Off topic but since most of us credit card chase to travel: Anyone have suggestions for what to do in New Orleans?! (We have 3 full days, Sat-Mon, are 2 young adults and we're not on a strict budget.) I finally got excited about planning the trip today and about 2 mins into googling I'm completely overwhelmed. Excited for great food, great drinks, carriage ride and Cafe Dumonde but gotta find other stuff to do between the food and booze! Any suggestions?
Yay! I love New Orleans - it's where my parents had their first unofficial 12-hour-long date, and my husband and I went there for a quick getaway right after we got engaged and had an awesome time! (edited to add that we are also young adults). What time of year will you be there? There are a bunch of different festivals throughout the year, so you could check one out if they're going on while you're in town.
A list of suggestions, in no particular order:
1) The Aquarium was always good, but got even better after the post-Katrina renovation.
2) You can kill a few hours exploring the French Quarter and Jackson Square on foot, enjoy the street buskers, look in art galleries, and going shopping at the French Market.
3) Museums: there's the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, which has a variety of rotating exhibits, the Hermann-Grima House, and the St. Louis Cathedral. There are plenty of historical walking tours or ghost tours if you're into that sort of thing.
4) Food! We tried to go to Antoine's for dessert but they were closed, so we did Brenner's instead and had some delicious drinks!
5) The Garden District has many lovely historical homes, many owned by celebrities and/or used for filming locations for different TV shows and movies. You generally can't go in them, but you can walk past them and take pictures! I can also strongly recommend Coulis for brunch in the Garden District.
6) If you'll have a car and haven't been to Louisiana before, you could take a 1/2 day trip for something like an airboat swamp tour or visiting a plantation home museum. The Whitney Plantation museum in particular looks like a really interesting one.
As for nightlife, my friends and family who live there tell me that Bourbon Street is all played out (although Pat O'Brien's is worth a visit for a hurricane at least) since all the local clubs got bought up by investors after Katrina, and that Frenchman Street is THE place to go now for good live music and bars. There's also a casino near the French Quarter that was good for people watching - can't speak to the quality of the gambling though
Sorry I can't give a more detailed itinerary. Because I grew up visiting extended family in Baton Rouge, New Orleans has always been just an occasional day trip for my family over Christmas vacation. I'd love to have 3 full days to fully explore everything! Have a great time!