Like its iconic gumbo, New Orleans is a fascinating cultural stew. No city in the world can lay claim to all the Big Easy offers: French-Creole cuisine, the spiritual home of jazz, one of the world’s longest (and most well-known) Mardi Gras celebrations, over 130 annual festivals and an abiding laissez les bon temps rouler (“let the good times roll”) local vibe.
Whether you’re in town to don beads and down Hurricanes or here on business with a few free hours, everyone should know there’s more to the city than the French Quarter. Here are our favorite lesser-known things to see and sample while everyone else is bumbling around Bourbon Street.
Eat your heart out
Of course, classic NOLA dishes — like bananas Foster at Brennan’s and oysters Rockefeller at Antoine’s Restaurant — should be on your must-eat list. But there are plenty of other delicious options from around the world here as well. Just be prepared to venture beyond the crowds.
“I was a frequent tourist before moving here, and I always thought the best dining was around the French Quarter,” says Jenny Adams, photographer and author of two books about New Orleans. “The French Quarter has epic, Old World meals, like Arnaud’s, and great newcomers, like MaMou, of course. However, the best meals are in smaller, less-sung-about spots. Rosalita’s serves incredible Mexican street food in a backyard in the Bywater. Another street food devotee is Budsi Authentic Thai, where they plate Bangkok curbside staples, like grilled pork shoulder with jaew sauce, at a cute pink building in the Marigny. My top pick [for Vietnamese] goes to Le’s Baguette in Uptown.” Adams adds that the 20-minute drive from the French Quarter across town is worth it for cinnamon- and star-anise-scented pho broth and lemongrass pork banh mi.
Other stellar, globe-trotting restaurants include Dakar Nola’s modern fine-dining Senegalese served in a communal table setting, Fritai’s Haitian favorites and Mister Mao’s delicious mishmash of global flavors and Southern influences.
See a (not-as-crowded) jazz show
Preservation Hall is one of the city’s iconic spots for live jazz. But tickets sell out quickly. Luckily, in the birthplace of jazz, if you know where to look, you can catch a show every night of the week. The ultimate resource, local jazz radio station WWOZ’s live music calendar, is updated continually. New Orleans Jazz Museum also hosts complimentary shows from Tuesday to Friday at 2 p.m., ideal if you’re traveling with little ones.
In other exciting music venue news, Dew Drop Inn, known as NOLA’s most influential mid-century music club where giants like Ray Charles and Irma Thomas would frequently drop by to perform, has been refashioned and will reopen soon.
Elevate your imbibing
The art of cocktail making in NOLA is rich, deep and long. It’s home to the world’s largest cocktail festival, Tales of the Cocktail, and is the birthplace of many specialty drinks with global stardom, such as the Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz and Brandy Crusta. Around Bourbon Street, you’ll find plenty of glowing Slurpee-style pours, which may distract from the outstanding craft at nearby bars.
“The Quarter is such an amazing place to grab a drink right now,” says Neal Bodenheimer, a celebrity bartender, co-author of Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em and managing partner of several heralded local bars. “From our spots, Cane & Table and Peychaud’s, to classics like Arnaud’s French 75 Bar or the new guard, Jewel of the South and Dovetail, [patrons can find great local bars]. And of course, for those looking for tropical drinks, there’s Latitude 29 and Manolito.”
Cross the river
Although Steamboat Natchez is the go-to Mississippi River sightseeing excursion (plus it has daytime and Sunday brunch jazz show to boot), there’s another vessel, the Canal Ferry, with an important job — taking folks to Algiers Point. From Canal Street, the $2 ferry crosses the river to Algiers Point in 30 picturesque minutes (this includes time for boarding).
Algiers Point is a historic neighborhood with the Jazz Walk of Fame, Algiers Bike Path, Confetti Park (great for little ones) and plenty of locally owned places to eat and drink, like The Little House. “There is nothing more special than this funky little Mayberry that is Algiers Point,” says Hillary Hanning, owner of Little House. “It has a heartbeat all its own. It’s a beautiful place that everyone should cross the river to experience.”
