New Orleans Trip

[twhitaker]

I'm planning a trip to New Orleans and I would love some tips on where to stay and places to eat and go to. Any ideas??? Any budget friendly ideas??

 

[gvillemama]

We went to New Orleans on our honeymoon and had a great time! Since it was a honeymoon, we weren't too budget conscious, but we didn't go crazy either. We stayed in a balcony suite at the Hotel Royal, which we booked through Bookit.com. My DH booked us a dinner cruise on one of the riverboats (Creole Queen) and it was nice, but I wasn't crazy about the food. We had jazz brunch at the Court of Two Sisters and it was awesome!! We did a swamp boat tour and had a great time. Of course, we ate beignets at Cafe du Monde which everyone says is a must do! We did a lot of sightseeing and walking around the French Quarter, bought a painting from a man on Jackson Square, made our rounds on Bourbon Street, etc etc. My personal favorite place we ate at was The Embers Steakhouse...I got a bone-in ribeye and it was probably one of the best steaks I have ever had!

Hope this helps some!! PM me if you want exact names of anything!

 

[joliesmom]

We go to Commanders Palace whenever we go to New Orleans. The last time we were there they had a jazz luch with 25cent martini's. We usually stay at Chateau LeMoyne which is a Holiday Inn and close to everything. There is a little dive bar called DejaVu at the corner of Dauphine and Conti that has the BEST burgers and sandwiches. Remember happy hour in New Orleans is 3 for 1drinks

 

[sydneysmom]

I second Commander's Palace. the jazz brunch on the weekends is SO much fun. they put balloons all over the place and jazz bands go room to room. (it's a big old mansion and simply beautiful)
One thing that's really fun (if it's a nice day) go to Central Grocery and get a muffaletta. You can walk to the river ( right across the street ) and sit and eat and just watch the ships go down the Mississippi. Also, Mother's Restaurant is awesome. it's a total hole in the wall but truly the BEST basic food you'll ever eat. The line outside the restaurant is wrapped around the block hours before they open and you can't sit down until you have your food. ( or they'll yell at you) They're fried oyster po-boys are amazing. (and oddly enough, their corned beef and cabbage is to die for)
Acme Oyster house is a MUST DO if you like anything oysters. Just sit at the bar and order some Dixie beer and oysters on the 1/2 shell.
Cafe Du Monde has the greatest beignets ever. you can go any time of day. (avoid dark clothing because you WILL be covered with yummy powdered sugar)
the alligator swamp tours are really alot of fun. A must do right in the city of New Orleans is the Aquarium . it took a hit during Katrina and is back and better. It's just beautiful and right on the Mississippi. They have wonderful IMAX films too. That's a good few hours of a day and well worth it.
Canal Street has great shops and Jax Brewery has great shops.
Try to go into St. Louis Cathedral. It's right in in Jackson Square (Cafe Du Monde is across the street). it's truly such a beautiful old Catholic church. Sometimes you can catch a choir concert at night and it's really nice. ( at Christmas they do that alot)
You should also take a walk down Bourbon Street and go to Pat O'Briens for a signature Hurricane Drink. be careful...they're bite is worse than their bark !! You'll be on the floor if you have too many !!!
I'm afraid I've gone on rambling....sorry !!!
I hope you have fun !!!

 

[djblu883]

They also have a ghost and or vampie tour . I'm not sure if they still have the wax museum but used to be pretty cool. I totally agree about Cafe du Monde I go for the cafe o' lait!!! Antonnes(sp) is excellent but expensive and you can't beat the pralines in the French market!!!!!!!

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

Deanies Seafood in the French Quarter is hard to beat. The giant seafood platter can easily feed 4 and the half will take care of 2 or more.

