Walk around the french quarter, there are so many wonderful historic buildinsg and neat streets and shops. While walking along you might want to stop at the French Market (nothing too exciting but cant find some cheep souvenirs and definately worth strolling through).

Some casual places to eat in the quarter are Coops, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, Port O Call, Fiorellis, Angeli’s, Yo Mamas and many many more or for a more upscale my favorite is Bayona.

You can walk up the riverwalk and go to the Aquarium. They also offer a combo pass to the zoo and the Aquarium.

Or take the free ferry across the river to Mardi Gras World.

The haunted tours or cemetery tours are neat. You can also try a swamp tour (I recommend the small boats). Or a plantation tour.

While out at night wander to Frenchman Street. A row of bars and restaurants and most have live music nightly.

Go uptown for an afternoon, a very different feel than the quarter. Large houses on bigger lots. If going there for music I would recommend Tipatinas and the Maple Leaf.

If here on a Wednesday this is a great weekly free thing to do.

Wednesday at the Square
April 2nd to June 18th 2008
Times: Wednesday 5:00 pm -7:30 pm
Location: Lafayette Square on St. Charles Avenue in the CBD across from Gallier Hall
Wednesday at the Square is a free, 12-week concert series with food and drink for sale to benefit the Young Leadership Council. Local artisans also sell their work in the Artist Village near the Camp Street entrance. This years line up include such acts as Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, IMarcia Ball, Irma Thomas & Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.

For some other ideas visit the tourism and vistors bureau. They have a good section on things to do and events you can look up for the time you are visiting.

Enjoy.

-entergy imax theatre
1 canal st new orleans, la 70130
hours: tuesday – sunday 10am-5pm

-audubon zoo
6500 magazine st new orleans, la 70118
hours: tuesday – friday 10am-5pm
saturday & sunday 10am- 5pm
tel#: 504-581-4629 or 1-800-774-7394

-audubon aquarium of the americans
1 canal st new orleans, la 70130
hours: tuesday – friday 10am- 5pm
saturday & sunday 10am-5pm
tel #: 504-581-4629 or 1-800-774-7394

-treasure chest casino
5050 williams boulevard kenner, la 70065

-new orleans hamburger & seafood co.
6920 veterans boulevard
*they have the best chillie & gumbo. you definatly need to stop by this place.

-hard rock cafe
418 n. peters st. new orleans, la 70130

-ripleys believe it or not museum
620 decatur st
tel#: 504-586-1233
web site:
*it cost $13.95, well that was last yr nov ‘06. so i dont know if the price changed or not.

-amf all star lanes
tel#: 504-443-5353
*im sorry i dont have the address.

-riverwalk mall
new orleans, la
tel#: 504-522-2458
*its right across from the aquaruim & imax

-esplanade mall
kenner, la 70065
tel#: 504-466-0828
*im sorry i dont have the address.

-other places
*bourbon st.
*the corner of decatur st, i dont remember the name but its right be side ripleys. there gumbo is good there too.
*right across from decatur st, theres st magicans and some other st people.
*movie theatres: clearview12 & westbank16 both amc. sorry i dont have the address or numbers but im sure you can find it online.
*westbank, right after you cross the to your right youll see a big mardi gras store full of beads and other things, sorry i forget the name.
*theres a swamp tour, i forget where it is thought but you could always look it up.
*voodoo tours, i forget where this is too
*nature center, you can look it up, i know its someplace in kenner.
*theres alot of daquire shops in the area there.
*dont go to chillies on westbank, i went there and there food was well done, i mean burnt.
*i know theres a bontanical gardens, but i forgot where it is.
*in there area around decatur st, they have a mule or horse ride there, well its a horse in carrage kinda thing, i think its a tour but im not really sure.

NOLA is one of the world’s special places with an ambience unique in North America, and remains so even after Katrina devastated it in 2005.

Katrina flooded about 80% of New Orleans with salt water, and the water stayed for almost a month. Much of the city is still struggling to recover and all you have to do to see devastation is drive around. It will take years for NOLA to fully recover from Katrina.

However, the parts of the city that tourists usually visit were not flooded. It’s not a coincidence – the French Quarter and other old parts of the city were built on relatively high ground and only suffered wind damage from Katrina. Almost all of the damage has been repaired and you have to look closely in the FQ and city center to see that Katrina happened at all. You should visit and see for yourself.

Note that the City of New Orleans is only part of the greater New Orleans area. The GNO area had a population of about 1,400,000 before Katrina and is estimated at about 1,200,000 now (July, 2007). The absent 200,000 are mostly from the City of New Orleans and the parishes of Plaquemines and Saint Bernard, which were the worst-flooded parts of the metro area. Jefferson Parish – just to the west of the City – suffered only minor flooding and has fully recovered.

