fleming Park Road, Lafitte, Louisiana 504 – 689 – 2005.
http://www.airboatadventures.com/
Littleman is offline  
Old Apr 25th, 2012, 09:25 PM
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