My wife wants to go to NO for her birthday. Thinking of a weekend trip in early May. What are your thoughts? Been there boozing plenty, so want to do more of a trip she would enjoy. THinking Garden District, tour of it, some great restaurants, maybe plantation tour or something else we wouldn't have done while being in the French Quarter in the past (which we will spend a little time there on this trip too). Open to suggestions on locations, things, hotels etc. Thanks in advance.

Anyone?

WWII meseum is really good but not sure if that would tickle her fancy. As for restaurants I like JW Finns and Doris Metropolitan.

You could also look into going to Abita brewery.

I have never done the tour but I always see people doing some haunted tour thing at night. She might get scared and hold you tight.

You can spend an entire day visiting the plantations outside NO between there and Plaquemine. Nottoway Plantation had a variety of rooms both in the main plantation house and in the carriage house that rent out reasonably and the restaurant on the grounds is nice. . From there you can go up and down the river to the others that also do tours.

Commanders ****ing palace, August or Luke are my recs for upscale

We ate a cheap/quick lunch at Dat Dog while down there, they had all different styles, and they were delicious. Yes there are lots of fine dining choices, but we loved Dat Dog. Willie Mae's Scotch House came highly recommended, but we decided to walk there and it was in a sketch neighborhood and closed right before we got there, but it smelled delicious.

We ate breakfast at Cafe Beignet and liked it a lot more than Du Monde.

We spent three or four hours at the WWII museum (I'm a Germany fan, and a history teacher so I was enamored). I could have easily spent more time there, but my long-suffering wife was ready to go.

Sorry that I can't recommend nicer places to go or see, we like to see the highlights and some local places generally when we travel. NOLA is definitely on our must return list.

We also had Hilton points galore and wanted to walk everywhere, so we stayed in the Roosevelt. It was a fantastic place, and they claim to be the home of the first cocktail. Our stay featured 2 free drinks at their bar, which was pretty nice.

The Columns Hotel

My wife and I had a great dinner at Brigtsen's. It's in an old house near the street car line.

Sylvain and Cochon for food.

Frenchman Street bars for live music at night.

I don't know what age the OP is, but we are now in our 40's and we still go to NO quite often. We spend all of our time on Magazine St. and Frenchman's nowadays and still have an absolute blast. Last time we went, we stayed at the Hotel Indigo on St. Charles and rode trolley cars and buses everywhere we wanted to go. It was a blast.

I'm in my 40's and she is turning 40. We still want to "experience" New Orleans but just not strictly Bourbon St. I got reservations at Hotel Indigo on St. Charles St. I also got dinner reservations at Commanders Palace for Sat evening. Thoughts on other good bars (new orleans style, not a chain I can go to in Dallas) in the Garden District? What about a show at Preservation Hall? Worth it? Our other meals will probably be lower class than Commander's Palace. She loves Mother's for poor boys. Maybe Acme for oysters. Thanks for the ideas so far. Keep them coming. Thx.

Is a walking tour around the Garden District worth it for a couple? Interesting enough? Other ideas along those lines.....

http://www.plantationadventure.com/

We did a plantation tour through these guys a few years ago. It was an interesting trip and my wife still talks about how cool it was. We visited three different ones on the tour, however, if I were to do it over I would have probably just gone to the Oak Alley Plantation directly and not bothered with the others. Oak Alley is wonderfully preserved and it truly feels like you're stepping back in time. They have a retired lawyer who curates for them and he does an excellent job relating to you what life was like at the time.

Felix's-better than Acme!
Perisols for the roast beef po boy
willie mae's
camelia grill
Central Grocery for Muffaletta

Upscale:
NOLA
K-Pauls Kitchen
Gautreau's

Tipitinas for music

Well echo the above recs
GW Fins for seafood.
Frenchmen Street over Bourbon Street
Commanders Palace is great try to go for a brunch if possible

Laura or Oak Alley for a plantation tour....these are off of I 10 west of NOLA so if driving from Texas I would look into these on the way there or on the way back

The Gumbo Shop is some of the best Gumbo in town and reasonably priced. Deanies for BBQ shrimp

I would try a walking tour of one of the local cemeteries...may have to make reservations.

Garden District is great and some great homes in that area

Preservation Hall for Jazz or see if Irving Mayfield in playing during your visit

I highly recommend doing Commander's for the Jazz brunch on Sunday afternoon instead of dinner.

I don't think I've seen anyone mention The Carousel Bar at the Monteleone. They usually have a piano player or band playing. My wife loves to go there. There have been some great restaurant recs. I would add R'evolution and Italian Barrel to the list.

I agree on the bar at the Montelone. Also, do a fun tour around the French Quarter during the day.. We do a different drink or food tour every time we go.

Breakfast at the Ol Coffee Pot on St. Peter. Almost at the corner of St. Peter and Bourbon. Hit a great burger at Yo Mamas and a great Bloody Mary at Boondock Saints. All on St. Peter.

I have had many great meals in this country. Go to La Petite Grocery in the Garden District for dinner. Simply outstanding. Bayona is also amazing. Two of the top 5 meals I've had.

I second the Columns Hotel on St. Charles.

Restaurant Revolution. Thank me later.

Revolution was one of the better meals I've had this year. Square Root was another...I mean fried chicken cotton candy...framing awesome. I'll be hitting both again when I go back in June.

We just got back from what was planned as a New Orleans weekend trip. If you have not been to NO is past couple of years, crime I'm the French Quarter has become much more frequent and brazen than it used to be. No longer is it a "don't be alone, drunk and on a side street at 3am". Instead, robberies and shootings have been happening in the middle of the afternoon to folks traveling in groups.

