New Orleans had been on my list for a while.

History.

Architecture.

Music.

Food.

Old buildings.

More food.

Dessert.

Basically, the city looked at every category of travel I love and said:

“Yes.”

This was one of our adults-only trips, and after actually experiencing New Orleans?

For me personally…

I’d keep it adults-only.

More on that later.

We explored the French Quarter, Garden District, Warehouse/CBD and Riverfront and, if we’re being completely honest…

ate a fairly impressive amount of food.

And I regret none of it.

First Things First: We Went in JUNE

Let me save you from one of my mistakes.

New Orleans in June is HOT.

And muggy.

Not:

“Oh, it’s a little warm today.”

More like:

“Why did I bother doing my hair?”

We still had an amazing trip, but walking around New Orleans in summer humidity is an experience all by itself.

Drink water.

Take breaks.

Wear comfortable clothes.

And accept early in the day that whatever your hair looked like when you left the hotel…

that version of you is gone.

If I were choosing purely based on weather, I’d personally go during a cooler part of the year next time.

Where We Stayed: Hotel Mazarin

We stayed at Hotel Mazarin in the French Quarter.

And location-wise?

This worked really well for us.

We could walk out of the hotel and immediately be surrounded by New Orleans.

Royal Street.

Bourbon Street.

Restaurants.

Bars.

Shops.

Balconies.

Courtyards.

Music.

That was exactly what I wanted from our hotel on this trip.

For a city like New Orleans, I don’t necessarily need a resort where I’m going to spend half my vacation.

I want somewhere comfortable that makes it EASY to actually experience the destination.

Hotel Mazarin gave us that.

And it still felt like New Orleans rather than a generic hotel we could have stayed in anywhere.

Would I Stay Here Again?

Absolutely.

Especially for another adults-only trip where we wanted the French Quarter right outside our door.

New Orleans Is a Walking City

New Orleans is absolutely a city I think you need to experience on foot.

Not necessarily because you need to walk everywhere.

Your feet may eventually file a formal complaint.

But simply getting from one place to another is part of the experience.

The architecture.

The balconies.

The courtyards.

The music coming from buildings and spilling into the streets.

The little shops and restaurants tucked into spaces that look like they’ve been there forever.

The people.

The performers.

The smells.

The sounds.

You don’t just walk to something in New Orleans.

You experience things along the way.

And as somebody who wants to know:

Who lived there?

How old is that building?

What happened there?

Can we go inside?

New Orleans is dangerous.

Because I want to stop approximately every 40 feet.

The streetcars are also great to get from district to district. We literally didn’t drive anywhere once we arrived.

Start the Morning at Café du Monde

If it’s your first time in New Orleans, this is such an easy way to start a morning.

Coffee.

Beignets.

Enough powdered sugar to coat your entire outfit.

I don’t think I’m physically capable of visiting New Orleans without eating a beignet.

And after Café du Monde, you’re perfectly positioned to start exploring.

French Market + Riverfront

From there, we walked through the French Market and along the riverfront.

I really liked doing this earlier in the day.

The market was a fun place to browse and pick up souvenirs, and then you have the Mississippi River right there.

This is one of those parts of the trip that doesn’t need some huge elaborate itinerary.

Eat the beignet.

Walk the market.

Buy a souvenir.

Walk along the river.

Look around.

You’re already experiencing New Orleans.

Tiny Tip

Leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs.

Or don’t.

And then spend the trip rearranging your luggage like we do.

The French Quarter

Obviously, you can’t go to New Orleans and skip the French Quarter.

But I think there’s a difference between:

seeing the French Quarter

and

experiencing the French Quarter.

Don’t just walk Bourbon Street, take a picture and declare yourself finished.

Wander.

Look up.

Seriously.

LOOK UP.

The buildings and balconies are half the experience.

Walk Royal Street.

Look into courtyards.

Listen to music.

Watch the street performers.

Pop into little shops.

And don’t feel like every stop needs to be something you researched six months beforehand.

Some of the coolest things we saw weren’t on an itinerary at all.

