Trip | A New Orleans weekend with friends | New Orleans, LA | 3 days
Day 1 – The French Quarter
Any time | Stay | Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA | Or wherever the group is staying
9:00 AM | Eat | Café du Monde, 800 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA | Beignets and café au lait; walk through the French Market next door afterward
10:00 AM | Do | Jackson Square, 700 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA | Street artists and musicians around the square, with St. Louis Cathedral facing it
12:30 PM | Eat | Napoleon House, 500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA | Known for its Pimm's Cup; order a warm muffuletta to share
2:30 PM | Do | The Historic New Orleans Collection, 520 Royal St, New Orleans, LA | Free, but get a ticket at the front desk; closed Mondays
7:30 PM | Eat | Arnaud's, 813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA | Classic Creole dinner, Monday to Saturday; book ahead
Maybe | Do | Preservation Hall, 726 St Peter St, New Orleans, LA | Traditional jazz nightly; buy tickets ahead
Maybe | Do | Carousel Bar, 214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA | The revolving bar inside the Hotel Monteleone, open since 1949
Day 2 – The streetcar, the Garden District and Frenchmen Street
10:15 AM | Travel | Canal St at Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA > St. Charles Streetcar, St Charles Ave at Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA | Ride route 12 uptown and get off at Washington Ave
11:00 AM | Eat | Commander's Palace, 1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA | Jazz brunch on weekends (from 11 AM Saturday, 10 AM Sunday); lunch Wednesday to Friday. Business attire
1:15 PM | Do | Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA | Start a walk past the Garden District mansions from here
3:00 PM | Do | Audubon Park, 6500 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA | Stay on the St. Charles streetcar to get here; a 1.8-mile path loops the park
7:00 PM | Eat | Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, 626 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA | Dinner downstairs, then the 9:30 PM set in the Music Room; buy show tickets ahead
Maybe | Do | Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, 1400 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA | Reopened in October 2026 for small guided tours run by Save Our Cemeteries; book a slot ahead
Maybe | Do | The Spotted Cat Music Club, 623 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA | Live jazz until late; 21 and up, one-drink minimum, no food
Day 3 – Brunch and City Park
9:00 AM | Eat | Brennan's, 417 Royal St, New Orleans, LA | Breakfast from 8 AM on weekends and 9 AM on weekdays; reserve well ahead
11:00 AM | Travel | Canal St, New Orleans, LA > Canal Streetcar (City Park), Esplanade Ave at Wisner Blvd, New Orleans, LA | Take the Canal–City Park line to the end; NOMA is a short walk
11:30 AM | Do | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins C Diboll Cir, New Orleans, LA | The Besthoff Sculpture Garden next door is free and open daily; the museum is closed Mondays
1:30 PM | Eat | Parkway Bakery & Tavern, 538 Hagan Ave, New Orleans, LA | Po-boys by Bayou St. John; closed Monday and Tuesday
3:30 PM | Travel | Parkway Bakery & Tavern > Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), 1 Terminal Dr, Kenner, LA | Drive west on I-10; allow extra time for traffic
Maybe | Do | Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tours, 55345 US-90, Slidell, LA | Swap for City Park; book the hotel-pickup option and a morning departure