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When I moved to the South, I had a list of places I wanted to visit, and naturally New Orleans was on the top of this list. Only 2.5 short years after relocating to Nashville, I finally made my NOLA dreams a reality! I grabbed a few friends, loaded up my car, and drove the 8 hours from Nashville to New Orleans for a long girls weekend…and it was worth it! We spent 3 days exploring the Big Easy, admiring the architecture in the French Quarter, tasting as much Cajun food as we could find, and exploring the history of the region.
We crammed as much as we could into our 3 day trip, and returned home exhausted and proud of all we managed to do on our weekend adventure. Check out my 5 favorite New Orleans experiences from the weekend below.
Exploring the French Quarter on Foot
When researching things to do in New Orleans, the majority of activities and sites were situated in the French Quarter neighborhood, and understandably so. This neighborhood is where you will find classic NOLA architecture, food and drinks, and a lively bar and music scene.
As the first section of New Orleans to be settled in 1718, you can see the strong influence early European settlers had on the area. The region was first occupied by the French, then the Spanish, and later the US after the Louisiana Purchase. The buildings lining the cobble stone streets aren’t like any others you will see in the city, and show their European history through their architecture. We spent hours wandering up and down the streets, admirning the French architecture, passing by horse-drawn carriages and popping into restaurants and voodoo shops along the way.
Admiring the Floats at Mardi Gras World
This may have been my favorite stop within the city of New Orleans. We planed our trip to be a few weeks after the Mardi Gras celebrations, but soon enuogh after the festivities that there were still decorataions around the city. During our visit the balconies of the French Quarter were still covered in purple, green, and gold beads and garland, with masquerade masks hanging on doors.
We may have missed the festivities, but still wanted to learn about Mardi Gras so we visited Mardi Gras World, which was so worth it! This museum is situated in a warehouse where Mardi Gras floats are stored after the parades. During our visit, we took a tour of an active studio where Mardi Gras floats are made. Did you know that those massive float decorations like giant flowers, animals, and status are made from styrofoam and paper mache? I didn’t, but am now so much more impressed by the artists who create these designs! The tour takes you through a large warehouse where floats and decorations are stored. After the tour, you have time to wander around the warehouse on your own. I’m a tall girl but I felt so small standing next to these massive floats. I can’t imagine what a parade filled with them would look like, but one day I hope to find out! We had so much fun admiring the decorations and taking pictures.
Touring a Plantation
Louisiana, like much of the South, has a long history, with many current reminders of the antebellum years. Some of these reminders are the plantation’s that still stand throughout the South. During our trip to New Orleans, we took a day trip out to Oak Alley Plantation to learn more about the antebellum era in Southern Louisiana.
Although there are many plantations in the area that give tours, Oak Alley Plantation is one of the most recognizable thanks to thegrand oak trees that grow on the property. We choose to tour this plantation specifically because of the trees, and the gorgeous path they create leading up to the plantation house. Oak Alley was originally a sugarcane plantation, and now serves as a museum and reminder of the southern history. Visiting the plantation offers a chance to walk through exhibits dedicated to the Civil War and slavery, as well as allows you to walk through the house and see the lavish life the plantatin owners lived.
Admiring the Wildife at Honey Island Swamp
As a California girl, I sometimes forget that alligators actually live in the wild in parts of the country and not just at zoos. One thing I was most excited about when driving to New Orleans was the opportunity to see some gators in the wild. So on our drive back to Nashville we took a short detour to Honey Island Swamp, just outside the city, with the hope of seeing alligators.
At the swamp, we lucked out and ended up getting on a boat with no other groups. Our boat tour lasted about 2 hours and was led by a local guide, who knew a lot about the swamp, bayou, and Southern Louisiana. The amount of wild animals that we saw on the tour blew me away! Along with alligators, we got surprisingly close to raccoon’s and wild boar as well. We also learned tht each of these animals likes to eat marshmallows, and our guie would feed these to the wildlife to get them closer to the boat. I had such a good time! I definitely think this was my favorite stop on our entire weekend trip.
Tasting the Local Cuisine
We worked up an appetite during all our wandering around the city, so obviously we had to make numerous food and drink stops at local eateries. While in the French Quarter we stopped at the famous Cafe du Monde for beingets and cafe au lait for breakfast and later stopped at Coop’s Place for some sausage and rabbit jambalaya. The jambalaya was a bit too spicy for me, but provided a great sample of the Cajun cuisine New Orleans is known for…and no I can say I’ve tried rabit! We also sampled some alligator bites as an appitizer one night, that were surprisingly tender and delicious! To go along with our meals, we also had to sample some famous local drinks like a Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s, a Sazerac at the Carousel Bar, and a Hand Grenade somewhere on Bourbon Street.
Even though I managed to cross off a large portion of my NOLA to-do list, I definitely need to make another trip to finish some of the quintessential New Orleans experiences and sites that we missed on this first trip. Round two will include: Visiting a cemetery, spending time at different plantations, walking St. Charles Place. Who knows, maybe next time I’ll visit for the truest New Orleans experience – Mardi Gras!
