With its festive streets, Creole flavors, and jazz pouring from every corner, New Orleans oozes culture, history, and good times. The Big Easy’s vibrant neighborhoods each offer unique experiences that together make up this dynamic Southern city.
Spending just a day in New Orleans provides a thrilling taste of the city’s incomparable spirit. Follow this suggested itinerary to hit some quintessential NOLA highlights as you jazz, jambalaya, and Jackson Square your way through a memorable day.
Start Your Day in the French Quarter
Begin your New Orleans adventure in the lively French Quarter, the city’s historic heart brimming with restaurants, music clubs, art galleries, and wrought-iron balconies. Stop into iconic Café Du Monde for beignets doused in powdered sugar and chicory cafe au lait. Then stroll down Bourbon Street to view its colorful buildings before the crowds move in.
Don’t miss the St. Louis Cathedral facing Jackson Square with its distinctive spires, stained glass, and historic atmosphere. Pop in to make a wish at the Voodoo Museum before some live jazz backdrops your wanderings.
Take a Streetcar to the Garden District
Next, hop aboard the nostalgic St. Charles Streetcar – the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world – uptown to the posh Garden District. Take in the grand mansions and homes of New Orleans aristocracy and celebrities on a walking tour. Magnolia trees and fragrant azaleas line the streets, providing beautiful backdrops for photos.
Stop into Commander’s Palace for a refined lunch featuring impeccable Creole dishes and cocktails like their famous Hurricane. Afterwards, browse the boutiques and galleries peppering Magazine Street.
Experience Mardi Gras World
After lunch, Uber or drive over to Mardi Gras World near the convention center to see float-making in action and learn about Carnival’s history in New Orleans. Daily tours let you walk through the massive studio warehouses where artists hand-sculpt and paint the parade floats all year long. Try on costumes, learn about mask-making, and see rows of former Carnival floats on display from years past.
Dinner and Jazz on Frenchmen Street
Head back to the Marigny neighborhood for an evening immersed in New Orleans’ famous jazz scene. Frenchmen Street boasts countless intimate music venues like d.b.a., Spotted Cat, and Blue Nile. Listen to live music of every jazz style from streetside porches to packed clubs.
Fuel up on Cajun and Creole dishes at classic joints like Three Muses or SoBou. And don’t leave without catching some New Orleans funk from beloved bands like Trombone Shorty rocking out late into the night.
Catch Night Views of Jackson Square
Cap off your day back in the French Quarter taking in a different view of Jackson Square at night. Have dessert at Café Amelie’s romantic courtyard dining. Then stroll around the square’s perimeter, lit up in the evening. Gaze up at the soaring steeples of St. Louis Cathedral. And admire the Cabildo and Presbytère flanking the square, glowing against the night sky.
As the last piano notes drift through the streets, savor the special brand of magic that exists only in New Orleans. Let the joyful spirit of the city carry you home after an unforgettable day.
