Most of the time when I travel to a new city, I see what I need to see and then move on. Not New Orleans. I spent four days in NOLA in March to attend Wanderfest 2022 (Read: Key Takeaways from Wanderfest 2022) and even with plenty of time I built into my itinerary to do my own sightseeing surrounding the festival, I still left feeling like there was so much more I wanted to do there. Which is fine – I already have plans to go back for Wanderfest 2023!
Visiting NOLA Solo
Going into it I wasn’t sure how NOLA would be for a solo traveler. I always thought my first NOLA trip would be exploring the city with my family, or getting drunk on Bourbon Street with my best friend. But I’m glad I did it alone and it might even be my favorite city for solo travel that I’ve visited so far. Between attending Wanderfest and just talking to people in restaurants and bars, I met so many amazing people during my time there. I think it was the most social experience I’ve ever had traveling solo. Much needed after two years of being pent up during the pandemic.
With New Orleans being such a big nightlife city, it’s important to take care of yourself if you are going it alone and imbibing. I certainly had myself a good time while I was there, but made sure I was sticking to my limits, being aware of my surroundings, and only walking back on well-lit and well-populated streets. Stay hydrated and as with any big city just be smart and alert!
Where to Stay
I stayed in the HI Hostel on Canal Street while I was there. It was my first hostel experience and I wasn’t sure what to expect given that I’m a light sleeper and was staying in an 8-bunk all-female room. But as it turns out I ended up being the tipsy one coming back loud late at night (sorry to my roommates for the time I dropped a souvenir cup on the hardwood floor – yikes). When in NOLA. Aside from feeling terrible about disturbing my roommates, staying at the HI was great. It was an affordable place to crash and steps from Bourbon Street. The bunks all had privacy curtains and reading lights and were actually crazy comfortable. I had an assigned locker in the room with enough storage for my whole suitcase and everything I brought. I never had to wait for an available bathroom. And the lobby was a cool and welcoming place to chill in between sightseeing.
Top NOLA Experiences
Eats
The vast majority of my bucket list for NOLA involved eating, and eat I did. Cajun/creole is my favorite cuisine and I could not wait to eat all my favorites: red beans and rice, gumbo, jambalaya, and po boys. YUM. I also tried some new ones while I was there: a muffaletta and some boudin balls. Some of the best food to be found is at dive bars so don’t rule anything out! Food is such a vital part of any NOLA trip that I felt it warranted its own blog post (coming soon!).
Sweets
Yes, I know this still involves food, but we’ve gotta talk about beignets. These sugar-coated fried dough pastries deserve a mention of their own because they are themselves an essential NOLA experience. The more famous spot for beignets is Cafe Du Monde, where you can (and should) get an order of beignets paired with New Orleans chicory coffee. The other key place to go is Cafe Beignet. I tried both while I was there. No shame – I swear I walked them off! I found Cafe Beignet’s to be larger and doughier – I recommend splitting an order if you’re going with a buddy. I of course was alone and stuck one in my bag for a later-in-the-day snack. Again, no shame, but they don’t travel well! Cafe Du Monde’s are smaller and crispier and you’ll certainly want an order all to yourself. It’s hard to pick a favorite because they were both really tasty so try both if you have time!
My other favorite southern sweet is pecan pralines (pronounced prah-leens and you’ll get told that by any local if you call them pray-leens). Grab some from any of the confectioneries in town to take home!
Nightlife
The other essential part of a NOLA trip is nightlife. Touristy as it is, you simply cannot visit New Orleans without hitting Bourbon Street. I’ve been to plenty of cities with party streets (Beale Street in Memphis, Dirty Sixth in Austin, Broadway in Nashville). Nothing prepared me for the vibe of Bourbon Street – it was absolutely electric. The lights, the masks and beads, the drunks walking around with hand grenades, the street performers, the dueling music flowing out of each bar. What’s awesome is that you can grab a drink at any bar and wander with it, which I loved. One night I just followed my ears and went in whatever bar was playing fun music that I wanted to listen to.
That said, after two nights out on Bourbon Street, I had enough and was ready for something off-Bourbon, and there are plenty of chill bars throughout the French Quarter for a more relaxing atmosphere. For good music and a less touristy experience than Bourbon Street, I didn’t make it there on this trip but was told by many locals that Frenchmen Street is a good choice. Next time!
Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral
Aside from Bourbon Street, Jackson Square is one of the most iconic and photographed spots in New Orleans. This beautiful public square is overlooked by the majestic St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in the United States. You can visit the cathedral and it is just as gorgeous inside as it is out. Jackson Square is always lively, with musicians and street performers often in front of the cathedral, and artists set up throughout the pedestrian walkways surrounding the park. The square is also lined with plenty of retail, including the famous beignet spot Cafe du Monde.
Cemetery Tour
New Orleans is known for its “Cities of the Dead,” its unique and eerie cemeteries full of above-ground tombs. Probably the most famous is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where you can see the tombs of Nicholas Cage (yes, even though he’s not dead yet) and voodoo queen Marie Laveau (even though it’s believed that she’s not actually buried there). This cemetery can only be visited with a guided tour. As one of the excursions through Wanderfest, I instead did a tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 in the Bayou St. John neighborhood with NOLA Tour Guy who provided a great overview of the history, architecture, and symbolism of these intriguing above-ground tombs, and even walked us around the beautiful Bayou St. John neighborhood to show us some other historical points of interest.
Voodoo Tour
One of the most moving and memorable experiences for me in New Orleans was the voodoo walking tour excursion I did with Wanderfest. Admittedly I came to NOLA with the lack of knowledge that much of our country has about voodoo – the preconceived notion that it’s this dark practice full of hexes and dolls and sacrifices. Our tour guide Robi with Free Tours by Foot, who himself is a practicing high priest, did an amazing (and highly entertaining) job of explaining the real story of Vodou, a religion that originated in Africa and was brought to the United States via slavery. Much of the negative connotation around vodou came from the stronghold Catholicism had on the area – slave owners who encountered their slaves practicing vodou believed that it was something dark and satanic simply because it differed from Catholicism.
French Quarter
I spent a lot of my time in New Orleans just walking around the French Quarter taking in the beautiful architecture. There’s just something about these buildings with their wrought-iron balconies and draping flower boxes that’s so mesmerizing. Probably the most photographed corner is at the intersection of Rues Royale & St. Peter. I went early in the morning to get this iconic NOLA picture!
Garden District
Another must-visit part of the city for architecture is the Garden District, which is full of majestic southern mansions. If you’re a fan of American Horror Story, it’s where you’ll find the one that was used as the Coven House, Buckner Mansion. My other favorite, although I didn’t eat there, was the striking teal facade of Commander’s Palace.
Ride the Streetcar
Streetcars are an essential part of getting around New Orleans, and you can take the historic St. Charles Streetcar to get from Canal Street to the Garden District. It’s the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world and a fun and quaint way to see the city. St. Charles is a major parade route for Mardi Gras, and when I was in New Orleans it was a week after the festivities so it was amusing to ride the streetcar and see all of the Mardi Gras beads being removed from trees along the way.
City Park
City Park was something that I didn’t really know about and it wasn’t on my to-do list prior to visiting New Orleans, but I found it and loved it. After the cemetery tour in Bayou St. John, our guide noted that City Park was nearby, and I had some time to kill so I decided to check it out. I did the walking trail around Bayou Metairie and loved seeing the swampy foliage. On the south side of the Bayou is a historic grove of breathtaking oaks draped with Spanish moss.
Exploring New Orleans was so much fun and I’m already planning out what I want to do next time. Frenchmen Street, here I come!
C to Shining C 
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