New Orleans on a Budget

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the best things about Royal Street is that some blocks are closed to traffic and talented performers entertain you as you window shop. The Spanish and French architecture is beautiful, and Royal Street is the perfect place for a stroll – day or night.

Description:

Royal Street in the French Quarter is the perfect place to go for window shopping and a daytime stroll. On this beautiful and historic street, visitors will find art, antiques, specialty shops, and restaurants, as well as dozens of street performers. On any given day you might hear a jazz ensemble, bluegrass group, brass band, or just a boy and his guitar. Magicians, tap dancers, saxophone players, and men in head-to-toe metallic costumes are also common sights. The art galleries are breathtaking, and the street boasts some of the best restaurants in the city, such as Brennan's and The Court of Two Sisters. Other excellent Royal Street points of interest include Painted Alive Gallery, Cornstalk Bed and Breakfast, and the Carousel Bar, located inside Hotel Montelone.

Description:

"Good food" and "cheap" are words that foodies in New Orleans love to find all under one roof. The lines here are a true testament to the food, if not to the great prices. The lines really are long- sometimes out the door. So if you're going and it's cool, wear a coat.Things like atmosphere and decor would only increase the overhead expense so they are not relevant here. Pictures of numerous famous patrons line the plain walls; but no one comes for the scenery. It's all about the food, especially the overstuffed po-boys. Also available here some of the best breakfasts in the Crescent City.

Description:

Angeli specializes in both Italian food and Mediterranean food, both considered delectable delights that you would normally find in a first class restaurant. Angeli is instead a bright and electric one-room establishment located in the French Quarter that is always buzzing. The activity here is due to the 24 hours service on Fridays and Saturdays. Angeli is open until 4a on other days of the week. Decor includes flashy disco balls from the 70s and lots of neon lights. It is the perfect place for a party, late night dinner or early breakfast. Menu items include veggie pitas, breakfast pitas and pizzas, hummus, salads, sandwiches and calzones. Delivery service is available to local hotels in the area.

Our Local Expert Says:

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter is one of the best places for people watching. It bright, crazy, and loud – a party for all the senses. No matter when you go, you know there will be something happening on Bourbon Street!

Description:

It wouldn't be a trip to New Orleans without Bourbon Street! The party never stops on this crazy, colorful street that runs through the heart of the French Quarter. Any time of day or night, you can hear live music, dance in the streets, drink a daiquiri, or dangle Mardi Gras beads at passersby from one of the many balconies. Closer to Canal Street are the adult entertainment clubs, closer to Esplanade Avenue are the gay-friendly venues, and in between are blocks and blocks of bars, clubs, shops, and restaurants. Don't miss Pat O'Brien's famous four-shot rum Hurricane and their outdoor patio with the beautiful fiery fountain. Check out Fritzel's for great jazz, Razoo's for sweaty dancing, and the Cat's Meow for karaoke, as well as Jean Lafitte's, a dark and cozy bar located in the pirate's historic blacksmith shop. Go ahead and have a drink (it's five o'clock somewhere!) and saunter down Bourbon Street, the greatest adult playground in the country.

Description:

This French-market coffee stand, established in 1862, offers a menu of dark coffee and chicory, beignets, white or chocolate milk and freshly-squeezed orange juice. The cafe is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day (except Christmas Day) and is one of the most popular places in New Orleans for singles, couples and families. You may have to wait for a table during the busiest morning hours. While the coffee is certainly good, most people come for the famous, fresh-from-the-fryer beignets. They are brought to your table in such a hurry that they are still hot when you take that first melt-in-your-mouth bite.

Our Local Expert Says:

The street performers and fortune tellers in Jackson Square are great, but if a man asks you to make a bet about where you got your shoes, don’t fall for it! He’ll say “you got your shoes in Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana!”

Description:

Jackson Square is a beautiful little park that sits in front of the commanding St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in America. Presiding over the park is a statue of Andrew Jackson on his horse, and surrounding the square are artists and street performers, as well as horse-drawn carriages waiting to take you on a tour of the Quarter. Have the fortune tellers look at your palm, or let a local artist draw your caricature. Of course, there are also museums, shops, and restaurants surrounding Jackson Square, including Muriel's, a five-star haunted restaurant where each day the wait-staff sets a table and pours wine for their resident ghost. "We don't know who drinks the wine," they say, "but every morning it's gone." In Jackson Square at night, you really can feel the presence of the ghosts of New Orleans past. During the Christmas Season, Jackson Square is the spot for nighttime caroling, and in the spring the park blooms with bright flowers.