The Street Performers

This was one of my favorite parts of the city.

There is music EVERYWHERE.

We saw musicians playing in the streets.

Dancers performing.

Crowds gathering around.

And at one point we caught a jazz band parade moving through the street.

SO COOL.

This is exactly what I mean when I say New Orleans isn’t just a city where you move from attraction to attraction.

Sometimes…

the attraction walks right past you.

And those are the moments you can’t really schedule.

Ghost Tours, Tarot Cards & Palm Readers

Another thing you’ll notice pretty quickly in New Orleans?

There is no shortage of spooky and supernatural things to do.

Ghost tours.

Haunted-history tours.

Tarot card readers.

Palm readers.

Voodoo-related shops and attractions.

You will have OPTIONS.

This just isn’t really my thing.

Because of my personal faith, there are certain things I choose not to participate in, so we skipped the tarot readings, palm readers and the more supernatural-focused experiences.

And honestly?

We didn’t feel like we were missing anything.

There’s so much history, architecture, food, music and culture in New Orleans that our days were already packed with things we genuinely wanted to experience.

If ghost tours are your thing, you certainly won’t have trouble finding one.

If they’re not?

You won’t run out of New Orleans either.

Bourbon Street Is…Bourbon Street

Okay.

We need to talk about this.

Because someone planning a family trip might read about the architecture, food and jazz and think:

“Oh, the kids would love New Orleans!”

And maybe yours would.

But I personally would not bring my kids on this particular trip.

New Orleans was adults-only for us, and after visiting?

I’m glad it was.

Bourbon Street is WILD.

And when I say wild, I don’t mean:

“People are having a couple cocktails.”

I mean:

there were strippers dancing in windows.

There are bars everywhere.

Adult entertainment.

People drinking in the streets.

People who have perhaps enjoyed New Orleans a little too enthusiastically.

And it gets considerably more adult as the night goes on.

Every once in a while a fight might even break out and the cops come running.

Could you take kids to New Orleans and build an entirely different family itinerary?

Of course.

There’s history, museums, food and plenty beyond Bourbon Street.

But based on the New Orleans experience I personally enjoyed?

This is one I’d save for the grown-ups.

The Garden District

If I had to choose one area I particularly loved walking around?

The Garden District.

Beautiful old homes.

Huge trees.

Architecture.

History.

That feeling that every house probably has a story.

This is my kind of place.

I could spend hours walking around looking at houses.

We also spent time around Magazine Street, which I loved.

It felt completely different from the French Quarter.

And that’s one of the things I really liked about New Orleans.

You can move into another neighborhood and the personality changes.

Same city.

Different experience.

Tiny Tip

Don’t make the French Quarter your entire New Orleans trip.

Stay there if you want.

Explore it.

Eat there.

Absolutely experience Bourbon Street.

But get out of the Quarter too.

The Garden District ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Okay. Let’s Talk About the FOOD.

Because honestly?

We basically planned this trip around meals and filled the spaces between them with sightseeing.

And I have no regrets.

New Orleans is one of those places where food isn’t just something you do between attractions.

Food IS one of the attractions.

I think I sweat out every calorie I consumed lol

Commander’s Palace

If you’re going to New Orleans and love food, this is one I’d put on the list.

We went for lunch, which was SUCH a good decision.

First…

turtle soup.

I had never tried it before.

New Orleans seemed like exactly the place to do it.

And before anyone pictures the cute little turtles you feed lettuce to…

NO.

We’re talking about snapping turtles.

The prehistoric-looking ones that appear fully capable of taking your finger off and continuing about their day.

Those turtles.

Once that distinction was firmly established in my brain, I felt considerably better about trying it.

And honestly?

It was really good.

We also had gumbo, because obviously.

And then…

25-Cent Martinis

YES.

Twenty-five cents. But there is a limit of 3 which is all anybody needs. 

At lunch.

Do you really need a martini in the middle of the day?

Probably not. 

Is that relevant?

Also probably not.

It was part of the experience!

