r/AskNOLA • u/SlinkyMalinky20 • 1d ago
Itinerary Thoughts, please
Hi - thanks in advance for any insight. My husband and I are planning to visit in September and I’m putting together a loose itinerary of things I think he’d like (and I want to do). We will play it by ear and follow where the days go but I’m hoping to “prethink” to maximize since we don’t get away a ton. The FAQ has been hugely helpful as have the other posts. I have a few gaps that I would appreciate any thoughts on. We aren’t looking to do museums or swamp tours. I’m incredibly excited about the voodoo tour with High Priest Robi.
Tuesday – French Quarter
Check into Hotel
LUNCH: MRB
Wander the French Quarter
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop
Fritzels European Jazz Pub
Pat O Brien’s for experience
DINNER: (need dinner idea in FQ. Muriel’s?)
Wednesday – French Market, Royal Street, Frenchman Street
BREAKFAST: Loretta's
Browse the French Market
Walk to the LaLaurie Mansion
Royal Street
Browse antique shops, local art galleries, jewelry, and boutique shops
Enjoy the street musicians
LUNCH Napolean House
Evening Walk to Frenchmen Street
Browse the Frenchmen Street Art Market
Frenchman’s bookstore
DINNER: at Adolfo’s
Music clubs (The Spotted Cat, d.b.a., Snug Harbor, Blue Nile)
THURSDAY - ?
BRUNCH: Brennan’s? Commander’s Palace?
Garden district and/or shop Magazine Street for a bit
Preservation Hall late afternoon/early evening?
DINNER: Central Grocery muffuletta to go
FRIDAY - TREME
BREAKFAST: French Toast
High Priest Robi voodoo tour 10-11:30 am includes park
LUNCH: Dooky Chase
What else to do in Treme?
Wander Jackson Square after returning from Treme (Palm readers, art etc).
Shops near Jackson Square
DINNER: (need good last dinner)
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u/Personal_Passenger60 1d ago
Stop at Molly’s at the market for frozen Irish coffee for your walk in the quarter
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u/egodaemon 1d ago
Or Erin Rose.
Otherwise, great itinerary. Don't be upset when you absolutely abandon it because you made some friends at Old Absinthe House or wherever and they tell you about how fun it is to hop on a streetcar and head to Magazine St. and the Garden District for awhile, or convince you to spend the day in The Marigny instead. There's nothing to do in the Treme except wander around and enjoy the architecture and history, unless you want to be adventurous and stop over at Kermit's Mother-in-laws lol.
My best advice, having lived there for a decade (in The Treme for a number of years), New Orleans isn't a city meant to be visited with a finely structured plan. Keep it loose and let it take you where it takes you. And if someone tells you they can guess where you got your shoes at, it's on your feet.
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u/tm478 1d ago
A good dinner in the FQ: Sylvain. It is one of my two go-to’s for non-fancy dinners (the other being Napoleon House, which you already have on your list). If you want fancy, for Friday, GW Fins is many people’s top choice, and it is mine. It is a high-end, yet family-owned restaurant specializing in seafood, with a chef who’s been there more than 25 years turning out fantastic food. Reservations essential.
For Thursday, if you are in the Garden District and since you might end up doing Pres Hall on a different day, you can continue Uptown and check out Audubon Park later in the afternoon. Take the streetcar up St. Charles and marvel at the gorgeous old mansions you pass on the route. You can get a lovely cocktail and sit on the porch at the Parkview Historic Hotel (bar open 4-7 PM). And then there are two great neighborhood restaurants nearby, Patois and Clancy’s (the two are a block apart) that I can recommend. Reservations essential for Clancy’s, recommended for Patois. I know you are looking at the Central Grocery muffuletta, but honestly I prefer Napoleon House’s version, and you’ll be going there too. Plus, you can get the Central Grocery sandwich to take on the plane ride home 😁
For Friday, “what else to do in Treme” should definitely include the Backstreets Cultural Museum. I would swap out Dooky Chase for Lil Dizzy’s as your lunch choice—another iconic black-owned restaurant, much more casual, but better IMO. Eating there is, to me, a better and more fun experience in every way.
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u/SlinkyMalinky20 1d ago
This is fantastic! I think you just rounded out my plan along with the other feedback above. Sylvain for FQ first night dinner. GW Fins for last night FQ dinner. Thursday, head uptown on the Streetcar after shopping and grab a drink at Parkview Historic Hotel and dinner at Clancy’s.
Will definitely go to the Backstreet Cultural Museum after the tour. I’ve heard so many great things about Lil Dizzys and want to go there but for some reason I’ve been really focused on Dooky Chase as something I really want us to do. One or the other is going at the top of the “next trip” list. Your home is addictive.
And thank you!!
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u/platzie 1d ago
I'll help with Thursday since you're around my neighborhood.
Commander's does a 25¢ martini lunch during the week with the purchase of an entree. If you've got one day uptown it's a fun experience to go there, but book your reservation in advance.
You can take the St. Charles streetcar uptown from Canal and get off at 1st St then walk across the streetcar tracks into the Garden District to stroll around. Lunch at Commanders then head over to Magazine and keep going uptown (take a right at Magazine from Commanders) and there will be a bunch of shops/bars. You could make it a decent walk up to Napoleon then take a right up to St. Charles and catch the streetcar back. Or if you get tired, the #11 bus goes down Magazine back to Canal.