 

[cindycastle30]

We always stay at the Embassy Suites on Julia St, it is the only one in New Orleans. Rooms are usually $99 a night and they include a managers reception for 2 hours every night (free drinks&you can order 2 at a time per person) and a full breakfast every morning, includes eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and cooked to order omlettes, plus tons more. Since we go with 4 kids this is a great deal, plus the rooms sleep six and most rooms are suites. If you are going to go out on Bourbon Street one thing we learned is that you can bring drinks into most bars no problem. After paying $6 for a bottle of beer we started crossing the street and paying $6 for a 32 ounce tap beer and taking it into the clubs with us, no questions asked, now that was a great budget tip!! If you go to Pat O'briens make sure you turn in your glass--you get $3 back, they charge you for the glass when you order any drink not just hurricanes. If you like wine look for WINO a really cool wine tasting bar, you pay per ounce. New Orleans has an amazing zoo if you are looking for something more for the family. We love New Orleans so much that our kids picked it for our family vacation this year over DISNEY!! We are planning on spending 1/4 of what we would have spent at Disney, so it really is a budget vacation. Let me know if you want any more info or what sort of things your looking to do adult vs family.

 

[wfbnancy]

We visited during Christmas and it was great. One interesting thing we did was take the ferry across to Mardi Gras world. You get to see the floats up close and personal. They serve kings cake and have a small number of costumes you can try on and take your picture. We ate at a little bar/restaurant that had great burgers and sweet potato fries. I can't remember the name but it was right near the dock. Mardi Gras world had a van that picks up where the ferry drop off is.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Mother's is the "dive-iest" place (looks like a real dive) but the food is fantastic. It's on Poydras and the etouffee is excellent. You stand in line, order your food from a cash register and then find a table. They bring your food out to you.

You need to take a cemetery tour, too. Spooky, but neat.

 

[aimlyles]

Not sure if you'll be traveling with young children but if you have a son/daughter who likes bugs they have a cool Insectarium. We brought my DS last Feb and he loved it. http://www.auduboninstitute.org/visit/insectarium

They also had a cool Children's Museum but the last time we went was before Katrina so I'm not sure how/if it's changed at all.

 

[HunnyPots]

My favorite hotel by far is the Place D'Armes on St. Ann street. The location is the best in the quarter, as far as I am concerned. It's right off Jackson Square, just a couple of blocks from Cafe DuMonde and all the touristy stuff on Decatur street, or go the other direction to royale street with all the galleries & shops, or just a bit further to Bourbon street and all it has to offer .
It's an old building (actually three old buildings) with tons of character and old New Orleans atmosphere but is a very comfortable hotel at the same time.

Check out tripadvisor for lots of info and advice on New Orleans from visitors as well as the locals.

 

[gobraves39560]

Well, I live a hour away.. so I am lucky enough to visit New Orleans alot!!! On Bourban Street weekends (too tired to drive home), we like the Doubletree. It's a small walk to the French Quarter, Riverwalk, and right beside Harrah's casino. Cafe DuMonde is a must, and there are awesome hole in the wall eats everywhere!!
New Orleans is one great, special place, and we can't have to have that Superbowl trophy!!! Who Dat??? Go Saints!!!!!!!!

 

[jgates]

Just as a note - if any of you do live near a Harrah's & gamble at all, check your online account for your players card & you may be able to receive comped rooms at Harrah's or one of their partner hotels down near the FQ.

I know gambling isn't a good budget board topic, LOL, but I know some of you are out there! It was someone here that directed me to lasvegasmessageboard.

We really enjoyed a lot of things there. The cemetery where Marie LeVou is buried (have to go before around 3pm - only open during height of day), Cafe' du Monde, the interesting shops, the carriage ride thru the FQ.

My daughter & I had our palms read in Jackson Sq (?) - a larger lady over on the left side near the back (farthest away from river). I doubt she is even still there but that woman totally freaked me out. I was behind her so she couldn't read my face & my daughter was staring down but she was so accurate it was terrifying. At the end she said my daughters birthday was nearly mid-way between Christmas & New Years (it's 12/29). (And no birthstones or anything worn). I would go back to see her in a heartbeat if she was still there. I didn't think mine was accurate at all until I started telling my mom later on what she said. She just sat there with her jaw dropped & said the lady had pegged me to a T.