Go outside
New Orleans isn’t typically known as a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. However, City Park, about 15 minutes by car or an hour and change via streetcar from the French Quarter, is single-handedly changing this reputation. This 1,600-acre wonderland has 24 miles of trails, a botanical garden, waterways, a 36-hole golf course and the city’s oldest (and most majestic) collection of oak trees.
Kids will love visiting the fairy-tale-themed playground Storyland, adjacent old-school amusement park (home to one of the oldest hand-carved carousels in the U.S.) and highly interactive Louisiana Children’s Museum. Art lovers, you’re in luck, too, as City Park is where you’ll find the New Orleans Museum of Art and a free sculpture garden with more than 100 pieces. And the alfresco fun doesn’t stop at sunset. Ride a gondola during a romantic bayou tour or rent an LED-lit swan boat or Surrey bike.
Binge on beignets without the wait
The Crescent City experience is not complete without a piping-hot, powdered-sugar-dusted pillow of fried dough. French-Creole colonists brought the beignet to the city in the 18th century. The first Café du Monde opened in the French Quarter in 1862. Locals and visitors have been happily queuing up for those glorious paper bags of sweet treats ever since.
But if you don’t want to wait in line at some of the more popular locations, there are 10 other (sometimes obscure) outposts to sample them. “Most people don’t realize there is a Café du Monde location in City Park, typically with no line,” says Lauren Bates, founder of Wild Terrains, a travel company specializing in small female group tours. “I love to make a stop there for an order of their famous beignets, and then walk a few minutes to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.”
Other spots have amazing beignets, too. Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Four Season Hotel New Orleans’ Miss River has a divine butter-fried version (Café du Monde’s are caressed in cottonseed oil). Locals head to Morning Call near City Park for its powder-them-yourself beignets. Or, you can get adventurous with wild variations, like king’s cake beignets during Mardi Gras season at The Vintage on Magazine Street.
Celebrate Mardi Gras year round
Even if you don’t attend NOLA’s carnival celebrations in February or March, you can get a taste of them throughout the year. While Mardi Gras World isn’t exactly a secret, the attraction’s behind-the-scenes tours of parade float-making are special. And the fact you can sometimes stumble upon artists working on their pieces is unique.
But there are two lesser-known Mardi Gras-centered museums worthy of a stop as well. On the second floor of Arnaud’s restaurant, the Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum has a small but well-curated collection of ball gowns and traditional costumes on view for free. And channeling the festival’s wilder side, the Mardi Gras Museum includes a parade and interactive costume closet.
WHERE TO STAY
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
Located on the riverfront, Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans is a five-minute walk to Bourbon Street and steps from Vue Orleans (an interactive cultural museum and observation deck) and Audubon Aquarium. Another standout feature of the hotel is its heated 75-foot pool on the roof, which isn’t common in NOLA.
The New Orleans hotel’s restaurants and bar are other highlights. A beauty with an eye-popping 15,000-piece crystal chandelier, Chandelier Bar is home to a beloved martini done with a generous pour of three different gins and do-it-yourself garnishes. The hotel’s Chemin à la Mer restaurant from prominent local chef Donald Link is an elegant affair of warm service, splurge-worthy menu items (oysters and foie gras, anyone?), a wine menu with a bevy of surprises curated by sommelier Emily Kitzmiller and Mississippi River views.
The Four-Star Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans provides white-gloved service in the French Quarter. Book one of the newly renovated Maison Club rooms or suites for access to the hotel’s fireplace-christened private club.
The recently renovated Four-Star Ritz-Carlton Spa, New Orleans is the city’s largest spa and features the latest restorative treatments. Catch live music at the hotel’s Davenport Lounge. It’s a hot spot for locals and visitors, so make sure to reserve a table in advance or book dinner reservations at M Bistro, the hotel’s signature restaurant, which overlooks the lounge.