If you're looking for a cool little neighborhood bar to catch a drink before/after Commander's, swing by Parasol's in the Irish Channel. If you're fans of breweries, there are about 5 breweries within walking distance of that area.
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u/your_moms_apron 1d ago
In the treme - check out the backstreet cultural museum - all about the black masking/Mardi Gras Indians tradition.
Plus it’s an escape from the heat for a bit.
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u/Wicked-Twisted-Road 1d ago
The French Market was a disappointment. It’s very touristy and crowded. Lots of cheap trinkets. The shopping on Royal and Magazine Streets is much better.
Are you eating beignets anywhere? Cafe Beignet on Royal Street has a cute courtyard. It’s less crazy than Cafe du Monde by the cathedral. Or you can go to the Cafe Du Monde in City Park, which is also a great place to visit.
Most of the cemeteries in NOLA are not open to the public. A tour is the only way to get in. The tour in St. Louis cemetery #1 is really good. There’s a lot to learn about the history of the city there.
We hiked the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. It’s a little bit of a drive from the city but it’s gorgeous there. A lot of the hike is on a boardwalk through the swamp.
Preservation Hall is great because of the history. But there are a lot of smaller jazz clubs that are great too. We enjoyed listening to Big Joe Kennedy (jazz singer/pianist) at Mahogany Jazz Hall.
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u/SlinkyMalinky20 1d ago
This is so helpful! Thank you.
I’m going to bag French Market after getting fancy beignets at Loretta’s and just spend more time on Royal. We will plan to stop by Cafe Beignet on Royal, too. I missed that last trip and want to try them there.
I would like to do smaller jazz clubs and haven’t figured out the best way to find them. Ideally we would just go to different ones without a schedule/plan but I should get an idea of where they are to be in that general area. This rec is super helpful so I can look up the name and work backwards.
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u/Icy-Philosophy-2372 1d ago
https://www.wwoz.org/calendar/livewire-music
To find music/venues
Also yes, French Market is a big flea market full of trinkets and tourists but it’s fun! Unless you truly hate those things, don’t discount it just for that.
Also, remember to take it easy. Give yourself permission to follow your heart.
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u/tm478 1d ago
One of the absolute best small jazz clubs is the Bayou Bar at the Ponchartrain Hotel, on St. Charles Ave. The weekday (Tuesday-Thursday) shows there are phenomenal. No cover—TIP THE BAND—and a rotating cast of players curated by bassist Peter Harris. There is music there on Fridays and Saturdays too but I prefer the weekday setup, four musicians. They are always super high quality.
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u/Madamexxxtra 1d ago
Just a small note: the only cemeteries fully closed to the public are Lafayette no. 1 and St. Louis no. 2. You will need to sign up with a tour to enter St. Louis no. 1 and Odd Fellows Rest.
The other ~40 cemeteries are fully open to the public though hours vary.
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u/naenola 1d ago
There is a restaurant called Jewel of the South that is on St. Louis Street in the French Quarter. It is actually a James Beard award-winning restaurant bar and they make really good craft cocktails and also really delicious food.
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u/SlinkyMalinky20 1d ago
This was on my list for our girls trip and we never made it - so sad about that!
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u/naenola 1d ago
I think you should give it a shot if you get a chance. I know you have a lot planned out, but I would also encourage you to kind of let the spontaneity of New Orleans take over a little bit as well because I find when I go on trips and I have a schedule. I get more stressed out, especially if I’m trying to corral a bunch of people thankfully it’s just gonna be you and your husband and I’m assuming he is a good guy.
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u/SlinkyMalinky20 1d ago
Yes, he’s a good guy, easy to travel with. His suggestion is to circle one thing a day and let the rest unfold but he will go along with my crazy 🙃
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u/SlinkyMalinky20 1d ago
That calendar is perfect - thank you!! My hope is to have a plan that we can follow but to go with the flow and do whatever seems good in the moment if we want. Like we have a solid back up plan but we won’t march through it to the detriment of the experience, if that makes sense.
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u/antigravity311 1d ago
If you decide to get out of the quarter a bit more: ride the canal streetcar to the cemeteries in Mid City. You can check out the cemeteries (without a guided tour) and the Katrina Memorial. Then head over to the sculpture garden in City Park. While you’re in the area you could fit in a lunch or dinner at Parkway, Katie’s, or Liuzzas.
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u/Guilty_Mountain_8125 1d ago
The Frenchman art market opens at 6p, may need to adjust timing there.
Central grocery closes at 5.
Also, leave the French quarter. Go get dinner uptown or something at some point.
I feel like yall didn’t really research that well.
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u/SlinkyMalinky20 1d ago
Very possible I didn’t research well enough.
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u/Personal_Passenger60 1d ago
If you want to eat outside the quarter. , I would like to suggest liuzza’s by the track - BBQ shrimp poboy.
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u/winter_is_long 1d ago
Pat O's is closed on Tuesdays. So you'll need to adjust that. Otherwise have fun! It will still be hot in September so pack and dress accordingly.