People have various reasons for visiting and adoring New Orleans. New Orleans’ best and most well-known activities include visiting jazz clubs, attending festivals, and eating locally famous cuisine at the city’s best restaurants. There are many things to do in New Orleans. Along with lavish celebrations, New Orleans offers top-notch attractions like the National WWII Museum, stunning architecture, and unspoiled scenery.
The grandiose Mardi Gras celebration that takes place every year and the exciting nightlife in the French Quarter makes it so well-known. However, this diverse city offers more than just Bourbon Street bars and beer stalls.
You can have a beverage at one of New Orleans’ top bars or satisfy your sweet tooth with a delectable beignet. You can learn more about the city’s long and fascinating history at the Cabildo, the Historic New Orleans Collection, and the New Orleans Jazz Museum, among others.
The local parks, bayous, rivers, and lakes are perfect for outdoor lovers. The city’s attractive, distinctive neighborhoods are also great places for walks. You can get a real sense of the city by visiting these top New Orleans attractions.
French Quarter
The French Quarter is always a must-visit, no matter the season. You can ignore Bourbon Street unless it’s your first time visiting New Orleans, which is a must! Aside from its stunning architecture and history, the Vieux Carre offers a wide variety of food and music and colorful characters, including long-term locals, chatty tour guides, and skilled street performers. Enjoy the vistas of the Mississippi from the side of the Quarter and historic sites like the Historic New Orleans Collection.
Frenchmen Street
Marigny, next to the French Quarter, is one of the best areas in the city for music. Many live music venues can be found here, including Spotted Cat and dba, which play jazz, blues, reggae, and rock. You can find a brass band on a corner that frequently plays beautiful music.
You can fill up at eateries that provide pizza, Egyptian food, pub grub, and more before taking an upbeat, musical stroll through the area.
National WWII Museum – Top 10 Things to Do in New Orleans
A world-class facility, the National WWII Museum features numerous award-winning displays that tell the tales of people who served during the war and at home. Exhibits include real planes, jeeps, and Higgins Boats, a theatre with musical performances from the Second World War, a café, and a fantastic gift shop with items inspired by the 1940s.
Magazine Street
This is for all those who love shopping. Everything is available along this six-mile stretch, including restaurants, shopping, art galleries, distinctive architecture, a zoo that has won awards, and amiable neighborhood business owners.
In addition to getting your steps in, you’ll get to know the local retailers while you enjoy your dinner at one of the restaurants with sidewalk seating or patios overlooking the street.
City Park
This 1,300 acres of beautifully maintained green space is known as City Park. Moss-covered oak trees, tranquil strolling trails, and native birds surround it. Visit Storyland, take the kids to Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, or rent a swan boat at the Big Lake.
Don’t miss the Couturie Forest, a varied nature walk that includes Laborde Mountain, which rises a remarkable 43 feet above sea level and is New Orleans’ highest point.
New Orleans Art Museum – Top 10 Things to Do in New Orleans
The city’s premier art museum is located in City Park on the border of Big Lake. More than 40,000 works, from the Italian Renaissance to contemporary art, are housed at NOMA. View artwork by Monet, Degas, Rodin, and O’Keefe, pre-Columbian art, glass, pottery, and a sizable collection of photographs. Spend some time in the nearby Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden, a gorgeously designed exhibition space for the Museum’s sculpture collection.
Café du Monde
Want the best beignets? This café serves the best café au lait and hot, fresh beignets. It is always available at this French Quarter institution, which has been around since 1862. The Cafe is open every day of the week, round-the-clock 24/7.
It only closes on Christmas Day and occasionally when a hurricane comes dangerously close to New Orleans. Watch the magic unfold from the window before beginning your order of three. You’re doing it incorrectly if you exit the room without getting powdered sugar on your shirt.
Lafitte Greenway
This 2.6-mile linear park stretches from Metropolis Park to the outskirts of the French Quarter and is a green haven in the center of the city. The bike and pedestrian paths are adjacent to breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, and cultural events.
It passes parks, native landscaping, art, and sports fields. Visit the Thursday afternoon Crescent City Farmers Market on the Greenway or attend one of the many outdoor fitness classes offered week long.
Museum Of The Southern Jewish Experience – Top 10 Things to Do in New Orleans
The newest museum in New Orleans offers an alternative perspective on the South. The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MSJE) chronicles the distinct history of Jews in thirteen states in the South from the time of the American colonies up to the present.
Discover how Southern Jews assimilated into their new communities’ cultures and transmitted their culture to these (mainly Christian) communities through traditions and legacy.
Jazz Fest
One of Crescent City’s largest annual festivals, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, honors the distinctive music, arts, culture, and legacy of New Orleans. Contrary to what its name would imply, the Jazz Fest program includes hundreds of bands who play various music on over a dozen stages, including gospel, zydeco, hip-hop, and funk. Even better, the grounds are dotted with renowned food sellers. For anyone who enjoys music, food, and culture, Jazz Fest is a must.
