The Jet Set Life
The Jet Set Life
Top Things to do in New Orleans
It’s no secret that New Orleans is THE place to celebrate Mardi Gras, but that only takes place one time a year. What if you’re visiting outside of the Mardi Gras season? Not to worry - there are plenty of other activities in New Orleans happening year-round. These are the top things to do in New Orleans (other than eating, drinking, and partying!)
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80 - Top Things to do in New Orleans===
[00:00:00] Hello, beautiful jet setters. How are you doing this week? We are well into the new month and I'm excited because later this month I'm headed to Cheyenne in Wyoming. I've never been to Wyoming, so it'll be my first time in the state. And the easiest way to get there for us will be to fly into Denver and then rent a car and drive up to Cheyenne. But I'm excited to learn more about the destination. And I wish there was time for Jackson hole, but that's clear on the other side of the state, and this is just a little weekend getaway, so I will definitely share more on the blog and podcast once that trip is complete, but that's what I've been up to.
But today I wanna talk about new Orleans. NOLA baby. I wanna talk about the top things to do in new Orleans, other than eating and drinking and partying and doing all those things.[00:01:00] We all know that it's the place to celebrate Mardi Gras, but that place that only happens once a year. So what do you wanna do if you're not celebrating Mardi Gras? Well, not to worry. There's plenty of other activities in new Orleans happening year round. And I'm going to wrap that up in this coming post. So let's start with some people watching from a balcony in the French quarter. There is some great people watching in new Orleans. Specifically, if you can snag a balcony in the French quarter, the French quarter is new Orleans's oldest section of the city dating back to 1718. It's considered the historic heart of the city, and it's known for vibrant nightlife and colorful buildings with beautiful cast iron balconies.
French quarter is where the infamous bourbon street is [00:02:00] located. And that has jazz clubs, Cajun food and lively bars. Whether you visit at day or night, there's great people watching from the second floor balconies, and you don't for most of the places you don't need to cover, but you would just walk in and there would be some stairs somewhere and you can wander up stairs and grab a table and do some people watching from there. Next we have get a Palm reading in Jackson square within the heart of the French quarter in the French market sits Jackson square, a national historic landmark. This was the site where the 1803 Louisiana purchase was made.
This square faces the Mississippi river and is surrounded by historic buildings, including the St. Louis cathedral built in 1772. And the lower and upper Pontalba apartments, [00:03:00] which are the oldest apartment buildings in the United States. Street performers, tarot card readers and Palm readers flock to this area in addition to local artists. Every year only 200 artists are allowed to display their artwork at the park, which typically consist of paintings, drawings, portraits, and caricatures. So once you get your Palm reading, you can pop over to cafe Du Monde to get some beignets and coffee, and you can pick up an piece of artwork as a souvenir.
Another activity is to learn about voodoo legend, folklore and history. Voodoo has become synonymous with new Orleans. However, the religion referred to as voodoo is often misrepresented in pop culture and Hollywood depictions. Separate the facts from the fiction with an authentic voodoo walking [00:04:00] tour offered by free tours by foot. This tour is led by a true voodoo priest and he explores the history, culture, and beliefs of voodoo practitioners from both the past and present witness rituals and dispel superstitions associated with this religion. When I attended Robbie Gilmore was our guide and he was both informative and hilarious. He kept the tour interesting. And he's a wealth of information since he comes from a long line of voodoo priests and priestesses himself, he recommended that you visit voodoo authentica. If you're looking for a place with trustworthy me and rooted in African based traditions, free tours by foot is a name, your own price tour for five people or less for groups of six to nine.
There's a prepayment of $10 per person. Private and large group tours are [00:05:00] also available. Now you are not expected, but if you enjoyed the tour, it's always nice to. Now, if you're interested in learning more about ghosts and spirits of new Orleans, you might also wanna check out their new Orleans ghost tour also by free tours by foot. Next try a classic Sazerac cocktail at the Sazerac house located on the bustling street corner of canal and magazine. The Sazerac house contains three stories of exhibits, all dedicated to the Sazerac cocktail, which gained fame in new Orleans in the 1850. The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail.
It was named for the Sazerac De forge et fils brand of co cognac. Brandy that served as the original main ingredient it's [00:06:00] shaken or stirred with ice strained and served with a twist of lemon rind. While exploring the Sazerac house, you can learn about the distilling process for Sazerac rye. You can learn how to, how the cocktail fits in with new Orleans's traditions. And you can taste a Sazerac cocktail for yourself. Self-guided tours are complimentary and, and they provide product samples for a more immersive experience. You can pay to participate in a variety of special events, including whiskey cocktail creation, whiskey tastings, demonstrations, and seminars.
One of my favorite experiences in new Orleans on my past trip there was to go to a live jazz music hall. And I went to mahogany jazz hall. There are several options, but this particular spot was one of my favorites. This jazz hall is conveniently located [00:07:00] near the French quarter. And it's also a relaxed and casual spot for ages 21 and up. It's a lively experience in a vintage setting with live music playing every single night. Mahogany jazz hall specializes in absinthe cocktails. There's no cover, but it is required to purchase a beverage per person per. Even if it's just water, food is not served here. So be sure to eat before or after occasionally there are burlesque performances in addition to the live jazz seven days a week. Another amazing experience was biking around the garden district. This had to be one of my favorite things because I've been to new Orleans several times and never made it off of the French quarter. I was always there for a quick weekend, a wedding and everything was centralized around that area.
