New Orleans

[sk!mom]

I used miles to book flights for the week between Xmas and the New Year. As it gets close, if the weather looks completely terrible, we’ll cancel.

It’s been years so currently, optimistically looking for recommendations.

Where to stay? We love live music and are probably a bit old for the shenanigans of Bourbon Street. Frenchman's might be more our speed. Friends have recommended the Omni Orleans. Is that walkable to restaurants and bars with live music? Other recommendations?

We love to stay in a walkable location to good food, live music, etc…

Hit me with your best tips please.

 

[Buzz Rules]

@LSUmiss @JLTraveling will know best. They are locals.

 

[leebee]

We like the location of the French Market Inn. Close enough to walk to whatever/wherever you want, but off to the side enough to not be noisy/crazy. Their prices are usually pretty good, too.

 

[gmi3804]

Look for a spot in the Central Business District or the Warehouse District (as close to Poydras as possible). That's the ideal spot, I think, to walk to the French Quarter and be close to the Garden District too.

That's a good time of year to go. It might get a bit chilly (50s), but that sure beats 100 degrees and humid. We always avoid New Orleans between mid-May and mid-September.

 

[NotUrsula]

Warning on the weather (I'm a native): my DH often likes to say that the coldest he has ever been was a 34F day in New Orleans, and he's from Missouri, where subfreezing temps are not uncommon.

The problem is the dampness of the air; it seriously intensifies the wind chill. It may be a lovely 70 degrees outside (often is during the holidays), but if you get an overcast cold snap, it's going to feel much colder than it actually is, so don't skip bringing some warmer clothing, and especially a pair of gloves. I usually tell people visiting South Louisiana in winter to pack a pair of lightweight long underwear, gloves, a fleece and a hat, just in case you need to layer up on a cold day.

As to where to go, I always like to recommend the Rock n' Bowl; it's a truly unique experience.

Something else that I find fun is to take the paddleboat cruise up to Audubon Park on a weekday; you get a really good water-side look at the operations of the Port of New Orleans on the way, and IMO that's actually pretty interesting; it's one of two Louisiana ports on the lower Mississippi River that collectively move more cargo than anywhere else in the world. The wharf is 2 miles long and can load & service about 15 large oceangoing vessels simultaneously, including cruise ships.) You can take the St. Charles Streetcar back from Uptown if it's still relatively early.

There are a lot of special events and hotel specials that time of year (though prices skyrocket starting NYE); this website explains all that: https://holiday.neworleans.com/

 

[HopperFan]

Look for a spot in the Central Business District or the Warehouse District (as close to Poydras as possible). That's the ideal spot, I think, to walk to the French Quarter and be close to the Garden District too.

That's a good time of year to go. It might get a bit chilly (50s), but that sure beats 100 degrees and humid. We always avoid New Orleans between mid-May and mid-September.

Another vote for Warehouse District, have stayed there a couple times and have stayed in FQ a couple times.

I also used this site for information and they booked some tickets for us. https://www.neworleans.com/

ADDED: We have been 4-5 times over the week of New Years and have gone for Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday week.

 

[Dan Murphy]

my DH often likes to say that the coldest he has ever been was a 34F day in New Orleans, and he's from Missouri, where subfreezing temps are not uncommon.

The problem is the dampness of the air; it seriously intensifies the wind chill. It may be a lovely 70 degrees outside (often is during the holidays), but if you get an overcast cold snap, it's going to feel much colder than it actually is, so don't skip bringing some warmer clothing, and especially a pair of gloves. I usually tell people visiting South Louisiana in winter to pack a pair of lightweight long underwear, gloves, a fleece and a hat, just in case you need to layer up on a cold day.

That's like WDW in Dec/Jan. Here in Chicago we usually get a few sub zero days each year and deal with it. But low 40's at nighttime in WDW can be bone chilling.

 

[gmi3804]

Do check out Free Tours by Foot - New Orleans Walking Tours. They’re the best thing you’ll do. Besides eating.

I disagree with dampness at that time of year. It’s actually quite dry then. We’ve gone a few times, both for Thanksgiving and Christmastime, and dew points are in the 50s.

 

[AppleDumpling]

We stayed at the Hotel St. Marie and enjoyed it. One block off Bourbon St., but surprisingly quiet. We had a room with a small balcony over the courtyard and pool and it was so peaceful. We’re not hard partying people, not young (60+ now, went a few years ago) but did enjoy the nightlife of Bourbon Street in moderation, and the proximity to many restaurants, Jackson Square and the streetcar.

We like the location of the French Market Inn. Close enough to walk to whatever/wherever you want, but off to the side enough to not be noisy/crazy. Their prices are usually pretty good, too.

This is a good alternative if you prefer the location. Hotel St. Marie, French Market Inn, Place D’Armes, and a few others are all owned by the Valentino Group of hotels, smaller boutique-style properties with reasonable rates.

Beyond the French Quarter, I would recommend exploring the Garden District, a cemetery tour (some are self-guided) and the World War II museum.

 

[Southernmiss]

That week, it could be cold, or you could wear shorts. Just watch the weather.

Dh and I stayed 1 night at the Hotel Provencial last year. 1 block from the St. Louis Cathedral and Cafe DuMonde (get beignets). Highly recommend the hotel. It is next door to the Old Ursuline Convent. Easy walk everywhere in the French Quarter.

