The perfect 3-day weekend in New Orleans certainly isn’t enough time to experience all the Big Easy has to offer, but it’s a start. Let’s just assume that everyone knows about the great food and music, so what else is there to do? If it is your first visit and you only have a few days, be sure to take a tour, explore Bourbon Street, eat too much and learn something about New Orleans.
Take a Tour
With lots of tours to choose from, you are sure to find something that fits. There are several ghost and voodoo tours; and several tours that are focused on music, red light district and too many others to name. However, if it is your first weekend in New Orleans, I recommend the Hop on Hop Off tour. As the name suggests you can get on and off as you please. But most importantly, the tour is a great way to get an overview of the city and learn a little bit too. The narrated tour traveled the edges of French Quarter, French Market, Marigny, Treme, Garden District, Magazine Street and more. Later, me explored areas of interest with a little more depth.
Bourdon Street
There’s lots of fun to be had on Bourdon Street, and you’re guaranteed to see something you’ve never seen! The bar-lined area is a party inside and out. With so many choices, Pat O’Brien’s is an essential stop. Enjoy a hurricane by the fountain if you can. And if you love the hurricane, there’s a San Antonio location too.
Enjoy the Food
It seems like the food goes without saying. There are so many amazing choices, but how can one possibly skip creole, poor boys and beignets? There are places that have been around forever like Mother’s Restaurant for breakfast and Café du Monde for coffee and beignets. Both are worth the wait, but there are other great alternatives. We ate so much that there simply wasn’t room to eat anymore.
Learn Something About New Orleans
Learn something new everywhere you go! The Big Easy is rich in history and culture and the city is full of museums, tours and educational opportunities. Did you know that the oak tree has a 600-year life span: 200-years growing, 200-years healthy, and 200-years declining. That was a little something we learned on the bus tour.
Our unique learning experience came from our hotel. The One 11 is located on Iberville just south of Dupont and east of Canal Street. It’s a convenient walk to all things French Quarter, but just enough out of the fray to be tranquil. The top deck has a wonderful view of the waterfront. Most importantly, we were drawn to it because it was formerly a sugar factory, and we have a professional interest in adaptive reuse. Throughout the hotel there were structural, historical elements that gave homage to its beginnings and cultural significance in the sugar industry.
How Can you do it all in a weekend in New Orleans?
One weekend, even a long one, isn’t enough to see it all. New Orleans deserves several visits at different times of the year to get the full experience. But for this first timer, the initial taste, sampling of fun and yum, was just what I needed to start planning another trip. After all, how can anyone ever get enough of New Orleans?
