I walked 55 miles in 6 days in New Orleans, and I have all the insider details on what to do, where to go, and what to eat.

Travel guides are my favorite blogs to pull together, because they really embody all this brand is. Free, stylish, and adventurous living on a student budget. Well, do I have a good one for you. I was able to escape to New Orleans, Louisiana for a week with Collin, and we had such a fun and enriching time.

Our trip was for just under a week, and we covered the city top to bottom. We did plenty of research prior to going, and I took great notes on everything we did. I love history, food, and shopping…so New Orleans was iconic for me. Here’s my guide on everything to do, eat, and experience!

Where to Eat

We ate at a ton of different restaurants in New Orleans, and I wanted to tell you some of the best places to go! All of these have a lot of classic, regional options that were full of flavor and culture.

• Napoleon House– One of the more affordable places we ate, but still delicious. The restaurant has so much history, and you can tell it’s old and has character. I suggest the roast beef po boy and the muffaleta salad! With 2 entrees, an appetizer, and two drinks, tip, and tax, it was under $50!
• Herbsaint– This was where we ate for our anniversary, and it was fantastic! Order a sazerac to start, and make sure to order the pasta with the deep fried egg. It’s revolutionary. We also had fried oysters and a lovely endive salad. Make sure to get reservations!
• Joey K’s– If you watch Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, you’ll recognize this place! We enjoyed their fried chicken, as well as the eggplant tower with a crawfish Alfredo pasta! The found is heavy, yet awesome.

The Beignets

We ate plenty of beignets (THE New Orleans speciality), and it was a goal of mine to figure out the best one. In my opinion, Cafe Du Monde has the market cornered on the recipe, though The Vintage wins with the fancy toppings!

• Cafe Du Monde– The classic, the icon. Cade Du Monde has been around since 1862, for good reason! We went to the City Park location, and enjoyed the freshest, pillow-y beignets. We also got an iced cade au lait, which was the perfect refresher on a hot day. These beignets were my favorite, and whatever the line is, it’s worth it.
• The Vintage– Okay, so it’s not one of the cornerstone places, but The Vintage had TO DIE FOR gourmet beignets. The dough was a little tougher, yet the toppings and fillings made up for it. Go with a friend and split a beignet flight (yeah, even a huge eater like me needed to split it). We got bananas foster (WOAH), s’mores (SO MUCH CHOCOLATE), and raspberry. I was smiling ear to ear.
• Cafe Beignet-Some people claim this is better than Cafe Du Monde, but after sampling both, I just don’t agree. As a treat connoisseur, I still think you should go and make up your mind (and by no means, are they bad).

Where to Drink

Drinking is obviously a big part of NOLA culture, since there’s no open container rules! There’s a few places I definitely think you should check out, with delicious drinks. There’s plenty of places you can stumble into as well, but there are the most memorable.

• Old Absinthe House– This historic bar is where President Jackson met with famed pirate Jean Lafitte. The history and charm of this place are worth reading into. It’s the only place we went drinking on Bourbon Street, and you definitely should go for a sazerac or other absinthe based drink.
• Brennan’s– Oh, Brennan’s! What a dreamy, pink restaurant. We were unable to get dinner reservations, but we went in for Bubbles at Brennan’s, and it was such an amazing experience. We were seated in the gorgeous pink room, and had the most fantastic waiter (I am blanking on his name, but I wish I remembered to give him a shoutout!). After ordering some champagne cocktails, we watched them saber a champagne bottle (and had some more bubbly), then came the kicker. We ordered banana’s foster and he made it table-side for us! Brennan’s actually invented banana’s foster, so to enjoy this treat was incredible for us.
• NOLA Brewing– I will say it, New Orleans is a cocktail city, not a beer city, but NOLA Brewing is an awesome spot with some really good beer (in my opinion, the only good beer). Their flagship location is in an awesome warehouse space, which we walked to from Magazine Street in search of libations! We had beers, listened to the band, and had a really good time cooling down (and brought plenty to go).