Our Local Expert Says:

The t-shirts and other New Orleans souvenirs are cheaper at the French Market than at the other stores in the Quarter.

Description:

Running between Decatur Street and the Mississippi River, the French Market in New Orleans is the oldest city market in the U.S. Located on the same spot since 1791, the market now houses restaurants, shops, bars, and free live music (don't miss the praline samples at Aunt Sally's Praline Shop!). Near the end of the stretch is the farmer's market where visitors will find local produce as well as local delicacies such as alligator jerky, kettle corn, and an enormous collection of hot sauces. The final leg of the French Market is the open-air community flea market where merchants from all over the world sell art, crafts, jewelry, luggage, and much, much more. This is a great place to buy souvenirs, and don't be afraid to bargain!

Description:

This cozy little spot is the place to come when you just need a burger. Its small size is made even smaller by the influx of hungry folks looking for lunch. After 7p when the business crowds disperse the restaurant is not quite as crowded. Locals have announced the hamburgers to be the best in town. They are served with a baked potato if their large size is not enough to fill you. The attentive staff also serves pizzas, filet mignon, rib eye steak and New York strip.

Description:

Made up of just under 20 acres of newly repaired green space, Woldenberg Riverfront Park has historically been the city's promenade; now it's an oasis of greenery in the heart of the city with numerous works by popular local artists scattered throughout. The park includes a large lawn with a brick promenade leading to the Mississippi, and it's home to hundreds of trees -- oaks, magnolias, willows, and crape myrtles -- and thousands of shrubs. That greenery got beat up, but nothing like a rainy tropical climate to help foliage thrive again.

The Moonwalk is a paved pedestrian thoroughfare along the river, a wonderful walk on a pretty New Orleans day but really a must-do for any weather other than pouring rain. It has steps that allow you to get right down to Old Muddy -- on foggy nights, you feel as if you are floating above the water. There are many benches from which to view the city's main industry: its busy port (second in the world only to Amsterdam in annual tonnage). To your right you'll see the Greater New Orleans Bridge and the World Trade Center of New Orleans (formerly the International Trade Mart) skyscraper as well as the Toulouse Street wharf, the departure point for excursion...

Our Local Expert Says:

Frenchmen Street is unique and fun and not to be missed! Go to Frenchmen Street during the day to admire the Marigny architecture or go there at night to hear great live music. On Fridays around nine p.m. the fabulous N.O.madic belly-dancers perform upstairs at the Dragon’s Den.

Description:

The four blocks of Frenchmen Street between Esplanade and Elysian Fields are sort of like the Bourbon Street for locals. Just past the French Quarter, on the edge of the hip Marigny neighborhood, this is where the real music is being played! The little stretch is packed with intimate jazz and blues bars like The Apple Barrel and The Spotted Cat, and high-energy music clubs like d.b.a. and Blue Nile. Some of the most unique and eccentric people in New Orleans hang out on Frenchmen Street, and there's always something going on, especially late at night. You can dance salsa at Café Brazil, have a smoke at the upscale Hookah Café, or enjoy great music and a killer burger at Snug Harbor. And at the end of the night, when you're feeling like a snack, try a local favorite - totchos (tater-tot nachos) at Monaghan's 13.

Our Local Expert Says:

Down a dark, narrow brick passage and up a steep, winding staircase, you'll find the Dragon's Den, which feels somewhat like a cross between a Thai opium parlor and a 60s go-go bar. Catch experimental and unconventional performances here, or take a cocktail out on the tiny balcony and take in the view of the scene below on Esplanade. On Friday night check out the free NOmadic Belly Dancers' performance around 9pm.

Description:

This hippy den, with pillows on the floor for lounging, is transformed after dark into one of the funkiest jazz venues in the city. You never quite know what to expect in a place that functions as a bar, coffee house and performance venue, so take your chances... It could be, and usually is, quite fun!

Description:

Starting at the edge of the French Quarter, the historic St. Charles Streetcar takes you up one of the most beautiful streets in New Orleans. St. Charles Avenue is shaded by live oak trees that still have Mardi Gras beads tangled in their branches, and this stately boulevard is the place to see enormous, breathtaking mansions built around the turn of the 20th century. There are plenty of restaurants and bars along the way, including Voodoo BBQ, Sushi Brothers, and Emeril's Del Monico. You can admire the architecture of the Columns Hotel, or stop there and have a mint julep on their sweeping southern front porch. The streetcar takes you past Audubon Park and Tulane and Loyola Universities. You can get off at the end of St. Charles Avenue and have a daiquiri at New Orleans Original Daiquiris, or keep riding up Carollton Avenue, another beautiful street, until you get to City Park!

