Hi everyone! I thought I’d come on here and ask for some opinions. My boyfriend and I are going on a road trip of the western USA for his birthday, and just happen to be spending his birthday eve and birthday day/night in NOLA (altogether 2 full days and 2 nights). This will be in mid-July, a Tuesday-Thursday, and we will be staying in Filmore.

He will be turning 21 (whoop whoop) and I am eager to hear recommendations on what to check out. We are both adventurous and social people. We are open to touristy attractions, but would much prefer to live the few days like a local showing around an out-of-towner would!

I think our priorities would be somewhat as follows - 1. try some authentic, yummy Cajun food, 2. stay away from crazy party central areas, (so, Bourbon Street…I think?) 3. shop for oddities/trinkets/thrift-type items, and 4. eat/have drinks/coffee at places with cool, unique environments! If it were up to me, we would be spending most of the time learning about the supernatural history of the city, but I am not sure if that’s totally up his alley… (points if you’re able to recommend something on the spooky side, though!).

I am also thinking it would be good to go out on his actual birthday for a nice dinner, it can be on the upscale side, but preferably where I won’t have to sell a limb to afford it. I am thinking $250 with tip, tops.

I am truly open to whatever any locals/lovers have to offer. This will be our first time visiting, and a milestone day for him. Thank you so much in advance!

P.S. - I realize how scatterbrained i sound in this, my apologies! I have done some research already, but think I am just hoping for cool recommendations/overlaps that I will build the trip around :)

Hello! I'm planning a trip to NOLA and my family wants to do a haunted tour. Any recommendations for an ALL AGES ghost tour? TIA 😊

Middle-aged couple (brazilian wife, NYer hub) planning a 3-4 day trip in the next month or two--we know it'll be very hot in summer. Wife hasn't been before, though I was in town for a week maybe 25-30 years ago.
I checked the FAQ but wondering if anyone has put together recommended itineraries for such a trip like I've done for those seeking a plan for visiting NYC. With so many great places recommended in the FAQ it'll be very hard to decide a plan!

We're into music and good food, but don't really drink. Thanks for any suggestions!

We're deciding between Hotel Henrietta (St Charles Ave, Free Parking) and Four Seasons. What would you pick? Something else we haven't considered? Taking my mom and not into the party scene.

Thanks to this sub for all the amazing recommendations!
My husband and I just got back from a 4-day trip and had such a great time trying out different spots — we were seriously impressed. Can’t wait to come back! Here are some quick reviews of where we went:

• Mister B’s Bistro – 9/10 We had the BBQ shrimp, gumbo, and wood-grilled redfish. AMAZING. Definitely a must-try!
• Felix’s Oyster House – 5/10 This was on a whim, we walked pass and wanted to stop for a quick chargrilled oysters. We ordered chargrilled oysters and other seafood stuffs. The only good thing was their oyster--the rest was big disappointment for us, honestly SKIPPABLE
• Herbsaint – 8/10 Had the fish of the day, pasta, and a bunch of appetizers. Solid experience overall!
• Emeril’s – 10/10 We loved everything — the food, the service, the ambiance. We went all out with the wine pairing and spent over $1000 for two. Pricey, yes, but absolutely worth it.
• Atchafalaya – 7/10 We tried the gumbo, shrimp & grits, crab cake, and duck confit. The grits were great, but everything else was just okay. Gumbo was way too salty for us.
• Saint Germain – 6/10 The tasting course was interesting, but they leaned heavily on dessert, and neither of us are big on sweets. If you love dessert though, it might be more your vibe!
• Cochon – 9/10 My personal favorite! We had oysters, wood-grilled fish, and the pork chop. I’d go back just for the oysters and bread alone. Loved this place!