Commander’s Palace was everything I wanted from a classic New Orleans restaurant:

Beautiful setting.

Excellent service.

History.

Really good food.

And enough personality that you’re going to remember where you ate instead of saying:

“Didn’t we have soup somewhere?”

Tiny Tip : Dress for It

This isn’t necessarily the meal I’d schedule in the middle of a sweaty sightseeing day and then arrive looking like June humidity defeated me in hand-to-hand combat.

Check their current dress requirements before your trip and plan accordingly.

For us, Commander’s Palace was part of the experience—not just somewhere to grab lunch.

Breakfast at Brennan’s

Then there’s Brennan’s.

This was breakfast…

and a show.

Brennan’s is gorgeous.

Historic.

Pink. (MY fav color)

Already off to an excellent start.

But you CANNOT talk about Brennan’s without talking about:

Bananas Foster

They prepare it flambéed tableside.

And listen.

There are very few things that will wake you up faster at breakfast than someone lighting your dessert on fire next to your table.

Breakfast and a show!

It was fun.

It was delicious.

And this is absolutely one of those experiences where I’d say:

Do it there.

Could you eat Bananas Foster somewhere else?

Sure.

But when you’re sitting in Brennan’s watching them flambé the dish tableside at the restaurant where it was created?

That’s the memory.

GW Fins

GW Fins was another favorite.

First of all:

the staff was SO friendly.

At one point I asked where the bathroom was…

and one of the waiters actually escorted me there.

Excuse me.

Apparently I have reached a new level of sophistication.

I am now being personally escorted to restrooms.

But truly, the service was excellent and made the whole dinner feel special without feeling stuffy.

And then we tried:

THE FISH WINGS.

You need to try these.

They’re called fin wings, and yes, it sounds slightly strange.

Order them anyway.

This is exactly the kind of thing I love trying while traveling.

Recognizable enough that I’m not wondering what life choices brought me there…

but different enough that I’m not ordering something I could get at home.

Must try.

Restaurant R’evolution

R’evolution was our fancy dinner.

And when I say fancy…

we ordered caviar.

This is not an everyday-Kait dinner.

But vacation Kait?

Vacation Kait occasionally makes questionable financial decisions in the name of experiences.

And you know what?

It was pricey.

And completely worth it.

This is exactly what I mean when I say we’re not necessarily budget travelers.

I’ll save money somewhere else.

I’ll eat breakfast in the hotel.

I’ll bring snacks.

But if I’m somewhere special and there’s an experience we’re genuinely excited about?

Sometimes we’re spending the money.

Save on the things that don’t matter much to you.

Spend on the experiences that do.

Tiny Tip : Give Yourself TIME

Our dinner at R’evolution took longer than we expected.

It wasn’t bad service.

It was a full dining experience.

Courses.

Time between them.

Enjoying the meal.

So I would not schedule:

7:00 fancy dinner

followed by

8:30 WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE

Give yourself extra time.

Better yet?

Let dinner BE the plan for the evening.

You’ll enjoy it a lot more.

Katie’s

Katie’s gave us the “where the locals go” feel. It was actually highly recommended by a friend who grew up in NoLo.

You must get the Crawfish Beignet! 

It is what they are known for… like they were on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives because of these.

Tiny Traveler Sweet Stops

You know we brought dessert into this.

Café du Monde

Beignets.

Powdered sugar everywhere.

No dignified way to eat them.

Worth it.

Don’t try to be cute.

You are going to wear some of the powdered sugar.

I advise against wearing black clothes here.

Accept your fate.

Drip Affogato Bar

This was exactly the kind of place I LOVE finding.

You have the famous places everybody already knows.

And then you find this little dessert spot you didn’t know existed until you got there.

Affogato?

Coffee + dessert?

I support this relationship.

The gelato is homemade, and egg allergy friendly so we went here… twice!

These are usually the places that end up becoming some of my favorite finds.

Sucré

And because we were on an adults-only trip without the kids…

obviously we had to bring them something home.

We stopped at Sucré and picked up sweet treats to bring back.

