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Things to do in New Orleans


wrigley80
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We have never been to New Orleans before and we are coming in for a cruise on the Carnival Sunshine in December.....I am beginning to compile a list of things that I want to do and see.

Here is my list so far....

  • Pat O'Briens Bar for a Hurricane
  • Café DuMonde for beignets (I am thinking of going to the one in Metairie because its close to our hotel)
  • City Sightseeing tour (Double Decker Bus tour)
  • Canal Street/Algiers Ferry....to get some good pictures of the New Orleans skyline
  • New Orleans streetcar....at least just to take a ride from one end to the other
  • Margaritaville

Is there anything to add to my list or anything to take off....open to any and all suggestions. I will have about one full day to sightsee before we board our cruise on Sunday

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Everything on the list is good. Margaritaville would be a personal thing. It is not about Nola. Try some local seafood. So many good places to eat. Enjoy!!

 

Thanks for the advice....Margaritaville isn't to eat...just to grab a t-shirt or two

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There are a million ways to answer this question.

Here are my recommendations, by category:

Food:

Cafe Amelie

Camellia Grill

Oliviers

Johnny's Poboy's

Deanies

 

History:

All of the Louisiana State Museums, including the 1850 House.

While you are at the 1850 house, inquire about their walking tours, they are very informative and led by state licensed historians.

WWII museum is an all-day event.

About an hour northwest is the town of Vacherie, which has two plantations, Oak Alley and Laura. Do both plantations, as it shows the very different lifestyles between the english/american plantations and the french/creole plantations.

Explore outside New Orleans as well, there are plenty of historical sites from plantations and agriculture to industry to battlefields. One of my favorite sites is a couple of hours down river on the west bank, it is Fort Jackson and was very important to both sides during the Civil War. The fort is an old 5-sided star fort that has a moat and sits almost directly on the river and has a great view of the river for watching river traffic. You will pass the fort on your way down river to the gulf. If you are looking, the fort should be visible about 5 hours after departure in New Orleans.

 

Shopping:

Royal street is a great shopping area, with plenty of small shops selling Art, Weapons, Antiques, Furniture, Christmas and halloween items, groceries and many other things.

The Pontalba buildings (which house the 1850 house, all around Jackson Square) have many shops and restaurants.

Many malls, and most are quite clean and safe. My old favorite when I lived there was Oakwood, but my more recent favorite while visiting has been Lakeside.

 

Other than that, it is a great place to go with no list and see where the day carries you. New Orleans does not fit nicely into a scheduled vacation as there will be plenty to distract you and keep you busy.

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I've arranged a 'Strange/True' tour (you can google it) before our cruise in January. Looks a bit different than the usual type of tour. Also arranged a Stray Boots self-guided scavenger hunt for when we get off the ship- before we go to the airport. They say it takes about 2 hours- ends at Cafe du Monde. Thought it could show us the 'not so touristy' side of N.O.

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Man New Orleans is one of the few towns you can just walk around the French Quarter, look at the posted menus and discover a restaurant that appears to be popular and you'll likely get a great meal. Found a great restaurant and breakfast Diner just going on instinct a few months ago.

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If you want Cafe DuMonde and Margaritaville. They are both close to each other in the Quarter.

 

Margaritaville is right next to the French Market. Explore there too!!

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

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French Market is great and is just down from Café du Monde. I recommend taking a haunted tour in the French Quarter. Of course a walk down Bourbon St is a must....it's fun to pop in the different shops, like Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo, and grab a "Huge Ass Beer" (that place makes me laugh) New Orleans is so much fun! :)

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  • Pat O'Briens Bar for a Hurricane-Last time in NO, we drank 3 a piece, they are indeed tasty, but that was about the beginning of the end for us. Cab took us back to the hotel and we were out of it until about noon the next day.
  • Café DuMonde for beignets (I am thinking of going to the one in Metairie because its close to our hotel)-It's a NO tradition for us. Lots of places around town to get them.
  • City Sightseeing tour (Double Decker Bus tour)-Never did the bus tour, had a car & a map so ventured out on our own.
  • Canal Street/Algiers Ferry....to get some good pictures of the New Orleans skyline - I can't tell you how many times we rode that "free" Ferry.....mainly to feed the seagulls that would fly up and eat right out of your hand. Mardi Gras World is on the Algiers side and def worth going to.
  • New Orleans streetcar....at least just to take a ride from one end to the other - We did exactly that, rode it from the beginning to the end, lots of sights to see along the way, locals use them as well so you get a real sense of the people.
  • Margaritaville - If you have been to one, you have been to them all IMO. Wouldn't waste my time unless you've never been to one before.

You can spend a whole day just going thru all the little shops around the French Quarter. Harrah's casino is right in the mix of it all if you are so inclined as well. One day just isn't enough in NO. :D
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Whatever you do you must go somewhere and get an authentic southern Po' Boy. It's the equivalent of going to Philadelphia and getting a cheese steak you can't go without getting one!:cool:

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Don't forget to walk down the riverfront. It's beautiful down there with fountains and plenty of picture opportunities.

 

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Don't forget the castle (I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, but it is beautiful. They had a wedding there that day we were in NOLA)

 

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There are neat shops all over that area, music playing, and "statues" (which are real people) that are really neat and catch you off guard sometimes.

 

NOLA is a really neat place to spend the day. :)

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The World War II museum is a must do, in my opinion. It doesn't have to be all day, but you must see the IMAX movie there in addition to the museum. If you must pick one, it's the movie.

 

If you are staying in or near the French Quarter, there's a streetcar that runs along the river bank. There's a stop a few blocks from the museum.

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I'm afraid to ask what a Muffaletta is and where I would go to get one??

 

Its an italian sandwich. Cheese, meats and olive salad. Look it up.

 

 

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