Planning first trip to New Orleans - advice?
 

We are planning our first trip to New Orleans in late October, a few days away from it all for my DH and I. We love food, music, and sightseeing. We had thought to go to Paris or San Francisco but decided to go somewhere new.

We have reservations at Hotel Monteleone, so our focus now is on restaurants, shopping, music and not to be missed activities.

Dining: We have reservations at Emeril's Delmonico's (is Nola or Emeril's a better choice?), Restaurant August and R'Evolution (anyone try it, it looks new). Still hoping for Stella but they don't seem to be taking reservations yet. Any other suggestions or alternatives to the ones currently in our sights? We thought we would hit some of the other standards for other meals - such as, Brennan's (breakfast), Commander's Palace (lunch), Pat O'Brien's (drinks), Mr. B's (brunch). I would also like to go to Tea - Ritz Carlton or Windsor Court? Other than Hurricanes, Gumbo and Beignets, any other don't miss New Orleans food? Also, any suggestions for artisan chocolates?

Music: other than going to Preservation Hall, not sure where to start our exploration. I like jazz & blues and my DH likes rock&roll. I'll admit, I've researched the food more than the music so I could use some help. Any street or area better than another?

Activities: A friend recommended a swamp tour or plantation tour. Any recommendations and does it take too much time away from eating and wandering. We thought we would do at least one cemetery tour and maybe a city tour as I love the old mansions (like from the setting of an Anne Rice novel).

Shopping: Any suggestions for uniquely New Orleans or southern souvenirs, gifts or local art. We like to pick up a locally crafted piece of art (pottery, textile, wood carving, painting etc) that doesn't break the bank but is a lovely way to remember our travels.

Thank you so much in advance. Already so excited for our travels.

pralines...yummm souvenir
Jazzfest poster
William Hemmerling and Rodrigue (blue dog) posters- both have shops across the street from each other.
voodoo doll for someone to stick pins in!

Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Thank you for supporting New Orleans! Plantation tours are also good and they are along the Mississippi River- a nice drive. You could also spend a night at Nottaway Plantation. Really great place to sleep and eat. Google it.

Eats-I also like the Gumbo Shop for lunch.
Go through the Pentabla (sp!) apartments in Jackson Square.

There is MUCH to do and see in the quarter and surrounding area. Swing by Brad Pitts house in the quarter or Sandra Bullock or John Goodwin homes in the garden district. LOL

My NOLA trip reports for food:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...experience.cfm

and attractions (see latter posts for what I actually did):

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...y-184065-2.cfm

Other worthy local food items besides beignets and gumbo to consider would include barbeque shrimp, po-boys, muffalettas, jambalaya, boudin, boiled crawfish, shrimp or crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, coffee with chicory, and pralines. I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten, too.

For breakfast and/or lunch you can't go wrong with Red Gravy (even though the site says it's Italian, they also serve great NOLA foods):
http://www.redgravycafe.com/

And of course Muriel's, in Jackson Square, should be on your list for food and drinks:
http://www.muriels.com/

For souvenirs I'd absolutely go with beads! Easy to pack and cheap - shop the French Market for them and any other less expensive purchases. If you want to get some art at decent prices, try walking around Jackson Square and see what the artists have hanging on the fences.
http://www.frenchmarket.org/

A great tour through the Garden District is always the St. Charles streetcar. You can ride it one way for 1.25 (be sure to have correct change!). When it gets to the end it turns around and comes right back, but you need to purchase a return ticket.
http://www.norta.com/

Enjoy NOLA - we've gone twice a year for over a decade and still never get tired of the city!

Try crawfish etouffe - but only in someplace reliable - not a dive.

I find that Ritz Carlton absolutely awful - and it's right on the edge of a dangerous area - would avoid it at all costs. Definitely ask your hotel concierge what areas should be avoided - since there are some VERY high crime areas immediately adjacent to the Quarter.

If you're at all interested in the topic, do not miss the National WWII museum - it's fantastic, and worthy of at least 3 or 4 hours.

Archie Manning also lives in the garden district, and when you're there, have lunch at Camellia Cafe at the very end of the streetcar line.

Music - Frenchman Street for you, not sure for your husband.

Totally agree with wwII museum. Be sure to see the movie. Also agree with camellia grill. Favorite place to eat breakfast!

Thank you for the terrific suggestions. I've already added several to our itinerary. I love a good breakfast place so riding the streetcar to Camellia Grill and then exploring the Garden District sounds like a good morning. My husband loves history so maybe I'll send him to the WWII museum while I go shopping - both happy.

The WWII Museum is in the arts/warehouse district - lots of galleries you could peruse while your husband is at the museum. Cochin and Emeril's are also nearby.

POIson, we recently took our first trip to New Orleans and loved it. One thing we did that was fun was to go to the New Orleans School of Cooking. Good food and learned a lot.

If you like raw oysters, go to Luke for Happy Hour. From 3-6 daily they have 50 cent oysters and some half price drinks. I loved their drink called French 75.