I love doing this.

The kids don’t necessarily need another random souvenir from every place we visit.

But a box of New Orleans sweets?

Absolutely.

It lets them get a tiny taste of the trip too.

The Carousel Bar

This ended up becoming more than just:

“We had a drink at the famous rotating bar.”

We sat down at the Carousel Bar inside Hotel Monteleone, had a drink…

and ended up meeting a couple from Scotland.

And then we talked to them for HOURS.

THIS is one of my favorite things about traveling.

You can research restaurants.

You can reserve tours.

You can plan museums.

But you can’t schedule:

“Meet Scottish people at a rotating bar in New Orleans and spend the next several hours talking.”

Those things just happen.

And years later?

We remember them.

The Carousel itself is beautiful and slowly rotates while you’re sitting there.

But honestly?

My favorite memory isn’t even the bar.

It’s our Scottish friends.

That’s travel.

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop

We also stopped at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop for a drink.

This place is COOL.

Dark.

Old.

Stone.

Atmospheric.

And that giant stone fireplace?

Exactly what I wanted this place to look like.

The building is commonly described as one of the oldest structures in the country used as a bar, and whether you’re there for the history or simply the atmosphere…

it’s absolutely worth sticking your head inside.

My personal advice?

Get in. Have a drink. Look around. Get out.

It’s small.

There are plenty of other places to explore.

I wouldn’t necessarily dedicate half an evening to it.

But I’m very glad we stopped.

Jazz Playhouse

We stopped at the Jazz Playhouse for probably half an hour.

And that was perfect.

We sat down.

Had a drink.

Listened to live jazz.

Enjoyed the atmosphere.

Then kept moving.

Not every stop needs to become a three-hour event.

Sometimes:

“Let’s go listen to jazz for half an hour.”

is exactly enough.

And it felt very New Orleans.

The Jazz River Cruise

We also did a jazz river cruise on the Mississippi.

And this is one I’d recommend for a first New Orleans trip.

You’re seeing the city from an entirely different perspective.

You’re on the Mississippi.

You’ve got jazz playing.

You can sit down for a little while after spending half your trip walking.

It’s a really nice change of pace from exploring everything on foot.

New Orleans has such a strong relationship with the river that experiencing it from the water felt like something we should do at least once.

Caesars

We also spent a few hours at Caesars.

And this wasn’t some huge itinerary item where we said:

“WE MUST GO TO THE CASINO.”

It was just fun.

We gambled a little.

Walked around.

Talked to people.

Killed a few hours.

And that’s one of the benefits of an adults-only trip.

You have the freedom to say:

“Want to go wander around the casino for a while?”

Sure.

No one needs a nap.

No one is asking for chicken nuggets.

Nobody is bored because they’re not old enough to do anything.

We just mingled with people and enjoyed ourselves.

New Orleans: Beautiful…But Not Polished

I want to include this because sometimes travel blogs make every destination sound like a perfectly curated Instagram photo.

New Orleans is beautiful.

Genuinely beautiful.

The architecture alone is worth seeing.

But it is also a working city.

And during our visit, we saw another side of it too.

There was a very noticeable police presence.

We even saw uniformed military personnel during our trip.

There were also quite a few people experiencing homelessness.

And the French Quarter streets?

Let’s just say…

they smell.

We watched the streets being pressure-washed in the mornings.

Which I appreciated considerably more after walking them the night before.

New Orleans is old.

Busy.

Hot.

Humid.

People are drinking.

Food is everywhere.

Trash happens.

Horse carriages happen.

And by morning…

BRING OUT THE PRESSURE WASHER.

I don’t say that to discourage anyone from going.

Quite the opposite.

I LOVED this trip.

But I’d rather tell you what a place actually felt like than pretend it smelled like magnolias and beignets everywhere we walked.

It did not.

New Orleans Isn’t a Checklist City

This might be my biggest piece of advice.

Do not schedule every 30 minutes.

There are absolutely things worth reserving.

If there’s a restaurant you REALLY want to experience?

