We chose an extra long Veteran's Day weekend for our trip to New Orleans. The New Orleans Cooking School was probably our best $25 spent for 3 hours of entertainment watching Big Kevin cook, chatting with our table mates and eating some delicious food. We heard some wives say that their husbands had made a mistake to skip the Cooking School. The lessons were very entertaining. $10 for a 1/2 carriage ride was a good way to rest tired feet and learn more about the French Quarter. We always seemed to walk on Royale Street which is lined with great shops and art galleries as well as places to buy beads, boas and tee shirts. The farmers market is the best place to buy ingredients to bring home although many shops carried hot sauces and beignet mix. Our restaurant choices ranges from Le Monde for coffee and beignets, sandwiches at Johnny's Po'Boy, to Olivia's for a pricier menu. We also liked Rita's for casual dining and a great taste of Cajun sampler. Our last morning was the brunch buffet at Court of Two Sisters. It's probably the most expensive breakfast I've ever eaten but there were over 65 items on the buffet and it was our last chance to try some of the food New Orleans is famous for. I saw some people pile their plates with shrimp and crawfish. I skipped the omelet station to avoid the long line. We thought the courtyard was beautiful. Reservations are a must.
Oak Alley Plantation was wonderful but Gray Line Tours doesn't give you enough time on a 1/2 day trip. Most of our trip was spent on the bus. If we did it over again, I would go for a full day bus trip to see more than one place. Another way to rest tired feet was to ride the trolley. Have exact change $1.25 and do a 25 cent transfer before you get to the end of the line. Do that and you have to pay another $1.25.
We also enjoyed a walking tour Haunted New Orleans with Scott, a paranormal investigator. Needless to say, the stories are sad. Bring your digital cameras. Some people on the tour got pictures of eeries lights that weren't visible to the eye and didn't show up on every picture. Scott told us to take 6 or 8 shots in a row.
The street performers were fun. Some not so good, others great. The streets in the French Quarter are frequently blocked off so pedestrians and musicians can enjoy the extra space. Bourbon Street is crazy at night. Buy a drink and wander. It all seemed like harmless fun and we four older women weren't worried about our safety. Wear good walking shoes because the flagstone sidwalks are uneven in many places. A half hour spent at Harrah's casino was pretty boring and smokey. Gaming is allowed but not gambling so there's no exciting clinks of quarters. If you win, you get a paper voucher to turn in for money.
On Sunday morning the streets were closed off once again but this time for a Ferrari club road rally. Yikes! There seemed to always be something happening. We know we probably missed a lot even though we managed to pack a lot of activities into a few days. Our hotel restaurant, Cobalt, offered excellent contemporary Cajun cuisine which we enjoyed for our first lunch upon arrival.
Our hotel was located only a few blocks away from Canal street which is the French Quarter border. With conventions in town there were plenty of people around and we never felt the need to call a cab. We did note however, that some streets are not well traveled and a cab in some late night cases might be recommended.

Sounds like a terrific trip!

Haunted New Orleans isn't a tour company. The guy you are talking about, Scott Cleghorn, works for the New Orleans Ghost Tour. He was well over 6 feet tall, right? If so, that's him. *{J}*

Gatorlady, thanks for correcting me. Our tour leader was indeed Scott.

NOLA is certainly a wonderful and fun city to visit. It sounds as though you had a fabulous time! (And, yes, I agree that The New Orleans School of Cooking is one of the best things there is to do!)

Thank you for sharing!