Travel Stop: New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana, what a fun city, I have never been to such an alive city in my entire life!

There is a party on the streets 24 hours a day, they celebrate everything! Wedding marches for everyone to see, parades for events you have never even heard of, culture everywhere you turn, even funeral marches! I definitely recommend that this party city goes on your bucket list immediately.

New Orleans is filled with things to do every day, we went on a holiday weekend which was very welled planned, because they of course did everything just a little extra!

Walking the streets of New Orleans could get a bit overwhelming on where to go next! So here is a list of our top 8 places to visit in New Orleans, LA! (Top 8 like MySpace, lol)

1. Café Du Monde

Just one word is all you need to know – Beignets. That’s all. You need one in your life, I promise. And you have to get them at Café Du Monde, don’t go to one of the other Beignet-imposters, go for the original!

You’ll have to wait in line… any time of day I am told. We went on a Monday around 10:30am and the line only took us about 10 minutes, which was great! We watched the tour buses pull in right around 11:30am and the line piled up fast!

So what are beignets? They’re like a deep fried donut, only better Like a funnel cake, only lighter. Like a pastry, only like a pastry you’ve never had before. They’re the fluffiest dough on earth covered in powdered sugar perfection.

Grab a coffee while you’re there too! It’s a New Orleans specialty made with chicory, a special plant with extra sugar for your morning coffee.

Oh and the best part, Café Du Monde is open 24 hours a day! That’s right you can head over there at 4am if your heart so desires.

2. Jackson Square

Right down the street from Café Du Monde, you will find Jackson Square, an outdoor market area with a beautiful cathedral as the focal point.

We saw some of the most beautiful art work here in Jackson Square, we wanted to take so much of it home! There’s also street performers, crafters, and some tarot card readers and palm readers… but we’ll get to that later.

3. The French Market

This is just a fun tourist spot to browse through in New Orleans, if you are a big souvenir person then it is a great stop!

It’s a giant outdoor market with everything from sunglasses to cultural works of art. We just liked browsing through all the vendors and learning about some of the culture of NOLA. There is also a  food market at the end with some delicious authentic food.

4. Rooftop Bar on Bourbon Street

Obviously you HAVE to go to Bourbon Street while you’re in New Orleans, but find yourself a rooftop bar to enjoy the party in the city. For us, we love people watching so this was one of our favorite stops! You’ll see rooftop bars all along the road, some you have to pay to get up there and some you just make your way up!

Try the city’s signature drink – the hand grenade, at your own risk!

5. Voodoo Shop

When we think of New Orleans, voodoo shop is one of the first things that comes to mind, so this was a must stop for us when we arrived to the city. Even if you don’t believe in the power of tarot cards and palm reading, it’s a really great stop to make to learn something new and see another cultural side of the town.

Voodoo has been a long held practice in New Orleans and is not to be mocked or taken light of when you are in one of the shops.

Personally for us, Megan had her cards read at a little shop that our Uber driver recommended as the best. It was called Hex, right near the French market on Decatur Street. She was really impressed with her reading and would definitely recommend the shop!

6. Crescent Park

This was an accidental find and one of those places you are so glad you ran into! A lot of the locals hadn’t even heard of this place! We stumbled upon it while waiting for brunch at a FANTASTIC little restaurant called, Elizabeth’s.

We highly recommend this brunch stop! It’s just a short walk down from it and you’ll see this bridge…

Right over the bridge you get stunning views of the Mississippi and of downtown New Orleans, and if you have time it is a beautiful walking trail!

7. Canal and Royal Street Performers

They’re everywhere, but the Street Performers in New Orleans are so much fun! These were my two favorite spots to catch them, we saw an amazing juggler and a performance like I had never seen before by some dancers who really get the audience involved!

Plus you’ll find some really great shops, restaurants, galleries and museums through here.

8. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop

Last but not least, another fun stop recommended by our Uber driver. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, this is the oldest bar in New Orleans. It is a super cool stop! All of the architecture is the original and it is lit by candlelight, they just recently got the modern day cash registers and some other techy things inside, but you still get that old time feel! Add this stop as you are walking the city. There are also photos all over the wall with the celebrities who have visited there, which is just pretty cool!

New Orleans, we will be back! We loved your lively streets and even livelier people! If you do go to visit, know that all the locals love their city! So don’t be afraid to ask around for some spots to visit. We took Uber rides a lot and our drivers were always quick to give us advice!

Have you been to New Orleans? What was your favorite stop?

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