4 Days in New Orleans: A Family Holiday Trip to the Big Easy

Caitlinepstein415/ December 23, 2018/ United States/ 0 comments

3 Days in New Orleans: A Family Holiday Trip to the Big Easy

For years, my parents have given my brother and I the gift of travel for Christmas, and this year our gift was a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. I traveled to NOLA in 2015 to do service work in a city that is still impacted by Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city and surrounding areas in 2005. That trip was wonderful, so I proposed the family trip down to the city this Winter.

While in the Crescent City, we enjoyed the key highlights of the city as well as delicious food. Continue on to read about what we saw and ate during our 3 days in New Orleans.

The Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Yes, this is a super touristy thing to do, but it’s also super convenient as it provides good transportation, interesting tidbits from guides on the buses, and easy access to the highlights of the city. I have ridden similar buses in Dublin and San Francisco, and will probably ride a Hop On Hop Off bus during my upcoming trip to Paris.

We began our trip by hopping on the bus at a stop only about a 5-minute walk from our hotel, the Hampton Inn Downtown & French Quarter. We then rode the bus for the full 2-hour loop to get a feel of the city and hear about its history from the guide. On other days, we used the bus to get to the stops we needed to reach, and continued to enjoy the helpful tips and tricks from the drivers and guides.

Hotel Lobby Christmas Lights

We were told by friends before going that we needed to see the decorated lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel, and it did not disappoint. The lobby was artfully strewn with Christmas lights, and my mom especially was delighted by the decorations.

On our way out, one of the doormen for the Roosevelt recommended that we check out the lobby of the nearby Ritz Carlton Hotel, located on Canal Street, the widest street in the United States. There lobby was also amazing, featuring a tree made of lights and an incredible streetcar made out of gingerbread.

The streetcar was made over 2 months using 444 pounds of flour, 444 pounds of icing sugar, 400 eggs, 124 pounds of corn syrup, 98 pounds of brown sugar, 80 pounds of butter, 58 pounds of molasses, 44 pounds of white sugar, and 30 pounds of egg whites.

A Walk Down Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street is crazy. Even at 10:30 in the morning, people can be seen walking down the street with drinks in their hands. Every shopfront seems to be a bar with the occasional souvenir shop thrown in for good measure. I haven’t seen this street at night, but I can imagine that it’s insane. Maybe one day I’ll make it back when I’m over 21.

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is another must visit area of New Orleans. The walkway along the river gives a good view of the Mississippi and the St.Louis Cathedral on the other side of the square. Jackson Square is also the location of the famous Cafe du Monde.

The National World War II Museum

I have been to a lot of museums around the world, and this one is one of the best I have seen by far. It’s pretty pricey, at $28 for adults and $18 for students and children, but it is worth the price to see New Orleans’ #1 attraction.

The place is HUGE, with 5 buildings and counting, and the curation is incredible. There are soooo many artifacts, quotes, videos, and helpful visuals that help give a full scope of the part the United States played in the second World War. I will say that it is a bit biased when looking at the scope of devastation caused by other countries vs the U.S., especially concerning the atomic bombs, but it also does a good job of educating on some bad things the U.S. did during the war, such as perpetuating segregation and forcing Japanese Americans into internment camps.

All in all, the museum is very impressive, and is worth a visit.

An Airboat Tour Through the Bayou

One morning in New Orleans found us traveling to the city of Jean Lafitte to board an airboat to ride through the bayou.

It was freezing. These boats go fast, and the wind chilled me to the bone, and the force of the wind kept my eyes shut. However, when we slowed down and I could manage to open my eyes, I was able to admire the beauty of the trees draped with Spanish moss.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see many animals due to the cold weather. Our driver told us that in the Spring and Summer, the alligators are out in full force, eager to fight over the . marshmallows, or “swamp crack,” that the drivers throw our for them. But this time of year they are in a sort of hibernation, burrowing down into the mud.

It was a bit disappointing to not see any gators out an about in the bayou, but we did see a nutria rat, better known as the swamp rat, and a baby gator that our driver pulled out of a cooler on the boat. The swamp rat is a non-native mammal that is messing up the local ecosystem, so the state of Louisiana pays hunters $5 a tail for them. Our driver said that he can hunt about 150 of them in one night, and at $5 a tail, can make a good $750 in just a few hours.

As for the baby gator, our driver was helping it to get bigger before re-releasing her, and we were able to hold her a bit before she was put back in her cooler to warm up again.

I wouldn’t recommend doing a tour like this in the winter, but it seems like it would be really awesome when the weather is warmer.

Mardi Grad World

Now, for the best thing we did on our trip to New Orleans.

Mardi Gras World is a warehouse used by Blaine Kern’s float-making company, and visitors can take an hour-long tour to learn about the process that goes into making intricate floats for the Mardi Gras parades.

It was fascinating to get a behind the scenes look at how they make the decorations that go on the huge floats, from sketches to styrofoam sculpting to papier mache to painting. The tour was awesome, and if you can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you should try and make it to Mardi Gras World.

Here’s a link for a groupon for tickets.

Fooooooood

The Tackle Box

We ate dinner here our first night, and it was yummy. I opted for something quirky – the Elvis the King Burger, topped with bacon, creamy peanut butter, slaw, and caramelized bananas. Weird but good. My mom got a fried oyster po-boy and my dad got a fried pot of seafood and alligator. The alligator bites were the best thing we tried there.

We also had our first taste of beignets, the New Orleans fried donut-like dessert.

Surrey’s Cafe

Located on New Orleans’ Magazine Street, this cafe has really good fresh-made juices and french toast that is to die for. It’s not just french toast, but bananas foster french toast. It was filled with banana cream cheese and topped with a banana’s foster sauce. My entire family was jealous of my choice, and I can’t even remember what they got because I was so absorbed in eating my selection.

Cafe du Monde

We heard from seemingly dozens of people that we had to visit this famous cafe during our trip, so we made sure to visit while walking around the French Quarter. Sure enough, the cafe’s beignets were warm, covered in powdered sugar, and delicious.

Manning’s

Later that day after a brunch at Surrey’s, we headed to Manning’s, the Sports Bar owned by Archie Manning, to watch the Duke Basketball game. We sampled appetizers while enjoying the game, the best of which was the blue crab deviled eggs.

Willie Mae’s Scotch House

Our last meal in New Orleans was at Willie Mae’s Scotch House, a New Orleans institution that serves up what is reported to be the best fried chicken IN THE WORLD. And it was pretty darned good, too. We all had chicken and sides, from creamy macaroni and cheese to fried okra to red beans and rice. Their sweet tea and lemonade, like any other good soul food joint, were also very good. We ended the meal with bread pudding topped with white chocolate rum sauce and, in my case, a second piece of cornbread. Yummm.

This restaurant was awesome, and is definitely a must-have during a visit to New Orleans.

Overall, a pretty good trip. I think I’d rather visit the Big Easy when it’s just a bit warmer, but all in all the city, with its vibrant culture and delicious food, makes for a great weekend trip destination.