New Orleans - New Year?
 

I am thinking of going away for New Year and thought New Orleans may be a good place to spend the New Year. I am from the UK and would probably have around two weeks in total for this trip. December seems to offer favourable weather for New Orleans.

I assume 4 or 5 days would be about right for New Orleans and I am undecided whether to make this a two-center trip (depending on the gateway cities of possible airlines) or whether there are places near New Orleans to spend the remainder of my time.

What alternatives do I have within reach of New Orleans? At this stage it is not an area I know a great deal about having spent most of my trips to the US on the east or west coasts. I am happy to drive up to a few hundred miles.

I'm still looking for ideas of ways to spend a few days outside of New Orleans if anyone has any thoughts?

I think it would be best to make this a two-center trip after all but the weather at this time of year puts me off the obvious major gateway cities to the UK (NY, DC, Boston, Chicago).

What about Memphis? I was there several years ago visiting family for Christmas and enjoyed it. I've always wanted to go back and explore the city further. You could drive there from New Orleans or you could take Amtrak. The weather was chilly when we were there, but not paricularly cold. We were able to wander around outside comfortably.

In Lousianna, you could take a few days to explore the cajun country and plantations. When we were in NO, we took a 1/2 day tour to see a couple plantations and saw a bit of the countryside on the way. That definitely caught my interest.

I think that New Year's is New Orleans would be wild but much fun! You said that you wouldn't mind driving a few hundred miles. Have you considered Austin and San Antonio Texas? Austin is probably an 8-9 hour drive and we are known as the Live Music Capital of the World. There are so many live music venues particularly downtown. San Antonio is rich is Mexican Hertitage and they light up the Riverwalk during the Christmas Holidays so it is very pretty. Look at www.citysearch.com and look at San Antonio and Austin. Let me know if you have any questions about them.

Michelle

N.O. is a fun place for New Year's. If you have 2 weeks then you could go in several directions. If you had access to a car then you could spend some time in NO then drive to Lafayette (area) & see true Cajun country. Spend a day or 2 there & then drive on to Houston. There is lots to do around there as well. Then you could either fly home from Houston or drive back to NO & end your trip there.

Another option is to go the east way & hit the Gulf Coast, do the casino & shows there & explore some of the southern homes around there & Mobile AL.

A 3rd option would be to come to NO spend a few days then take a cruise up the Mississippi River & wind up back here.

It just depends on your interests.

Orlando Florida is about a 6 hour drive from New Orleans. The Beaches at St. Pete Beach and Clearwater would be around a 6 hour drive too.

Orlando is actually about a 10-12 hour drive from New Orleans. It takes 5-6 hours just to get to the Ft. Walton and Destin area.

If you're looking to concentrate on New Orleans and another city - and want to avoid winter airline hubs - there are direct flights from London to both Houston and Atlanta. Atlanta sometimes has winter weather problems - but not often - and Houston almost never does.

I wouldn't spend my other "city" time in Houston, but as the above writer mentioned - Austin and San Antonio are lovely. How about a few days at a dude ranch in the hill country around San Antonio? I highly recommend the Mayan Ranch in Bandara.

For reference - it takes around 5-6 hours to get to Houston (depending on traffic and road construction), and it can sometimes take an hour just to get from one side of Houston to the other (due to construction). Then it's about another 3 to get to San Antonio or Austin). A long day - but an easy drive - just get on I-10 West and don't get off!

Around New Orleans, the above comments are on target - cajun country, Miss. River cruise, plantation tours, & Miss. Gulf Coast casinos. And there is easily enough to do in NO to fill 4-5 days.

Depending on your interests, the towns between New Orleans and Vicksburg, Mississippi are also lovely and historically interesting (plantatins and Civil War history) - especially St. Francisville, Natchez, and Port Gibson. New Orleans to Vicksburg is about a 3-4 hour drive (without stops), depending on how you go.

New Orleans is a great place any time of year - and New Years can be especially fun/wild/crazy/exciting! Make sure you book hotels and dinner/evening reservations for New Years Eve way ahead.

If you do plan to spend New Year's in New Orleans, you might make hotel reservations early.

We have been there for Sugar Bowl football games a few times, and found that the hotels fill up quickly and completely. They also require a minimum stay of several days, which shouldn't be a problem for you.

New Year's in New Orleans is a great experience, and I hope it works out for you! Actually, going to the Sugar Bowl game in the SuperDome would be quite an experience, too!

Byrd

To Byrd - completely unrelated question...is Byrd actually your name? My g-granfather's first name was Byrd (sometimes spelled Bird)?