You can drink the water, the electricity & phones work, and services like the post office, hospitals, schools, and police/fire/EMS are operating. Restaurants, stores and shopping centers are open.

Municipal services like street cleaning & trash collection collapsed after Katrina. Those services were fully restored in late 2006 and it is no longer an issue.

I recommend staying in the French Quarter (Vieux Carre”) if you can. There is a very wide range of selections available, from moderate guest houses to very exclusive “boutique” hotels. Search Yahoo Travel and Travelocity for ideas and also check the hotel websites.

You don’t need a car to get around in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. Also, the parking regulations are Byzantine and there are lots of Parking Control Agents. If you drive or rent a car, leave it in a lot or garage unless you are traveling away from downtown.

The regional transit authority (www.norta.com) sells 1 and 3 day passes that offer unlimited use of buses and streetcars for the day(s) you select. There are also lots of taxicabs.

Regarding crime, questions like yours tend to attract highly negative “answers” from people who do not live here and who have little or no idea what they are talking about. Use the same common sense necessary in every major city in the world and there is little chance you will be a victim of anything except a need to visit the gym: Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t leave something like a camera-bag, purse, or backpack unattended on a park bench while you wander off to take photos. Etc.

New Orleans has mild weather from late October to early May and the city stays green all year most years (rarely freezes and almost never snows). We pay for the mild winters with hot, humid summers – particularly in July & August. The good news for summertime visitors is that hotel rates are lower.

Things to do:

There are many sightseeing opportunities in the greater New Orleans area, including carriage rides/tours, plantation tours, swamp tours, ghost tours, and even Katrina disaster tours. The steamboat Natchez also does a harbor tour. There are numerous tour companies and your hotel can help with the arrangements. Try to avoid scheduling an outdoor tour until you know the weather forecast for the day in question.

The Saint Charles Streetcar is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world and is a “tourist attraction” in its own right. It is part of the public transit system, as are the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcar lines:

There is always music, but the bands change: Go to and click on Music then Listings or to and click on Listings, then Music. Note that music clubs often advertise “No Cover”, meaning there is no charge for entering. However, clubs with “No Cover” often require that customers buy a beverage each for every “set ” of music (which can be every 20 minutes) so know the price before you sit down. The clubs do that because some people will sit in the club all evening drinking water or nothing. It is also a good idea to pay for each round of drinks (in clubs on Bourbon Street) as it s delivered so there can’t be any confusion at the end of the evening.

Wander around the French Quarter, enjoy the architecture, watch the street entertainers (do tip), and visit some of the historic buildings that have been turned into museums (go to and click on Historic Attractions).

Assuming the weather is good, you can collect a sandwich lunch and eat in the riverfront park (watch the shipping) or in Jackson Square (a very nice park).

The Riverwalk shopping center has an air-conditioned food court with dining overlooking the river (www.riverwalkmarketplace.com). The Canal Place shopping center is in the French Quarter and has a cinema and higher-end shopping (Saks 5th Avenue, Brooks Brothers, etc.)

The lobby for the Westin Canal Place Hotel is on the 11th floor and overlooks the French Quarter. It is a great place for an afternoon drink/snack:(www.westin.com).

Cafe du Monde is in the French Quarter and you shouldn’t miss having cafe au lait & beignets (www.cafedumonde.com). Another great coffee shop is the Croissant d’Or (at 615 Ursulines Street), which is open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and has food in addition to pastry.

The Palm Court restaurant is very nice, has moderate prices, and traditional live jazz starting at 8:00pm: 1204 Decatur Street, tel 504-525-0200 (reservations are important and they are not open every day). The Palm Court is closed from about July 25th to about September 25th each year.

All of the famous restaurants (Antoine’s, Arnaud’s, Brennan’s, Commander’s Palace, etc.) have reopened. The Pelican Club (on Exchange Alley in the FQ) is not as well known but is the same type experience. Reservations are a good idea, and probably essential on weekends. Tujaques Restaurant (823 Decatur Street) is very traditional and has moderate prices:

Cafe Degas is a very French restaurant near City Park at 3127 Esplanade – which is not within walking distance of downtown (5 to 10 minutes by taxi). They are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays (504-945-5635).

There is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the “foot” of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide:

The Aquarium and Audubon Zoo are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. The Zoo is several miles from downtown. You can drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter.

The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter: New Orleans is also home to a number of other museums, such as the National World War II Museum (www.ddaymuseum.org) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org). Both can be reached by public transit: The WWII museum is in the central business district but a long walk from the French Quarter. NOMA is not within walking distance of downtown but has free parking.

New Orleans City Park has an amusement park with rides and attractions for children + free parking (www.neworleanscitypark.com).

Check for ideas on other things to do.

Hope you have a great time!