Things to do in New Orleans on a budget
Sep 30th, 2004, 07:32 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Things to do in New Orleans on a budget
I put this list together for a friend that's visiting New Orleans very soon. I stand by it and wouldn't change a thing. It took me about 5 hours to get it right. Enjoy!
Walk around the French Market and flea market. Have beignets at Cafe du Monde. CDM is across from Jackson Square. Go to St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square. Open except during masses, funerals, or weddings. Avoid Saturday evening. On either side of the Cathedral are the Presbytere and the Cabildo. Both are now museums. Grab a mufaletta at Central Grocery (923 Decatur across from the French Market). You can dine in, but get it to go with some sodas and have a picnic on the Mississippi River.
Walk down Royal Street. Lots of shops and street performers. M.S. Rau at 630 Royal St. is huge and has some very unique antiques.
Audubon Institute runs Aquarium of the Americas (at Canal St. and the River), IMAX theater at the same location (check web site for current movie and be sure to make reservations when you arrive in New Orleans. Schools can fill this up), and Audubon Zoo. Hours and ticket information available at www.auduboninstitute.org. Skip the riverboat cruise to the Zoo. Either ride the streetcar or drive. The trip upriver is pretty "industrial" and not alot to see. And, you are dependent on the boat's schedule to see the zoo. Parking at the zoo is free, so there's no reason not to drive.
Take the St. Charles Ave. street car to see the American side of New Orleans. Huge ante-bellum homes with tons of oak trees and mansions. When the streetcar turns (there is only one turn once you get on St. Charles Ave.), you can ride to the end (another 8-10 blocks), or get off and have lunch or a snack at Camellia Grill. Ask the conductor when to get off for Camellia Grill. Car fare is $1.25/person each way and exact fare is required.
Get on the Canal St. street car and take a ride to City Park. Ask the conductor to be sure you are getting on the correct car. You need the "spur" that goes to the Park. When the car gets to the end of the line, you can go to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden (free) and see about $2 million in "yard art." No picnics allowed here. Across the street is the New Orleans Botanical Gardens. The train garden is awesome. Allow 1/2 day for this trip. You can go to the New Orleans Museum of Art, but I don't think teenagers would find this very interesting. The recent Egyptian exhibit was awesome, but I don't think they have anything special right now.
If you want to go to the theater, I recommend Le Petit at 616 St. Peter in the French Quarter. It's the oldest community (unpaid actors) in the U.S. The current production and the season opener is "A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine." Its a stage spoof of double features of 1930's movie musicals and the Marx Brothers. It runs Thurs - Sun. at 8:00 p.m. w/ matinees on Sat and Sun at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $26 for adults and $21 for students. No reserved seating. It's a small theater (130 seats) and most of the seats are very good, unless you get there late and have to take the "side" seats. Arrive no later than 7:30 p.m.. It's had rave reviews. For info, call 522-2081. It runs through 10/10/04.
If you want to bowl and hear good music at night, check out "Mid City Rock-n-Bowl." Live music on the weekends while you bowl a few games. This bowling alley is on the second floor of a strip shopping center in the mid-city area. There's a great restaurant on the first floor, Bangkok Cuisine. Very clean, friendly and reasonable. And, you don't hear the bowling balls from the lanes upstairs. It's at the corner of Carrollton and Tulane.
Other lunch or dinner ideas in the French Quarter:
-Grab a Lucky Dog. Sold by vendors from carts that look like giant hot dogs. They are quite good!
-Acme Oyster House for good seafood and New Orleans style home cooking. If Acme is too busy, try Felix's across the street. I think Acme has more charm and better food.
-The Gumbo Shop
-Maspero's (on Decatur St. between the French Market and Canal St.)
-Johnny's at 511 St. Louis. Don't let the shabby appearance fool you. It's a New Orleans gem. The po-boys are huge!
-House of Blues. I've never been there, but Fodor's.com has some good recommendations. 529-2624. Located at 225 Decatur St. Restaurant and music club. Lunch might be pretty cool.
Restaurants outside of the French Quarter:
Mandina's on Canal Street. Lunch or dinner. Reasonable. No reservations and no credit cards. Good New Orleans home-style gourmet cooking.
Mother's on Poydras St. Lunch only. There is always a line, so don't let it bother you. They give you a menu while you wait and it goes pretty fast.
Brunning's at the Lakefront. Open for lunch and dinner. Seafood only. Don't go for anything else. They might have a piece of chicken on the menu, but I wouldn't order it!
Take a ferry ride from the foot of Canal St. (same location as the Aquarium) across the river to Mardi Gras World. Or, just enjoy the free ferry ride to see the river. You don't even have to get off the boat. Cars and pedestrians are accepted, but "on foot" is more fun.
