What to do with just 24 hours in New Orleans

Headed to New Orleans, but only have a short amount of time?

We have answers, in fact, we went straight to the source, we chatted with one of our friends who lives in New Orleans!

Often people will say that it isn’t a safe city to visit. Or that it is too wild to bring your family.

Here was her take on that:

“It’s all relative as to what to avoid, be smart. Don’t be out on bourbon street at 3 in the morning and you likely won’t run into any trouble.”

Where to eat in New Orleans

If Bourbon Street isn’t your scene and you are looking for less of a wild environment, why not check out Frenchman’s Street?

Frenchman’s Street tends to be a bit classier Bourbon Street. Along Frenchman’s Street you will find fantastic live music venues like Snug Harbor and the Spotted Cat. If you aren’t wanting to pop into a live music spot, chances are if you hangout long enough you will find some fantastic live musicians as well.

Make sure you eat at Cafe du Monde, seriously do not leave without eating some beignets, trust us on this one. Just be prepared to wait when you go, the goodness of Cafe du Monde isn’t exactly a secret anymore.

Commander’s Palace Restaurant is another can’t miss restaurant while you are visiting New Orleans. This historic Creole restaurant is in the Garden District of New Orleans and has won several James Beard Awards. You can’t miss this bright blue restaurant!

You can find Arnaud’s Restaurant, off of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Arnaud’s has been around since 1918 and serves up classic Creole Cuisine and fantastic live jazz music.

Tours to take of New Orleans

There are an abundance of walking tours to choose from in New Orleans, on a warm day, this is a fantastic activity to participate in.

If you don’t want to pay for a tour check out the information on the free tours.

As crazy as it seems, make sure to stop by one of the local cemeteries, the St. Louis Cemetery is a popular spot to visit.

Sadly, there has been some vandalism as of late, so be sure to check on the visiting policies before going. St. Louis Cemetery #1 Tour –is a daily tour.  Because of the vandalism you can only visit this cemetery with a tour group.

Perhaps a swamp tour is more up your alley. Swamp tours, are educational and offer a chance to see the native wildlife up close and personal. Places like Cajun Pride Swamp Tours offers swamp tours, short on time? They have several lengths to choose from.

The two popular plantations in New Orleans are Oak Alley and the Laura plantation. Laura is a sugarcane plantation. Both are beautiful in their own rights. Oak Alley has a .25 mile driveway of oak trees – which is what it’s known for.

If local artists are your type of thing, check out Jackson Square. There are usually artists set up there – selling different pieces of artwork. Even if you don’t purchase anything, there is a lot of take in.

There’s a lot you could do in 24 hours!

What a local would do with only 24 hours in New Orleans

If it’s me – I’d tour the French Quarter first. It’s got a life of its own in many respects.

If I was going to just spend 24 hours in town, here is what my game plan would be:

I’d do Cafe du Monde in the morning, walk around the quarter – check out Jackson Square and the fresh market.

Lots of people enjoy taking their drinks to go and wandering around. Pat O’ Brien’s is popular for their hurricane drinks. Tropical Isle is popular for their hand grenades and shark attack drinks.

Finding good food while you are in town won’t ever be a problem.  I’d probably hit up a walking tour in the evening – makes the haunted ones a little more fun. Most of those walking tours stop at a local bar where you can grab a drink and finish up the tour.

In between lunch and dinner – I’d probably take one the of cemetery tours because we’re below sea level here – so all the dead are buried above ground. The St. Louis Cemetery is the most popular and I think one of the largest here.

Most of these spots are accessible from the Quarter almost anywhere.

One more thing, don’t forget the festivals! Take a look at this list of festivals happening in the city.

Looking for more fun in New Orleans? Read this post about things to do with kids in New Orleans.