 

[HLAuburn]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned brunch at Brennan's! It's wonderful! And you can't miss Cafe Du Monde. If you have kids, the Insectarium and Aquarium are both fun.

 

[princessmom29]

We love the Hotel Monteleone right on Burbon street. It is a really nice place that has a lot of history. It has been there since My husband's gandmother stayed there in the 1930's. It has a rotating bar with a view of Burbon as you go by. There is a smaller place about a Block off Burbon Called the Chateau Motor Hotel. It is an old home rennoed into a hotel. We stayed in one of their suites very reasonably. It was period furnished and the ambience was great. They brought us breakfast up on a tray every morning.

 

[dreamin_disney]

My daughter & I had our palms read in Jackson Sq (?) - a larger lady over on the left side near the back (farthest away from river). I doubt she is even still there but that woman totally freaked me out. I was behind her so she couldn't read my face & my daughter was staring down but she was so accurate it was terrifying. At the end she said my daughters birthday was nearly mid-way between Christmas & New Years (it's 12/29). (And no birthstones or anything worn). I would go back to see her in a heartbeat if she was still there. I didn't think mine was accurate at all until I started telling my mom later on what she said. She just sat there with her jaw dropped & said the lady had pegged me to a T.

cool! Curious- how much did she charge???

 

[Sweety_tweety]

Not sure if you reserved your hotel, but about 5 years ago DH and I stayed at the Prince Conti. It was a block off of Bourban. We really liked the hotel and the staff. I would check for more recent reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. Here is a link to the hotel.
http://www.princecontihotel.com/

We took a tour to a couple of the mansions, a dinner cruise on the Natchez. I always thought Mardi Gras looks like a fun. Unfortunately, we were not there for Mardi Gras, so we did the next best thing--we toured a Mardi Gras musuem. I looked for it on the web, but I can't seem to find a link. Anyway, we had to take a ferry to get to the museum--maybe someone else will know if it still exists.

Anyway, I have to share this funny story. On the way to the ferry, a man approached us and told DH "I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes for $20." DH replied, "Sure, where?" He replied "On your FEET!" DH handed $20--ughh! (I was really freaked out when this was happening--we were robbed at gun point a few years prior.) Here is the kicker a few weeks before we left I read about this happening to someone else. I told DH about it--obviously he was not listening. Whenever I hear someone going to New Orleans, I always tell this story--it is good for a few laughs.

 

[belle&sebastiansmom]

Bumping because I have the same question! And a few others:

Hotels with parking garages? Or do you have to pay to park in private lots?
Walking distance to kid friendly activities like zoo, insectarium, aquarium?
Tell me about Storybook land at City Park and Mardi Gras World.
What are must do family activities, places to eat when spending 2 1/2 days?

 

[smphbear]

City Park has had a lot redone since Katrina.
neworleanscitypark.com has hours and other info.

Be aware that there is a section with amusement park rides that is adjacent to Storyland. Kids will see it.

Also ... if you are into Disney animation, through April there is a Disney exhibit at New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). It is called Dreams Come True. It is excellent. This is the only place it is going to in North America.

Also, Audubon Zoo has an excellent swamp exhibit which showcases native animals.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Bumping because I have the same question! And a few others:

Hotels with parking garages? Or do you have to pay to park in private lots?
Walking distance to kid friendly activities like zoo, insectarium, aquarium?
Tell me about Storybook land at City Park and Mardi Gras World.
What are must do family activities, places to eat when spending 2 1/2 days?

Parking is very high in NOLA. Even the lot parking can be $10 for a few hours. I know the hotel we usually stay at - Homewood Suites on Poydras - has lot parking and it usually costs about $15-18 a day.

Walking to the zoo would be tough from the French Quarter. It's on St Charles over near Tulane and Loyola which is a bit of a hike (more like a drive) from the French Quarter. The aquarium is near the Riverwalk along the Mississippi River which is not that great of a shopping center.

Driving in the FQ is not easy, but outside the FQ is not that bad. Finding a parking place is bad.