My two best friends and I recently returned from a long weekend in The Big Easy and what an absolute TIME we had! From the delicious food, to the jazzy atmosphere and the spooky history, I can confidently say that New Orleans is the most wonderfully unique place I have ever travelled to. Because there is so much to see and do, I wanted to lay out an easy to follow 3-day itinerary so that you can experience this wonderful city the same way!

Day 1

Stay at the Moxy Hotel: The Moxy’s location is perfect because it is removed from the craziness of the French Quarter, but you are only about a 5-10 minute walk away! The Moxy is quiet, updated and a great base for your New Orleans adventures.
Walk down Bourbon Street: While you may not want to spend all of your time on Bourbon Street, it’s fun to walk down it at least once during your trip. Staying at the Moxy, we had to walk up and down Bourbon Street quite a few times to get to and from different areas in the French Quarter, and it was always entertaining.
Grab a Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s: This fun bar located on Bourbon Street is home of the original hurricane drink! Be sure to stop in and sip on a hurricane in their beautiful courtyard. Just a heads up - the drinks are delicious but strong!
Visit Jackson Square: This is the epicenter of the French Quarter. The beautiful St. Louis Cathedral makes the perfect photo op, and there are so many fun shops, restaurants and street vendors surrounding this area as well. It definitely can’t be missed!
Eat beignets at Cafe du Monde: Cafe du Monde is THE beignet place in New Orleans. For only about $6, you can get a coffee and 3 pack of beignets. These piping hot fried dough pastries are topped with a heaping pile of powdered sugar and they just absolutely melt in your mouth. Cafe du Monde is a must on your trip! (Something to note - they are a cash only establishment!)
Shop in Voodoo Authentica: New Orleans culture is still heavily influenced by the practice of voodoo to this day. There are several shops around the city where you can receive psychic readings, purchase voodoo dolls, potions, spell books, etc. However, we thought Voodoo Authentica seemed the most authentic. Even though I was admittedly a bit freaked out by how authentic it was, I would definitely recommend stopping in and looking around for a bit.
Get a Blood Bag at Vampire Cafe: Although we had originally planned to eat dinner here, we were unfortunately not able to get a table in time. The food did look delicious though, and we got one of their signature “Blood Bags” to go, which was yummy! You can choose between two flavors - red sangria or spiked pomegranate lemonade.
Grab a quick bite at Clover Grill: We decided to grab dinner at Clover Grill, a tiny retro styled diner which is open 24/7! We left feeling satisfied after splitting a few sandwiches and fries. If you are in need of a quick bite of food, this is your place!
Get a Purple Drank at Laffitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lafitte’s, which was owned by French pirate Jean Lafitte, is known as the oldest bar in the United States! Lafitte’s serves up their signature “Purple Drank” which tastes like a deliciously strong grape slushy. The bar itself does still have some of it’s older, authentic touches including a brick fireplace, and various photos and paintings which serve as a reminder of its significance in 1700s New Orleans. This was my favorite bar we visited during our trip - I would highly, highly recommend stopping in and checking it out!
Get spooked on a True Crime Tour: My friends and I love everything spooky and true crime related. With New Orleans being such an old city with a rich (sometimes dark) history, we knew the best way to learn about it would be through a tour. We booked this amazing Airbnb tour and absolutely loved it! Riley, our tour guide, was an excellent storyteller and took us to about 5 spots around the city where she told us some of the craziest and most gruesome stories we’d ever heard. If you are interested in true crime, I would highly recommend taking a tour with her!

Day 2

Do Jazz Brunch and check out the Seance room at Muriel’s: Every Sunday, Muriel’s hosts an amazing Jazz Brunch that cannot be missed! We enjoyed being serenaded by the jazz trio while indulging in delicious food! I would recommend trying the Shrimp & Grits and the Croque Monsieur - they were both incredible! Before you leave, be sure to wander upstairs to the Seance Room, which is supposedly haunted by the former owner of Muriel’s when it was a private residence. Legend says that he wagered his beloved home in a game of poker one night and lost. Instead of handing over the deed, he committed suicide in what is now the Seance Room at Muriel’s. Be sure to ask your waiter or waitress for the informational handout so that you can learn about the long history of Muriel’s!
Shop at the French Market: This large market is a fun place to peruse for everything from hats and bags to jewelry and other souvenirs. There is also live music and an area with food stalls if you need a quick bite to eat!
Grab a drink at the Carousel Bar: This beautiful bar located inside of the Hotel Monteleone is the perfect spot to take a break and sip on a yummy cocktail! The carousel itself actually rotates, which makes it a popular destination in the city. Because of this, it can be difficult to find a spot at the actual rotating bar, however, there is plenty of open seating surrounding the carousel! I would recommend their deliciously refreshing Pimm’s Cup or Fleur-de-lis!
Take a Streetcar uptown to the Garden District: The New Orleans streetcars are an affordable and easy way to get from one end of town to another if you don’t want to take an Uber. While most things are within walking distance, we thought it would be fun to take a streetcar up to the Garden District! It was only $1.25 (you need exact change) and took about 25 minutes from the French Quarter. Be sure to spend some time wandering around the Garden District and looking at the beautiful houses! If you are an American Horror Story fan, the Coven house (Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies) is located right in the heart of the Garden District as well!
Get dressed up for dinner at Commander’s Palace: This restaurant was recommended to us by several people, so we decided to have dinner here one night! The service and atmosphere were nice, and although the food wasn’t our favorite in comparison to the other places we’d tried, I would definitely recommend getting their Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake, which was to die for!
Listen to live music on Frenchman Street: This lively area boasts some of the best live music bars in all of New Orleans, and even has a wonderful weekly night-time art market, where we ended up purchasing a few fun souvenirs!
End the night at NOLA Poboys: We ordered the classic shrimp poboy and it was hands down the best poboy any of us had ever eaten! Located right on Bourbon Street, it’s the perfect spot to satisfy your hunger cravings after a night out.

Day 3

Start your day off right at The Antidote Juice: After two days of drinking sugary drinks and eating rich, fried food, we were all in need of something on the lighter, healthier side. This juice shop/cafe was the perfect place for a yummy, nourishing breakfast! I got the avocado toast and the sapphire skies smoothie, and they were both incredibly tasty. After stopping here for a quick breakfast, we felt refueled and ready to take on our final day in New Orleans!
Take a tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1: This is a must when you’re in New Orleans. The tour costs $25 and lasts roughly 45 minutes, where you are taken through the most famous cemetery in the city and told interesting facts and stories along the way. Seeing Marie Laveau’s tomb was the highlight!
Shop on Magazine Street: The dozens of shops and restaurants lining Magazine Street make for the perfect area to wander around and spend an afternoon! Be sure to check out one of the cute boutiques like Shake Your Bon Bon or Fleurty Girl for some fun and unique Mardi Gras attire!
Grab lunch at Joey K’s: We had some of the best southern food of our trip at Joey K’s! We ordered some New Orleans staples like gumbo, red beans and rice, and complimented each of our dishes with a giant piece of warm cornbread. It was the perfect meal to end our trip!

(I just realized I hardly took any photos during our last day!)

Travel Tips:

Bring some cash along with you! While most places accept credit card, there are a few exceptions (streetcars, Cafe du Monde) that you will need cash for. You also may want to tip your tour guides, or even some of the live musicians around the French Quarter!
Do not, I repeat DO NOT wear heels anywhere in New Orleans. Due to a combination of climate, traffic, lack of funding, etc. the roads and sidewalks are uneven and riddled with potholes. Be sure to wear very comfortable shoes not only for this reason, but because you will be walking a lot during your time there!