10 Things to Do in New Orleans

If you are visiting the city of New Orleans, you are in for a ride full of great music, colorful history, and savory food. This city has so much to offer, and it is worth telling your friends about. Here are some definite things to check off your list when visiting the city of New Orleans.

1) Go on a Ghost Tour

Considered to be the most haunted place in America, New Orleans is famous for their ghost/vampire walking tours. This city has a history of unexplained and unimaginable history with the spiritual world. I would recommend visiting some of these haunted places to get a feel of what this city is all about. You can also book one of the tours to hear the haunted stories more in-depth. These tours can get very crowded. If you have a large group, I would recommend purchasing a private tour to get more facetime with your tour guide, as the group sizes can be quite massive. You can also book tours for adults only.

Here are some of my favorite ghost/vampire stories and sites:

• Lalaurie Mansion - the site of Madame Delphine LaLaurie, who was a prominent socialite in the 1830s. It is said to house a hidden attic where enslaved people were kept in horrific conditions.

• The Gardette-LePretre House - the site of a man who presented himself as a Turkish Sultan who allegedly killed his father to inherit the throne. It was said that the man moved in with a large entourage. One day, blood was seeping from the stairs, and they discovered his entourage murdered and the sultan's man buried alive.

• Jackson Hotel - known to be haunted by the orphan boys. In 1794, New Orleans experienced a devastating fire that destroyed most of what was known as the French Quarter. A group of boys perished on the site of the Jackson hotel and have been seen by guests who visit the hotel.

• Old Ursuline Convent - famously known to be the site of the Casket Girls. The story goes that the French government needed more women to populate their new colonies. They sent women of good character. Since women were not allowed to be on the deck of the ship, they were confined to below deck for months. When they arrived in New Orleans, they shuddered at the sun, which led to the people speculating that the girls were vampires, as the convent's third floor had always been shut for centuries. People speculate that the reason was to keep the demons inside.

2) Wander the City Park

One of my favorite places in New Orleans was visiting the City Park. The park has over 1,303 acres of gardens, playgrounds, and golf courses. It is a free place to wander and explore. If you are a lover of art, you can venture off to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. It has over 90 sculptures and is surrounded by 200-year-old trees with different lagoons. The sculpture garden is free. If you do want to see more art, you can also visit the New Orleans Museum of Art. This museum has an extensive collection of French Impressionist paintings, Japanese art, and has a special connection to Edgar Degas, who had family in New Orleans.

If you are traveling with kids, there is an amusement park inside the City Park that you can visit. It is complete with different exhibits like the owl house, the alligator house, the pelican house, the train, and the carousel. There is also a massive outdoor theater that you can take pictures near by as well.

3) Discover all the delicious Southern food

New Orleans is a melting pot of different cultures, from African to French to Spanish cuisines. This city does not disappoint when it comes to delicious food. Here are some places to check out. If you are looking for a complete list of foods to try, you can also check out my food guide here.

French Quarter Recommendations:

• Antoine's - an upscale restaurant known for its French Creole cuisine that has been open since 1840. It has delicious gumbo to die for and some of the most amazing oysters that I have ever tasted. The vibe in this restaurant is exactly what you are looking for when visiting New Orleans.

• Arnaud's - a fine dining Creole restaurant with live music that has been open since 1918. This restaurant has a lot of southern staples and also serves brunch (except on Holidays such as Easter).

• Willie's Boil House - another NOLA tradition is having a seafood boil. I discovered this place while walking. They have delicious shrimp, lobster, mussels, crawfish boils, as well as the staples of red beans and rice.

• Loretta's - There are two types of people- people who love beignets and people who haven't tried them yet. I joke, but I do think that Loretta has the best beignets in NOLA, and I have tried 3 different places. You can find sweet and savory beignets. During Mardi Gras, you can also purchase king cakes, but make sure to purchase them in advance.

• Verti Marte - If you are looking to try a Po'Boy, one of the best places in the French Quarter is Verti Marte. Their sandwiches are delicious and reasonably priced for the French Quarter.

Treme Recommendations -

• Dooky Chase - Once started as a sandwich shop, this restaurant has bloomed into becoming a Creole staple. It is well known to the civil rights movement and has been visited by many well-known celebrities and politicians.

Garden District

• Atchafalaya - Located in a cottage, this fine restaurant is known for offering Creole cuisine while pushing boundaries.

4) Learn about the history of New Orleans

There are so many wonderful museums to check out in New Orleans. Although the museums can be a bit pricey, it's worth checking out to discover how the city came to be. Some of my favorites are below:

• Historic New Orleans Collection- This free museum is one of the most comprehensive museums about New Orleans. It has multiple floors, each covering a different topic, e.g., Bayou/Swamp/Wetlands, Civil Rights, Art & Jazz.

