New Orleans is a fantastic city. It’s well-known for Mardi Gras, its 24-hour party on Bourbon Street, but New Orleans is much more than just booze. Although it’s affectionately called the Big Easy or Crescent City, NOLA or N’Awlins, and many other names, one thing is specific: New Orleans has a vibrant music scene, strong ties with Voodoo, the supernatural, as well as rich culture. You’ll find a traditional and modern city beyond the French Quarter bars. You’ll be back for more and more of New Orleans’ unique attractions. We do, I know! ).
Top Things to Do in New Orleans
There are many other great neighborhoods in New Orleans that you can explore. This guide has been broken down by area to make it easy for you to explore every NOLA attraction, from Frenchmen Street through the Garden District.
It’s easy to travel around New Orleans. We took the streetcar to Magazine Street and the Garden District. You can also walk around the French Quarter and Central Business District. New Orleans was also home to many Ubers.
The French Quarter – Vieux Carre
It would help if you visited the French Quarter when visiting NOLA. It’s the heartbeat and party center of NOLA. There are talented street performers who play Dixieland Jazz until the early hours of the morning. This is also where New Orleans earned its nickname, “The Big Easy.”
The French Quarter is laid back, with bars, museums, and music clubs interspersed between the bars. We watched in amazement as revelers paraded down the streets, their drinks in hand. It seems like time has stopped in the French Quarter. The French Quarter is home to some of New Orleans’ most iconic landmarks. You’ll find that you will spend quite a bit of time there. Let’s see why.
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street is the main street of the French Quarter, Crescent City. No trip to New Orleans is complete without a walk down this famous thoroughfare. It’s noisy, bustling, and the best place to party. It is the center of Mardi Gras bead throwing because it has balconies along its length.
There are bars on every block. You can stop by for a signature cocktail or take your drink with you. Bourbon Street is home to many New Orleans attractions, from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue. There are many things to do in the French Quarter, and Bourbon Street is not only home to bars and beer. Let’s take an in-depth look.
Voodoo and Vampires
Vampires, Voodoo lounges, and ghost stories haunt the streets. It’s not surprising that New Orleans is home to the supernatural. It’s, after all, The City of the Dead. Are you a believer in vampires? They exist in New Orleans, and even the Vatican has visited the city to stop them from coming. Many buildings, churches, and hotels are haunted. There are also many ghost stories and voodoo myths.
The guided tour of New Orleans’ French Quarter offers a fascinating way to discover New Orleans’ history and voodoo heritage. Your guide will take you through Jackson Square and Congo Square. You’ll learn more about St. Louis Cathedral, Presbytere, and the Cabildo there. Finally, stop at Marie Laveau’s former home as Voodoo Priestess Marie.
Cemeteries
New Orleans’ high water table made it difficult for early settlers to keep corpses at bay. They filled coffins with rocks and water to keep their loved ones buried and dead. However, you can’t keep good people down!
New Orleans’ cemeteries remind us of Paris’s famous cemeteries like Pere Lachaise. It is no surprise that NOLA was settled in France. New Orleans is connected to France via a French Canadian connection. Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, a Montreal native from Dieppe in France, founded the French Quarter. France’s culture is strong today. New Orleans today buries its residents in cemeteries that, indeed, are works of art.
St. Louis Cemetery Number 1 is one of the most famous cemeteries in the city. Marie Laveau, a renowned voodoo practitioner, is buried here. This Cemetery has been subject to a lot of vandalism, and you cannot go in without taking a tour. It is worth visiting the Cemetery for Marie Laveau’s grave, but other things are worth your time.
You can also see family tombs and wall vaults. Nicolas Cage’s pyramid tomb is also on display. It is well worth visiting the St. Louis Cemetery. It is still a functioning cemetery, so please be respectful to the families who visit their loved ones.
Marie Laveau, a high priestess, was born in New Orleans as a free woman of color. This Cemetery was her final resting spot. She was a healer and herbalist and was revered long after her death. Her grave is now a popular attraction, similar to Jim Morrison’s and Oscar Wilde’s tombs in Pere la Chaise.
Her grave was once covered with graffiti and black crosses. People used to perform rituals at her grave to get their wishes granted. According to our instructions, you can place your hand on her grave today and ask for a blessing. If it is true, Marie Laveau will pay it forward. I made a wish on her tomb, and it came true!
This Cemetery Tour takes you off the beaten track to visit other cemeteries, starting at Greenwood Cemetery. Learn about New Orleans’s history and visit the memorial for Hurricane Katrina victims. Also, you’ll see other cemeteries that contain some of the most beautiful tombs, Civil War monuments, and Chinese society tombs. There’s also a memorial to unknown Civil War soldiers.
- This St. You are not permitted to go alone to the Louise Cemetery unless there is vandalism.
House Of Voodoo
After visiting Mari Laveau’s Tomb in the Cemetery, add Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo to your list. New Orleans is home to many voodoo shops. Legend has it that the voodoo queen was a legend, and her ghost is still seen in New Orleans.
Here you can get your fortune told. New Orleans is the best place to do this. You can feel a connection with the spirit world from New Orleans. New Orleans sure has plenty of the mystical.
Voodoo Museum
You can continue the odd and bizarre at the Voodoo Museum, which tells the story of how Voodoo got to New Orleans. The New Orleans Voodoo Museum is a museum that teaches you about herbs and plants. It was home to many enslaved Africans. They kept their African culture alive and continued to practice Voodoo. It is impossible to visit New Orleans without learning about Voodoo’s dark slavery trading history.
The Voodoo Museum is a worthwhile stop. The museum is small and only $5, but it packs a punch. You can find articles and photos about voodoo practitioners and priests and photographs of alters. However, you can leave an offering, ancient relics from Voodoo dolls, and magical masks.
Haunted Tours of New Orleans
A haunted New Orleans tour is a great way to learn about Voodoo. New Orleans is one of the most haunted places in America. There are many stories to tell on a haunted walking tour, including the dark past, Voodoo, and murder. We have broken down the Most Haunted Location in New Orleans.
