mrsgo

Wish we had more time...What are your DO NOT MISS experiences/activities/tours/restaurants in New Orleans?
We will be staying in the French Quarter - 2 days.

THANK YOU!!!
Suzy

tomfuller

I'll start you off with begniets at Cafe du Monde. Take at least one ride on one of the streetcars.
Nearly all the restaurants have good gumbo and jambalaya.
There are usually good street performers in the Jackson Square area.

DebitNM

A cemetery tour, a garden district tour, a FQ tour
http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/new-orleans-tours/

Music - lots to pick from but we enjoyed:
http://www.nps.gov/jazz/index.htm

Ride the street car

The art museum:
http://noma.org

Hobbert

Perusing the art vendors at Jackson Square, having a meal at Commander's Palace, walking along the river, and eating beignets and people watching on Decatur. Enjoy your trip!

snowrooster

We will been there in April as well. I lived in New Orleans as a kid and have visited many times since.

We like Acme Oyster House for a causal meal in the French Quarter. Great raw oysters, po-boys and all the other traditional New Orleans fare (gumbo, red beans, etc).

Agree with other suggestions for Cafe du Monde, Jackson Square and Commanders Palace.

Also some great walking tours available.

longhorn55

We spent two days in NOLA at the end of December and were able to do a lot in that short time. Some of the highlights for us were:

1. Self-guided walking tour of the Garden District.
I found this tour online and it worked great for us: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/new-orleans/717266
We saw other walking tours and biking tours through the Garden District as well. However, ours cost only the price of a RT ticket on the streetcar ($2.50) and we could go at our own pace and explore other things that caught our eye.

2. Guided tour of the St. Louis Cemetery #1.
I had a Groupon with French Quarter Phantoms and thought they did a very good tour of a very interesting, not-to-be-missed place in NOLA. We liked this tour so much that we did a "Ghosts and Vampires" tour with them also.

3. The National WWII Museum.
My spouse and son are both military historians, so they have pretty high standards when it comes to military museums. They thought this was a very good museum and you need to allow 3-4 hours for it.

4. Louisiana State Museum at the Presbytere.
There are two exhibits here which are iconic of NOLA--Katrina and Mardi Gras--and both are excellent. Allow 1 - 2 hours.

5. A meal at Mother's.
We really enjoyed both of our meals at this well-recommended low-key restaurant. Many locals eat there, so that's always a good sign. Don't be discouraged if you see a line out the door--it moves fast. All of our dishes were delicious but be sure to save room for dessert--the bread pudding and the oatmeal cookies were to die for.

6. DON'T wait in line for Cafe du Monde.
On my first visit to NOLA many years ago, you could walk right into Cafe du Monde and get a table. On our most recent visit, there were always LONG lines--probably an hour's wait at least. (We skipped it.) Yes, it's an iconic place but with so little time for your NOLA visit, is it really worth your time? Just stop in any store in the FQ and pick up a box of Cafe du Monde beignet mix ($3.50) or pick up a box at the airport on your way home ($4.00). You can make them at home and, trust me, they taste just as good. (Probably better, because you aren't crammed cheek-to-jowl to eat them at home.)

Daniel_Williams

Hi mrsgo,

My choices: Streetcar out from the French Quarter out to Audubon Park. Sitting on a bench in Jackson Square to take in the music, the energy, a gorgeous vista of the the St. Louis Cathedral. Plan some meals at establishments that serve up traditional New Orleans fare; I enjoyed the Gumbo Shop and Adolfo's for this, but really there are so many choices catering to different budgets and demands.

Bon voyage! Daniel

mrsgo

All of your feedback is tremendously helpful! Thank you.
What about the most practical way to get from the airport to the French Quarter at about
9:30am? We will have one light piece of luggage each. airport shuttle bus? taxi?

We are looking forward to enjoying/sampling typical New Orleans food and WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT IS!

