New Orleans is one of my favorite places to go to just let loose and have fun! The food, the music, the people, they are all what makes New Orleans it’s own little weird gem of a place. The first time I ever visited New Orleans was on a fraternity formal trip, where I wasn’t even 21! It was still a blast, but this was the first time I’d been back since being underage so I was all sorts of ready to “experience” New Orleans haha! When we moved to Houston, that put us at 6 hours away from New Orleans and we decided pack our bags and drive to NOLA to celebrate my birthday. We drove in on Friday night and stayed at the Lafayette Hotel, which is a beautiful historic hotel not too far from the French Quarter. It was about a 10 minute walk to the French Quarter and the walk never felt unsafe! As long as you’re in the populated areas in NOLA, you’re good. We stayed for 3 days and did A LOT! I want to share our experiences with you guys and recommend a couple of places that are a must while visiting.

WHERE TO GO IN NEW ORLEANS IN SEPTEMBER

The Jazz Playhouse

We had an amazing opportunity to attend a show at The Jazz Playhouse!! The Jazz Playhouse is a lounge in the Royal Sonesta hotel and right next to Desire Oyster Bar, where we ate too. The Jazz Playhouse put on an incredible show and we had their signature cocktail, Perfect Thyming, which is Sonesta’s 50th Anniversary Cocktail pamplemousse, thyme liqueur, and prosecco. Overall, we had a famous time listening to jazz and enjoying our cocktails. It’s definitely a more chill thing to do on Bourbon street and totally my scene.

Jackson Square is a historic park and definitely a must while bopping around the French Quarter. Inside the park are beautiful statues to view and surrounding the area are many venders with gorgeous art pieces. We grabbed some mimosas at a bar close by and strolled around the area. Additionally, the famous St. Louis Cathedral is close by too. I believe they have tours you can go on as well. While we were walking by we saw a wedding party which was pretty cool! Imagine getting married as this gorgeous cathedral!

Ghost Tour

When in NOLA… am I right? Andrew and I were super stoked to do a ghost tour around the French quarter but we wanted to make sure we researched all the tours available to ensure we were going to go on the best one. When it comes to ghost tours, Andrew and I want to also get a history lesson on the city or area itself too, so we decided to go with Haunted History Tours. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this tour is a 10/10. The tour guides aren’t trying to scare you or perform for you, they’re there to tell stories and they do it extremely well. Oh and at the beginning, they give you a coupon to buy one, get one on hurricanes, so if you want to grab one before the tour you can! If not, I highly suggest grabbing a bottle of water before the tour if you’re in NOLA during the hotter months.

Pat O’Brien’s

Pat O’Brien’s has a pretty awesome history! It started out as a speakeasy during the Prohibition and then evolved into a dueling piano bar. The hurricane is something that you must experience while in NOLA, but be careful because this baby is strong and delicious. You can read all about the history on the drink here. We sat at a table and had a server, but you can also just walk up to the bar and grab hurricane in a plastic cup. If you don’t want your glass when you leave you can take it the bar and they will refund you $3 a glass, if you do want it, you can take it to the host stand and they’ll wash it out for you and box it up!

WHERE TO EAT

Cafe Du Monde

This was one of the places I HAD to go when I originally visited NOLA so now every time I visit I be sure to swing by and grab some delicious beignets and iced coffee. BIG TIP: the line is typically long as hell so if you want a table with a server, get there early or just at an odd ball time, they’re open 24 hours BUT if you’re okay with not having a table and finding your own place to sit, head over to their to go line around the corner on the back side. The line is always significantly shorter. I recommend grabbing a bag of beignets and an iced coffee.

The Stanley

I’m a big yelper, and searched best bloody mary in NOLA and found this gem of a restaurant. The Stanley is right off Jackson Square, which is where we walked around while we waited for our table. They also have a side bar next to their restaurant where you can grab a drink and wait. The bloody mary didn’t disappoint, y’all. It was SO yummy, not too spicy and all sorts of delicious. We ordered the red beans and rice and the Stanley gumbo, two cajun staples. They were both delicious! I mean, it’s pretty hard to find cajun staples like this that aren’t amazing in NOLA, but these were extra good.

Desire Oyster Bar

If you’re looking for a great place to dine right off bourbon street the Desire is a wonderful option for ya! The decor is very stylish and fun and the food is to die for. Desire was probably my favorite place during this trip because of the atmosphere and the yummy food. We started with drinks and apps. Andrew had the Tito’s strawberry lemonade which is: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, fresh lemon juice, strawberry, and sugar and I had the Pimm’s cup which is: Pimm’s No. 1, fresh citrus, cucumber, ginger ale & ginger beer. Andrew’s drink was sweeter and honestly I think I preferred that one, but mine was good too, just a different flavor. I’ve always been a huge oyster gal and typically eat them raw but we decided to get them char grilled because Andrew is not a raw oyster fan and he loved them! They’re basically oysters covered in butter and cheese so like YES PLEASE!

For our second appetizer, we ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Remoulade. I had never heard of this before but it was recommended to us and we were not disappointed. It was jumbo shrimp on top of fried green tomatoes with lots of sauce and extra yummies. For our main course we ordered the fried chicken & waffles and the creole trio, which included: creole gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, smoked sausage. I’m already a huge fan of fried chicken and waffles and these were great. If you’re hankering for some cajun flavor I’d say go with the creole trio! I wasn’t the biggest fan of the jambalaya, but that’s just because I don’t think I like jambalaya. The creole gumbo, red beans and rice, and smoked sausage were YUM!

We ended with the white chocolate bread pudding and the Bourbon Pecan Pie. The bread pudding was sticky and full of flavor. Y’all the sauce was so freaking good I wanted to lick it off the plate!! I think the same sauce was on the pecan pie too and mixed with ice cream, which made it extra tasty.

Tujague’s

We had the wonderful opportunity to eat at Tujague’s on my birthday and enjoy a birthday brunch! Tujague’s has an incredible history as well, being 164 years old. That’s one thing I really enjoy about New Orleans is the history and learning as much as I could about each place we went to. Tujague’s is the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans and the birthplace of brunch and home to the oldest stand-up bar in America, located in the French Quarter. Read more on the history here.

We started with charbroiled oysters this time and they didn’t disappoint! They were juicy and covered in cheese *insert drool emoji*. Andrew ordered Tujague's Famous Brisket and it did not disappoint. Oh my gosh was it amazing, especially with the special sauce. The famous brisket is said to be as old as Tujague’s itself! I ordered the Abita Amber BBQ shrimp and grits which had a delicious barbecue butter on top that was to die for, seriously.

We ended brunch with the famous grasshopper!! I had no idea this drink started in New Orleans. I actually had a grass hopper on my 21st birthday so it was cool to have it again on my birthday. We grabbed our drinks and headed over to the bar to chill for a bit and chat. I highly recommend popping in for a grasshopper if you’re in the French Quarter.

NOLA is definitely one of a kind. It’s a lot to take in at first, but once you get past all the craziness and the occasionally smell, it’s a pretty cool place full of art, culture, and awesome people.

Love Always,

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