• The Presbytere - This museum covers two important topics: Hurricane Katrina and Mardi Gras. Since the Mardi Gras World museum can be a bit far if you don't have a car, this museum is cheaper and covers the origins of Mardi Gras and its development over time.

• Storyville Museum- This museum covers an in-depth look at the Storyville neighborhood of NOLA. I learned that Louisiana was named after Louis XIV, who was well known to be merry and had a strong desire to have a good time (e.g., gambling, affairs outside of marriage, and drinking). It is a fascinating look at a once-thriving red light district that existed in New Orleans.

5) Go shopping in the French Market

If you are looking for souvenirs or just want to wander the local markets, you can find local vendors selling items at the French market. It is a great place to find gifts as well as discover some of the craftsmanship of local artists in New Orleans.

If you are looking for grub, you can also find great food in the market.

6) Discover some live music!

Another reason to visit New Orleans is to visit the many places that have live music. The live music is everywhere in NOLA, and here are some places to find it!

• Carousel - If you are looking for traditional jazz standards, you can find them at the Carousel, which also features a rotating bar.

• The Spotted Cat Music Club - Located on Frenchman St, this tiny club has no cover and is always high energy. There is a one-drink minimum, and it is standing room only.

• Blue Nile - Located on Frenchman St, this is one of the oldest places with a dance floor and is great for brass bands and the blues.

• Preservation Hall - Inside the French Quarter, this hall is not for the faint of heart as it has no bathroom, no air conditioning, and no bar. It is extremely popular and I would recommend purchasing tickets in advance.

7) Visit a swamp tour

Another popular checklist item for New Orleans is taking a swamp tour. A swamp tour is a great opportunity to see alligators and to learn more about the wetlands. We learned about how to measure an alligator, how they farm the alligator's eggs to make alligator products, and how much climate change is affecting the habitats of the animals in the wetlands, plus we got to touch a baby alligator!

You can book the swamp tour here.

8) Discover the history of slavery by visiting a plantation

Being in Louisiana, there is a fair share of plantations in the area. It is a great opportunity to learn more about slavery and the treatment that enslaved people endured.

• Whitney Plantation - Considered to be the most slavery-focused tour, the Whitney Plantation is the most ethical one out there, as many tours focus on the owners. This one is widely focused on the slaves. There are various exhibits and restored cabins to help educate people about those who lost their lives on the plantation. This plantation operated from 1752 to 1975. Because of its popularity, it's best to purchase tickets in advance.

You can find tours here.

• Destrehan Plantation - The closest plantation to the city is located within 10 minutes of the airport. It was the site of the German Coast Uprising of 1811, where a slave revolt was almost successful. The uprising was put down, and the heads of slaves were displayed on a stick to discourage slaves from revolting.

You can find tours to this plantation here.

• Oak Alley Plantation - This plantation is most known for it's well preserved grounds and South Antebellum mansion. It is about an hour out of the city. It is the site of many different movies, such as Interview with a Vampire and Night Rider. The site describes life for the owners as well as the slaves who inhabited the plantation. The plantation owners built the slave cabins in closer proximity to the owners than most plantations, but still had a larger garden in between.

You can book the popular tour of going to both this plantation and the swamp tour here.

9) Experience Mardi-Gras in New Orleans

If there is anything that New Orleans is known for, it is experiencing the magic of Mardi-Gras. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is New Orleans’ world-famous cultural explosion of music, parades, and masquerades. It is the final day of the Carnival season, serving as a last hurrah of indulgence before Ash Wednesday and the start of the 40-day fasting period of Lent.

Mardi Gras is organized by Krewes, private social clubs that fund and build their own floats. On the floats, masked riders toss trinkets at the crowds, with the most famous being Muse's shoes and Zulu coconuts. There are two sides to Mardi-gras. There is the adult side (French Quarter near Bourbon St) and the child-friendly side (Uptown/St Charles route). If it is your first time at Mardi-Gras, it is suggested that you wear a costume, walk between the different neighborhoods to experience the different costumes and tribes.

10) Take the streetcar to view the beautiful homes in the Garden District

The Garden District is often considered the most beautiful neighborhood in New Orleans, characterized by its preserved 19th-century mansions, sprawling live oaks, and lush landscaping. It was originally developed by the "new money" Americans who moved to the city after the Louisiana Purchase, wanting to distance themselves from the dense, European-style French Quarter. You can visit the Lafayette Cemetery, which is the most famous above-ground cemetery, The Commander's Place (once the training place for famous chefs), and the Buckner Mansion (famous for American Horror Story: The Coven).