The Cookin' Cajun Cooking School. See their website at www.cookincajun.com $20/person and reservations are required at (800) 786-0941. You cook, eat, interact, etc. I've never been to any of the cooking schools, but they sound like fun. There are other cooking schools in New Orleans. This one had the most recommendations on www.fodors.com.
Take a carrige ride through the French Quarter. Your driver will tell you some interesting and mostly true history of New Orleans and point out many landmarks.
www.tourneworleans.com offers several walking tours of the French Quarter, cemetaries, etc. Don't do a walking cemetary tour on your own. Robbers have been known to hide between the tombs and rob unsuspecting tourists. There is safety in numbers. Metairie Cemetary offers a self-guided driving tour. The office is located at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Go to office, leave your driver's license as a deposit, and you get a cassette player, tape, and map to drive through and see the more famous tombs. There are several tours available, but pick the "general" one. It will take you about an hour to do the self guided driving tour.
Free walking tours of the French Quarter are offered by the Jean Lafitte Historical Park Service. Pick up passes beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Park Service Office at 916 N. Peters. Tours are limited to 30 people, so you should arrive before 9:00. Tours start at 10:30 and take about 90 minutes and cover about 1 mile. Call 589-2636 for information.
National D-Day Museum is at 945 Magazine St. Phone 527-6012 for hours and admission fees.
Take a swamp tour. Several are available. Decide if you want to be on an air-boat (fast, but noisy) or a regular "party barge". You'll see more sights on the party barge, but kids will probably enjoy the airboat. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Sightseeing Tours" for several options. The tours will all be within 30 min. drive time of the French Quarter. You'll see at least one alligator on any tour. The gators are fed chicken by the operators and will come to the boats.
Check out www.neworleanscoupson.com. They have discount tickets for the Steamboat Natchez cruise which includes a buffet and a jazz band. I would do this at night to see the city lights. Also included are discounts for D-Day Museum, Honey Island Swamp Tour, Royal Carriages, Gray Line Tours (which includes bus, walking, cemetary, streetcar, and plantation), and Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. Also, look at www.experienceneworleans.com . They have a pretty good list of sights and attractions.
Some general information:
It is still hot and humid here. Wear loose comfortable clothing. I didn't put anything on this list that requires "long pants." You might carry bottled water with you when you are out walking. Bottled water is pretty available at $1/bottle, but Pete and I don't like to pay those prices. We prefer to pack our own.
This list should keep you busy in New Orleans!
Walk around the French Market and flea market. Have beignets at Cafe du Monde. CDM is across from Jackson Square. Go to St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square. Open except during masses, funerals, or weddings. Avoid Saturday evening. On either side of the Cathedral are the Presbytere and the Cabildo. Both are now museums. Grab a mufaletta at Central Grocery (923 Decatur across from the French Market). You can dine in, but get it to go with some sodas and have a picnic on the Mississippi River.
Walk down Royal Street. Lots of shops and street performers. M.S. Rau at 630 Royal St. is huge and has some very unique antiques.
Audubon Institute runs Aquarium of the Americas (at Canal St. and the River), IMAX theater at the same location (check web site for current movie and be sure to make reservations when you arrive in New Orleans. Schools can fill this up), and Audubon Zoo. Hours and ticket information available at www.auduboninstitute.org. Skip the riverboat cruise to the Zoo. Either ride the streetcar or drive. The trip upriver is pretty "industrial" and not alot to see. And, you are dependent on the boat's schedule to see the zoo. Parking at the zoo is free, so there's no reason not to drive.
Take the St. Charles Ave. street car to see the American side of New Orleans. Huge ante-bellum homes with tons of oak trees and mansions. When the streetcar turns (there is only one turn once you get on St. Charles Ave.), you can ride to the end (another 8-10 blocks), or get off and have lunch or a snack at Camellia Grill. Ask the conductor when to get off for Camellia Grill. Car fare is $1.25/person each way and exact fare is required.
Get on the Canal St. street car and take a ride to City Park. Ask the conductor to be sure you are getting on the correct car. You need the "spur" that goes to the Park. When the car gets to the end of the line, you can go to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden (free) and see about $2 million in "yard art." No picnics allowed here. Across the street is the New Orleans Botanical Gardens. The train garden is awesome. Allow 1/2 day for this trip. You can go to the New Orleans Museum of Art, but I don't think teenagers would find this very interesting. The recent Egyptian exhibit was awesome, but I don't think they have anything special right now.
If you want to go to the theater, I recommend Le Petit at 616 St. Peter in the French Quarter. It's the oldest community (unpaid actors) in the U.S. The current production and the season opener is "A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine." Its a stage spoof of double features of 1930's movie musicals and the Marx Brothers. It runs Thurs - Sun. at 8:00 p.m. w/ matinees on Sat and Sun at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $26 for adults and $21 for students. No reserved seating. It's a small theater (130 seats) and most of the seats are very good, unless you get there late and have to take the "side" seats. Arrive no later than 7:30 p.m.. It's had rave reviews. For info, call 522-2081. It runs through 10/10/04.