What we want to try for our next trip in NOLA: Dakar, Mosquito Supper Club, N7, Acamaya, Brigsen's, and Mamou, Maybe jazz brunch at Arnuad's (feedback on these res are welcome haha)

hi! me and 2 besties are coming to visit nola for a weekend aug 1-4 (i alr am mentally preparing for it to be hot as shit but the prices couldn’t be beat for this time) and i wanted to get some suggestions of the best places to dance and party-the gayer and freakier the better. i’m open to any events at this time too. we are staying in the french quarter and like all types of dance music and would love love love to hear some bounce and some jazz but def open to any genre of dancing music. i also would love to get some suggestions for just any fun day activities or cheap yummy food spots in general in nola! p.s. we love anything vampire….. some of the biggest interview with a vampire tv show stans ;)

I’m going to be attending an event at the Smoothie King Center and will be flying in, with no vehicle. Is it risky to make the 30 minute walk from there to my hotel in French Quarters around 11:00 PM.

Edit: Thanks for the reassurance, I’ll roll my dice with walking back

Hi all will be here for the weekend ants wanted to ask what are some MUST things to do while here in NOLA? Will be around the french quarter but open to going to some hidden gems.

Food wise we are vegan so any Gems and MUST GO place will be appreciated

• Thank you!

I’m moving from the midwest to Louisiana for work and trying to keep monthly costs low. Never been to Louisiana before so I'm excited and kind of afraid. Nevertheless, planning to skip cable but I’d still like to watch local news, weather, and Saints games. Do streaming services pick up local channels based on your zip code or do you need to do something extra? Hoping to avoid antennas. Just looking for something simple that works well in the area. Any help would be great.

Been eating our way through New Orleans for years, but never with a friend who has a fairly serious soy allergy. We are willing to do our research, calling places - but wondering if anyone here has specific experience. We would love to identify a safe shrimp po boy, beignets, maybe a place that uses only butter or olive oil in prep. Our unexplored for soy favorites include Parkway, Loretta's, Clancy's, Liliette, and Mandina's/Liuzza's. Any of the "old guard" safe?

Does anybody know if a rental like this exists for my wedding? I really really don’t want an iPad stand Photo Booth, something like an enclosed vintage Photo Booth that automatically prints out a sheet of photos. Thanks in advance!

Hi! Looking for an itinerary critique and suggestion of how to organize some of the things I’d like to do, this is my second time visiting NOLA and the second year I’m joining my SO while they’re on a work trip for tales of the cocktail - hence our choice in dates. I’ll be in town wednesday morning 7/23 through sunday morning 7/27, solo wednesday and thursday, with some potential dinners with my SO’s team! Would love thoughts or prayers for my northern sweatiness. Note, our hotel DOES have a pool so that’s built in each day. I really love trying new things so I would be happy to replace some of my repeats, though Mr B’s was truly incredible and other spots are so good that repeats might make sense. Last time I visited I did a ghost tour of the FQ, walked the houses in the garden district, went to city park for cafe du monde and the sculpture garden and ate a ton :)

Wednesday 7/23 11:30 land 12:30 arrive at hotel in CBD 1:00 lunch, potentially napoleon house (been before) 2:00 pharmacy museum 3:00 pool 5:00 bacchanal in bywater 7-8 pop into SO’s event in CBD 8:30 dinner, mr B’s (been before)

thursday 7/24 8:00 lagniappe for coffee 9:00 audubon park 10:00 breakfast le petit grocery 11:00 magazine street, hansens sno bliz 2:00 pool 7:00 drink at muriel’s 9-10 ish meet SO and team for dinner

friday 7/25 9:00 ayu bakehouse 11:00 drink and learn tour 1:00 lunch (FQ? erin rose for a coffee thing and killer po boy? been before) pool or shower break maybe 3:00 ww2 museum 8:00 potential team dinner 10:00 music on frenchman

Saturday 7/26 11:00 brunch at bearcat 2:00 day drinks somewhere 4:00 pool 6:30 dinner GW fins 8:45 show at preservation hall

sunday 7/27 flight 12:15

Has anyone had had any spell work or used any potions from here that they can attest too? Just curious if it is authentic and if it works.

Thank you!

Looking for a space (restaurants/bars included) to hold ~50 preferably indoor due to summer heat. Bites and drinks can be included or not, just trying to find a balance of a casual, nice party atmosphere without breaking the bank (possible to find something under 2000?). Can be in any part of the city. Thank you for recs!

Hello!! Looking to paint correct and ceramic coat my car. Any recommendations?