Make the reservation.

If you really want the jazz cruise?

Plan it.

But leave gaps.

Walk the French Quarter.

Explore the Garden District.

Wander Magazine Street.

Listen to jazz for half an hour.

Walk through the French Market.

Stop because somebody is dancing in the street.

Have a drink at a bar because the building looks cool.

Talk to Scottish strangers for three hours.

You need room for New Orleans to happen.

Why I’d Keep This an Adults-Only Trip

Again:

This is my opinion, not a declaration that New Orleans isn’t a family destination.

Families absolutely visit.

There are plenty of things kids could enjoy.

But would I personally recreate this trip with my kids?

Nope.

The trip we loved included:

Nice dinners.

Caviar.

Martinis.

Bars.

A casino.

Late nights.

Live jazz.

Bourbon Street.

People drinking everywhere.

And some VERY adult sights.

The beauty of leaving the kids home was that we didn’t have to constantly filter the city through:

“Is this appropriate?”

We could wander.

We could stop for a drink.

We could stay at dinner longer.

We could walk into a bar.

We could spend hours talking to strangers.

For us?

New Orleans worked beautifully as a grown-up getaway.

How Long Would I Stay?

For an adults-only first trip?

3–4 days.

That’s enough time to explore several neighborhoods, eat an irresponsible amount of food and leave some room to wander.

And I’d rather leave thinking:

“There are still things I want to do.”

than completely exhaust ourselves trying to see every corner of the city in one trip.

Because this is absolutely somewhere we’d return.

Tiny Tips

If you’re planning your first New Orleans trip:

Stay somewhere walkable. Being able to walk out of Hotel Mazarin and immediately explore the Quarter was a huge plus.

Do Café du Monde, the French Market and Riverfront together. They make an easy morning.

Leave the French Quarter. The Garden District and Magazine Street deserve time.

Make the important dining reservations. Especially if Commander’s Palace, Brennan’s or R’evolution matter to you.

Don’t schedule something tight immediately after a fancy dinner. R’evolution took longer than we expected, and I’d give a meal like that plenty of breathing room.

Try something new. Turtle soup. Fish wings. Caviar. Whatever feels adventurous without turning dinner into Fear Factor.

Leave unscheduled time. You can’t plan the jazz parade, street performer or Scottish couple you’re going to end up talking to all night.

Wear comfortable shoes.

And if you’re visiting in June?

HYDRATE.

Seriously.

What I’d Do Again

Stay in the French Quarter.

Eat beignets.

Walk the French Market.

Walk the riverfront.

Spend time in the Garden District.

Eat turtle soup.

Drink the 25-cent martini.

Watch Brennan’s set dessert on fire before noon.

Order the fish wings.

Splurge on the caviar.

Stop into Lafitte’s.

Listen to jazz.

Take the river cruise.

Sit at the Carousel Bar.

And most importantly…

leave enough room in the itinerary for something completely unplanned to become one of your favorite memories.

Would We Go Back?

Absolutely.

New Orleans feels like one of those cities where you could go several times and have a completely different trip each time.

Different restaurants.

Different neighborhoods.

Different music.

Different people.

Different little places you accidentally discover.

And probably several additional desserts.

There are worse problems to have.

I wish we would have made time for the WW2 museum.

I wish we could have gone to Double Dealer (it was closed while we were there). 

What I remember most isn’t necessarily one major attraction.

It’s walking.

Eating.

Looking at buildings.

Hearing music in the street.

Watching people dance.

Sitting at a rotating bar talking to people from Scotland.

Eating caviar somewhere fancy.

Walking into an old stone bar for one drink.

Buying treats to take home to the kids.

And waking up the next morning ready to eat again.

It felt like we were actually in the city, instead of moving from one attraction to another.

And that’s what made New Orleans work so well for us.

Sometimes the trips you remember most aren’t the ones where you checked the most boxes.

They’re the ones where, years later, you still remember exactly what it felt like to be there.

And New Orleans?

I remember.

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Tiny traveler. Big adventures. No airplanes required.