Thanks for your help!
Suzy

DebitNM

We took the bus from airport. Inexpensive and relatively easy and not too long a trip. You do have to walk through an area that some might find to be "iffy" but at that hour of day, I'd be ok with it.

DebitNM

Public Transit: The Airport-Downtown Express (E-2) Bus picks up outside airport Entrance #7 on the upper level. jeffersontransit.org The fare for Airport-Downtown Express (E-2) is $2.00. The fare boxes will accept $1, $5, $10, $20 dollar bills and all U.S. coins. The Airport-Downtown Express (E-2) provides service from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, down Airline Drive into New Orleans, which takes approximately 50 minutes. The Airport bus stop is on the second level of the Airport in the outer lanes at Door 7. For more information on public transit in the area, visit the Jefferson Transit website, www.jeffersontransit.org, or the RTA website www.norta.com.

sf7307

I'd say the same tyhing about Mother's that longhorn said about Cafe du Monde (let's just say less than impressed -- our breakfast at Johnnys Po Boy was far superior we thought, as was an omelet at the Camelia Grill (two locations, one at the end of the streetcar line in the Garden District and one i the FQ).

We LOVED the WWII Museum, and think 3-4 hours at a minimum! we also took a very good FQ walking tour.

It's such a great city for visitors.

snowrooster

I agree about Mothers - love it! Also thanks to longhorn for the link to self-guided walking tours - I am going to take a look at those for our trip.

Personally, I would not miss Cafe du Monde. But if you want to avoid the lines, consider it for an afternoon snack or late night dessert - they are open 24 hours.

november_moon

Definitely stop at Cafe du Monde for a late night snack. There's never a line then If you want to compare and contrast, also have beignets at Cafe Beignet (I like the one on Royal best).

For New Orleans food in general, since you are a newbie, here are some web pages to get you started:

http://www.neworleansonline.com/newo...ditionalfoods/


http://www.neworleansonline.com/newo...levscajun.html

http://www.neworleanscvb.com/restaurants/traditional/

Also, it just occured to me that you said you'll be there in April - if your visit is between the 9th and the 12th, then you are in for a treat - French Quarter Festival is going on then and it is a wonderful festival.

http://fqfi.org/

Dave0099

longhorn, I dont know anyone local that would eat there or even recommend it. Locally it really is considered a "tourist trap" and known for using too much salt in the food. Glad you enjoyed it...not that its bad, but this is what locals think of Mothers. Instead of Mothers I would recommend Dooky Chase, the Grande Dame of Creole cuisine! Also it surprises me that other restaurants dont get mentioned often just because they are not in the Cajun genre...New Orleans has some of the best Colombian (ie. Baru) and Vietnamese food in the country (ie. Magasin Cafe)...something that is often forgotten.

Also I am glad someone else mentioned NOMA...fabulous museum and gallery, well worth the visit, but it is so hard to get people to take that 15 minute drive from the FQ.

Dave0099

Also, despite the simplistic nature of Cafe du Monde, I agree that it is a must do. As others suggested go off peak hours and you will have no problem. Also they have a take out window at the back where the line is not usually too long. I go now and then buy a small bag and a coffee and walk up to the Mississippi and eat them there while watching the boats come down the river. That is directly behind Cafe du Monde up the steps. Yes thats right....the river is ABOVE YOU!

november_moon

" I go now and then buy a small bag and a coffee and walk up to the Mississippi and eat them there while watching the boats come down the river. "

There is a set of wooden steps that lead down from the levy to the river - I could (and have) sit there for hours watching the river traffic. There's usually a breeze there too Sometimes I get beignets and coffee, sometimes a po-boy and a couple beers.

WillTravel

There's nothing "wrong" with Cafe du Monde, but really, a beignet is some fried dough with heaps of powdered sugar that does not really taste that great, in my opinion. The coffee is fine, but you can do as well almost anywhere. Walk around that area, sure, but don't feel compelled to partake.