Jacee

We'll be flying in to New Orleans, arriving early evening mid-July with our 12 year old son and 16 yo daughter, and staying in Metairie for 3 nights.

I've already read the several threads on where to dine, but I'm not sure which of the many fabulous restaurants mentioned would be good for a casual family with a finicky 12 year old, so any help there would be much appreciated.

Since we're arriving late in the day, I figure we won't have time for much else besides dinner that evening. We're planning to head to the FQ early the next day....Is the parking lot behind Cafe du Monde the best bet? The hotel offers a shuttle, but we like the freedom of having the car, especially since I think we'd like to go exploring greater NO in the afternoon.

My 16 year old wants to check out the Tulane and Loyola campuses. I'd love to tour the Garden District, but doubt that will be much of a hit with the kids, so any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Our second full day, we plan to do a morning swamp tour, then drive out River Road to see some plantations.

The third morning, we'll be heading out to Navarre just for 1 night, then on to Disney World. How long should the trip to Navarre take on a Saturday? We'd like to take the scenic route, but will traffic be a nightmare? Would it be better to just take the interstate and get there as quick as we can so we can enjoy our 1 day there?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Oh, and yes, we're already aware that the weather will likely be miserable, and bugs could be awful, too. We'll take our adventures as they come.

Jacee

Wayne

Right in Metairie there is a wonderful restaurant that is known by a woman's name and is well known by all the locals. I am having a senior moment, so I can't think of the name of the restaurant, but I would bet someone around you will know. I believe the kind of food they serve (sorta simply country Cajun and seafood plus other stuff) would satisfy most any finicky kid. Other than that, I wouldn't want to venture a suggestion because I have no idea what kind of likes or dislikes your 12 year old has.

When you mentioned the parking lot behind Cafe du Monde, I really couldn't think of its exact location. But the lot next to the old Jax brewery is never full and you should find a spot there easily, especially in the early morning. It's pretty central to the entire FQ, but it is several blocks from Cafe du Monde and the French market area.

Your objective of exploring greater NO is a noble one, but I honestly think there isn't a whole lot of exploring to do unless you just like to drive around with absolutely no objective. I'd suggest that if you drive, which I do all the time in NO, you map out 2 or 3 specific destinations and then just see what you can see on your way there. Obviously, two of your objectives are the two colleges, and to get there you will drive through some interesting parts of the city. And if you want to see the Garden District at all, just drive through a few blocks in that area.

I would recommend that you limit your scenic driving by taking I-10 to Bay St Louis, then US90 to Ocean Springs, then back to I-10 to Pensacola, then south through old Pensacola to US98, then east to Navarre. If you follow this route, you will probably require around 3 hours. Aside from the routes I mentioned, there isn't a whole lot of scenery unless you want to take every little coastal road from NO to Florida. I wouldn't advise that because it would probably take most of a day. The fastest route on the interstate will probably take about 2 hours.

I assume you know that Navarre to Disney World is a fairly long drive, probably about 6 to 7 hours depending on your route and the number of stops. Personally, I don't use I-75 but instead I jump off I-10 onto US 19 a few miles east of Tallahassee, then pick up US 27 to Ocala, then back to I-75 and the Florida Turnpike to get to Disney World. This route is just as fast and is for the portions on US 19 very quiet and not heavily trafficked. And the stretch of US 27 heading into Ocala is lovely, passing lots of manicured horse farms.

I have taken much too long. Good luck.

Jacee

Wayne,

Thanks so much for your detailed response. Perhaps you were thinking of Muriel's? I saw it mentioned quite a bit in the other threads.

Regarding our exploring, we actually do like to just drive around a bit and see what there is to see. I figured we would follow St. Charles St. and take some detours along the way.

Thanks for the driving suggestions to Navarre and Orlando. I was figuring 7 to 8 hours to Orlando, so I'm pleasantly surprised to hear it may be a bit less.

ccolor

Instead of driving St. Charles, why don't you take the streetcar? It's a nice ride and everybody can look all they want instead of the driver needing to concentrate on strange roads.

Jacee

Yes, my husband and I have taken the street car in the past, so we know how pleasant it is. This time we'd like the freedom of being able to stop and start as we wish, or to turn off St. Charles and drive a bit deeper into the surrounding neighborhoods.

