Top Ten "Must-Do" Things for the First-Time Visitor to New Orleans

Return to the VNO Sightseeing Page Return to the VNO Home Page

This is one of those things that will probably start a religious war or some such, but the question comes up so often that we need a place to start. There are just some things that shouldn't be missed by any first-time visitor to the city:

10. Lunch or Dinner at a Grand New Orleans Restaurant

9. Tour at least one old cemetery.

8. Take a Mississippi River Cruise

7. Bourbon Street at night.

6. Spend the afternoon at NOMA and City Park

5. Walk the French Market end to end.

4. Eat a po-boy or a muffeletta

3. Ride the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar round-trip

2. Have cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde.

1. Walking Tour of the French Quarter

10. Lunch or Dinner at a Grand New Orleans Restaurant

Food is such an integral part of the New Orleans experience that it's all but impossible to fully appreciate the city without eating the way we do. This includes eating at one of the "better" restaurants in town. Check our Virtual Dining Guide for a listing of one of the "classic" New Orleans restaurants. There are half a dozen of them, and most have reasonable lunch specials if the dinner prices don't fit your budget. If you're in town on business, skip breakfast, eat cheap for dinner, and have lunch at Antoine's or Arnaud's. You'll probably stay within your per diem, and you'll appreciate one of the main reasons why so many natives of New Orleans refuse to re-locate to another city. Jump to our Virtual Dining Guide.

9. Tour at least one old cemetery.

For someone staying downtown or in the Quarter, the best way to do this is to take the Canal Cemeteries bus line to the end of the line at Canal and City Park Avenue. Cross the street and just walk through some of the front rows of the cemeteries there. We bury our dead above ground in New Orleans, because the water table is so high that coffins would pop up out of the ground if we used regular graves. As a result, the above-ground tombs have become wonderful monuments to those we loved, hated, respected, and feared. For details, check our Cemetery Overview Page.

8. Take a Mississippi River Cruise

The Mississippi River is the lifeline of New Orleans. You may have come in via I-10, but the river is still the main economic and spiritual artery of the city. You have to go out on the river and look back at the city from that vantage point, or it won't completely make sense. Cruise on the Natchez, which docks at Conti and the River, or the Creole Queen, which departs from in front of the Hilton hotel by the Riverwalk. If your budget is so limited that you can't afford either cruise, take the ferry from the foot of Canal across to Algiers and back. That ride is for free.

7. Bourbon Street at night.

Even if you're not interested in strip clubs or jazz music, walk Bourbon from Canal to St. Ann Streets and back between nine and midnight. The Street will be anything from laid-back to absolutely wild. If you are in town during the week, do this on a weeknight rather than a weekend, since tourist crowds completely change the character of the street.

6. Spend the afternoon at NOMA and City Park

So much of downtown and the Quarter is for tourists that it's important to take a step away from all of that and do something that is more a "local thing" than a "tourist thing." The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and City Park are two "local things." Spend an hour or two touring the museum, then walk through the surrounding park. City Park is one of the largest and oldest municipal parks in the country, and is one of the places locals go with their families to relax. If you golf, there are four public courses here, as well as public tennis courts, boat rentals, and lots of open areas for picnics and just walking around.

5. Walk the French Market end to end.

The French Market is one of the oldest active Farmer's Markets in the country. Start at the end by Jackson Square, and walk down to the flea market at the end by Esplanade Avenue. See the "Streetcar named Desire," the actual streetcar used in the movie, and tour the exhibits in the old US Mint. Walk back the way you came, or up Decatur Street, or take the Riverfront Streetcar back to Jackson Square, or as far up as the Convention Center.

4. Eat a po-boy or a muffeletta.

Just as the grand New Orleans dinner is a part of experiencing the city, so is having one of these sandwiches for lunch. Go to Mother's or one of the other great po-boy places downtown for a roast beef or ham po- boy, or Central Grocery or Napoleon House for a muffeletta, or both if you have the time. There aren't many sandwiches made in other parts of the country that compare with these two New Orleans delicacies. For some suggestions on where to grab a po-boy, jump to the Virtual Dining Guide.

3. Ride the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar round-trip.

Board at Carondelet and Canal Streets, and ride all the way to S. Carrollton and S. Claiborne Avenues. Get off and take the return trip back. It's the best way to get an overview of downtown and uptown New Orleans in a short period of time. The streetcar ride can be parlayed into an all-day affair via a day-long transit pass, but the basic round- trip is a great way to see some of the grand homes along St. Charles Avenue, the University District, Carrollton and the Riverbend, and still get back for that afternoon session at the convention.

2. Have cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde.

Doesn't matter what time of the day or night you get the craving--Cafe du Monde is always open. Have a leisurely breakfast as you watch Jackson Square across the street wake up. Stop for dessert after dinner, or a late-night snack after checking out Bourbon Street. You'd think that locals would treat Cafe du Monde as sort of a tourist cliche, that's not so; families, kids on field trips, individuals of all sorts all still stop for some of these goodies.

1. Walking Tour of the French Quarter

This may sound like a catch-all cop-out, but it really is the best way to see the best of the Quarter. Take one of the guided tours offered by the National Park Service (info available at their office in the French Market), or just wing it on your own. There's a lot more to the Quarter than just Jackson Square and the surrounding buildings. There's the Custom House, the Herrman-Grima House, the Old Ursuline Convent, the Mint, The Beauregard-Keyes House, Royal Street, and many other sights along the way.

Other sights in New Orleans

I've left off two of the most popular attractions in town, the Zoo and the Aquarium, because I don't view them as being things that are absolutely "must-see" for the first-timer. We're members of the Audubon Institute, and regularly support both attractions, but there are good zoos and aquariums in other parts of the country. If you stack any of the ten things mentioned in this list against the Zoo and the Aquarium, I think the list stands up. Uptown residents will tell you that Audubon Park is just as good as City Park, better in some ways, and they wouldn't be lying. City Park, on the other hand, opens up the newcomer to the neighborhoods around it: Mid-City and Faubourg St. John. A ride on the streetcar will give the visitor a good overview of Uptown. As always, I invite comments.

Return to the VNO Sightseeing Page

Back to the VNO Home Page

This World Wide Web document is provided as a public service by Yatcom Communications. Yatcom Communications is a consulting/public relations company dedicated to using computer technology to promote the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Copyright © 1994, 1995, 1996, Yatcom Communications. All Rights Reserved.