New Orleans

I took the girls to New Orleans in mid-October just for a quick getaway – it would have been Mike’s 33rd birthday, and spending it traveling felt like an appropriate way to honor him. Starting with New Orleans seemed exceptionally fitting as he and I were meant to go together for my birthday once upon a time, but then I ended up with 1st trimester morning sickness, and he was just coming off his first round of chemo, so going somewhere known for food and drinks felt a bit less appealing. I know New Orleans doesn’t seem like a traditionally “kid-friendly” destination, but we had SO MUCH fun. Starting from the night we touched down, the girls loved being surrounded by music at every turn and were instantly dancing in the streets! 

Activities:

On our first day, we did a swamp tour with Cajun Encounters, and I cannot recommend them more highly. We had a great time seeing gators, and our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, keeping the tour interesting. We got to see where Disney got the inspiration for the Princess and the Frog, and the girls were able to feed gators and raccoons, which they absolutely loved. 10/10 would recommend. 

The next day we took a streetcar to the Garden District, where we spent some time enjoying the park and playground before heading to the zoo. The girls had a great time exploring the zoo, and we definitely didn’t see everything we could have. It is a pretty big zoo and we had already walked quite a bit, so we just saw our favorite animals before heading over to Magazine Street to do some shopping. This could have been done over two days, as there is a lot to see on Magazine Street and we only did a portion of it. Overall, I probably would have skipped the zoo and spent more time elsewhere, as it was no more exciting than any other zoo we’ve seen.

On our third day, we went to the aquarium, which I would prioritize over the zoo. The girls loved the Maya Tunnel. They even enjoyed seeing the insectarium which was surprising as they are not big fans of bugs. It was a really well laid out aquarium and could be done in 1-2 hours. That evening we went on a kid-friendly ghost tour. Honestly, this was a big letdown; the guide wasn’t very engaging and we ended up leaving early to go to dinner. 

Our last day we spent exploring the French Quarter and taking a stroll down Bourbon Street. This is easy to do with kids in the middle of the day on a weekday, but I would probably avoid it on the weekends. Because we had some time to kill before our flight, we took an impromptu carriage ride through the French Quarter, and it was honestly one of the highlights of the trip. The guide was great and took us past areas we had not yet explored, which were beautiful. 

I should also note we were in town during the blues festival, so one night we stopped by and listened to music. This was a fun thing to be there for because it was outside and free, so it didn’t require a big commitment with kids, and we could come and go as we pleased over the trip. Not something I would plan a trip around necessarily but really nice if you happen to be looking to go in October. 

Food:

I’m not going to go too much into the food, just a few highlights. 

We started with beignets at Café Du Monde, and this was a MUST. If you’re looking for a good breakfast, we really enjoyed Café Fleur De Lis, but we did have a small wait on a Monday morning. We had one upscale dinner at Maypop, which we all loved. We had more traditional New Orleans fare at Royal House Oyster Bar. All of the above were accommodating to kid’s requests. We also went to Bon’s on the way to the aquarium, which has more traditional New Orleans food. The seating is outside, which is nice on a beautiful day. The woman who took our order was definitely a character, and I would go back just to see her again, but she absolutely would not allow for any substitutions. We went to the bakery Sucre one day while roaming through the French Quarter, and the girls were in heaven. Almost every pastry is covered in edible glitter, which was so whimsical and fun. Plus, there are many locations to choose from.

Accommodations:

We stayed in the French Quarter at the Omni Royal Orleans. The rooms are spacious enough and it was centrally located for many of the things we did. It is in the French Quarter so the noise can go late into the night. It did not bother us, but something to note. We ate at the hotel restaurant for breakfast and no one had a good meal, so that is something to keep in mind. Plus it was exceptionally expensive (think 1 slice of avocado toast for $20).

A few odds and ends:

I am a VERY light-packer, which sometimes means I miss things. The Uber drivers in NOLA were very strict about car seats, and none of them provided any. I only brought a carry-on bag, so I would recommend something like this, this, or this, depending on the age of your child. The taxi drivers were more accommodating and they were cheaper. My kids are generally great walkers, so we did not use a stroller, and it would be hard to navigate one through the French Quarter if that is something you need.