Things to Do in New Orleans
Ten stops running from a cathedral that's stood since 1794 to a cemetery where the dead are buried above ground because the water table sits too high for anything else.
New Orleans runs on music, food, and a distinctly unique above-ground burial tradition shaped directly by its geography, this list heads past what the quiz and the wider Louisiana page already cover toward the French Quarter's core, Frenchmen Street's live music scene, and a po'boy tradition locals defend with real conviction. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
The French Quarter
The city's oldest neighbourhood, founded in 1718, French and Spanish colonial architecture lines streets running considerably narrower and more atmospheric than a typical American downtown. Bourbon Street is the loudest, most touristy stretch, while the quieter side streets hold considerably more of the neighbourhood's real architectural character away from the busiest crowds.
This rewards a full day of wandering, venture off Bourbon Street specifically if a quieter, more historic atmosphere appeals more than the louder nightlife strip.
Address The French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
Jackson Square & St. Louis Cathedral
The heart of the French Quarter, a formal park surrounded by historic buildings, St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating Catholic cathedral in the United States, has stood on this exact site since 1794 following the rebuild of two earlier structures lost to fire. Street artists, tarot card readers, and musicians fill the square most days, a lively public space rather than a quiet monument.
This costs nothing and rewards lingering, allow time to simply sit and take in the square's atmosphere rather than rushing straight through to the next destination.
Hours Square open daily; cathedral hours vary
Address 615 Pere Antoine Alley, New Orleans, LA
Preservation Hall & NOLA Jazz
A small, unassuming venue that's run live traditional jazz nightly since 1961, deliberately kept without air conditioning or modern amenities to preserve the real, intimate atmosphere the music was originally performed in. This is one of the more historically significant live music venues in the country, prioritise it over a more polished, tourist-oriented jazz club if authenticity matters to you specifically.
Seating runs limited and on a first-come basis for most shows, arrive early or book specific reserved seating if you want a guaranteed spot.
Hours Shows run nightly, check current times
Address 726 St Peter St, New Orleans, LA
Café du Monde's Beignets
Operating since 1862, Café du Monde serves exactly three things, coffee, beignets, and milk, a deliberately narrow menu that's stayed unchanged for over 160 years. Beignets, square, deep-fried dough pieces buried under a mountain of powdered sugar, remain the city's signature pastry, best eaten immediately while still warm.
Expect a proper queue at almost any hour given the café runs 24 hours and never really quiets down, embrace the wait as part of the experience rather than seeking out a quieter alternative.
Hours Daily, 24 hours
Address 800 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA
The Garden District & St. Charles Streetcar
A neighbourhood of grand 19th-century mansions, considerably quieter and more residential than the French Quarter, best explored via the St. Charles Streetcar line, which has run continuously since 1835 and remains one of the oldest streetcar lines still operating anywhere in the world. Several of the mansions here have appeared in films and television, a slow walk through beats rushing, the architecture rewards an unhurried pace.
This pairs well with a stop at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, right within the Garden District itself, a smaller, less crowded alternative to the more famous St. Louis Cemetery.
Address The Garden District, New Orleans, LA
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
New Orleans's oldest surviving cemetery, dating to 1789, features rows of above-ground tombs, a practical necessity given the city sits largely below sea level and traditional in-ground burial risks caskets floating back to the surface during floods. Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau is reportedly buried here, her tomb remains one of the most visited single graves anywhere in the cemetery.
Independent access is no longer permitted, guided tours are now required for entry, book one ahead given how this policy has tightened in recent years to protect the historic tombs.
Hours Tours run daily, check current schedule
Address St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Mardi Gras
The largest and most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the country, running since 1857, dozens of krewes, social organisations that plan and fund the parades, throw beads and trinkets to crowds along elaborate float routes through the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday. This is on a different scale entirely from smaller regional celebrations elsewhere, experience it at least once if the timing lines up with your trip.
Book accommodation many months ahead if visiting during the main celebration weeks, this draws visitors from across the world and the city's hotels fill up considerably in advance.
Best time The weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday, dates shift annually
Address Downtown New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Po'boys
A po'boy, a sandwich served on a distinctively light, crispy-crusted French loaf, traditionally filled with fried shrimp or oysters, remains a true New Orleans staple, said to have originated during a 1929 streetcar strike when local restaurant owners fed striking workers, 'poor boys,' for free. Order it 'dressed' for lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, the standard local way to have it.
Domilise's, a small, family-run po'boy shop operating for generations, remains one of the more established, well-regarded spots for the classic version, considerably less touristy than some of the French Quarter options.
Address Domilise's, 5240 Annunciation St, New Orleans, LA
Audubon Aquarium
A proper aquarium right along the Mississippi River, exhibits covering both freshwater and saltwater ecosystems, a touch tank lets visitors handle stingrays and other gentle sea creatures directly under staff supervision. This works well for a family day, considerably calmer and more suited to younger kids than most of the French Quarter's louder attractions.
The adjacent Insectarium, run under the same ticket, adds a good, if slightly unusual, second stop for kids interested in bugs specifically.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-5pm
Address 1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA
Frenchmen Street
A stretch of live music venues just outside the French Quarter proper, considerably more locally frequented than Bourbon Street, jazz, funk, and blues run out of small clubs most nights of the week without the tourist-driven pricing found elsewhere. This is an authentic evening out, prioritise it over Bourbon Street specifically if truly good live music matters more to you than a louder party atmosphere.
Several venues run no cover charge, a good, low-commitment way to wander between a few different clubs in a single evening rather than settling on just one.
Best time Evening, most venues get going after 8pm
Address Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA
Best time to visit New Orleans
February through May and October through November cover the most comfortable weather for this list, mild enough for walking without summer's serious heat and humidity. For the full month-by-month breakdown, see our Best Time to Visit New Orleans guide.
The weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday specifically suit Mardi Gras, plan well ahead if that's the priority for your trip, this remains one of the busiest booking periods in the city's calendar.
Getting around New Orleans
The French Quarter and Garden District are both walkable, the St. Charles Streetcar covers the distance between them well, a car generally works against you here given limited parking and one-way streets throughout the older neighbourhoods. If you're mapping out exactly how to spend your time, our 24 Hours in New Orleans and 2 Day New Orleans Itinerary guides lay out an hour-by-hour and day-by-day plan.
Keeping an eye on costs? New Orleans on a Budget covers what's free and where the tourist markup actually is. Travelling as a couple? New Orleans for Couples covers Jackson Square at sunset and a steamboat cruise. And once your dates are set, Where to Stay & Eat in New Orleans breaks down the neighbourhoods.
Frequently asked questions
- Is New Orleans worth visiting beyond Bourbon Street?
- Yes, easily, Frenchmen Street's live music, the Garden District's architecture, and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 all offer a considerably deeper experience than the louder tourist strip alone.
- How many days do you need in New Orleans?
- Four days gives a comfortable pace to cover the French Quarter, the Garden District, and a proper evening on Frenchmen Street.
- Is New Orleans expensive to visit?
- Moderate, food and accommodation are both reasonably priced outside of Mardi Gras and major festival weekends specifically.
- What's the best New Orleans trip for kids?
- The Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a city that runs on music and food in equal measure.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
