The 7 Best Things to do in New Orleans

Going to New Orleans?

I recently I took a trip up to Tampa to help my sister move to medical school – we packed up everything and drove overnight into Mississippi.

After setting up shop in her new place and on minimal sleep, we made the 1.5 hour trip into the Big Easy for our first Nola experience!

Queue the jazz music and beignets!

Here are our 7 best things to do in New Orleans!

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Things to do in New Orleans

1) Find a Balcony!

One of the first things we noticed was that Nola is crowded.

So in order to get a full view of the city with minimal interruptions we headed over to Muriel’s in Jackson Square for some coffee.

Since they were in between lunch and dinner it was mostly empty. We ordered coffee at the bar and took it up to the balcony for some great photos!

2) Eat Beignets!

Beignets are the signature New Orleans pastries, and boy are they delicious.

Basically fried dough covered in powdered sugar – super simple, right? But so worth it!

Cafe Du Monde is the most famous spot for beignets, but we skipped the line and opted for Cafe Beignet, about a 7 minute walk from Cafe Du Monde.

No line and breakfast/pastries are amazing.

One thing you can’t leave Nola without trying!

Travel more with a full time job!

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3) Shop

In addition to Cafe Beignet being less touristy, walking there also gives you some time to explore little shops along the way!

You’ll not find big department stores in the french quarter, but rather a collection of small boutiques and picturesque shops selling everything Nola-related!

Look how cute this one shop is! (Say hello to my sister browsing in the corner!)

4) Visit the St.Louis Cathedral

If you’ve gotten your beignets to go you can pop on over to Jackson Square and sit across the street from the Cathedral to enjoy them on the steps with some coffee!

Great place for a photo!

5) Take a Ghost Tour

We opted out of this seeing as we ~~are such scaredy cats~~ didn’t have time, but we did stop to take a few pics of the advertisements in the narrow alley ways.

If this is your thing then you’re in for a treat here – Nola is well-known for it’s voodoo shops, cemetery tours, and all ghost-themed activities!

6) Listen to Some Jazz

Sure you could find a jazz lounge at night for some drinks and music – and you probably should!

But I’m talking about the jazz being played in the streets of the French Quarter at any given hour.

These musicians are beyond talented and perform for hours without taking a break. If only I had recorded some to link to here! We could have sat there and listened for hours!

7) Visit the Garden District

Just outside of the French Quarter you’ll find a different side of Nola filled with mini-mansions and a much calmer atmosphere.

Mostly residential, you can see quite a few spectacular homes dating back to the 1830’s and most of the homes were originally developed with a large garden around them, only a few homes per block – thus the name.

This area is beautiful even driving around! But if you have a few hours be sure to take a free walking tour of the area!

A few reminders if you’ll be there though! Try to wear close-toed shoes if possible, and make sure you have a backpack/purse that zippers well!

Between all of the music, food, and drinks, it’s easy to loose track of your belongings!

Hopefully this convinced you to visit Nola if you’ve never been!

So if your planning your Nola trip, go ahead and subscribe for access to our free travel resource library! It will help you plan your New Orleans trip like a pro and it only takes 5 seconds!

Happy travels!

– Veronica