New Orleans for First-Timers: What I Learned on My Fifth Trip

I just got home from my fifth trip to New Orleans. This time I was the only one in our group who had been before, so we planned the whole trip around the first-timers' list.

It was a fun way to see the city again. Here is what we did, what I learned and what I would tell a friend going for the first time.

Let the first-timers make the list

Before we left, everyone picked what they wanted to see. Their list had vampire shops, bookstores, a record store and a ghost tour, and we built our days around it.

If you are going with people who have never been, that is a good place to start.

Stay close to the French Quarter

We drove down and stayed downtown, a short walk from the French Quarter, and we walked almost everywhere.

On our second evening we took an Uber out past City Park to the cemeteries and rode the streetcar back in. It was fun, but afterward we decided we didn't want to go that far in a day. We spent the rest of the trip in and around the Quarter.

How we spent our days

Wednesday. We pulled into town, had a muffuletta and gumbo at Chapin's Cafe on Baronne Street, and then just walked. We caught the sunset over the Mississippi, found a bookstore stacked floor to ceiling with a cat in charge, watched the lights come on in Jackson Square and stopped by the Roosevelt.

Thursday. We started the morning at the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium, and it was really cool. A white alligator, seahorses and a lot of bugs. Then we headed into the French Quarter, stopped in a vampire shop and had lunch at the Vampire Café on Royal Street, the one with the drinks in blood bags. After that we wandered and rode the streetcar for a while. That evening was our ride out to the cemeteries, and we ended the night walking Bourbon Street.

Friday. We kept the whole day in the French Quarter. We browsed Beckham's Bookshop, then Faulkner House Books. The plaque out front says William Faulkner wrote his first novel there in 1925. We stopped for beignets, and after dark we took a ghost and vampire walking tour through the Quarter. The ghost tours are pretty cool. I think the cemetery one is better than the downtown one. They were pretty busy, but they were good. It really depends on your tour guide, so they can be hit or miss, like any tour.

Saturday. We spent the afternoon on Frenchmen Street and in the Marigny. We found the Louisiana Music Factory for vinyl, then wandered the side streets past colorful old houses and bougainvillea. That night we watched the Krewe of Boo, which calls itself New Orleans' official Halloween parade, come down Canal Street. The parades are really fun.

Sunday. Before the drive home we stopped at Café du Monde in City Park for coffee and one more round of beignets.

What we ate

A muffuletta, gumbo, tacos, shrimp jambalaya, a few cocktails along the way and beignets twice.

My tips for a first trip

• On your first trip, do the tours. The hop-on hop-off tour is a good way to get your bearings around the city, and once you learn the main streets, it's pretty easy to navigate. Then just walk around downtown.
• Plan on a lot of walking. We walked almost everywhere, and it made for really fun days.
• Keep your days close to the French Quarter. One evening out past City Park was enough for us. Everything else we wanted was in and around the Quarter.
• Ride the streetcar. We rode it a lot, and it was a fun way to get around the city. The Canal Street line runs out to the cemeteries, which made an easy ride back.
• Try a food tour. I've done a few tours in New Orleans, and I really liked the food tour. I also did one that went all over the city and talked about Hurricane Katrina, and that one was pretty good.
• Go to City Park. The sculpture garden is lovely.
• If you like museums, New Orleans has some amazing ones. The aquarium is great for people who love animals, and there are a lot of swamp tours you can do.
• If you love art, there are so many amazing local artists, and lots of shopping. And music for days.
• Do a little research on restaurants. Skip the tourist traps and go where the locals go, or where the reviews are really good. A lot of really good restaurants aren't in the French Quarter at all, including Michelin-star restaurants.
• Plan around what you like. I've been to New Orleans five times and had five different trips. It really depends on who you're traveling with and what kind of trip you want.
• Going for Halloween? We happened to be there the weekend of the Krewe of Boo. If you want to plan around it, the krewe's website already lists next year's parade for Saturday, October 23, 2027.
• Sailing from New Orleans? I have sailed out of New Orleans myself, and I always suggest coming in the night before. You get a relaxed dinner in the French Quarter and no stress about making the ship. My post on the cruise ports you can drive to from Chattanooga has more on the New Orleans terminals.

Saved for my next trip

When I posted about this trip, friends sent me their favorites. These went straight on my list for next time:

• The Chart Room, for an afternoon of people watching
• Fritzel's on Bourbon Street, for live jazz
• The courtyard at Pat O'Brien's
• The Court of the Two Sisters
• Bananas Foster at Brennan's
• Dinner at Commander's Palace
• The above-ground cemeteries

More of my photos, and a guide to print

I put more of my photos, our day-by-day and a printable version you can take with you on my New Orleans guide page.

Ready to start?

A New Orleans trip is very customizable depending on your interests, and that's where I can help. Tell me what you like, and I'll give you a really good recommendation on what to see and do.

If New Orleans is on your list, tell me about your trip. You can also email [email protected] or call our office at (423) 401-9997.

Talk soon,

Cindi