Me and my girlfriend are headed to New Orleans for a little getaway thingy Memorial Day weekend. Ive been before, and besides the drunken debachery of Burbon Street, what would you recommend doing during the day and stuff like that? Shopping, restaurants, entertainment, etc. And for all you guys who are going to reply with: "There isnt anything worth doing in New Orleans besides getting drunk, and seeing topless girls", Ive at your fairly obvious attempt at a joke, and it wasn't original or funny.. Thanks for your input.
Drive by Trent Reznor's house and spy on him. Don't try to walk up to his front door though....they didn't seem to like that.
Take a walk, during the day, around the Garden District. Check out Anne Rice's house. Although the Garden District is nice, be cautious around there. If you are looking for nice $$$ restaurants, go to K Paul's, Palace Cafe (try the White Chocolate Bread Pudding - laced with crack), Commander's Palace, Nola or Delmonico. For VERY good places for $ or $$ that locals go to, try Johnny PoBoys for great poboys, Silky O' Sullivan's for heart attack inducing ribs, or Krystal for good ole fashioned burgers.
my girlfriend and I loved preservation hall it has old traditional jazz and very cool.. highly recommended
There are lots of shops on Decatur near Jackson Square. Harrah's casino may be something you might want to check out. You could take the street car to the uptown area where audobon park is located.
Definitely walk the quarter in the early part of the day. It's fun to just step into the shops, then duck into a bar, then catch a street performance. Some of the other "things you do" in New Orleans are beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde, a Muffaletta at Central Grocery, and a little walk over to the Central Business District for a Po Boy at Mothers. Ask some of the bartenders in the quarter about what clubs are happening that weekend in Faubourg Marigny--that's the neighborhood just east of the Quarter. I think that would appeal to you.
If you leave New Orleans without beignets and chicory at Cafe Du Monde (the one at the French Market, not the one in the Riverwalk), you should be shot. If you're there overnight, go on one of the vampire or cemetery tours. It will give you the creeps for sure. A visit to New Orleans is not complete without a hurricane from Pat O' Briens or a visit to Antoine's as well. The zoo and aquarium are wonderful and I'd highly advise taking a riverboat while you are there.
Shopping at the French Market Shopping all down Royal Street The Aquarium (real aquarium, not a restaurant) D-Day Museum Casino's Museum of Fine Art in City Park City Park Audubon Park Night time ghost tour The Riverwalk Mall Walk along the River (paved area) Take the free ferry from New Orleans to Algiers and back (the ferry landing is near the Aquarium) Garden District Trolley Ride Shopping down Magazine Street Visit Whole Foods Market on Magazine Street Have fun in NOLA!
Oh, BTW, Anne Rice has moved out of the Garden District and now lives in the 'burbs.... LINK TO STORY
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop (down Bourbon St.) - cool bar, building was built sometime around 1770, supposedly used by the pirate Lafitte brothers Louisiana Pizza Kitchen - on the Riverwalk, try the crawfish pizza
I went to NO about a year ago, and we stayed at the Prytania in the garden district. We of course went to burbon st, been there done that. We also went to the zoo, the aquarium, the riverwalk mall, rode a riverboat, took the ferry for no reason and came right back, took the trolleys that people don't get into accidents with all the freakin time. I didn't go into Harrahs because I was underage. You can check out Tulane, or just walk down St. Charles Ave. It's great down there. WE tried to eat at Emrils, but neglected to make a reservation until the day of... So we settled for Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro - it's badass. New Orleans
