New Orleans Journals

New Orleans the Big Easy

A May 2002 trip to New Orleans by lashr1999

Margaritaville Photo - Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville, New Orleans, Louisiana

Quote: New Orleans is a happening place, even when it is not Mardi Gras season. I will try to describe some of the fun things that I did in the city. As they say in New Orleans, "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"--Let the Good Times Roll.

12 Photos

New Orleans the Big Easy

Overview

Quote:

New Orleans is a happening place, even when it is not Mardi Gras season. I will try to describe some of the fun things that I did in the city. As they say in New Orleans, "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"--Let the Good Times Roll.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Cheer!
Flag

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

Restaurant | "Margaritaville"

Quote:

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe is quite a colourful joint with a very definite island vibe. Local artists perform live music in their Storyville Tavern. Music is free in the Tavern from 3pm to midnight. The food and drinks are great. The drinks have compasses in them so you can find your way home after you have had a few of them. See their website for more info at http://www.margaritaville.com/neworleans/.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
1104 Decatur Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70116
(504) 592-2565

Cheer!
Flag

Razzoo Club & Patio

Attraction | "Razzoo"

Quote:

Cool $2 shots at the bar--different types of shots, including a Jell-O one called a blow job. Some of the bar maids treat you nicely and may give you an extra shot. It's nice to go there once; there was pretty good music, except when we went on the second day, we found they play the same music.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

Razzoo Club & Patio
511 Bourbon St
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 522-5100

Cheer!
Flag

Bourbon Street

Attraction

Quote:

Bourbon Street is lined with bars, hotels, and souvenir stores. During the morning it is full of tourists, while at night it is full of partygoers. Even when it is not Mardi Gras at night, the people cram the narrow sidewalks and have some drinks, dancing to the rhythm of the music coming from the bars. You are allowed to drink on the streets. Try one of the "hand grenades" or the "hurricanes" on for size. The guy to the left in the picture is enjoying a hand grenade.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
New Orleans, Louisiana

Cheer!
Flag

Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World

Attraction

Quote:

If you are unable to attend Mardi Gras or just want to see what happens behind the scenes, Blaine Kerns Mardi Gras Museum will give you a good introduction to the world of Mardi Gras. To start, you will watch a 15- to 20-minute movie about the history of Mardi Gras. After the movie, you are directed around the museum while you sample some king cake and beverages. After the tour, you are free to walk around and see more amazing floats and props of all sizes. You will also get to see artists, painters, and sculptors at work, building floats for next year. To get here, you take a free ferry.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World
1380 Port of New Orleans Place
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 361-7821

Cheer!
Flag

Aquarium of the Americas

Attraction

Quote:

This place is great for one of those rainy New Orleans days. The most visually impressive sight is the "panoramic tunnel of ocean" that you can walk through as you see all manner of wildlife swimming over and beside you. There are several rotating exhibits, as well as a glass-top Amazon rain forest replica. They are open from 9:30am to 6pm, Sunday through Thursday, and 9:30am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday. Admission prices for the aquarium only are $15 for adults, $8 for children, and $11 for seniors; the aquarium plus the IMAX theatre is $19 for adults, $12 for children, and $16 for seniors; and the aquarium plus the zoo is $20 for adults, $11 for children, and $15 for seniors.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

Aquarium of the Americas
1 Canal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(800) 774-7394

Cheer!
Flag

New Orlean Tours Swamp Tour

Attraction | "Swamp tour"

Quote:

Try one of the swamp tours just to get a look at alligators up close. Most younger alligators on the prowl in the bayous range from 4 to 7 feet long. Larger ones are more reclusive and stay much farther back in the bayou. The alligators were lured towards the boat with marshmallows. There are two different tours: the slower, cheaper one that I took, which still has good views, or if you have spare change, you can try the smaller, faster airboats, which get you closer to the gators and deeper into the bayou. Besides alligators, there is other wildlife to see such as different kinds of birds, raccoons, snakes, and catfish. In addition, lots of trees are lined with Spanish moss hanging off them. Be warne...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

