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Everything You Need for a New Orleans Vacation

New Orleans just can't be beat for great entertainment, music, and food year round. Perhaps there is no other American city with such an abundance of choices, and not everything costs money to be part of the fun. We have listed popular fee paid attractions that our guests seem to enjoy the most; followed by a list of "free" things to do in New Orleans and a list of favorite restaurants. Your Innkeepers can help you plan a visit to the Big Easy; they have tickets to most of the venues that charge a fee and can advise you about all the experiences on the lists. There are so many things to do, and they're all here just waiting for you.

Popular Attractions:

 

 

Here are things that you can do that do not have a fee or cost:

    • View the art, listen to the musicians, watch the jugglers in Jackson Square
    • Gallery hop in the Arts District along Julia Street on the first Saturday night of each month
    • Watch and interact with the parades during Carnival Season and Mardi Gras
    • Stroll Royal and Chartres streets and window-shop the art, antiques and fine jewelry
    • Enjoy French Quarter Festival every April, the South's largest free music event
    • Watch the ships pass on the Mississippi & hear the Steamboat Natchez's calliope
    • Ride the Canal Street Ferry to Algiers Point and see the New Orleans skyline
    • Walk through the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park
    • Celebrate the life and music of jazz legend Louis Armstrong during Satchmo SummerFest
    • Experience a cooking demonstration at the Crescent City Farmers Market
    • Jazz it Up at the Wednesday afternoon concerts in Lafayette Square during the spring and fall months
    • Dance down Frenchmen Street at night (many clubs don't have a cover charge)
    • Watch the fireworks on the Mississippi River every New Year's Eve and Fourth of July
    • Attend Jazz and Heritage Foundation festivals; BBQ & Blues, Cajun & Zydeco or Congo Square Rhythms
    • Browse the shops and stalls throughout the French Market
    • Tour Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square
    • Bring your book on the Garden District and take a self-guided walking tour
    • Attend a Saturday Art Market and check out the local art scene
    • Listen to live Jazz near the Joan of Arc Statue on Decatur Street in the Quarter
    • Walk upstairs at Arnaud's for a tour of their Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum
    • Sit under 100-year-old Oak trees in Audubon Park and/or City Park
    • See beignets made through the kitchen window at Cafe du Monde in Dutch Alley
    • Sample a free praline at a sweet shop in the French Market
  • Enjoy a free walking tour of the French Quarter with the National Park Service at 419 Decatur Street
  • People watch on Bourbon Street
  • Take a picture with Fats Domino, Pete Fountain, or Al Hirt at Music Legends Park on Bourbon Street
  • Get a view of Jackson Square from Washington Artillery Park
  • Make a wish in the fountain at Spanish Plaza in front of the Riverwalk Shopping Center
  • Check out the Fulton Street Mall near Harrah's Hotel and Casino at Holiday time
  • Window shop on Magazine Street
  • See the swans from the Peristyle in City Park
  • Walk the nature trail at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve's Barataria Unit
  • Watch the sailboats race on Lake Pontchartrain from the Lakefront Park and catch the sunset
  • Learn about the Battle of New Orleans at the Chalmette Battlefield during the Ranger talk at 2:30 p.m.
  • Pay homage at the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos
  • Catch the holiday spirit with Cathedral concerts, cooking demonstrations, and more during Christmas

Restaurant Favorites

With more than 1400 restaurants in the New Orleans area, it would be impossible to name the best restaurant in town. This is especially true in a city that claims so many world-class eateries among the list. If you ask five locals to give you their favorites, you are likely to get five different lists, all great places. From very casual, to unique, to upscale, we have it all in the Crescent City, the place that made "Cajun" cooking world famous. Here is a short list of the places we often recommend and the ones that our guests say they really enjoyed. We have not linked to their Web sites; we want you to allow us to book a table for you. We know most of the hosts, chefs, or owners and we have a little edge for that better seat in the house or for some special attention that you can only get "if you know someone."

Upscale/Business Casual

  • Upperline
  • Commander's Palace
  • K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
  • La Petite grocery
  • Gautreau's
  • Bistro Daisy
  • Stella
  • Clancy's
  • Arnaud's
  • Mr. B's
  • GW Fin's
  • Domenica
  • Restaurant August

 

Very Casual/ Casual Chic

  • Pascal's Manale
  • Gumbo Shop
  • Red Fish Grill
  • Deanie's Seafood
  • Ignatius Eatery
  • Lebanon
  • Byblos
  • Camellia Grill
  • New Orleans's Hamburger and Seafood
  • Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar