Sights and Activities Abound in the Crescent City
A thriving city, New Orleans is famous for its Creole cuisine, distinctive French architecture and French Culture, the “birthplace of jazz,” and Mardi Gras. Visitors arrive in New Orleans to attend a convention, a concert, for a football game or event in the Super Dome, or to experience the thrill of the infamous Mardi Gras. Fittingly the motto of New Orleans is “laissez les bon temps rouler”, a crude English to Cajun-French translation of “let the good times roll.” The “good times roll” in a city that celebrates daily with music, food, history and holiday inspired festivals, parades, and events of all sizes. Yet, some visitors come to just experience New Orleans. The Big Easy is also known for its gentle slow and easy-going way of life. Our long holiday weekend in New Orleans is to experience this unique city with its French, Creole and Cajun heritage, and the Garden District. Beyond traditional New Orleans activities, we will explore the National WWII Museum to experience the war that changed the world.
GETTING AROUND:
City-Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off NOLA UNLIMITED!
City Sightseeing with its Hop-On Hop-Off option is fantastic for getting around New Orleans. We are thrilled with the NOLA UNLIMITED 3 day package. This allows 3 full days access to the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. Additionally, the NOLA UNLIMITED includes a Garden District Walking Tour and a French Quarter Walking Tour. Plus, Stop 6 on Canal Street is conveniently just a couple of blocks from our hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites New Orleans Downtown (French Quarter).
Our first day in New Orleans we “hop-on” the City Sightseeing bus and locate seats on top for wide open views. Opting to take the entire 90 minute bus route, provides an excellent overview of New Orleans and deciding specific places to explore further. As we hop-on different buses each day, guides provide their own intriguing and educational details of the city. Each guide shares a wealth of information about the areas on the bus route, must see attractions, and suggestions on when to visit. Sitting on the top level as we go through the Garden District, the guide yells “Duck.” Yes, low hanging branches hit on the top level. Several times, as we are walking to another location, we spot the Hop-On Hop-Off sign allowing us to hop-on a bus for a quick ride to our next destination. Our final day of the NOLA Package, we are at the WWII Museum when it closes at 5:00PM. Checking the City Sightseeing App, we see the final bus for the day is on its way so it’s a short ride to downtown. We highly recommend City Sightseeing Hope-On Off-Off buses when visiting New Orleans.
Hop on a famous New Orleans Streetcar
Tennessee Williams made the streetcars of New Orleans famous with his 1947 Pulitzer Prize winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Today, New Orleans continues its streetcars that definitely provide a unique and fun way to see the city. With four distinct lines, streetcars are inexpensive and great for getting around downtown, the French Quarter, the Garden District, and places off the beaten path. With good instructions from the guides on the City Sightseeing Bus, we know that streetcars take exact change. It’s only $1.25 per ride for adults and seniors are just forty cents. The Jazzy Pass is a one, three and 31-day unlimited ride. Hopping on the St. Charles Streetcar, with exact cash for the one-day Jazzy Pass, we are ready to see the sights from a streetcar. Streetcars have rumbled down the middle of St. Charles and Carrollton avenues for over 150 years. The dark green St. Charles streetcar is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world. Literally, swaying along St. Charles Avenue we pass through a tunnel Live Oaks.
We depart at Carrollton Avenue for a stroll in a large park where we spotted an art fair. This stop is also the turnaround point. Here the driver walks through the streetcar flipping the backs of the seats and taking his streetcar driving handle to the now front of the streetcar (formerly the rear). All Aboard! As the streetcar heads to downtown, we rumble down St. Charles Avenue through a long a tunnel of Live Oaks, past beautiful antebellum mansions of the Garden District, the campuses of Loyola and Tulane Universities and so much more. Wow! Suddenly, the driver stops the streetcar telling everyone to “get off.” A streetcar is stopped on the tracks ahead that was hit by a car, so all streetcars on St. Charles Avenue are halted. A bus is being dispatched to pick-up the passengers. Our exciting streetcar ride is cut short. We’re in the Big Easy and flexible. Deciding to walk the few blocks to Canal Street, timing is perfect for a respite stop at Luke for their Happy Hour specials.
THE FAMOUS AND FABULOUS FRENCH QUARTER
Step into the historic heart of New Orleans. Be ready for hustle and bustle at the French Quarter. Jackson Square is alive with street performers, artists, mimes, and even Voodoo Witchcraft in the shadow of the soaring St. Louis Cathedral. Beautiful French Architecture features colorful buildings with intriguing cast-iron balconies. From seeking a Cajun dining experience to the sounds of a jazz club to a raucous bar on Bourbon Street to a tantalizing potent cocktail to a vibrant nightlife, visitors will find a plethora of things to do in the French Quarter. A few blocks off Bourbon Street are quieter streets that lead to the French Market with gourmet food, local crafts, numerous specialty shops and some fantastic music. We stroll several areas of the French Quarter on our visit with specific activities of our NOLA French Quarter Walking Tour, a Demonstration Cooking Class, attending mass at St. Louis Cathedral, strolling the French Market, and experiencing unique dining venues.
French Quarter Walking Tour
Arriving at City Sightseeing Stop 1 – Jackson Square, we gather to begin our French Quarter Walking Tour, included in our City Sightseeing NOLA UNLIMITED pass. Todd, our guide, walks us through the French Quarter as he educates us on this intriguing city from its early history with the French settlers, the Revolutionary War, the impact of the Mississippi River from floods, efforts to prevent the river changing course, and so much more. A lot of information and sights are included in this 45 minute tour. We learn the difference between a balcony that is attached to a building and gallery that has supporting poles underneath. Did you know the buildings on the streets in the French Quarter are actually the back of the buildings? The fronts open onto a large gardens. Todd explains that New Orleans was a major slave trading city that did not confine its slave trade to a single market structure. In fact slaves were sold citywide. We also learn more recent history of New Orleans including aspects after the devastation of hurricane Katrina and the hangouts of many notables.
New Orleans School of Cooking
For our Cooking Demonstration Class at the New Orleans School of Cooking we delight in watching some favorite New Orleans dishes prepared by Chef Michael. Michael shares intriguing details about each dish, “the tricks of the trade” for making the dish, and its special history. He quickly and easily fascinates us with his cooking knowledge and skills plus provides an education on the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and its unique history. It’s fun watching him prepare each dish while keeping to the time schedule. Our cooking treats are fresh hot biscuits, Gumbo, Jambalaya, White Chocolate Bread Pudding, and Pralines. Michael finishes with a flare, as each dish is served at the end of class along with a cold bottle of Abita, a local beer, or ice tea. AWESOME! The finale of tasting each of these specialty dishes of New Orleans is definitely a tantalizing finish to the Cooking Demonstration Class. We highly recommend the New Orleans School of Cooking as a “must do” on a visit to New Orleans.
BEYOND THE FRENCH QUARTER
Garden District Tour
Hopping off the City Sightseeing Bus at Stop 12 – Garden District, we are just in time to join the Garden District Tour with Colin Tyler. Colin is passionate about New Orleans and shares a wealth of information about the city and especially the Garden District. As we walk the beautiful streets with canopies of huge live oaks, we learn about the value of the land, the construction and design of the homes, the different style of homes, how property is passed down to each generation, and changes made for today’s world. Colin shows us a shotgun house and how it was designed to allow air to flow through this narrow house. Originally, it did not have walls, thus called a shotgun house as you could shoot a gun through it and not hit anything. He points out homes owned by movie stars of today, a house that he recently learned was turned 90 degrees from its original position, and explains why the porch ceilings are painted blue in New Orleans. An excellent tour and education on the beautiful Garden District of New Orleans.
The National WWII Museum New Orleans is AWESOME!
New Orleans is a southern state on the Mississippi River. Why would it have the National WWII Museum? Because Andrew Higgin, a New Orleans-based boat builder and inventor, developed the landing craft critical to the success of the U. S. Military in World War II. The Higgin’s Boat was used to land American troops on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Initially, the D-Day Museum, today this fantastic museum is a tribute to World War II. In its five buildings the National WWII Museum: “tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world — why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. It celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and the Home Front.”
We begin our visit to the WWII Museum at the Louisiana Pavilion. Here, we spot the famous Higgin’s Boat used on D-Day. With tickets in hand, a conductor yells, “all aboard!” Stepping onto an iconic train of the 1940s, we are swept back in time to experience wartime departures of loved ones being sent off to war. We hear the stories of individuals going off to war, the beginning of a life-changing journey. Next at The Arsenal of Democracy exhibit we see artifacts, watch videos and here tales of the war. As we stand in front of the map of Europe showing the “Height of German Empire” in 1942 , the magnitude of World War II becomes a reality. This map of Europe “totally red” except for Switzerland brings an image of the massive impact of WWII. The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion provides in-depth education on how the war started, grew, and the many efforts of the United States to stay out of the war until the US ultimately declares war on Japan after Pearl Harbor.
Next, we head to the Solomon Victory Theater the Beyond All Boundaries, for an immersive multi-sensory cinematic experience narrated by Tom Hanks. Truly a 4D experience, we become engaged in an onscreen epic story of World War II along with the sensations of our seats vibrating, cannons roaring, wind blowing, the sky lighting up with mortar fire, and more. Absolutely fantastic! An experience that moves each of us as we truly feel the lives and times of individuals in WWII. This is an hour long movie, so plan time accordingly.
Building 3 Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters utilizes interactive experiences, multi-media and interpretative panels, to learn, see, read and hear the amazing stories of how the war was won. The Road to Berlin: European Theater Galleries literally transports us along the road to victory from the sands of North Africa, through the skies of Europe, across the beaches of Normandy and into the ruins of the Third Reich. At the Road to Tokoyo: Pacific Theater Galleries we experience fierce battles at sea, Gaudalcanal’s ‘Green Hell,” the Pacific islands and finally the dropping of the atomic bomb.
At the US Freedom Pavilion, it’s all about the various aircraft and vehicles of war. Here we walk beneath airplanes and see how bombs are dropped. For closer views, visitors can brave the sky-high catwalks. In addition to the many aircraft, there are ambulances, tanks, jeeps and other war related vehicles. We learn the impact and significance of each vehicle during the war. As we tour the various buildings at the National WWII Museum we better understand why the war was fought, how it was won and what it means today. This is an AMAZING museum. Definitely a “must do” on a visit to New Orleans. Be sure to plan a full day!
Overview:
The Big Easy is a hustling and bustling city. While it has the challenges, as many cities do, of homeless people and a bit wild on Bourbon Street, it still offers visitors a great city to visit for its rich history, culture and more. We choose to primarily do our activities during the day and have our nighttime activities away from the Bourbon Street area. We recommend a mixture of planned activities and time to be spontaneous. New Orleans is famous for food. We share our delicious dining experiences in The Tantalizing Tastes of New Orleans. This was a driving trip to New Orleans so it included stops in Apalachicola and the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama. This year in March it’s a getaway to the Florida Keys especially Key West. Then May has a driving tip to the Alabama shores and now to the Crescent City.
IF YOU GO:
City Sightseeing:
Buses come every 25 minutes and more often on busy days. Their map has details starting times for specific locations so you can estimate when the buses will be at a each stop. We especially like riding on the top deck under a canopy. Be sure to download the City Sightseeing App for information on schedules and arrivals. We recommend the City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off buses for both learning about New Orleans and getting around New Orleans. Again, consider the NOLA Package with 3 full days and two free tours.
WWII Museum– plan a full day!
Five buildings are a lot to cover even in a day. We recommend to arrive early and plan a full day. Check to see if you can join a tour. When purchasing tickets for Beyond All Boundaries it can be a good before or after lunch for a nice respite from walking and standing.
Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown (French Quarter) 226 Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA, 70130
The hotel location is excellent being within easy walking distance to downtown and French Quarter. A large hotel, good breakfast, and comfy rooms.
PARKING New Orleans:
Yes, parking in New Orleans is at a premium. Since this was a driving trip, our goal was to find a safe and inexpensive option for parking our car. We did not need the car while in New Orleans. For the Hampton Inn, the Valet parking was $44 per day. Doing our research we opted to use the New Orleans RTA prepay parking (thru their website parking is about $20 a day). Look under PARKING RESERVATIONS. You pick the arrival and departures dates, as well exact times. The UniPark garage is just a 2 minute walk from Hampton Inn.