I tend to think if you a diligent and smart about visiting the Quarter you would be fine, but we decided with French Quarter fest going on, we would visit friends on the Noeth Shore, dinner at Dragos in Mettaire, then nice weekend in Baton Rouge. That's just my take and also based on feedback from friends that live there. Follow the local news for a few weeks and let that inform you. Until they decide to clean it up or up the polic presence, NO is a no-go for us.

quote:

---

If you have not been to NO is past couple of years, crime I'm the French Quarter has become much more frequent and brazen than it used to be. No longer is it a "don't be alone, drunk and on a side street at 3am". Instead, robberies and shootings have been happening in the middle of the afternoon to folks traveling in groups.

I tend to think if you a diligent and smart about visiting the Quarter you would be fine, but we decided with French Quarter fest going on, we would visit friends on the Noeth Shore, dinner at Dragos in Mettaire, then nice weekend in Baton Rouge. That's just my take and also based on feedback from friends that live there. Follow the local news for a few weeks and let that inform you. Until they decide to clean it up or up the polic presence, NO is a no-go for us.

---

Man, I'm sure crime isn't great there, but I just got back from a long weekend there a couple weeks ago, and we spent most of our time around the Quarter, and at no point did we ever feel unsafe or even have to question our surroundings at all. I understand if its not for you, but I think the notion that the city is unsafe for people to visit to be a huge overstatement and overreaction.

We stayed in a cottage at Oak Alley plantation last summer on our way to NO. I loved it. We took a sunset walk on the levy on the Mississippi (there's a nice walking trail), ordered dinner in, explored the property after dark with a flashlight (soooo eerie and cool), and had a great breakfast the next day.

I've been to NOLA numerous times. The only time I've ever not felt completely safe was at night on Canal St. I've always felt safe walking around the French Quarter day or night. The wife and I walke from Bourbon to Frenchmen St and never thought twice.

Elizabeth's for brunch - worth the cab ride. Manning's for sports.

quote:

---

quote:

---

If you have not been to NO is past couple of years, crime I'm the French Quarter has become much more frequent and brazen than it used to be. No longer is it a "don't be alone, drunk and on a side street at 3am". Instead, robberies and shootings have been happening in the middle of the afternoon to folks traveling in groups.

I tend to think if you a diligent and smart about visiting the Quarter you would be fine, but we decided with French Quarter fest going on, we would visit friends on the Noeth Shore, dinner at Dragos in Mettaire, then nice weekend in Baton Rouge. That's just my take and also based on feedback from friends that live there. Follow the local news for a few weeks and let that inform you. Until they decide to clean it up or up the polic presence, NO is a no-go for us.

---

Man, I'm sure crime isn't great there, but I just got back from a long weekend there a couple weeks ago, and we spent most of our time around the Quarter, and at no point did we ever feel unsafe or even have to question our surroundings at all. I understand if its not for you, but I think the notion that the city is unsafe for people to visit to be a huge overstatement and overreaction.

---

I'm sure that was what Will Smith was thinking as well...

Just don't read end anyone then drive off

quote:

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

If you have not been to NO is past couple of years, crime I'm the French Quarter has become much more frequent and brazen than it used to be. No longer is it a "don't be alone, drunk and on a side street at 3am". Instead, robberies and shootings have been happening in the middle of the afternoon to folks traveling in groups.

I tend to think if you a diligent and smart about visiting the Quarter you would be fine, but we decided with French Quarter fest going on, we would visit friends on the Noeth Shore, dinner at Dragos in Mettaire, then nice weekend in Baton Rouge. That's just my take and also based on feedback from friends that live there. Follow the local news for a few weeks and let that inform you. Until they decide to clean it up or up the polic presence, NO is a no-go for us.

---

Man, I'm sure crime isn't great there, but I just got back from a long weekend there a couple weeks ago, and we spent most of our time around the Quarter, and at no point did we ever feel unsafe or even have to question our surroundings at all. I understand if its not for you, but I think the notion that the city is unsafe for people to visit to be a huge overstatement and overreaction.

---

I'm sure that was what Will Smith was thinking as well...

---

I heard someone was murded in New York City. You better not travel there now.

Wife and I are headed to New Orleans this weekend so figured I'd bump this thread. Just found out a couple weeks ago she's pregnant with our first. We've both been before in college, but spent the entire time partying really so this time will obviously be a bit different

Looking for some things to do, we are staying at Olivier House Hotel in the French Quarter.

• The garden district worth checking out (I found this walking tour guide ) ? How bout Frenchmen street?
• Found some good food reconditions on this thread, anybody been since this thread and have some additional recs?
• Anybody ever done the Steamboat Natchez Jazz Dinner Cruise?

Thanks in advance

This is a good thread with good information. I would add Restaurant August to the list. Across the street from the Windsor Court. John Besh restaurant and it is excellent!!!

I love a day trip to New Orleans and here is my general itinerary:
[url] http://www.twotravelingtexans.com/new-orleans/ [/url]
I hope I can make it happen again a few times in 2017.

I have spun more times at the Carousel Bar than I care to admit. Parker and Eddie are the best bartenders in town!

Quote:

---

Thoughts on other good bars (new orleans style, not a chain I can go to in Dallas) in the Garden District?

---

A friend of mine swears by "Cure" at 4905 Freret St.

It is pretty much the neighborhood hangout for her and her husband.