First Trip to New Orleans
 

I'm visiting New Orleans on business for six days in early December, but will have time to play tourist. It'll be my first time there -- what must I see and do?

Music on Bourbon street
Aquarium
Garden District tour
Ghost tour- if you like those things
Eat yourself silly

bourbon street
the graveyards
the voodoo museum

you will need this too...

http://www.neworleansrestaurants.com/restaurants/

Just walk around the French Quarter, starting at and returning to Jackson Square.

Cafe Du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. (go VERY early in the morning.)

Where are you staying?

<i>what must I see and do?</i>

You MUST attend to your employment. Other than that, everything is optional.

* Good restaurants = fish+barrel+shotgun. Get some bread pudding and pecan ______ and all other manner of dessert.
* Preservation Hall
* Wander around the French Quarter
* Get beignets at Cafe du Monde or on Royal Street's Cafe Beignet (ever had zeppole in NYC? Same thing)
* Visit an historic plantation (Laura, Oak Alley) if you have a few hours and a car, and if you have a car swing by Jacob's Andouille on the way back into town and get some of the namesakes - that's good eatin'.

No swamp touring in December - the gators are basically hibernating (the tours still run, but without the swimming belts/boots/handbags, they're less interesting).

If Military history is at all interesting to you, the National D-Day Museum would be good

Hi,

well in my opinion its better to plan your tour from the very first day. it helps you to save your journey time and gives you more extra time to explore and relax .... so its better to find some places to visit and on the other hand its good to rent some airport Limousine service because they have the best routes of the town or you can Rent a Party Bus or also Rent a van. i hop my suggestions are very helpful to you.

well my recommendation for places:

cafe de munde
canal street
Audubon Park and Zoo
St. Louis Cathedral



Best of luck for your trip and everything in your life .... :)

Cafe du Monde, not du munde.

Canal Street is a bunch of shops, the vast majority of which are chains located in every major city. Decatur and Royal would be far more interesting.

Friends of the Cabildo walking tour - great overview of French Quarter from trained guides that will be interesting, fun and accurate. Also, I love that you don't have to commit to a time, you just show up:
Tour Times
10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday-Sunday
1850 House Museum Store
(523 St. Ann St. on Jackson Square)
(504) 524-9118
Reservations not Required
Tickets $15, $10 Students

If you like jazz, Frenchmen Street has great clubs and bars within a few blocks walk. Just wander in to enjoy whatever sounds good.

I agree with the Café Du Monde suggestion. It's always my first stop in NOLA.
http://www.cafedumonde.com/

I've been many times on business trips. You can't go wrong with just wandering the streets of the French Quarter.

If you can make the start time, I highly recommend this tour -
http://noculinarytours.com/tours/fre...arter-tasting/

Really depends on what you like to do. If the idea of wandering along Bourbon Street rubbing shoulders with lots of other tourists, many of whom will have had too many Hurricanes, then enjoy. You will also have your pick of "massage parlours".

If you would prefer to get a feel for N'Awlins and the people, but still hit some high points, I'd recommend Cafe du Monde, Royal Street (esp. if you're interested in antiques), Frenchman Street (just outside the Quarter, easy walk)- we always go to the Spotted Cat - the bartenders and the music are always great, wander the perimeter of Jackson Square after your beignets. If you're a foody, just scan Chowhound, and I'd throw in a recommendation for Coops - lots of atmosphere, informal, great food.

If you can get past the gaudy beads and t-shirt shops, the Quarter has lots to offer, and you could stay there the whole time. Outside of the Quarter, hop on the St. Charles streetcar - you can just do a loop and it will take you back to the Quarter. Our first trip we also did a guided cemetery tour in or near the Garden District, which was pretty interesting. Above all, talk to the people who live there - everyone has an interesting story. Have a great time!

Bourbon Street is a tiny fraction of NOLA and the French Quarter. Most visits I never set foot on Bourbon Street. If you avoid it, you can almost pretend you are in Paris or a European country. Charming.
Bourbon St is not.

starrs our 1st trip is memorial day weekend and wanted to thank you for the culinary tour idea, my husband loves that kind of thing so it will be a surprise for him, besides all the history things I want to do and he really doesn't!

If you'll be there the first week of December, you'll find a number of things going on to celebrate the coming holidays. The Krewe of Jingle parade is on 12/7 and is definitely a unique experience. Check out this link for a number of holiday events that occur throughout the month: https://holiday.neworleansonline.com..._event&paged=5

Home after a nice 5 day trip. TR to follow.

Did walking tours, ate, museums, ate, heard some fine music, ate....you get the picture!

Welcome home DebitNM, as am going for first time in Feb., really looking forward to your TR!

I'm a foodie so...cafe du Monde, galatoire, antoines, commander's palace, Brennan's, August, chase's, Paul prudhomme's K-Paul's, petunias...the list is endless!

Thank you all for your amazing suggestions. I'm a foodie, love history, and enjoy talking to people. I'll probably take a walking tour -- maybe a ghost tour, sounds campy, but I've always wanted to do that in other cities and never have. I'll have a car to venture out a bit, as well. Unfortunately, I'll miss the Krewe of Jingle parade on 12/7, as I need to be at the Convention Center 10:30-5 that day. Can't wait to have a real beignet so I'll definitely plan to go to Cafe Du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets.

Also, looking for hotel thoughts -- between the Marriott at 555 Canal Street and the Intercontinental at 444 St Charles which would you all recommend? I'll need to be at the Convention Center three of the days I'm there.

You are welcome, LVAMY. :-)

For food, Domenica is great for Italian, and Commander's Palace has a wonderful bread pudding souffle for dessert plus 25 cent martinis at lunch!

Stay off Bourbon, but enjoy the rest of the French Quarter - the antique and jewelry shops on Royal, beignets at Café du Monde, Preservation Hall, Leah's Pralines on St. Louis, Acme Oyster House on Iberville, and the museum right next to the Cathedral with fascinating Mardi Gras exhibits. Go to Frenchman Street for great jazz at Spotted Cat and Snug Harbor. Ride the trolley through the Garden District and the Warehouse District.
On our last trip, we enjoyed the D-Day Museum. I'm not a history buff, but it was an excellent presentation, not just about D-day, but about WWII.
There are many excellent restaurants out in the Garden District; La Petite Grocery and Commander's Palace are personal favorites. My all-time favorite meal in New Orleans is a shrimp po'boy from Domilise's out on Annunciation between Napoleon and Jefferson Streets.
If you have a car and several hours, do take a look at one of the sugar plantations outside of town. I always love the gorgeous trees at Oak Alley, and the some slave quarters have been rebuilt to give a realistic presentation of that ers.

"Celebration In The Oaks" will be happening during your stay.
Scroll WAY down to the bottom of this page: http://www.neworleanscitypark.com/ce...on-in-the-oaks

The New Orleans Museum of Art is also located close by in New Orleans City Park.

Have lunch at Galatoire's and Commander's Palace--and you can walk the Garden District at the latter. A visit to Preservation Hall is mandatory.

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