If you are not sure about travelling outside of North America but you also want something exotic, might I suggest New Orleans, Louisiana?
New Orleans is, literally, bursting with history, music, food, personality, excitement and adventure. You may just forget you are in the good ol' U.S of A.
Logistics
Louisiana became a vibrant part of the United States in 1812, after an exciting past under French and Spanish rule. New Orleans is a city bursting with centuries of fascinating history, from romance and tragedy to endless intrigue. This city takes immense pride in preserving its rich heritage, and a visit here promises to immerse you in tales of Pirates, Mardi Gras, the harsh realities of Slavery, the tumultuous Civil War, the soulful rhythms of Jazz, and the resilience against Natural Disasters, among so much more!
New Orleans is beautifully situated along the Mississippi River in the enchanting Southeastern region of Louisiana.
Getting There
Most readers will fly to New Orleans. If you are an OG reader you will remember that we tend to fly from Detroit Metropolitan Airport for most of our trips. However, many airports and airlines have routes to and from New Orleans.
From the airport we took a taxi to our hotel. New Orleans is in the U.S which allows for a certain level of comfort and familiarity. However, as in most destinations, it pays to be a smart traveler. Prior to getting into the taxi we confirmed the price for the ride to the airport. Once in the taxi I noticed they had several mentions of fees for rides to various parts of the city. It is always smart to be prepared.
Things to Do
There is no shortage of things to do and see in New Orleans. So I will focus on our own itinerary. We discovered New Orleans as bookends to a cruise we took. *We like to maximize our vacation time
We stayed at the following 2 hotels, The Westin New Orleans. From here we could easily see the shipping industry along the river. It was also a short walk to the French Quarter and sightseeing. We also stayed at a more eccentric Bed and Breakfast, just slightly outside of the tourist area.
Each morning we would stroll up to the French Quarter to Cafe du Monde for a beignets and a cafe au lait. Then the world is your oyster (literally try the oysters!). We would wander around the French Quarter stumbling into shops filled with costumes and masks for Mardi Gras, or Voodoo shops. One of our favourite shops sold oil lanterns. Let me tell you this hop was beautiful.
While you can book specific Hurricane Katrina tours, we find this to be controversial and uncomfortable. We did take a city tour that had stops at some Katrina sites and the tour guide shared some details about that terrible time, and how they are still recovering. Tours like this are a nice way to get a lay of the land and tidbits of history and information about the destination so you know where you may want to return for a more lengthy visit. On this tour we stopped by New Orleans City Park. Here you will find another Cafe du Monde location as well as beautiful scenery.
A must do in New Orleans is a Cemetery Tour. Not only will you see some historic tombs the history and culture of cemeteries in New Orleans is fascinating. Due to this part of the country being a flood plane the city used to have major issues with their dead "popping up" after a flood. So they decided to bury their dead above ground in tombs. The tomb belongs to the family, or community organizations, such as the Optimists or Lions Clubs. When someone dies they are placed "in the upstairs" of the tomb for at least 1 year. After this time if another member passed away they will open the tomb, push the existing body down "to the basement" of the tomb and place the newly deceased on the top. You will also see some other religions buried in interesting ways, such as under white stones (so you can't see the bones sticky out). You may be aware of the Voodoo culture in New Orleans. This is present in shops around the city as well as in cemeteries. It was not uncommon for us to come across ritual sites in the cemetery with candles, chicken bones, and other offerings. Our guide told us this is not technically allowed, but people will climb the fences at night to complete their rituals.
Another tour we did was a self guided walking tour of the Garden District. This area is beautiful. You can find free self guided walking tours online, we opted for a celebrity house tour. This tour took us down streets of the Garden District pointing out celebrity homes. Some of the homes we saw were; The Anne Rice House, Sandra Bullock and John Goodman. These homes are huge! With several buildings on the property, including slave quarters and a kitchen that is separate from the main house, due to fire hazards. This area is definitely a wealthy area of New Orleans. With large, old oak trees lining the streets. You will see less Mardi Gras beads in this area of the city. To get here we took the streetcar. It was affordable and easy to navigate.
The rest of our trip was spent wandering the touristy areas, stumbling upon musicians playing in the street, stopping into concert halls for jazz, hanging out in bars and people watching. You can spend an entire trip just people watching in New Orleans.
For jazz we went to Preservation Hall after having an original hurricane drink at the bar next door. We also made a stop into the Famous Door. A bar where many famous people have performed. On our trip we were lucky enough to be there so see Michael McDonald give an impromptu performance.
I cannot write about New Orleans and not mention the food. Believe me you will not go hungry. This has to be the best foodie destination we have ever been to. Get char-grilled oysters at Felix's or Acme (or both), try a Po Boy, Muffuletta, Beignets, Gumbo, Jambalaya, I mean the food is endless. I honestly do not have many pictures of the food because it was never around long.
Cautions/Must Dos
Before we arrived in New Orleans, on the plane actually, a local warned us of the areas to not step foot in. He made it clear that we should stay in the touristy areas and take a taxi after dark. You may know from the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina that there is some large income disparities in New Orleans. This results in increased addictions, mental health concerns and those who are unhoused. Unfortunately this can result in higher levels of crime. We took his advice and stayed in the touristy areas, traveling outside of these areas only by taxi. Even with being mindful of this we found ourselves in some situations where we felt we needed to be smart travelers. We were never in any real danger but the issues listed above are most definitely visible even in the tourist areas.
Another caution is a common scam. While there are many street scammers in most busy cities and touristy destinations we noticed this particular one a lot. If someone asks, "Where did you get those shoes" do not reply and keep walking. They are trying to get your attention then someone will squirt cleaner on your shoes to shine them. They will then demand money. These people are not harmful, but keep moving and do not pay them any attention.
I mentioned there is a lot of unhoused people in New Orleans. This extends to their pets. You will notice a large number of these people with their dogs. These dogs will likely not be on a leash but, in our experience, were not aggressive at all. For the most part both dog and human kept to themselves. But this could be a concern to some people.
Some can't miss, must does in New Orleans are to spend a night out on the town. We were there is January and while Mardi Gras is typically in April, Mardi Gras parades can pop up at any time! Enjoy being apart of the party and culture.
I know we will be returning to New Orleans, with all its gritty charm. When we go back, we're eager to visit some plantations and dive into the rich stories and histories of former slave families. Plus, we can't wait to spend some time on the majestic Mississippi River.
New Orleans is bursting with endless adventures and experiences. I'm certain there's something exciting for everyone!