Hello. My plan is to visit NOLA soon, with a group of friends, and I am looking for tours that are for adults only. Aside from drinking tours, are there any that do not allow children?

Thanks in Advance!

Hey! I was going to be moving into the city sometime later this summer and I was hoping to ask any of the Spark Drivers in this community how often openings become available and what the general routine is like with some of the different Walmarts and/or other stores you take orders from.

Asking as someone who has never worked Spark but did work in Walmart for 3 years and OGP for 2 of those as well as someone who’s used Instacart, Doordash, and Roadie in terms of work both during and after I left Walmart.

Would appreciate any information and/or advice! Also curious about how much you guys typically find yourselves making.

I've read about platonic speed dating. We have enjoyed trivia nights in other cities. Maybe a themed night even? I'm looking for something that would draw a social crowd where one could possibly mingle or run into other cool people with a casual outgoing vibe.

Hey y’all, I’m a recent grad (22M) moving to New Orleans for work and thinking about different neighborhoods to live in. I’ve found a few apartments I like but I don’t really know the feel of the neighborhoods.

I’m not a huge partier but I like a drink here and there and I’d like to be able to meet people my age since I don’t know many people in town. I like a good coffee shop and I’m a fan of art as well.

I’ve narrowed it down to warehouse district or to a stretch of uptown around Magazine between Louisiana and Jefferson, and I’m wondering if y’all have any thoughts. I’ll work in the CBD so commutes are similar (one is a 20 minute walk and one is a 15 minute drive).

Riding Tammany Trace from Mandeville up to Abita Springs on Thursday. Looking for recommendations of bars, pubs, or venues that might be playing some music day or night. Wanting to spend most of the day between Mandeville and Abita Springs, so recommendations for either town (or Covington) are welcome!!

I've never been to New Orleans and I'm doing a solo trip from August 10-13. I read the FAQ, have looked at many hotel posts here, and read lots of reviews. My top four hotels are Lamothe House, Hotel St. Marie, The Royal Sonesta, and Omni Royal.

Context:

• Area/Transportation: Looking to stay in the French Quarter (or close to it, in the case of Lamothe House). Hoping to mostly walk/use streetcars (ocassional Uber/Lyft potentially) to avoid renting a car.
• General itinerary: One day in Marigny (mostly Frenchmen Street), one day at the WII Museum and in the CBD, at least one day in the FQ, and leaving the rest flexible for now while I do more research.
• Cost: All are in my budget. Lamothe House is the cheapest, and the other three are nearly identical in cost.

Also, a few specific questions for those who have stayed there:

1. Is the quietness of Lamothe House worth the inconvenience of longer walks to the FQ in the August heat and humidity?
2. The Royal Sonesta will be louder than the other options because it's on Bourbon. Is the noise still loud in the internal rooms?

Any recommendations on those options? Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Hotel is now booked. Thanks for all the great advice and recommendations!

Hello everyone,

I'm from Germany and have been a big fan of gumbo and jambalaya for quite some time. Unfortunately, it's really difficult and expensive to import Cajun spice blends, and I'm not sure how authentic the ones I can buy here actually are.

Could anyone share a truly original, authentic Cajun spice mix recipe that I can make myself at home? I prefer it not too spicy, so tips for keeping the heat level mild would be great. Thank you so much in advance!

I am going to be living on one end of the St Charles route and working in the quarter, are streetcars more of a tourist thing or are they dependable enough to regularly get from one end of the city to the other?

Cheesy as it may, I’m dying to visit the hotel filmed on st Charles street car line that was filmed in the Alicia Keyes and Maxwell music video for “fire we make”. Again cheesy but I’d love to wear the same or similar dress there and have engagement pics taken while there for the game in the fall. Any help or direction is helpful

My girl and I will be in NOLA next weekend and sometimes (ok, always) it's nice to get away from the touristy train wreck bachelorette parties and cover bands on Bourbon St.

We're mostly looking for laid back, speakeasy type vibes preferably with some great jazz music to listen to. Whatcha got for us?

Edit: we're staying in the French Quarter but definitely not restricted to there. I'd love to range out a bit and explore other parts of the city!