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W h a t t o k e e p i n M i n d
This New Orleans itinerary is made based on the one week I spent in the Big Easy. Personally, I prefer traveling loosely, without a rigid structure. Generally, it’s nice to plan two or three big goals for the day and decide the rest as it comes. In this itinerary, I will mention the main activities I did in what I found to be a fashionable use of the time I had in the Big Easy. There will be no mention of food (check out my other posts for that hehe). Furthermore, I include 3 Day Trips I took from New Orleans. Ooh 3 is almost half of 7 look at me! Math!
Finally, here’s some things I never got around to seeing in New Orleans. Shame on me! So, you, if you’re reading this, have never been to New Orleans and are planning to visit for the first time, go to the following places, for me! So I can live vicariously through you! But don’t just do it for me! Do it for Freedom! Said places are:
Those Places are these Spots I never got to visit:
- Treme (je voudrais ajouter l’accent mais je ne sais pas comment 🙁 )
- Any Second Line
- Lafayette Cemetery No.2
- Mardi Gras (I went in July)
- Music Box Village
- Studio Be
- St. Louis Cemetery
- Reverend Zombie’s House of Voodoo
- Museum of Death
Day 1
I think the first day of any trip is best spent exploring leisurely without much of a plan. Just try to find your bearings and get accustomed to the feel of the city. Often you’ll be faced with fatigue and jetlag anyway so it’s best not to burden yourself with too much to do. For New Orleans, I got acquainted with Downtown through a nice walk up and down Canal Street, seeing the pulsing heart of the city.
Undoubtedly, upon visiting the Big Easy you will find yourself in the French Quarter. It’s a fun place to stroll around and see the ambiance but also requires more time to truly dive into. For the first night, use it to sink your teeth into the city until it keeps you wanting more. I went in with no plan but to scout out the area for spots I’d like to check out in future days. You can of course indulge in the many eats and the nightlife there but be sure to save the best for later.
Day 2
We call it Day 2 of your New Orleans Itinerary but it’s likely your first full day in New Orleans. You may desire to spend it in the French Quarter or get some of the major sights out of the way. However, I went a different route and booked a tour through Cajun Encounters to the Honey Island Swamp. With an inclusive bus and then boat tour, it’s an amazing excursion into the Bayou and an accessible taste of the swamp landscape and culture the region is famous for.
Nonetheless, the tour won’t kill the entire day (I spent the rest in the French Quarter) but it takes a good chunk out. I was pleasantly surprised by the numerous sightings of wildlife, namely alligators, and the friendliness of the boat drivers. As you zoom along the swamp, you’ll feel swished away into an episode of Swamp People and as the alligators swim mere inches away from the boat, you can’t help but be in awe of their majestic beauty.
Day 3
I find that often the third day is like the solidifying day of the trip, setting the tone for how you receive and will receive the city. It was for me here during my New Orleans Itinerary. On this day, I got drenched in storms. While I’d planned it around the macabre side of the city, the storm ruptured my plans. New Orleans’ Cemeteries are worth a visit for the vibe but they don’t provide cover. So, keep that in mind, and remember to pack a jacket or umbrella.
Louis Armstrong Park was also quite impressive and is easily walkable from the French Quarter. I used it as a go-between on the way back to my hostel to change my wet clothes. Visit the historic Congo Square for a look at the city’s slavery roots. Speaking of which, don’t forget Voodoo. While small, the French Quarter’s Voodoo Museum is packed with information and artifacts on Voodoo and its history. I think you’ll find it dispelling some of the pervasive myths and offering a lot more educational value.
Day 4
The fourth day is your halfway point and when you have to start thinking about the pace of your travels. Are you gonna have enough time to see everything? For me, the name of the game was the Garden District and Audubon Park, all along a long walk. The Garden District isn’t for everyone. If you come to New Orleans to party your ass off, stick to the French Quarter. But the Garden District is perfect for beauty lovers and people who prefer slightly more peace and quiet.
With its grand mansions, giant trees, and colorful rows of homes, it is the perfect place to walk idly by and enjoy the sights and sun. Such is the same for the glorious Audubon Park, with magnificent natural beauty. Much bigger than I expected, prepare to continue the day of leisure by taking it slow in the park, enjoying the greenery, bird life, and quaint ambiance on offer there.
Day 5
For me, Day 5 of my New Orleans Itinerary meant Day Trip 2. Also via Cajun Encounters, I booked the Double Plantation tour including the Laura and Oak Alley Plantations. Naturally, you have to decide if this is right for you. The morbid history represented by the plantations could deter you and that’s okay. If you’re not into history or don’t want to be brought down emotionally while traveling use this day to visit the places I didn’t touch.
On the way to these plantations, you’ll pass filming locations used in Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave. And, to the credit of the tour guides, they do a good job of not glossing over the inhumanity and tragedy of life on the plantation for enslaved people. While the grounds look gorgeous with the big booming trees, they never let you forget those roots were watered with blood. And, for me at least, experiences like this are worth the insight they offer into the troubled past of that destination.
Day 6
New Orleans doesn’t often come up in the headlines as a museum destination. However, there are some surefire heavy-hitters mixing it up with the magnolias. A case in point is the National World War II Museum. Its huge, sprawling, and even offers an interactive journey through a well-documented period of history. The scope of its retelling is much broader than I expected it to be, focusing on all the different theaters, issues at home, and the hypocrisies of a segregated American army fighting for freedom abroad.
Like the plantation, it will interest you more if you have historical interests or perhaps a family connection to the war. Fear not though! I bring parks as well! Visit New Orleans City Park in the north of the city to see art installations, lush gardens, rustic ponds, and eventually a path to the lakefront of Lake Pontchartrain. The latter is a great spot in its own right, especially to see the sunset overlooking the water and the grand manors lining the promenade in its wake.
Day 7
Finally, the last day. You’re overcome with that bittersweet feeling knowing it’s all going to be over soon. But you want to go out with a bang! I thought the same and went with a friend to visit the Mississippi Delta, making Day Trip 3. Expect much less hustle and bustle as you head southeast of the Big Easy. Instead, pick your poison of swampland or fishing and boating villages. Both appear totally removed from the frenzy of New Orleans. If you want a scenic watery escape, this is the journey for you.
Eat at this waterfront spot if you can find it. I can’t! Enjoy a more lowkey day of travel walking through alligator-filled swamp trails as the sun tries to dig a trail through your back. Just don’t forget bug spray like I stupidly did! No, the day trip adventure is going big but the actual execution should be laidback and easy as you enjoy your last moments by exposing yourself to a different type of Louisiana, neither big nor easy.
In Conclusion
Do what you want with this New Orleans itinerary. This is written from my experience and what I managed to do but there are several places within the city I never got the time to visit. A lot of the mentioned extra time was used to explore the French Quarter. If you’re interested in a more in-depth look at the French Quarter, say so in the comment section. Otherwise write whatever comments you want and I hope you enjoyed this heaty wheaty bout them Bourbon Streeties! See you next time! And, oh if the captions are trash, it’s not my fault! It was the Illuminati!