Our Local Expert Says:

Taking a tour of Lafayette Cemetery is definitely worthwhile. There are a lot of fascinating things to learn about the cemetery and the burial customs of New Orleans.

Description:

Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District is one of the oldest cemeteries in the country, and has been in operation since 1824. New Orleans residents quickly learned that because of the high water table and unpredictable flooding, coffins cannot be placed six feet underground; their dead must be buried in above-ground tombs. These rows of sarcophagus tombs are the reason New Orleans cemeteries are often referred to as "Cities of the Dead." Lafayette Cemetery may look strangely familiar - it has been used in several movies, including Interview with a Vampire. Author Anne Rice lives nearby and wrote about Lafayette Cemetery in many of her vampire books. Visitors can take a tour and learn the history of Lafayette Cemetery (you can even take a carriage ride there from the French Quarter), or you can explore on your own. See the wall vaults and the "Secret Garden," a square of four tombs built by a secret society of friends who wanted to be buried together. As for lunch after touring, the Commander's Palace, one of the best restaurants in the city, is right across the street.

Our Local Expert Says:

Magazine Street is where the Uptown locals go to shop and hang out. There are so many fun things to see and do on Magazine Street!

Description:

Magazine Street is a six mile stretch of shops and eateries, beginning at the edge of the French Quarter and ending at Audubon Park. The fun, trendy street is loaded with specialty stores, galleries, restaurants, and bars. Between Canal Boulevard and Jackson Avenue visitors will find many antique stores and art galleries, including the Glassworks and Printmaking Studio. Closer to Jackson Avenue are funky stores, along with great, cheap restaurants such as Juan's Flying Burrito for Mexican fare and J'anita's for breakfast and BBQ. Between Washington and Louisiana are no less than twelve restaurants, three bars and two coffee shops, as well as tons of clothing boutiques, including retro and "recycled" fashions at Funky Monkey and Buffalo Exchange. Past Louisiana, the shopping continues down Magazine Street - antiques, art, books, apparel, and plenty of restaurants and bars along the way for when you need a break. Have a roast beef po-boy at Ignatius, near Napoleon Avenue, or sip a blueberry mojito on the back patio at St. Joe's, near Jefferson Avenue.

Description:

New Orleans is home to world famous, first-class restaurants. But the locals know some of the best food can be found at little neighborhood places. The casual, old New Orleans neighborhood feeling of Ignatius Eatery & Grocery is unmistakable. The Crawfish, Corn and Potato Soup serve up all of the flavors of a crawfish boil in one bowl and the Roast Beef Po' Boy is arguably one of the best in New Orleans. A delectable brunch menu combines breakfast favorites with New Orleans traditions to create tasty treats like Jambalaya and Crawfish Etouffe Omelets. Check the chalk board on the sidewalk for a daily special that has been known to feature dishes like a Sautéed Shrimp Remoulade Po' Boy or Boudin Meatloaf.

Our Local Expert Says:

Audubon Park is alive with nature – ducks, geese, egrets, and squirrels. And if you walk from Audubon Park to Riverview Park on the side of the stables, you will be able to see the giraffes inside Audubon Zoo!

Description:

Audubon Park is really several parks in one, spanning St. Charles Avenue all the way to the Mississippi River. A fitness trail circles the Audubon Golf Course and runs alongside live oak trees and lush lagoons that are home to ducks, geese, egrets, and turtles. Cross over Magazine Street, and you'll come to the Audubon Zoo and Cascade Stables. Keep walking alongside the zoo, past the Audubon Labyrinth and across the train tracks, until you get to Riverview Park. Known to locals as "the fly," this is a great spot for playing soccer, or just laying in the sun with a daiquiri, admiring the waters of the Mississippi. The park is a great place to play or picnic, and if you don't want to drive there, you can get to the park from the French Quarter on the St. Charles Streetcar or by the John James Audubon ferry boat.

Description:

When a pub is open 24 hours, you know that something interesting will happen. So enter Miss Mae's that is situated on the busy cross section of Magazine and Napoleon. It's the kind of bar that thrives on cheap drinks and while you're waiting for your drink, check out the crank claw machine; last time someone actually won a dildo.