We just returned from New Orleans – that sultry city filled with a unique blend of culture, history, food, music and fun. It is not prime time for tourists (there was a heat warning Friday) but we managed to find some favorites while staying cool.
Here’s our list of 7 favorites in New Orleans now:
- The Roosevelt Hotel‘s historic lobby is a cool haven of gilt, art and dark shade. The well-appointed rooms are stocked with lovely lemon verbena toiletries, and the top-notch staff is friendly to all. You may find attractive off-season rates for this Waldo Astoria property now. Even if you don’t stay there, stop by The Roosevelt’s art deco inspired Sazerac Bar – said to be the birthplace of the Sazerac cocktail and Huey P. Long’s Ramos Gin Fizz. Gracious bartenders make a variety of hand-crafted, cooling cocktails.
- An iced café au lait goes perfectly with that little bag of warm beignets at Café Du Monde. While the original location is open 24 hours per day, the cooler air-conditioned location is in Riverwalk Marketplace at One Poydras.
- A walking tour of the French Quarter, offered by the Friends of the Cabildo. Two hours of history, architecture, and folklore as you walk among the sites of the French quarter, led by an informative volunteer guides like Maureen. Only $15, tour proceeds help fund the Friends of the Cabildo, a non-profit volunteer group organized support for the Louisiana State Museum. On a hot afternoon there were only four of us – practically a private tour.
- A muffuletta sandwich and a cold beer at Central Grocery, an Italian grocery since 1906 that invented this sandwich stuffed with Italian meats and cheese and olive salad.
- Tour plantations in air-conditioned comfort. Cajun Encounters offers a tour of Oak Alley and Laura Plantations. Rich in history, Laura is a creole plantation while Oak Alley is a beautiful antebellum plantation. The bus driver was also a highlight – she shared her colorful stories of New Orleans, fishing and swamp life with us. At Oak Alley, you must purchase a mint julep – to sip as you tour the picturesque home and grounds.
- Get up close with an alligator via the back bayous of Honey Island Swamp. Cajun Encounters offers a fun, informative, and peaceful 20-person boat tour. You will experience swamps, alligators and wild hogs.
- Learn to make NOLA cuisine at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Even if you don’t cook, it’s fun to learn the historic and cultural influences New Orleans cuisine’s, and to eat samples of everything – from crab bisque to shrimp creole to bread pudding to pralines. The demonstration menu changes daily.
What is your favorite find in New Orleans now? We’d like to check it out on our next visit. Please share in comments.
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