So if you venture outside of [00:08:00] the French quarter and head to the garden district, there's actually some gorgeous homes there. And I did a bike tour with paved paradise tours, and I loved this because on this trip I got to experience the surroundings, but also get some history and some interesting facts about the area while on this bike tour. The tour that I sign up for is garden district and cemetery tour. I had no idea about this district and I was blown away by the beautiful historic homes and the shady Oak trees. I'm a big fan of seeing new cities by bike and this experience was no different. Although they offer a garden district walking tour, I found the biking tour way more fun.
Plus you'll be able to cover more ground in a shorter amount of. Our guide Corinna was excellent. She was kind informative and she kept our stops brief, but [00:09:00] interesting. She also offered to take pictures of me since I was so low, which is very much appreciated. And if you're a fan of American horror stories, coven, which is season three, then you must book this trip and see Buckner mansion. It's the beautiful white mansion that was featured in that season. Although the house is private and not open to the public. You can go to the gates and take pictures of the property. And actually, while we were there, there was a filming crew there filming some smaller horror movie inside of the house, which was kind of cool. Another amazing experience in new Orleans if you can manage it is participating in a second line parade. now this one might be more difficult to achieve, but keep your eye out for them. The second line is a traditional parade with a brass band. It's typically accompanied by dancing people, holding parasols and handkerchiefs and general community engagement.
This style of [00:10:00] traditional dance is one of the most foundationally black American retentive cultures in the United States. It's been called a quintessential new Orleans art form, a jazz funeral without a body. in my experience, I've only been able to participate in a second line as part of an organized event, like a festival or a wedding. However, if you spot one, you might be able to tag along in the back for the experience at the very least stop what you're doing and watch the fun impromptu parade as they pass by. something else to do in new Orleans is explore the city of the dead in St. Louis cemetery. Cemeteries are rather unique in new Orleans because for the most part, people are buried above ground.
If you go on a cemetery tour St. Louis cemetery, number one and three are the most popular you'll learn the reason for having above ground tombs, as well as the history behind the [00:11:00] famous cemeteries. I did a tour with the NOLA tour guide, like the voodoo tour. It, it was also a pay what you feel type of tour, which is always appreciated. Eric, our tour guide was extremely well versed in the history of the cemeteries, as well as the architecture of the tombs themselves. He also offers French quarter and garden district tour. Make sure to bring an umbrella and water on this tour because when we went, it was hot and humid , which can make it a little bit difficult to concentrate if you're without those items.
Another awesome experience, which is technically outside of new Orleans is kayaking the honey island swamp. So if you're interested in seeing an authentic Louisiana swamp, this is a great way to see it. I did a morning kayak trip with honey island kayak tours, and it was an awesome experience. The weather was [00:12:00] perfect for kayaking. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't buggy. And not only was it fun to be active and have some fun on the water, but it was also a very engaging tour. Our guide Jessica is a true new Orleans swamp expert. She taught us about hundred year old Cypress trees, the local ecosystem. And the local fauna. She also taught us some foraging tips too, that are inherent to some of the local, swamp inhabitants. There it's super educational, but not the least bit boring. Now the big question it was. Did we see any Gators? Well, on this trip? No. When we went, the waters were still cold enough to where Gators, wanna stay on the bottom of the, the swamp, but we did see fish, turtles and snakes.
And one last thing, if you're willing to go just outside of new Orleans is to stroll through Oak [00:13:00] alley. If you're a fan of interview with a vampire you'll love visiting Oak alley plantation, which was featured in this movie. My favorite thing about this national historic landmark is the gorgeous line of giant Oak trees that lead up to the house. They are truly majestic and just incredible to witness. Now oak alley was a traditional sugar plantation with enslaved people working on site. You can tour the inside of the house. And our guide was mindful to reflect on the stories of all inhabitants, including the enslaved people. Pictures are not allowed inside the home. However, they are allowed on the wraparound porch upstairs.
And all over the rest of the property. Since I didn't have a car, I booked with Louisiana tour company and they picked me up and dropped me off straight from my hotel in the city center of new Orleans, which I found to be very convenient. You can do the [00:14:00] half day with them like I did, or you can choose to do their full day tour, which includes Oak alley plantation, and an airboat swamp tour. Okay. And I can't end this, without saying another amazing thing is you've gotta eat lots of oysters, Cajun and Creole food. it goes without saying, but you've gotta do this. New Orleans is a foodies paradise and there are so many amazing places to eat. So, you really could plan your entire trip around the food alone. So if you wanna hear about that, I have a previous blog, post and podcast episode about where to eat in new Orleans, but it's really a melting pot of vibrant culture, tradition and activity. The people of new Orleans adds spice and flared to everything they do, whether it's cooking, dancing, or playing music.
Whether you come to enjoy the Mardi Graw festivities or not, [00:15:00] there will always be exciting and fun things to do in new Orleans. And I hope you have a great rest of your week and I will talk to you next.