Louisiana - New Orleans
May 2026
3 Days
About 10 years ago Gwen and I had traveled to New Orleans for the first time for a family wedding and this summer we had the chance to do it again for another wedding! Given the planned festivities we didn't have a ton of time for tourist activities (like the WW2 Museum which is supposed to be the biggest in the country) so we focused mainly on getting as much good food to eat as possible (surprise!).
Contents
Daily Itinerary
Arrive at the Eclectic Hotel St. Vincent
Explore Magazine Street in the Garden District
Delicious Vietnamese food at Lilly's Cafe
Original Bananas Foster at Brennan's
Party on Bourbon Street
Beignets for Breakfast at Cafe du Monde
Walk the Historic French Quarter
25 Cent Martini Lunch at Commander's Palace
Ride the Streetcar Through the Garden District
Eat the Biggest Muffuletta at Parasol's Bar
Second Line
Visit the Hipster Neighborhood of Bywater
Marigny Opera House
Tour the Swamps to See Alligators
Shrimp and Oysters at Pascal's Manale
Flights
United Airlines Economy ORD-MSY: 15,000 United miles one-way + $6 taxes & fees
United Airlines First MSY-ORD: 21,200 United miles one-way + $6 taxes & fees
Hotels
Hotel St. Vincent
▸ Renovated and opened in 2021 as a boutique hotel with 1970s Italian style decor. The hotel is beautiful although some say haunted as the building dates back to 1861 when it was a children's orphanage.
Food (With Beli Ranking)
Commander's Palace (9.1) - The most famous restaurant in New Orleans known for its turtle soup, 25 cent martini lunches, weekend brunch, and for launching the career of Emeril Lagasse.
Brennan's (8.9) - Another legendary New Orleans mainstay most famous for inventing Bananas Foster.
Lilly's Cafe (7.8) - A small Thai restaurant we just happened to walk into that ended up being quite excellent.
Parasol's (7.1) - A historic corner dive bar known for its Po-Boys and St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Cafe du Monde - Originally established in 1862, now known around the world for their Beignets and Chicory Cafe au Lait
Pascal's Manale - I stopped here a number of years ago and just remembered never seeing oysters so big.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Hotel St. Vincent
The wedding we were attending was being held at St. Vincent, a beautiful 75-room boutique property that opened in 2021 after a complete renovation. The decor is bright and floral with a design that blends a mid-century retro feel with the 19th century New Orleans architecture.
Hotel St. Vincent - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Magazine Street
The hotel is located on the East end of Magazine Street which stretches West through the Garden District and has a number of restaurants, shops, and cafes. We had some time the afternoon we arrived so we set out for some shopping and browsing. We even came upon the Alligator Museum so we had to at least take a peek inside.
Alligator Museum - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Lilly's Cafe
We happened to just walk in to Lilly's Cafe for a small bit since we had missed lunch but had plans for dinner. It turned out to be a very simple but very delicious spot for classic Vietnamese food.
Brennan's is one of the most famous restaurants in new Orleans as it was opened in 1946 and has been in its iconic pink building since 1956. Breakfast at Brennan's is the most popular time to go, but they serve excellent food all day long including the famous Bananas Foster which was invented here.
Brennan's - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
The experience at Brennan's features lively decor, tuxedoed waiters, and tableside preparations.
Bananas Foster at Brennan's - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Bourbon Street
New Orleans is most famous for the French Quarter, the historic city center and today specifically Bourbon Street, the non-stop party center especially during Mardi Gras. Even if you aren't wanting to stay out all night it's definitely worth a walk down Bourbon Street at night as it rivals the best in the world for nightlife.
Bourbon Street - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Day 2
Café du Monde has been in the same location since it opened in 1862 and has become famous worldwide for the only two items on the menu - Beignets and Chicory Coffee. It's cash only and open 24 hours a day so I've been here at 3am before, but in this case it was our first stop of the morning.
The beignets are amazing, but the coffee is not my cup of...cofee. There's tons of seating so even if there is a line, it should move quickly.
Beignets and Coffee at Café du Monde - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
French Quarter
Bourbon Street is famous for the party, but the rest of the historic French Quarter is comprised of narrow streets lined with unique (for the US) French and Spanish architecture housing shops, art galleries, coffee shops, and world class restaurants.
Walking through here during the day has a completely different feeling than if you were here the previous night.
French Quarter - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Back in the Garden District, a couple blocks off the main commercial area on Magazine Street, and across the street from Lafayette Cemetary No. 1 is the Turquoise Blue building housing the most famous restaurant in New Orleans.
Serving upscale modern Creole cuisine in its many pastel colored rooms, Commander's Palace has a number of claims to fame including its turtle soup and 25 cent Martini lunches, both of which we had during our visit.
This should definitely be on the top of your list to visit but make sure to note the dress code.
Commander's Palace - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Day 3
Garden District
In the morning we walked through the Garden District, known for the many 18th century mansions and large estates in the neighborhood. The streetcar that runs along St. Charles Avenue, the northern border of the Garden District, is the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world, opened in the 1830s. For the $1.25 fare this is a fun way to travel to and from the Garden District.
St. Charles Streetcar - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Magazine Street makes up the Southern border of the Garden District and is filled with shopping, art galleries, and restaurants. After our morning of walking and shopping we had a taste for Po Boys and stopped in Parasol's Bar, a corner dive bar which also serves some great Po Boys and the biggest Muffuletta sandwich I've seen.
Parasol's Bar - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Second Line
Although the second line tradition originates from funerals, in New Orleans the second line is one of the unique traditions of weddings, usually featuring a brass band with the wedding guests following in a parade and waving handkerchiefs.
Second Line - New Orleans, Louisiana 2026
Additional
Bywater
On our first visit to New Orleans in 2017 we stayed in the Bywater neighborhood, an area that experienced a transformation after Hurrican Katrina as it did not flood. Bywater features colorful "shotgun" style houses, hip cafes, dive bars, and great restaurants. If you consider yourself a hipster, this is the place to be.
Shotgun House in Bywater - New Orleans, Louisiana 2017
Marigny Opera House
The first time we attended a wedding in New Orleans was at the Marigny Opera House, an historic building that now serves as a performing arts theater.
Marigny Opera House - New Orleans, Louisiana 2017
Swamp Tour
Not far outside New Orleans are the swamplands of Louisiana, home to many alligators. There are many companies offering tours on fan boats where you will definitely see some real alligators - we went through Ultimate Swamp Adventures and had a fun afternoon.
Swamp Tour - New Orleans, Louisiana 2017
Pascal's Manale has been in operation for over a century and is best known for the creation of the New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp. While I'm sure these were pretty good, it was the oyster bar that I won't forget - simply becuase they had the absolute biggest oysters I've ever seen.
Oysters at Pascal's Manale - New Orleans, Louisiana 2018
Overall
New Orleans is one of the best destinations for a party (like a wedding!) but there's also a lot to do outside of partying and there's no shortage of excellent food. We've always had a great time in New Orleans although it can certainly get hot (especially if you are wearing a tuxedo).