WHO DAT! It’s so much fun to walk around and explore on your own. The best thing about Nawlins is the amazing talent that they have on the streets and in the bars. I would highly recommend going in December as the town goes crazy for the holidays with tons of traditions, decorations and spirit. Plus, you won’t be there while it’s sticky and hot.

Eat:

• Acme Oyster House. Get the chargrilled oysters!
• Cafe Beignet at Musical Legends Park. Stay and watch some good ol’ jazz while you go crazy on some beignets. They play all day!
• Cafe du Monde. OBVIOUSLY. get lost in a pile of powdered sugar. so good!
• Coop’s. Late night munchies.
• Court of Two Sisters. Jazz brunch any day of the week! Jazz brunches are usually only on the weekends.
• Gumbo Shop. We got the catfish St. Peter and roasted duckling.
• Cochon. Located in the warehouse district. We got the mac n cheese, braised short rib salad & ribs that smelled like a bonfire but tasted like BBQ heaven.
• Commander’s Palace. This place is top notch! Business attire required. Best strawberry shortcake I’ve ever had!
• Brennan’s. Home of the Banana’s Foster. When you order it, they make it at your table…to-die-for!
• Arnaud’s. Get Arnaud’s shrimp and crabmeat Karen!

Stay:

• We stayed at the Lamothe House Hotel located right in between French Quarter and Frenchman Street. Frenchman Street is where all the locals hang out – they had some of the best music I heard out there.

In the French Quarter check out:

• Preservation Hall Jazz Band! Must see! Get in line early for the show. 3x a night.
• Pat O’ Brian’s piano bar
• Maison on Bourbon
• Hermes at Antoine’s for happy hour
• Spice and Tea Exchange – good souvenirs if you like to cook.
• The French Market
• Jax Brewery
• Definitely do a horse carriage tour. If you get on the bigger ones – they are more affordable.

On Frenchman Street check out:

• The nightly art show
• Apple Barrel – good music!
• Maisons – good music! One night they had a band playing – that completely drew us into the bar by playing their Forgot About Dre remix. These were trombones, trumpets..all the winds. Then they remixed it into Smells like Teen Spirit, then back to Forgot About Dre. Unreal! The band was called Dysfunktional Bone.

If you do make it there for Christmas, take a guided tour to Celebration at the Oaks. It’s worth it! A giant park of big, old oak trees gets completely decked out with thousands of Christmas lights. The town has many other fun Christmas traditions so make sure you plan accordingly!