New Orlean Tours Swamp Tour
233 N. Peters
New Orleans, Louisiana

Cheer!
Flag

Audubon Zoo

Attraction | "Audobon Park and Zoo"

Quote:

To get here, you can take the John James Audubon cruise up to the zoo if you want, instead of driving. The Audubon Zoo houses a reconsruction of a Louisiana swamp, complete with Cajun houseboats, alligators, and trees coming out of the green water. There are several other recreated habitats, such as African savannah and the Mayan Ruins with a Jaguar jungle. White tigers, white alligators, and Komodo dragons are some of the other interesting exhibits here. Have you ever been to a zoo where the featured recipes involve cooking the animals you are viewing? Right next to the tank that holds the catfish in the zoo is a very good recipe for how to cook them up and eat them for dinner. After the zoo, the pa...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 23, 2005

Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine Street
New Orleans 70118
(504) 581-4629

Cheer!
Flag

Cemetaries in New Orleans

Story/Tip

Cemetaries Photo - New Orleans, Louisiana

Quote:

Walk past any cemetery in New Orleans and you'll notice a fascinating feature of this city. In New Orleans, the dead are buried in above-ground tombs. Plots were made this way because New Orleans is below sea level, and if bodies were put into graves, they would wash away because of the very high water table. There are many elaborate graves and ones into which many bodies were thrown when new family members took the space. These tombs are beautiful monuments, some dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Not all of the cemeteries are open to tourists. There are two worth visiting. One of these is Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 was placed on the National R...Read More

Cheer!
Flag

Oak Alley Plantation

Story/Tip

Quote:

Those several-hundred-year-old oaks make the place seem haunted and spooky. Sometime in the early 1700s, an unknown French settler planted 28 live oak trees in two evenly spaced rows, reaching from his small house to the Mississippi River. What happened to this house is unknown, but the trees were kept. In 1837-1839, a wealthy French sugar-cane planter, Juckes Telesphore Roman, built the Greek revival-style mansion for his bride. Take a tour of the plantation. The history of the place and the stories of slavery are worthwhile to hear. Relax and have a mint julep after you finish the tour. It's not my drink, but I had to try one since I'm in New Orleans, no?

Cheer!
Flag

Steamboat Tour

Story/Tip

Quote:

There are several different riverboat tours. The Natchez is the only steam-powered sternwheeler in New Orleans. It has a musical instrument that has been identified with steamboats called a steam calliope, which can produce 32 notes. The steam calliope plays upon departing. The Natchez has live music by the Steamboat Stompers. Two-hour harbor and jazz cruises depart from the Jackson Brewery at the Mississippi river at 11:30am and 2:30pm. At night, you can take a dinner/jazz cruise.

Check out the website for more information at www.steamboatnatchez.com.

Cheer!
Flag

Cajun Cooking School at the Riverwalk Mall

Story/Tip

Cajun Cooking School-New Orleans Photo - New Orleans, Louisiana

Quote:

You have to try the Cajun cooking school at the riverwalk mall. Not only do you learn how to make a few dishes, but the instructor makes it fun, as well. You don't actually cook here--it is a demo--but that may be just as well for some of us, no? I learned how to make cornbread, red beans and rice, pecan pralines, and pecan pie. The menu changes, so call the school before going. You may go more than once and learn to cook different foods. In fact, there was a cook who went to the class four times. After sampling some of the food that was made, you get the recipes for the food you made to take home and a coupon for 10% off items in the store such as Mexican vanilla and pecan pralines. For more detail...Read More

Cheer!
Flag

Carriage Ride

Story/Tip

Quote:

The driver was very friendly and informative. The ride gave us an idea of where everything was and things we wanted to go back and see.

The carriages line up at Jackson Square and the Garden District. We got on ours somewhere else. I think they're happy to pick you up wherever, so if you see an empty one, ask. It was a lot cheaper than the New York ones, especially if you have another couple in the carriage! If you want the carriage all to yourself for a more romantic trip, it will cost a bit more.