New Orleans Things to Do Tips by malianrob

Cemetery Tour St. Louis Cemetery 1 Review

I didnt expect to do a cemetery tour but I was really glad I did. For 18 dollars we did a walking tour from around Bourbon street all the way to the cemetery. It took alittle over two hours and our guide was full of interesting information, facts, history and comedy.
We learned alot about why the cemeteries are above ground in New Orleans and the whole process it takes to bury people there. Our tour was around 10am so it wasnt creepy or scary or anything like that.
It was very interesting and we reaally enjoyed this tour. I have to admit though, one of the main reasons of doing this tour was to see the grave site of the Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

Address: 425 Basin St., New Orleans, LA 70112

Directions: On Basin St between Conti and St. Louis Sts.

Phone: 504 483 2064

Visit the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau St. Louis Cemetery 1 Review

I never heard of Marie Laveau until my sister in law told me about her and to take picture of her grave.
Marie Laveau lived in the 1820's, she also had a daughter and an aunt with the same name so her life gets alittle complicated with people confusing the three women. There have also been many inaccuracies writen about her because of the same reason.
She was a Catholic woman of black, Indian, and white blood. She made a living by being a haidresser and a spiritual guide.
Her story is quite interesting and if you want to read more about her and how she became the
"Voodoo Queen" the book "A New Orleans Voodoo Priestess" by Long is a highly recommended book. Our guide from Save Our Cemeteries said that this book appears to be the most accurate book detailing Marie Laveaus life.
If you go to the cemetery and visit her grave you will notice a bunch of X's on her grave. There is a rumor that if you write three X's on her grave and call out her name very loud and make a wish, your wish will come true. You also have to turn around three times and touch her grave and some other stuff. I didnt do this but I was surprised to see how many other people believed that their desires would be granted. Just to let you know, the people at the cemetery do not like people doing this to here grave.
As a mater of fact, they do not want you to touch the graves, lean on them or anything. There is alot of history here and these graves are very old and fragile.

Address: 425 Basin St., New Orleans, LA 70112

Directions: On Basin St between Conti and St. Louis Sts.

Phone: 504 483 2064

Harrah's New Orleans Gaming Review

I dont know how many casinos there are in New Orleans but Harrahs was the only one I saw. I like the Harrahs chain of hotel and Casinos. As a matter of fact in Vegas I like to stay at Harrahs on the strip.
Harrahs has that New Orleans Mardi Gras theme going and many places to eat.
We didnt stay here very long because I knew I wouldnt be able to get Rob out of here!

Address: 512 S. Peters Street/8 canal street CBD

Other Contact: 800-427-7247

Phone: 504-533-6000

Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum

The Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum isnt a "have to go to place", but if you are dining at Arnauds then take advantage of being there and go check it out. Its free and interesting.
Germaine Wells was the daughter of Arnaud Cazenave who was the founder of the Restaurant Arnauds.She was the queen of the Mardi Gras carnivals 22 times. No one else has done this. At the museum which is located above the restaurant you can check out her dresses that she wore at the carnivals which were pretty extravagant. You can also she pictures of a time way back when.
It was interesting and if you are lucky to have a waiter like we did who gave us so much information on this place you would love it even more.

Address: Arnauds Restaurant 813 Bienville St

Phone: 504-523-5433

Cafe du Monde Cafe Du Monde Review

If you are in New Orleans you have to try the begniets and cafe au lait. I am sure most people have heard of Cafe du Monde already, especially if you are planning a trip to New Orleans. The begniets are a square donut typr pastry covered in ridiculous amounts of powdered sugar. I know that they had other things on the menu but we came here to taste what they are famous for. You cannot leave New Orleans without trying one.
When we came in the morning, this place was incredibly busy and we couldnt get a table so we decided to get in the to go line and eat our begniets outside. The to go line was very long also but the service is very fast so in no time we were up in the front ordering our food. So dont be put off by the lines.

Address: Decatur St. (Kitty corner to Jackson Square)

The French Market/Swap Meet French Market Review

This was a fun little place to walk around. We bought a few little trinkets here and browsed. Maybe because it was Mardi Gras season they were selling tons of beads. I wonder if they sell them when it isnt Mardi Gras. They also sold paintings, souveniers, hats,...everthing. They also had costume jewlery, and costumes. The prices here seemed much less than at the shops in the Freanch Quarter.

Address: 1001 Decatur St.

Directions: between St. Ann and Barricks Sts.

Phone: 504-522-2621

Website: http://www.frenchmarket.org/

Jackson Brewery Jax Brewery Review

AKA JAX Brewery.
But dont let the name fool you, its actually a shopping mall. I thought it was an actual brewery because of the signs that advertised alcohol but it turns out that in the 1980's or so they turned this place into a mall. We didnt need to shop so we left.

Address: 600 Decatur Street

Directions: Riverfront

Jackson Square Jackson Square Review

Jackson Square used to be called Place d'Armes and was originally founded in 1718. The name was later changed to Jackson Square and a statue of Andrew Jackson is in the center of the square.
Apparently this was a place where public executions were carried out. Also Jackson Square was the place that President Bush made a speech at after Hurricane Katrina.
Jackson Square is a nice place to visit and hang out for a while. Maybe get a beignet and coffee at Cafe du Monde which is right in front of Jackson Square like we did. We walked around, took pictures and enjoyed our morning.

Address: Plaza de Armas

Directions: between Decatur and Chartres Sts.

Website: http://www.jackson-square.com/

The French Quarter French Quarter Review

As soon as we got to New Orleans we went to our hotel located in the Garden District . dropped off our bags and headed off to the French Quarter. At first we drove around to see where we wanted to be then we parked the car and walked around. It was still pretty early when we got there and some places were just beginning to open. We walked a few blocks in every direction. I loved this area. Everyone knows or has heard of Bourbon Street but the French Quarter is much more than just that.
There are some beautiful homes, lots of small shops, and tons of balconies.
Many people thought that the French Quarter was affected during hurricane Katrina but it was mostly spared because it sits on high ground.
There's tons of entertainments and restaurants here. And of course lots of history.

Address: 90 blocks

Directions: between Canal, Rampart, Esplanade and the Mississippi

Website: http://www.frenchquarter.com/

Swamp and Bayou Tours Swamp Tours Review

We thought it would be interesting to see some alligators and visit the swamps and Bayous. We got alot of mixed reaction in regards to this so we decided to check it out for ourselves. We crossed over the Mississippi about 20 minutes from New Orleans and found Westwego swamp tours.
It was alittle chilly and they thought that maybe we might not see any critters but we saw quite a few Alligators, Nutria, raccoons, and turtles. Our guide Captain Tom was great, very knowledgable, and had a great eye for spotting an anial from far away.
The whole tour was very interesting. We first sat around in a small animal sanctuary. We learned about what animals we might see and how important they are to the environment. We also learned bout how some animals we introduced to the area and are destroying the plant life. It is not just fun but also educational and by checking out this tours was also very appreciated by the locals. They talked about how after Katrina the tourism hasnt been were it once was in this area.
Captain Tom took us around his Bayou and he had drinks and snacks for us on the boat too.

Address: Westwego

Directions: Over the Mississippi River about 20 minutes from New Orleans at Westwego swamp tours.