HELLO HELLO! It has been a minute since I released a travel guide recap of one of my trips so we are BACK BABY. In August of this year, I traveled with my girl gang to New Orleans, Louisiana for my bestie since kindergarten’s bachelorette party! I was def skeptical about going to New Orleans (below sea level) in August, but we persevered and had truly the most amazing time. I’m gonna give ya a full rundown of the excessive itinerary myself & the maid of honor put together 🤪 First up on the NOLA docket was our crack of dawn flight connecting through Charlotte that had us landed in New Orleans around 10:30 am on Thursday. I love the earliest flights of the day because they are the ones that are least likely to get delayed. After all, there aren’t flights ahead of time that could bump it. Anywho, we landed and headed to our adjoined AirBnB duplex which was PERFECT since half of the Bach party was her wild friends (obvi me) and half was family that were looking for less of a crazy situation during nighttime LOL.
Flamingo A Go-Go
We settled in and grabbed some essentials for the house from the grocery store across the street (pro tip: if you don’t have a grocery store within walking distance or a car with you, instacart an order ahead of time and set the delivery time for your arrival so you will have paper towels, water, mixers, etc. when you arrive! My friend Meg was an icon for this in Miami). We ordered a few pizzas, unpacked, and got ready to party!
We sent the bride to her room to shower and freshen up while we decorated for the Mardi Gras themed Bach (all Mardi Gras Bach decor linked on my LTK.it). She loved everything & even added some of her own goodies like the recovery kits for each gal in attendance.
After having a few pre-drinks we headed to Flamingo A Go-Go for $3 drink specials & a bite. On Thursdays, Flamingo A Go-Go has $3 seltzers, wine, beer & frosé, so it was an easy choice to keep the buzz going. I ordered the jerk tacos with shrimp and they were the perfect bite to keep me fueled up. One downside here was there weren’t many vegetarian-friendly options. The big perk here was the cheap drinks! There is also a super cute mural outside for photo ops 😇 We finished at Flamingo A Go-Go and headed to our haunted tour!
Ghost City Tours
Ghost City Tours offers several different tours and experiences depending on the vibe of your group. They have family-friendly & adults-only options. Our group opted for The Killers and Thrillers Ghost Tour – tickets available here. I’m not gonna lie the squad was struggling because we underestimated the alcohol-to-water ratio on the first day in New Orleans LOL. This being said, if you are smart unlike us & are doing fine, check out the cafe next door to the meeting place, the Vampire Cafe. At the Vampire Cafe, you can purchase a FANGRIA blood pouch to bring along on the tour. Despite us not needing these we figured, “when in NOLA” and purchased a few to share among us.
Now for the tour. Our tour guide was an ICON. He was born & raised in NOLA so he knew SO much about all of the stories & legends, plus he had personal anecdotes to add. We heard stories from centuries ago as well as stories as recent as Hurricane Katrina. In my opinion, this tour was more chilling in thought than actually scary which was perfect because a tipsy girl doesn’t want or need a jump scare LOL. This tour was perfect if you’re someone who likes true crime! Important things to note is that the tour we chose was a walking tour & lasted 90 mins, so be sure you’re prepared if you choose to do this tour! Because of the time of the year, our tour began in daylight & by the end, the sun had set which made it the perfect transition into the nighttime.
When The Killers and Thrillers Ghost City Tour had come to an end, we were all pretty wiped out from waking up at 4 am for our flight, so we decided to call it a night. We headed back to our AirBnB to get some much-needed rest before our big day on Friday!
Flour Moon Bagels
One thing I LOVE about traveling is finding a fire little breakfast joint. Luckily Flour Moon Bagels was near our AirBnB so we planned to do a grab-and-go breakfast to start the slow morning on Friday! If you are staying in the French Quarter, this is about a 5-minute drive! These NYC-inspired bagels are made fresh daily & are rocking. Go for a classic bagel & cream cheese or get a little fancy with one of their sandwiches or tartines (open-face bagels). They also offer a BYO bagel with your choice of bagel, spread & toppings – check out Flour Moon’s full menu here. I adore a bagel shop set up like this, plus they had so many vegetarian-friendly options for our 2 veggie girls that were with us. My order was an everything bagel with jalapeño cream cheese, egg, radish & cucumber, INCRED. If you’re looking to kick start your morning, try one of their cocktails, CBD drinks, or THC drinks (the girls who get it, get it).
Hey Coffee Co.
As luck would have it, Hey Coffee Co. has a location right around the corner from Flour Moon Bagels. For our easy grab-and-go breakfast, we stopped at Hey Coffee Co. after getting our bagels & grabbed some iced coffees to beat the New Orleans heat. I ordered the iced vanilla oat milk latte, a 412Franimal classic, and it was amaze. Hey Coffee Co. roasts their own beans to create several different blends, so you know they know what’s up. This location of Hey Coffee Co. was so quaint with its records, mugs & greenery all over. They also have another location, but this one (2606 St. Louis St) was much closer to the French Quarter & Downtown areas. After getting our orders, we walked back to the AirBnB to devour our bagels & coffees so we could get going for the rest of the day!