What to Do

Well, there’s endless museums, places to go, tours to take, and things to do in New Orleans, but I wanted to tell you the about the ones I did and loved. The list could go on and on.

• Cemeteries– Okay, so as an anthropologist, there’s no way I could miss visiting the cemeteries, but also as an anthropologist, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about the cemeteries, the ethics of visiting them, and the commercialization of death. These are active places with new burials, where people are remembering their loved ones. Sure, there’s history, and as someone from the north, this style of burial is really fascinating, but we should treat them with the same respect we’d treat other, underground cemeteries at home (you know, where a loved one of yours may be buried). No vandalism, no videos, no pictures on social media, no drinking, no littering, and keep it down…alright? With that in mind, I’d say to prioritize the St. Louis Cemeteries, and stop by the Katrina Memorial. Collin was a bit spooked, but I was soaking up the history and culture.
• Magazine Street & Garden District– Magazine Street is such a fun place to go to eat and shop, you can spend hours walking down the street (I’ll talk about some shops to stop by below). Also, while you’re there, wander around the Garden District. These beautiful homes and mansions are sure to take your breathe away!
• Sazerac House– This may be one of the coolest museums I have EVER been to. Admission is free (make sure to schedule beforehand), and the tour could take a minimum of 30 minutes, but we love alcohol, so we stayed for at least an hour. The museum is 3 floors and so well done, the perfect mixture of history, interaction, and amazing employees. An added bonus? We got 3 cocktail samples that were fit to our tour!
• Voodoo Museum– What a place. I have no photos out of respect for the artifacts. If you want to have a relatively non-gimmicky exposure into the Voodoo Practice, I think this is a good place to go. $10 a person to get in (bring cash), the museum is 3 rooms filed the brim with meaningful pieces and labels detailing what they mean. Bring an extra dollar so you can make an offering/wish. Come here with respect and a willingness to learn!
• Street Cars– Make sure to take a ride on the historic street cars! It’s the best way to get over to Magazine Street, City Park, and the Cemeteries, and they’re just really fun! An all day rail pass is only $3, which with what I was used to in Philly, is a steal! Follow the link for more information on how to get a pass!
• French Quarter– Duh. But seriously, spend lots of time combing your way through the French Quarter. Go to Bourbon Street just to experience it, then go through all of the side streets. There’s endless shops, museums, and places to eat. I think 3 of our days were spent just soaking this whole area in (and our evenings).
• Jackson Square– While you’re in the French Quarter, go to Jackson Square! It’s a lively, beautiful, and there’s always something going on. Catch it when the sun is setting for pure magic.
• City Park– We took the trolley to City Park and spent the morning walking around and enjoying the swampy areas, bridges, and gardens. The park is massive, and we definitely stayed in the front area, but it’s perfect to spend some time outside. I’d love to have a picnic here!

What to Buy

There’s so much shopping to be done in New Orleans, and here are three places you must check out! This is what I managed to fit in to my carry on.

• Bourbon French Perfumes– Open since 1843, this perfume shop are skilled fragrance makers. The shop has a magical charm (with all the glass bottles and scents), and they are made in small batches. If you have the time, sit for a personalized fragrance experience, but if not, they will help you pick out the perfect scent. I went for a men’s cologne, and the prices were very fair!
• Hemline Boutique– Located on Magazine Street, this boutique has a great reputation in the city. With such fun, colorful, and fairly priced pieces, I had a really fun time shopping there (their associates are also great hype girls). Everywhere I travel, I like to pick up a new piece from a small business, and the pink skort I bought was amazing!
• Local Art Collectives– There are so many of these shops all around the city, but I really liked Zele. We bought 2 prints, and actually went twice because there were so many pieces to uncover!

So, have you been to New Orleans, and did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below, and tell me if you try any of these suggestions!

All thoughts and opinions are my own, I purchased everything and did everything with my own funds.