We toured the convent, limited times of tours, check their website. Great tour with lots of stories and history of the city told.

Take a nice walk down the Riverwalk. Ride a paddle wheel down the Mississippi River
Walk back through the city streets, stopping at any shops that interest you. Take a haunted history carriage ride.

Walk through St. Louis Cathedral.

Go to the Aquarium, Audubon Zoo, Insectarium, Mardi Gras Museum.

Down a side street is a French Pastry shop Croissant d'Or Patisserie- crowded with locals on Saturday morning.

 

[sk!mom]

We toured the convent, limited times of tours, check their website. Great tour with lots of stories and history of the city told.

Take a nice walk down the Riverwalk. Ride a paddle wheel down the Mississippi River
Walk back through the city streets, stopping at any shops that interest you. Take a haunted history carriage ride.

Walk That week, it could be cold, or you could wear shorts. Just watch the weather.

Dh and I stayed 1 night at the Hotel Provencial last year. 1 block from the St. Louis Cathedral and Cafe DuMonde (get beignets). Highly recommend the hotel. It is next door to the Old Ursuline Convent. Easy walk everywhere in the French Quarter.

We toured the convent, limited times of tours, check their website. Great tour with lots of stories and history of the city told.

Take a nice walk down the Riverwalk. Ride a paddle wheel down the Mississippi River
Walk back through the city streets, stopping at any shops that interest you. Take a haunted history carriage ride.

Walk through St. Louis Cathedral.

Go to the Aquarium, Audubon Zoo, Insectarium, Mardi Gras Museum.

Down a side street is a French Pastry shop Croissant d'Or Patisserie- crowded with locals on Saturday morning.

Texans here so we totally get that forecast.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Any thoughts on New Orleans in the summer?

 

[Southernmiss]

Any thoughts on New Orleans in the sunmer

Weather- muggy/humid hot all day, nights only get into the 80s and still muggy/humid.

Good chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Weather- muggy/humid hot all day, nights only get into the 80s and still muggy/humid.

Good chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Thanks for the information.
DH & I are always looking for new places to visit and we both have lots of time off in the summer. We recently got back from WDW and loved it! Of course, as you all know there are ways to enjoy WDW in the hot summer. We are fine on that type of hot weather vacation, but don’t want to be somewhere hot and miserable. We will put New Orleans on our list of places to see NOT in the summer.

 

[slo]

I have absolutely nothing to contribute, but just wanted to wish you happy planning and a fun trip. New Orleans is on my bucket list of places I’d love to visit one day,

 

[sk!mom]

Any thoughts on New Orleans in the summer?

Way too hot and humid for me but so is Orlando. If you enjoyed it, then you might be fine in New Orleans.

As I’ve gotten older, I hate the heat and try to only plan summer travel to cooler places these days.

 

[NotUrsula]

I disagree with dampness at that time of year. It’s actually quite dry then. We’ve gone a few times, both for Thanksgiving and Christmastime, and dew points are in the 50s.

When the day is sunny, yes, but if it's overcast and foggy, as it is about 30% of the time at that time of year, it's damp as all get-out. It is generally the nicest time of year, weather-wise, but don't let that fool you into packing nothing but shorts; there are still some pretty chilly cold snaps. (FTR, the coldest time of year in South Louisiana is usually February.)

Summer, now that's humid, so much so that in Orleans/Jefferson Parishes, it is extremely likely to rain at around 3pm every day. Often that will be a brief but violent thunderstorm, so I recommend that if you're touring around the older parts of the city in summer, wear shoes that can get wet, because the drainage system is often briefly overwhelmed by the afternoon storms. You can find that what was a dry sidewalk 20 minutes ago is now under 6 inches of water, but will drain dry again in an hour or so.

 

[Frantasmic]

We went in May for a graduation trip for the family. It was warm, but not too hot then. We stayed at the Canopy Hilton near the Superdome. I liked this area because we were 1 block walk from trolley stops to either go down Canal or over to the other areas of the city. $15 bought a week pass on the New Orleans transportation system (trolley, bus, etc). It was very easy to get around and that was an economical means to get just about everywhere in New Orleans. It was a fun visit for us.

 

[Gary M]

I have been to NOLA probably 40 times over the last 50+ years. I have stayed in several hotels and have found the Omni Royal Orleans to be my favorite. It's on the corner of Royal and St. Louis Streets which is very much in the heart of the French Quarter. The roof has a pool and area where you have a great view of the FQ. The hotel is clean and very nice. I have stayed in most of the hotels mentioned in this thread and they were fine.

The Omni hotel is very much within walking distance of many great restaurants and sites. A couple of activities you might look into would be a paddle wheel boat trip, The New Orleans School Of Cooking, brunch at the Court Of Two Sisters, a carriage ride, Cafe du Monde, Pat O'Briens, street car ride on St. Charles St. (Garden District) if you want to have a fancy dinner you could try Commanders Palace (Taxi Ride).

I have been to NOLA in the summer(conventions) and it was brutal. The heat and humidity was almost unbearable. We are an older couple and Bourbon St. was OK several years ago but not currently. Have a great time. We will be at the Omni in December. I would highly recommend staying in the French Quarter. If you are older they have a seniors discount for the street car if you buy a pass.

 

[Gary M]

Double post