From our last visit, I know there are high-end antique stores in the FQ, but I recall there was a street (maybe Decatur?) with some antique shops which carried more vintage and tag-sale type items. I like to pick up small tsotchkies from these types of places for souveniers and gifts. Somewhere that the kids could get an ice-cream cone or something while I take 15 or 20 minutes to browse a couple of stores would be great. Any ideas?

Jacee

Wayne

The more reasonably priced antique shops are located along Magazine Street, mainly. They are scattered along a number of blocks so you'll need to park and just wander down one side of the street and back up the other. You will find isolated antique shops in other areas around the city, but Royal Street and Magazine Street have the biggest concentrations.

And as far as the drive to Orlando is concerned, I'm the type who drives hard and stops rarely -- so the extra hour in your estimate could be close. If you do follow the route on US 19 I suggested, most of it will be unimpeded except for the town of Perry and for a few caution lights until you get to the Suwanee River bridge. There's a park there (to the right just over the bridge) that has picnic tables overlooking the Suwanee and is a good place to stop for a picnic lunch. The town there is Fanning Springs.
From Fanning Springs to US27 (it's really Alternate US 27 from Chiefland to Ocala), you'll go through a few small towns.

In case you don't want to stop for a picnic in Fanning Springs, go on a few miles farther to Chiefland and find Bell's Cafeteria, an incredible place in a shopping mall area that is located right on US19. It's an all-you-can-eat kind of place with great fresh seafood and other country food and fresh vegetables. It will be a real eating experience; and don't forget the self-serve soft ice cream that's also all you can eat. Don't let the appearance of the outside of the place fool you. If you have trouble finding it, it should be on the west side of US19 just past the intersection of US 27.

I'd almost guarantee your kids will find something they like to eat at Bell's. Enjoy your trip.

bradshawgirl

Jacee -
If you're planning on eating at Cafe du Monde for breakfast, and there is a line (and there will be, if you don't get there early), just hop across the street to Cafe Beignet. Same food, never a line.

For lunch, you might try Madeline's in Jackson Square. French bistro-type stuff: hams and cheeses wrapped in puff pastry, soups, quiches, great desserts, etc.

In the FQ, Royal Street IS where the high-end antique shops are. IMHO, I think Magazine Street's shops are high-end, too. You are correct in your assumption - there is much more affordable shopping to be had on Decatur. (I love "Feet First!" It's not antiques; rather, it's a shoe and hand-bag heaven! And the prices are reasonable, too. I bet that you and your daughter would LOVE it.)

For upscale eats in the quarter, there's Arnuad's, Galatoire's, and House of Bourbon, among others. You will drop some serious change for a family of four at these establishments, however. For cheaper eats, I usually head over to Felix's. (I think most people go there for the fresh oysters, which are good, but over-priced for New Orleans. Last time I was there, I got fried oysters and my companion got crawfish etouffee. Both were reasonably priced.)

As far as what else there is to do in a day in/near the FQ, I recommend the Aquarium of the Americas. My husband and I are around thirty, and we still love going there.

Jacee

Thanks for all the tips. Feet First sounds like a very dangerous place!

I don't think we'll be doing any of the high-end eateries on this trip, but the other places sound great.

My husband and I were in NO about 5 years ago, and I just can't wait to go back with the kids. I wish we had more time, but this trip is really more for the kids than for us, and Disney World beckons.

Jacee

TripleSecDelay

Not trying to start a riot here, but I'm trying to figure out what the menu at Cafe Beignet shares with Cafe du Monde - beyond beignets. As far as I could tell from our visit on April 30th, CdM serves only beverages and beignets.

J_Correa

When my husband and I went to NO a few years ago, we bought transit passes which were good for unlimited rides on the street cars and buses. This was terrific for a garden district tour because we could hop on and off the street cars at any stop.

Both driving and riding/walking have their pluses and minuses. Thinking back to when I was a kid on vacation with my parents, walking and taking public transportation generally seemed to be more interesting. Riding in the car was more like just being hauled around.

Jacee

Yes, I was wondering about the difference between the Cafe du Monde and Cafe Beignet, also.

Regarding the public transportation vs. car, I agree there are definitely times when public transportation is the way to go, in fact, it usually is. I won't bore you with our family circumstances, but for this particular trip, keeping the option of driving our own rental car makes the most sense.

Jacee