New Orleans Itinerary

So my boyfriend and I are coming to New Orleans in a few weeks and I%26#39;ve been reading a lot on these forums about things to do and places to eat. So far I%26#39;ve come up with this list of ideas. I%26#39;d love some input and if there is anything I should add or take away let me know.

We will be in town for 4 days.

To do:

-Cajun Encounters/ Honey Island Swamp Tour

-Celebration Tours/ City-Katrina Recovery Tour

-Audubon Zoo

-Shopping on Magazine St.

-Jackson Square

-Frenchmen St. for Music

To eat:

Lunch:

-Central Grocery Co. -Muffuletas

-Coop%26#39;s

-Domilise%26#39;s - Po Boys

-Il Posto Cafe?

Dinner:

-Arnaud%26#39;s Restaurant

-Mr. B%26#39;s Bistro

-Irene%26#39;s

-Jacques-Imo%26#39;s Cafe

-Dick %26amp; Jenny%26#39;s

Bars to check out:

-Spotted Cat

-Cooter Brown%26#39;s

-Pat O%26#39; Brien%26#39;s

-Lafitte%26#39;s Blacksmith Shoppe

-Funky Pirate

-Napoleon House Bar

-Preservation Hall

New Orleans Itinerary

The itinerary looks good. I%26#39;d just make sure to check what is open and when, since some restaurants are closed certain days of the week. Personally, I would replace Arnaud%26#39;s with Commander%26#39;s Palace.

Also, I%26#39;m curious if you have any particular reasons to visit Il Posto Cafe?

One note about Preservation Hall - arrive a minimum 30 minutes ahead of time b/c the place is small, and you%26#39;ll be relegated to standing.

New Orleans Itinerary

Just a few things to point out -

My preference would be Honey Island Swamp Tour instead of Cajun Encounters. - Like their tour a lot.

My favorite place for dinner is Palace Cafe, I enjoy the complete atmosphere and menu more than Mr. B%26#39;s, not that B%26#39;s is not great! I also agree that I would prefer Commander%26#39;s over Arnaud%26#39;s. And as a side note, you could hit Commander%26#39;s for one of their lunches and save a few bucks.

In general, there are few bad places in New Orleans to eat...if they are not excellent, they will be closed just as fast as they opened! Note: if they are not busy during eating hours, bypass them!

I do not consider Preservation Hall a bar. It is a music showcase and a must see if you love jazz. The other poster is correct regarding lines.

I really liked Cajun Encounters. Our guide was a real Cajun who grew up in Pearl River. Don%26#39;t miss Commander%26#39;s.

If you end up doing Commander%26#39;s Palace for lunch (and you should), get a 11:45 am reservation in the Garden Room. If you go on a Mon, Wed, or Fri, then you can do the Lafayette Cemetery tour...literally right across the street. The cost is $6 per and is run by Save Our Cemeteries. They start at 10:30 am on those days and run about an hour long.

Also, print out a walking tour of the Garden District that you can get online. We walked around the neighborhood on our own after lunch %26amp; then sauntered over to Magazine St for a bit with a beer stop at The Bulldog.

Acme Oyster is also a great food place..sit at the bar and watch workers shuck the oysters at the bar. I%26#39;m not a fish guy, but I had a great roast beef po-boy.

Make sure you do Cafe du Monde for the beignets and cafe au lait. It%26#39;s a must do.

We did Lafitte%26#39;s 4 times...it%26#39;s fun both during the day and at night.

The dba across from the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen is also pretty cool.

Have fun!

Be sure to take the St Charles streetcar when you go to Cooter Brown%26#39;s or Jacques-Imos.

And be sure to give yourself time just to explore around Royal %26amp; Chartes Streets as well. A lot of nice stores to just pop in and out of, especially on Royal, even if you don%26#39;t buy anything.

Don%26#39;t be surprised if you don%26#39;t get to do everything on your list unless you plan on sleeping for just a few hours. The swamp tours take at least half your day. I also don%26#39;t see an activity for exploring the Garden District which you can combine with shopping on Magazine Street -- both these activities will take at least half your day. Shops on Magazine Street are stretched over a mile (I think, could be longer). Enjoy your trip!

I would suggest d.b.a. It%26#39;s right across the street from spotted cat and neither usually charges a cover, so no problem. Also you might want to walk down to the Hi Ho Lounge on St. Claude, that%26#39;s about 5 blocks away from those 2.

As for eating, I would suggest Tommy%26#39;s Cuisine on 700 block of Tchoupitoulas and, in the name of all that is holy, get a barbecued shrimp po-boy at Luizza%26#39;s at the Track, near City Park.

have a great time!

Ok, 1 more thing. If you have a rental car I would get to Houma and go on Annie Miller%26#39;s Sons for a swamp tour. It%26#39;s a bit of a drive, but very pretty and you can double up with a plantation tour. Also go to Chauvin sculpture gardens near there, in Chauvin, LA. It%26#39;s amazing