New Orleans, Louisiana

Day 1: Arrival and French Quarter

Cajun Encounters Bayou Tour

Cajun Encounters Bayou Tour

LaBranche House (700 Royal St)

Tropical Isle Bar (721 Bourbon St)

Barataria Preserve

• Pick up your rental car at the airport.

• Start with a pre-booked Cajun Encounters Bayou Tour — 9:30am start time, approx. 2 hours. Feed bayou wildlife, spot gators, and learn local lore.

• Next, explore the French Quarter with a self-guided walking tour (approx. 2.5 miles):

  • Washington Artillery Park & Terrace (768 Decatur St)

  • Jackson Square & Saint Louis Cathedral (700 Decatur St, 615 Pere Antoine Alley)

  • The Cabildo & The Presbytere museums—where the Louisiana Purchase was signed and the decision on Plessy Vs. Ferguson was decided.

  • Café Du Monde (800 Decatur St) — get beignets early to avoid long lines

  • French Market (1008 N Peters St)

  • US Mint and Jazz Museum (400 Esplanade Ave)—at one point this building minted for both USA and the confederate states and was built under president Andrew Jackson (Museum link)

  • Old Ursuline Convent (1100 Chartres St)

  • Madame Lalaurie’s Mansion (1140 Royal St)—Most haunted house in NOLA

  • Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar (941 Bourbon St)—a hiding place for Jean Lafitte and pirates who smuggled goods from the Caribbean

  • Cornstalk Hotel (915 Royal St)—built by first attorney general of state of LA and lived here Street Art Galleries (731–841 Royal St)

  • Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo (739 Bourbon St)

  • Tropical Isle Bar (721 Bourbon St)—famous for their drinks Shark Attack and Hand Grenades

  • Preservation Hall (726 St Peter St) — nightly live jazz after 8pm

  • Pat O’Brien’s Piano Bar (718 St Peter St)

  • LaBranche House (700 Royal St) — iconic photo spot

  • The Gumbo Shop (630 St Peter St) — great for Creole food

  • Napoleon House (500 Chartres St)

  • Louisiana State Supreme Court building (400 Royal St)

  • Old Absinthe House (240 Bourbon St)—location where Jean Lafitte and Andrew Jackson planned the Battle of New Orleans T

  • The Carousel Bar (214 Royal St) — rotating bar, often has a wait

  • St. Louis Cemetery #1 (425 Basin St)

• Prebook an 8pm Ghost & Vampire Tour for eerie stories from the French Quarter.

• End the night with dinner at Oceana Grill — reservations recommended.

• Return to your accommodation. (3 nights). (It appears this accommodation is not active. Find a place to stay near Bourbon Street.)

Day 2: Nature Preserves & Bayou Adventures

• Visit Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and the Barataria Preserve for a scenic swamp boardwalk with gators and wildlife.

• Pre-book a 4pm airboat tour with Airboat Adventures  — thrilling ride through bayou waterways.

• Dinner: Boutte’s Bayou Restaurant — local Cajun fare.

• Optional: Return downtown to explore your favorite bar or relax at your accommodation.

Day 3: Steamboat Jazz Cruise & Bourbon Street

• Book in advance the Steamboat Natchez Jazz Brunch Cruise — 2-hour cruise with live jazz and New Orleans cuisine.

• Afternoon: Choose between Bourbon Street bar-hopping or exploring the historic Garden District.

• Evening: If you choose Bourbon Street tonight, save the Garden District for tomorrow.

Barataria Preserve

Airboat Adventures

Steamboat Natchez Jazz Brunch Cruise

Steamboat Natchez Jazz Brunch Cruise

Day 4: Garden District & Departure

• Take the Saint Charles Streetcar to begin your Garden District Self-Guided Walking Tour (approx. 2.2 miles, 1.5 hours).

  • Clairborne Cottage — home of Louisiana’s first governor

  • Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel — Nicolas Cage’s former residence

  • Womens Opera Guild Home (2504 Pyrtania St)

  • Sully Mansion Bed & Breakfast (2631 Pyrtania St)

  • Lafayette Cemetery #1 — Judge Ferguson’s burial site

  • Commander’s Palace Restaurant — perfect brunch stop

  • Benjamin Button House — filming site of the movie

  • Koch-Mays House — Sandra Bullock’s New Orleans home

  • Jefferson Davis House — former Confederate president’s home

  • Joseph Merrick Jones House (2425 Coliseum St) home in the 90s of Trent Reznor from 9 inch nails band. Actor John Goodmans home in 2005

  • Archie Manning’s House — childhood home of Peyton and Eli Mannin

  • Horse House (2401 Pyrtania St)

  • Oldest Home in Garden District (2340 Pyrtania St) Buckner Mansion — filmed in American Horror Story Season 3

  • Anne Rice Childhood Home — St. Charles Ave

• Enjoy your final meal at Coop’s Place — try the rabbit jambalaya.

• Drive back to the airport and drop off your rental car before your flight home.

Garden District Self-Guided Walking Tour