One morning we had a nice hearty breakfast at a restaurant called EAT.

Trip Advisor has a very active and great New Orleans forum. lots of good people and great advice over there!(hi ccolor!)

Have fun((r))

I love cooking classes! hmmm, swamp tour or cooking class? well this is kinda a food based trip so I may need to look into the cooking class. Thanks for the suggestion.

I made reservations for the cooking class at The New Orleans School of Cooking, will send DH off to WWII Museum. Win, win.

Thanks iceeu2 for the suggestion.

You are going at the best time of year and staying in an excellent place.

I don't see Galatoire's or Central Grocery or Acme Oyster House or Bon Ton Cafe on your lists of places to eat.

Don't overschedule yourselves on things to do. It is not called "The Big Easy" for nothing, and hanging out, preferably with something cold to drink, is rewarded.

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions. A couple of follow-ups...I now have breakfast, lunch or dinner planned at the following places (though not all take reservations): Breakfast or brunch at Red Gravy, Camellia's Grill, Commander's Palace, Mr. B's; lunch at Eat and Cochon; Dinner at Restaurant August, R'Evolution, Galatoire's and Emeril's NOLA.

We could swap Emeril's NOLA for Herbsaint (which had a strong showing on Chowhound boards). Couldn't fit Bon Ton Cafe on a weekday unless we do instead of Cochon. Thoughts?

No oysters for me so taking a pass on ACME Oyster House.
I thought to go to Central Grocery on last day for road food but not open on sundays. We probably have time when we arrive to check it out.

And lest you think it is all about food, we are also exploring French Quarter, Garden District (with cemetery tour Lafayette No. 1), Warehouse District (WWII Museum, Ogden Museum) and a cooking class for me. Is New Orleans Museum of Art or New Orleans Artworks and glass studio worth including?

My shopping plans seem to be centered on Chartres Street (300-800 blocks) and Magazine Street (The Rink shops, Derby Pottery, Sucre for sweets), but other suggestions welcome.

That's a great plan. I will add two things - 1) we took a French Qtr walking tour with Friends of the Cabikdo that was great (maybe a tad long, but still excellent); and 2) lots of places besides Central Grocery have excellent muffuletta (it may be the best, I don't know because it was closed when I was ere too).. I had an excellent one at a student bar near Tulane. Oops, third thing - we almost ate at Herbsaint, but we were fooded out and cancelled our res. however, we had already eaten at Emeril's (not Emeril's NOLA) and thought it was fabulous (except very loud). The banana cream pie was enormous and fantastic (I'm still dreaming about it two years later).

I like NOMA better than the Ogden. Much more to see and the park is nice. Degas restaurent by NOMA is also good. Locals love it. I think Central Grocery is overated. It has lost it's punch as far as I'm concerned. You can get the same at other places plus no place to sit and eat in the grocery and you end up with olive oil dripped all over your clothes eating in Jackson square or where ever you land to eat it.

Southeastern, try the one at Cooter Brown's!

POI, I liked the mufaletta at Napoleon House. The one there is served hot. If you get a chance to go to the forums at TA, you can read what I had to say about a few of the same restaurants you plan to go to. It's called "Virgins Loved New Orleans". FYI, we talked to a couple that had gone to August just the other week and they loved it.

If you take the streetcar up St Charles to have breakfast at Camellia Grill, you can walk back through uptown and the Garden District. Don't miss Audubon Park if you like to walk/run and look at beautiful live oaks. Magazine St runs parallel to St Charles a few blocks closer to the river and is a great street to walk along for shopping and seeing local architecture.

If you want traditional fried oyster, shrimp or roast beef po'boys, Mahoney's on Magazine is excellent and has a few outdoor tables. They also have a fried chicken liver and cajun slaw po'boy. Yum. Guys Po'boys on Magazine is also great, but not really a sit down place (excellent fried shrimp and hot sausage po'boys there.)

Definitely Cochon over the Bon Ton, in my opinion, unless you are looking for a more old school, traditional type meal.

We love the muffelettas at Central Grocery. Get a half for two people, some Zapps chips, and a couple of drinks and take them up to eat on the levee. Don't wear nice pants because you will drip olive oil on them.

If you like bloody mary's, they are the unsung drinks of New Orleans. Most bartenders take pride in how they make them, and they all include pickled spicy green beens as a garnish. Yum.

New Orleans is a wonderful city full of contrasts, beauty, and an intense joy in living. Have a wonderful trip.

- I would do breakfast at Brennan's over Commander's Palace.
- Glad to see you added Galatoire's
- Agree that you should stop at Audobon Park after breakfast at Camellia Grill (could take riverboat back to the quarter from there)
- Jacques-Imo's Cafe in the Garden District is fun and quirky
- Central Grocery muffaletta is a good take-out choice while the one at Napolean House can be enjoyed in a great old restaurant with an awesome bar and classical music!
- Muriel's is very good (check out the seance lounge upstairs)
- St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 would be my choice
- Sounds like a plantation tour didn't make your list, but just want to point out that there are also cabins at Oak Alley