If you want to bowl and hear good music at night, check out "Mid City Rock-n-Bowl." Live music on the weekends while you bowl a few games. This bowling alley is on the second floor of a strip shopping center in the mid-city area. There's a great restaurant on the first floor, Bangkok Cuisine. Very clean, friendly and reasonable. And, you don't hear the bowling balls from the lanes upstairs. It's at the corner of Carrollton and Tulane.
Other lunch or dinner ideas in the French Quarter:
-Grab a Lucky Dog. Sold by vendors from carts that look like giant hot dogs. They are quite good!
-Acme Oyster House for good seafood and New Orleans style home cooking. If Acme is too busy, try Felix's across the street. I think Acme has more charm and better food.
-The Gumbo Shop
-Maspero's (on Decatur St. between the French Market and Canal St.)
-Johnny's at 511 St. Louis. Don't let the shabby appearance fool you. It's a New Orleans gem. The po-boys are huge!
-House of Blues. I've never been there, but Fodor's.com has some good recommendations. 529-2624. Located at 225 Decatur St. Restaurant and music club. Lunch might be pretty cool.
Restaurants outside of the French Quarter:
Mandina's on Canal Street. Lunch or dinner. Reasonable. No reservations and no credit cards. Good New Orleans home-style gourmet cooking.
Mother's on Poydras St. Lunch only. There is always a line, so don't let it bother you. They give you a menu while you wait and it goes pretty fast.
Brunning's at the Lakefront. Open for lunch and dinner. Seafood only. Don't go for anything else. They might have a piece of chicken on the menu, but I wouldn't order it!
Take a ferry ride from the foot of Canal St. (same location as the Aquarium) across the river to Mardi Gras World. Or, just enjoy the free ferry ride to see the river. You don't even have to get off the boat. Cars and pedestrians are accepted, but "on foot" is more fun.
The Cookin' Cajun Cooking School. See their website at www.cookincajun.com $20/person and reservations are required at (800) 786-0941. You cook, eat, interact, etc. I've never been to any of the cooking schools, but they sound like fun. There are other cooking schools in New Orleans. This one had the most recommendations on www.fodors.com.
Take a carrige ride through the French Quarter. Your driver will tell you some interesting and mostly true history of New Orleans and point out many landmarks.
www.tourneworleans.com offers several walking tours of the French Quarter, cemetaries, etc. Don't do a walking cemetary tour on your own. Robbers have been known to hide between the tombs and rob unsuspecting tourists. There is safety in numbers. Metairie Cemetary offers a self-guided driving tour. The office is located at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Go to office, leave your driver's license as a deposit, and you get a cassette player, tape, and map to drive through and see the more famous tombs. There are several tours available, but pick the "general" one. It will take you about an hour to do the self guided driving tour.
Free walking tours of the French Quarter are offered by the Jean Lafitte Historical Park Service. Pick up passes beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Park Service Office at 916 N. Peters. Tours are limited to 30 people, so you should arrive before 9:00. Tours start at 10:30 and take about 90 minutes and cover about 1 mile. Call 589-2636 for information.
National D-Day Museum is at 945 Magazine St. Phone 527-6012 for hours and admission fees.
Take a swamp tour. Several are available. Decide if you want to be on an air-boat (fast, but noisy) or a regular "party barge". You'll see more sights on the party barge, but kids will probably enjoy the airboat. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Sightseeing Tours" for several options. The tours will all be within 30 min. drive time of the French Quarter. You'll see at least one alligator on any tour. The gators are fed chicken by the operators and will come to the boats.
Check out www.neworleanscoupson.com. They have discount tickets for the Steamboat Natchez cruise which includes a buffet and a jazz band. I would do this at night to see the city lights. Also included are discounts for D-Day Museum, Honey Island Swamp Tour, Royal Carriages, Gray Line Tours (which includes bus, walking, cemetary, streetcar, and plantation), and Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. Also, look at www.experienceneworleans.com . They have a pretty good list of sights and attractions.
Some general information:
It is still hot and humid here. Wear loose comfortable clothing. I didn't put anything on this list that requires "long pants." You might carry bottled water with you when you are out walking. Bottled water is pretty available at $1/bottle, but Pete and I don't like to pay those prices. We prefer to pack our own.
This list should keep you busy in New Orleans!
Oct 1st, 2004, 05:57 AM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,336
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This suggestion might strike some as morbid but if you peruse the obits in the Times Picayune, you can be on the lookout for the funeral parade and join in on the second line, in attribution to America's finest, jazzzzzz.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
CajunStorm
United States
7
Jan 15th, 2010 07:00 AM
