I love New Orleans: the food, the music, the people, the history. There is no place like it. We had planned to go in 2020 to go there in 2020 to celebrate my nephew’s graduation, but the pandemic happened. Thus it had been way too long since I visited New Orleans. This year we finally made it and it reminded me why I love to go there. When you go, and you should, here are my favorite things to do in New Orleans.
1. Eat. As soon as I hit New Orleans, I seek out crawfish etoufee. Any cajun or creole dish will do, but crawfish etoufee is my favorite. This trip, I decided to take the Roux cooking class from the Mardi Gras School of Cooking: Shrimp etoufee, gumbo, and bananas foster. Yum. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t forget to stop by Southern Candymakers – I really do think they make the best pralines.
3. Wander through the Garden district. In the morning, especially, I like to wander the Garden District to look at the houses and watch the trolleys roll by. The gardens and the quiet are nice foil to the French Quarter. On my last trip, I was rewarded for this habit by stumbling upon District Donuts. I noticed a dog waiting patiently outside for its owner, which is always a good sign of a local favorite. It did not disappoint. Their cinnamon rolls are other worldly.
After my trip this year, I’m adding a new one to the list: 4. Visit the Bayou. My mom recommended we take an airboat ride through the bayou. It sounded a bit touristy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our tour with Ultimate Swamp Adventures through Bayou Segnette was more than just a ride on a fast boat. It was surprisingly educational – I learned a lot about the ecology of the bayou and the important role these wetlands play in reducing coastal flooding. As a bonus we had lunch at Segnette Landing next door where I got to live the lyrics from one of my favorite songs: I had jambalaya and crawfish pie on the bayou. It was delicious.
