Earlier in September we held our first group travel event #FlyNdine504 to the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event brought together 17 strangers from California, Ohio, New York and Florida together to New Orleans to taste and see what the French Quarter had to offer. It was an amazing event in which we met great individuals who enjoy traveling as much as we do.
Below is the itinerary we put together for us during our visit. Excluded on this post are all the locations we visited during the French Quarter walking tour. The event was for Friday and Saturday but we included extra places to visit for any of our guests who arrived or stayed later than that.
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Hotel recommended: The French Market Inn. Conveniently located in the French Quarter within walking distance to pretty much everything we included in our itinerary. The hotel has a very charming look to it. Staying here makes you feel you are in back in time somewhere in a small town in France.
Transportation to/from the airport in New Orleans:
Airport Shuttle service: available to and from downtown to the French Market Inn every day of the year (except from 2 AM – 3:30 AM), with vans departing approximately every 30 minutes. Cost $24 one way per person or $36 roundtrip. You can book the airport shuttle at the airport (we found to be the best pricing) or online: www.airportshuttleneworleans.com.
Taxi Cabs: are more expensive than the shuttle unless you have 3 or more people with you. Prices are as follow: $36 one way total to the hotel for 1-2 people. $15 per person one way if 3 or more people are riding. Can be found once you arrive at the airport.
Places Suggested to Visit
• Monkey Hill Bar (6100 Magazine St): you have heard of Martinis, you have heard of cupcakes but have you heard of cupcake-tinis?
• Cafe Du Monde: Their coffee and Beignets are a MUST!
• Royal Oyster House: the redfish beignets are worth the wait.
• The Carousel bar! Inside of hotel Monteleone. Grab a drink and enjoy the ride.
• Harrah’s Casino: come here if you are a fan of gambling or you are simply looking to kill some time
• Riverwalk: If you need more shopping time, visit the Riverwalk, home to more than 140 stores and restaurants
• The Royal Oyster House: their redfish beignets are amazing!
• The Court Of Two Sisters: more Jazz? More brunch? Try the egg Benedicts
• French 75: Cocktails and snacks
• 21st Amendment Bar: If you are looking for more live Jazz and cocktails
• Cochon Butcher: great for any time of the day, we wrote about it before and now you have the chance to go try it out.
• Dejavu: a great 24 hour spot
• Broussard’s Restaurant: if you are looking for a good brunch or even a delicious dinner this is your place. Don’t forget to try a Ramos gin fizz from the great Paul Gustings.
• The Ace Hotel: for a rooftop pool and bar with great cocktails and a city view.
Included in our event Itinerary:
•NOLA PoBoys: Surf & Turf is on our list. Feeling adventurous? Try the alligator jambalaya! We had the “DaYat” Poboy with Gumbo. Our favorite!
•Pat O Brien’s: not making a stop here for the Original Hurricane Drink should be illegal. The bar dates back to 1933. Tip: drinks at the main bar vs the Piano bar are cheaper. Little history: During Prohibition, when the consumption of alcohol was illegal the place was called, O’Brien’s Club Tipperary.
• Bourbon House Restaurant: try out the Oysters, Crab Fingers and BBQ Bourbon Shrimp. Also recommended: the boiled shrimp, corn and shrimp or alligator boudin. Their Bourbon Milk punch is also a must!
• Kajun Pub: if you are looking for some Karaoke fun we suggest you come here. The guests start to arrive around 10pm. They have great drink specials.
• The Ruby Slipper: a delicious place for breakfast/brunch. No reservations accepted. Their shrimp and grits, the Costa Rican plate and cheesecake stuffed french toast are just some of the delicious difficult options you will be faced with. If you are a fan of Bloody Mary’s, they have it down to a science here.
• French Market: Crepes, fresh pies, pretzels, oysters shopping and more! Bring Cash and enjoy all the tasty options they offer.
• Cane & Table: we had written about them before and we are suggesting them again!
Fried rum ribs, tostones, crangrejitos & puffed pork are just a few food options we suggest. Don’t forget they have some delicious drink options as well.
• Crescent City Brewhouse: what is better than good food? Some live Jazz to accompany it. We had the fillet mignon: a center cut Filet Mignon grilled to medium temperature topped with a Lemon veal Demi. We also had the Redfish ST Louis: broiled Redfish with fried shrimp and roasted red pepper crabmeat aioli. For dessert we had their chocolate mousse with fresh berries which was such a surprise because we didn’t expect it to be so delicious!
• Saints & Sinners: One word-crawfish! Two locals recommend we come here for their crawfish and we were so glad we did. The seasoning on them is so great! Note: if you don’t like spicy food, you won’t enjoy them. We had Mr. Crawfish himself, prepare these for us and we can’t wait to go back. I am sure they rotate who cooks them but we can only speak on the experience we had based on the cook who made them for us.
Photos by Valeria Haro Photography for Suzzstravels