New Orleans has been on my bucket list for quite some time, so I was happy when a friend of mine said that it was on her list also, so we took a quick 5 day trip in October.  We thought that by skipping the summer months, we would be skipping the heat and humidity – we were wrong – we were hit with humidity like a wet blanket right off the plane.  Even though it was October, the temps hit 89 one day, but that didn’t keep us from going out there and exploring.  Actually, our first day included high winds and torrential rain, which was leftover from a hurricane in Florida.  We had signed up for a walking tour during the day but moved that to the evening when the rain had slowed down a bit. You always hope for perfect sunny dry weather when on vacation but we all know that it doesn’t always cooperate and you just have to be flexible and willing to change course.  With that in mind, since there was a trolley stop a block from our hotel, we jumped on.  We were told that there were two trolleys and they went in different directions and for only $3 you could ride them for 24 hours – what a bargain and what a great way to get to know the city.  We rode both around twice to get our bearings and by the time we were done the rain had subsided.         

We decided to get off in the Garden District, which is where many historic homes are located – such a beautiful area to just wander.  Since it was close to Halloween, we had the added bonus of Halloween decorations on many of the homes. One of the streets that border that area is Magazine Street – we found some great restaurants and shops there and had lunch at “The Rum House”.  We picked that spot because of their variety of food and drinks – blended with Creole, tapas, and the Caribbean, just like New Orleans.  It rained off and on while we ate outside, but the deck was covered and it allowed us to people watch while we ate – my favorite pastime.  We took 2 walking tours while in New Orleans, one was at night and was a “ghost tour” and the other during the day was historical.  Both were from the company “free tours by foot” and both tour guides were captivating with their knowledge and stories of the area.  We ended the evening tour with beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde – THE PLACE to have beignets apparently and it’s open 24 hours!

Of course, we hit Bourbon street while there – it amazes me how many people are out dancing and drinking at all hours of the day and night and it wasn’t even close to Mardis Gras – can’t imagine that time of year.  Frenchmen Street also offered fantastic restaurants and bars, loaded with live music but without the chaos of Bourbon Street.   Adolfo’s is a tiny Italian restaurant upstairs on Frenchmen Street with a bar below – highly recommend checking it out – they only take cash, no reservations and they fill up quickly right after they open at 5 pm.

We splurged on our last day and booked a tour to

visit some plantations just outside of New Orleans.  I’m not usually a bus tour guide kind of person, but I had heard that these plantations were worth seeing and since they were about an hours drive out of the city and we didn’t rent a car, we booked the tour.  The all-day tour was about $90/pp but well worth it.  Laura Plantation history was told from the standpoint of the slaves who worked there.  The home, the history, and the gardens were just spectacular and our guide was so knowledgeable and answered everyone’s questions.  Oak Alley was the other plantation that we visited and although the two were just down the street from each other, they were worlds apart in style and story.  Oak Alley has more of the “Gone with the Wind” feeling, but also had beautiful gardens and history.  They also have 2 restaurants and a bar, so I just HAD TO have a mint julep – yummmm.

The city of New Orleans has so much to offer from the amazing food and history to their music scene and so much more.  One quick trip and I was hooked on the Southern Hospitality!