Visitors to New Orleans need not be worried about the heat. Yes we have it, but there are so many ways to beat it. As Innkeepers of the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast we have researched (yes, its a tough job, but someone has to do it) a few favorite ways to enjoy our historic city — and still beat the summer heat. Are these ideas cool, or what?

• Take a stroll through the roof shaded French Market, and enjoy a cool fruit smoothie or gelato at one of the many unique food and beverage emporiums.
  The newly renovated French market is a great place to enjoy cool drinks at venues like the Organic Banana. Check out health food restaurants like Meals From the Heart Cafe, where you can order light low fat menu items that won’t make you feel overstuffed and uncomfortable in the heat.
• Check out one of the city’s unique movie theater experiences.
  Escape the hottest part of our summer afternoons by spending a couple hours in a chilling, dark state of the art theater. You’ll be stunned with the visual documentary at the Entergy IMAX Theater, part of the Audubon Nature Institute, or blown away with the Tom Hanks-produced 4-D Beyond All Boundaries experience at the Solomon Victory Theater at The National WWII Museum.
• Lick an icy snowball.
  Cool it with a taste treat kids love and adults crave — a colorful, shaved ice snowball. It’s a New Orleans “must have” staple; these delightful, icy confections come in a huge range of colors and unique flavors. Check out the sophisticated varieties like honey almond, honeydew melon or orchid cream vanilla.  And don’t for get to ask for one stuffed with ice cream and topped with evaporated milk and chocolate syrup.
• It’s Cool at the Cool Zoo.
  Cool off the kids at the Audubon Zoo’s new splash park, Cool Zoo, where exciting water features and three splash zones make hot summer days a real cool blast. By the way, we are one of the few New Orleans bed and breakfasts that accept families with kids five and up.
• Chill with a frozen daiquiri.
  Are you a multi-tasker? Why not cool off with one of these potent beverages while celebrating the laid-back vibe of New Orleans at the same time? Walk-up daiquiri stands are all around the city and in the New Orleans French Quarter so act like a local and pick up one of these refreshing adult beverages to beat the heat.
• Win the coolest casino games.
  Spend a few hours away from the sun at Harrah’s New Orleans, where more than 100 live table games and 2,100 slot machines will give you plenty to do in a superbly air-conditioned environment. It’s cool to win.
• You’ll be cool when you escape into stunning artwork.
  Avoid a hot day by being among the paintings, sculptures and other artwork at the New Orleans Museum of Art . Walk through more than 40,000 historic and contemporary art objects and soak up some culture within the cool, stone walls of the museum.
• The coolest exhibit this side of the Smithsonian! Visit the WWII Museum.
  Walk through permanent and special exhibits at the National WWII Museum, and see massive relics from this epic war, such as a Sherman tank, jeeps and a restored C-47 aircraft. By far, the best thing to do in New Orleans. Very cool.
• Explore the Riverwalk.
  Make it a mini day trip in the cool embrace of air conditioning. Indulge in a little retail therapy at the Riverwalk Marketplace, where you can satisfy your shopping addiction in the hundreds of shops and restaurants. Just outside the mall, stroll along the river levee and catch a cool breeze coming off the mighty Mississippi.
• Meet the coolest underwater creatures at the aquarium.
  Walk through an underwater tunnel made of glass, pet a perky stingray and get an up-close and personal glimpse of sea creatures in their marine habitats. You’ll be instantly transported to a world away from the summer heat and into an exciting adventure Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

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There are lots of things to do in New Orleans for Memorial Weekend 2011. Fabulous parades, museums, jazz concerts, and of course enjoying great Creole/Cajun food at our world class restaurants.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana,

But above all of these,  is our favorite during that weekend and one of the favorites of our guests here at the Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast. It’s the Greek Festival on Bayou St. John not far from City Park and the French Quarter. The festival features fantastic Greek food offerings, live music concerts and plenty of Greek culture.

The Festival is located on the campus of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Byzantine Cathedral established in 1866 as the first Greek Orthodox Church in the United States. The address is 1200 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, on the edge of Bayou St. John, an inner city waterway.

We love this event because there is so much to do. There are tours of the cathedral, the Hellenic dancers on stage all afternoon, an authentic Greek band, and lots of booths with everything from Roasted Spring Lamb from the rotisserie to frozen Greek Yogurt and Baklava. We just can’t get enough of the Fried Calamari and the salads with feta cheese, olives and imported Greek Oregano.

Spring lamb, Greek Festival, New Orleans

For fun and some calorie burning, you can challenge yourself on the Mount Olympus climbing wall or you can rent a canoe for a relaxing ride on Bayou St. John.

The festival operates daily May 27- 29, 2011; Friday from 5 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Saturday from 11:00 to 11:00 and Sunday from 11:00 to 9:00. Admission is $5.00.

If you’ve never tried authentic Greek food, here’s your chance while visiting a New Orleans bed and breakfast. As they exclaim in Greece at a wild soccer game…..”Opa! Opa!” It’s equivalent of our “Who Dat” here in New Orleans. Loosely translated, it means “you go.”  And we suggest ‘you go” to the Greek Festival this Memorial weekend.

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