Long Weekend in NOLA

Day 1

We had an early flight which was great, because it gave us the full day in NOLA. So, first stop after we landed was brunch! We had a long list of places to try and not enough time to try them all so we had to be strategic. So we chose Atchafalaya. Atchafalaya was definitely on the more authentic side of the restaurants we chose, which was great. And while the live music was not as good as we thought it would be we really enjoyed the food.

After brunch we hit Magazine Street and enjoyed bopping into shops and trying local fav District Doughnuts (good but not NYC doughnut good) while waiting to check into our Airbnb. Then we settled into our place and headed to Bourbon Street. I won’t lie, living in New York I kept calling it the Times Square of NOLA, thinking it wouldn’t be fun. But, I have to say it was fun! We got the stereotypical Grenade drinks and went from bar to bar just people watching and dancing. I think what makes it so fun is that you can drink on the street and just enjoy being outside. We also ended up in an Italian/Irish parade where beads were flying everywhere and that was a real blast.

Outfit Details

Day 2

On our second day in NOLA, we slept in and then went to brunch at The Country Club, which is in the Bywater neighborhood. In all my research for the trip, The Country Club seemed like a place I had to go. With beautiful architecture/decor, amazing looking food and a pool, coming here did not disappoint! For brunch, we sat outside on the beautiful front porch and ordered a ton of food and had bottomless Mimosas. A few highlights were…the incredible Biscuits (my favorite one I had in NOLA) which was super doughy and melted in your mouth. The Fried Green Tomatoes were a crowd pleaser and I even got them as my “bread” in my Eggs Benedict. After we were stuffed we checked out the pool which has its own bar and kitchen and it looked like a great time. Tip: if your going to NOLA for a bachelorette party, they have drag brunch on Saturdays that sells out fast!

After brunch, we explored the Bywater for a little while and then decided to check out the French Quarter. While there we popped into some shops, checked out the beautiful architecture and had a Hurricane at the famous Pat O’Briens. I have to say though, it was not for me. I normally love crazy drinks that are super sweet but I could not do this one.

After having a couple more drinks we went to the famous Cafe Du Monde! And yes it’s good and yes it’s worth it. Coffee is a must have with your beignets.

For dinner, we hit a local spot recommended to us. It was nothing incredible but it was a nice place to try. But the real highlight of the night was going to Preservation Hall! Opened in 1961, Preservation Hall keeps New Orleans jazz music alive and well. With over 100 rotating musicians. It’s the one best/most popular places to listen to live music in NOLA. I got a great tip from a friend to pay for your seats online ahead of time. They do a have a first come first serve line you can wait on but WOAH, when I went the line was so long. I don’t think a lot of the people got into a show that night. Finally, we ended the night on Frenchman Street (where the locals go to hear music) and we had a great time checking out each bar and enjoying the music.

Outfit Details

Day 3

Ok so day 3! We started off the morning by trying the Ruby Slipper for breakfast. Which to me had a very cute southern diner vibe. I had the “Southern Breakfast” which I got because I was seriously craving all the Biscuits and all the Fried Green Tomatoes. And I enjoyed it! We didn’t have much time after breakfast before we had to leave for our swamp tour, so we did a little more exploring of the French Quarter and checked out the river a bit.

Then we headed to our swamp tour! Four our tour, we decided to go with Cajun Encounters. We also chose to Uber there (it’s about an hour from the French Quarter.) But they do have a bus you could pay extra to travel there/back on. There was a lot of people who did that. I was slightly terrified going into it because I don’t love Alligators but it was a very cool experience, the gators do come right up to the boat since the guide will feed them. The wild pigs were my favorite though!

After the swamp tour we were lucky enough to have dinner at the amazing Jacques Imo’s. This was one of our top places we wanted to go on the trip. We had heard such good things and about how authentically New Orleans it is. The restaurant is located in the Riverbend/Carrollton area of Uptown New Orleans and is two doors down from the famous Maple Leaf Bar. (don’t rush me, i’ll get to there later). So naturally we ordered as much food and drink as we could fit on the table. We had very fresh Watermelon Mojitos which were the drink special of the night. Started with the Friend Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade and warm Corn Bread for the table. I had to try the Fried Chicken which was great! The group also got Boudin Balls, Garlic Snails and Shrimp Creole. Everything at Jacques Imo’s was what I hoped it would be…great food, drinks and ambiance. Tip: you can make a reservation if you had 5 or more people!

After dinner, we headed back to Frenchman Street to hear some more jazz and this time we went to the Spotted Cat which was recommended to me and had some great bands playing.

Outfit Details

Day 4

Our fourth day was one for the books. We started the day out with an early lunch at Commander’s Palace! Which is one of the nicest restaurants I have been to in a long time. It has won basically every award a restaurant can, which makes total sense since the service and hospitality were incredible. Now onto the food and drinks. One of the best things about Commander’s Palace was during lunch they have .25 Martinis! Normally, I am not a martini kinda gal butttttt it was a good price. For food, I chose to have the two course lunch with the Commander’s Classic Salad and the Creole Tostada. Both were so fresh and I really enjoyed them. My friends also had Wild Louisiana White Shrimp and Chili-Lime Gulf Fish, which they very much enjoyed also. Finally, the good stuff DESSERT. Wow they really did save the best for last. We got Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé, Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake and Lally’s Praline Parfait. I tried them all and they were fresh and hit the sweet spot.

After we were stuffed we explored the Garden District some more and looked at some beautiful homes. Followed by trying beignets from Loretta’s. One of our Uber drivers told us that her beignets were even better then Cafe Du Monde. I personally thought they were both great. Loretta’s were more doughy which I liked a lot too. Her’s also come in two additional flavors, Nutella and Praline filled. YUM.

Later that day as the sun was setting we headed out on a Ghost and Vampire tour with French Quarter Phantoms. Listen, I am scared of literally everything but I was totally fine on this tour. Our guide was hysterical and I loved learning all about the history of the French Quarter. Also, the tour had two for one Hurricane’s and I like there’s so much more.

Post Ghost and Vampire tour we had a quick dinner and then we headed to Maple Leaf Bar. (I told you it would come back). We headed there to see the band Rebirth! Rebirth is a Grammy-winning Brass Band and a New Orleans institution who plays every Tuesday night at The Maple Leaf. When we went, the bar was packed and people were very excited for the band. It was such a great night and experience, I really felt when I was there I was experiencing true NOLA life. We had so many Uber drivers who told us that Rebirth on Tuesday at The Maple Leaf is one of the most authentic New Orleans things we could do. It was a highlight of the trip.

Day 5

On our last morning we headed back out to the Bywater neighborhood to try Elizabeth’s. Which had been another recommendation to us. It was small and quaint place. I of course, got another Fried Green Tomato Benedict. Guys, when I say I ate all the Fried Green Tomatoes, I wasn’t lying. This was some of the group’s favorite biscuit. There was also this amazing Pecan waffle. After we headed down the street to Bacchanal Wine. Two of my friends who had grown up/lived in NOLA told me I would love this place and they were right! It was the perfect place to end our trip. Long story short, it’s a wine shop with a back patio and you can buy bottles and glasses to drink on the patio. They have live music and some great food as well. It was such a nice day when we were there and it was great to have a glass of rosé, listen to some music and reminisce about what a great trip we had. This was one of my favorite spots we went to on the trip.

Overall, NOLA was such a blast. The food, people, weather and culture we all so inspiring and made me fall in love with the city. I can’t wait to go back someday!