The Ultimate Traveler’s Guide on What to Do in New Orleans

things to do in new orleans

New Orleans is one of the most culturally rich cities in the United States.

For American history buffs, music geeks and off-the-beaten-track travelers alike. It has a little something for everyone.

New Orleans has a ton of incredible attractions and activities for visitors. We’ve put together a list of everything you need to know about what to do in New Orleans when you visit.

Read on so you can get packing!

Goin’ Down to New Orleans

New Orleans has a long, rich history, and a hip population.

These elements combine to give something for every kind of traveler, on every kind of budget.

The three pillars of New Orleans touted by visitors are the food, the music, and the people. It’s known for being an especially welcoming place. It’s also known for its carnival atmosphere.

With so many choices, it hasn’t been easy to compile a short list of things to do in New Orleans.

We wanted to include everything and could have written a book on the place. But we controlled ourselves and restricted it to this article.

Check out our list of things to do, get packing, and you’ll soon see what we’re talking about!

First Things First: A Bit of History

It’s important to know something of New Orleans’ history. To have some context for the culture and places there.

New Orleans was actually first founded by the French. It went to Spanish rule for 40 years, before being bought in 1802 by the US. Its position giving access to the Mississippi made it an important port city in the past.

It has a strong Creole culture. Louisiana Creole refers to those whose ancestry traces back to the state of Louisiana before the area was bought by the U.S. Louisiana Creole people are mainly of French, African, Spanish, Native American or a mixture of these.

New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz – but we know you knew that already! It is thought to be the most European city in the states. It has a bunch of rad festivals, worth taking into account when you look at dates for your trip to factor one or two in!

What to Do in New Orleans

From outdoors to eating (so much eating) to museums and gorgeous garden walks. Here come our suggestions for a trip or two to New Orleans.

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French Quarter

In the French Quarter, the history of New Orleans comes alive.

Many people will tell you the French quarter looks a lot like the Bastille neighborhood in Paris. Charming avenues of French architecture are sure to capture your imagination.

If your New Orleans trip is a romantic getaway, why not stay in one of these historic houses. Many have been converted into boutique hotels.

One thing’s for sure – you won’t want to visit the French Quarter without your camera! For a different sort of vacation, book a ghost tour of the area and learn about its historic characters.

Festivals

New Orleans festivals – where to begin!? There are far more than we could possibly name.

The most notable would be the Jazz Festival and the Boogaloo Music Festival.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival draws people worldwide to New Orleans. For many of them, it is a repeat trip. Why not plan your vacation around these dates so you can find out why?!

We dare you to do every day of it! Try to eat something from every food truck you find there.

Then there’s the Boogaloo Music Festival, which may be the only music festival you can watch from a canoe! You’ve got to see it believe it!

Music and Nightlife

It’s practically against the law to spend time in New Orleans without seeing a brass band! Okay, so that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point.

The Maple Leaf has a great reputation, though there are a hundred other great options too.

Try to see some live traditional jazz at Preservation Hall. They’ll likely treat you to Dixieland and Ragtime while you’re there.

We’d also recommend a bar-crawl on Bourbon St and Magazine St. You’ll need to include a frozen daiquiri!

Finally, don’t leave New Orleans without hearing the choir at the St Louis Cathedral.

Frenchmen Street

Not to be confused with the French Quarter, Frenchmen Street is a popular local spot. It’s in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, a short walk from the French Quarter. It offers four blocks of music, bars, eateries, and galleries.

This one is on the list for those that like to get off the tourist trail, to see how the locals live. Food and drinks are a bit cheaper here, and it is a bit quieter – but not by much!

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The nighttime action kicks off around 7:30 pm. You’ll find live music here all day every day.

Ride A Streetcar

A romantic symbol of New Orleans, spend one of your days here riding the streetcar.

You can get on at Canal St in Mid-City. From there you can ride it to the Mississippi.

Then, switch over to the St Charles line along the avenue, all the way to Carrollton.

And voila – New Orleans streetcar tour complete!

Shopping

If a vacation isn’t complete for you without shopping, we recommend the Palace Market. It’s located on Frenchmen Street.

You can find homemade art and artisan jewelry there made and sold by locals. Take some souvenirs home to love ones. Buy some statement pieces for yourself too, to give you a chance to talk about your New Orleans vacation well into the future!

Outdoor Options

Take a walk around the garden district. You can find it 3 miles southwest of the French Quarter.

For some memorable vacation snaps, take a New Orleans swamp tour or ride on Steamboat Natchez. Steamboat Natchez is the only steamboat left in New Orleans. It was launched in 1975.

Mardi Gras Parade

For color, music, and dance you can’t go past the Mardi Gras Parade. What better way to celebrate the melting pot of diversity that s New Orleans?!

Watch from a balcony or better yet – join in the parade and wave and dance to the crowds!

You’ll need to plan months in advance if you want to be in New Orleans for Mardis Gras, as its enormously popular. Be ready to pay nicely for hotel rooms in central districts around these dates.

For a once in a lifetime experience, the elevated prices are likely worth it anyway.

Eat

And eat. And eat. The best way to experience the culture and history of New Orleans is through its cuisine.

If you’re not eating new things, you’re not really here! Try everything Creole and Cajun.

If you can, join a backyard crawfish boil. Other must-tries include muffuletta, fried chicken, paned rabbit, and BBQ shrimp. If you get the chance, sample thin fried catfish, charbroiled oysters, boudin, and cracklins.

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Museums

With a history as colorful as that of New Orleans, of course, its museums are world class!

Try the New Orleans Museum of Art. It’s collected 40,000 works of art since it opened its doors in 1911.

The Louisiana Civil War Museum and Pharmacy Museum are full of original and interesting articles.

Finally, if you can’t manage to be in New Orleans for Mardis Gras you can still visit Mardis Gras World. You’ll see where the vibrant and stunning parade floats get built.

What to Pack For New Orleans

Aside from the obvious things like your camera and a spare battery charger, there are some important things to pack for New Orleans.

In Summer it’s hot and wet. The other seasons are all pleasant.

Average temperatures go between 60-75F. You’ll be unlikely to see a low of less than 40F.

Weather is weather, and worldwide we are seeing climate shifts bringing unexpected weather events. So it’s not a bad idea to pack for a bit of anything!

Put in some formal clothes in case you visit one of the many fine dining establishments in New Orleans. For music venues, jeans and dress shoes are acceptable.

A rain jacket will likely come in handy, as will some comfortable dancing shoes! In the summer months, throw in sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.

If you’re headed to New Orleans during party season (when isn’t?) and want to sleep at any point, pack some earplugs. Better yet, party all night and save sleep til you get back home!

Planned and Packed – Next Stop: New Orleans!

Now you’ve got the list of what to do in New Orleans.

As soon as you start to tell people about your trip, we bet they’ll add to the ‘must try’ food list and ‘must see’ lists above.

The only thing left to do is to pick your traveling partners, pick some dates, and get there!

We suggest aiming for Mardis Gras or the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival dates. There’s nothing like seeing this historic city bustling with music, color, and people!

For more travel ideas, check out our website right here. From floating villages in Cambodia to shore excursions to Barcelona, you’ll find a bit of everything!