Traveling On The Streetcar
Next up was to head to pole dancing class. If you know anything about me, physical activity is NOT my jam LOL. I as well as 3 other girls opted to skip the class & explore the French Quarter shops during the daytime! We all headed down towards Canal Place (where the pole dancing class was) via the streetcar. This was SUCH an affordable way to get around since we were right on the transit line for the streetcar & the passes were only $3 for a day pass. If you are considering riding the streetcar, be sure you have the exact amount of cash because no change is given. You can buy tickets right as you enter at your stop. This was also such a cute way to travel around because it really gave the Southern charm.
Cafe Beignet
When we arrived at Canal Place, the gals split up & the crew that was passing on pole dancing headed out. We popped around to different shops, but I knew the true destination for our journey was Cafe Beignet. I mean after all, what is New Orleans without beignets?? Cafe Beignet was absolutely ADORABLE & gave off the cutest little European vibe. Despite being such a famous stop, they really had the line situation figured out at their original location (334 Royal Street). We went in, ordered, were given a number, found a table & were called when it was ready. Did I just eat a bagel & have a latte literally 2 hours before? Did I still order a trio of beignets & an iced caffe au lait? The answer to both of these questions is yes. The iced caffe au lait was a recommendation from my friend, Kate, who had been to NOLA before & it was perfect for beating the heat on our journey through the rest of the shops in the French Quarter.
POTENTIALLY UNPOPULAR OPINION: I think Cafe Beignet is better than Cafe Du Monde… The beignets were just so fluffy & light at Cafe Beignet. If you are looking for something a little more substantial than just beignets, check out Cafe Beignet’s full menu at the Royal Street location here! Breakfast faves like a ham & cheese omelette and french toast can be found on this menu along with some southern specialties. Cajun hash browns, crawfish & grits, gumbo & jambalaya are some of those New Orleans specialties available.
French Quarter Shops
As we continued to peruse the antique & gift shops, we found cute trinkets & eclectic gifts. I had to snag a photo of the little “bridezilla” voodoo doll I saw to show the bride (even though she was the furthest thing from a bridezilla). I also found the cutest little instrument magnets and as a 9-year clarinet player, 2-year tenor sax player & lover of miniature things, it was VERY hard to resist buying them all LOL. We did find some cute handheld sequin fans that came in handy during the hot day for only $3!
Acme Oyster House
After the pole dancing class was completed, we all met back up & headed down to Bourbon Street on foot to bar hop! At this point, I definitely needed more than carbs & iced coffee so one of the girls & I headed to Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter, an absolutely New Orleans MUST. This place is no glamorous dining experience, but boy is it good. We walked in & grabbed 2 seats at the bar & were handed a menu.
I started with the bold choice of an oyster shooter i.e. freshly shucked oyster with cocktail sauce & vodka served shot style. For food, another friend Dana, who LOVES New Orleans recommended the chargrilled oysters. These are cooked oysters topped with herb butter sauce & a blend of cheeses. I ordered a half dozen which also came with a slice of bread to soak up all of the herb buttery goodness. Check out the full Acme Oyster House French Quarter menu here! This is a great quick stop for a bite!
Old Absinthe House
Established in the 1800s, the Old Absinthe House packs a ton of history. On the corner of Bourbon & Beinville, this New Orleans bar is a must-visit. Giving major dive bar vibes, Old Absinthe House has NFL helmets hanging from the ceiling along with business cards stapled all over the walls of this bar. Try one of their signature cocktails or order a good ol well drink like a vodka soda with a splash of lime juice. When we landed here, we didn’t leave for a while. The drinks are cheap & the company is great. You will meet all sorts of folks wandering into this bar off of Bourbon, day or night.
Around 4:30 pm, we decided our run at the Old Absinthe House should come to an end before we got too crazy. We were going to be headed right back to Bourbon to experience the nightlife after changing into our bachelorette attire! For Friday night out, we dressed in all black with feathered boas, beads, masks & purple sunglasses – a classic Mardi Gras vibe.
Carousel Bar @ Hotel Monteleone
After changing, we headed out to the first bar of the night, the famous Carousel Bar. If I’m being honest, this was COMPLETELY underwhelming. Located inside of the haunted Hotel Monteleone, the Carousel Bar was very small. It was nearly impossible to find any seat at the spinning carousel & it was just very meh. For a bachelorette or group larger than 4, I would say either go early or skip this one. There is table seating other than at the carousel, but it was just not the vibe for our crew.
Bourbon Street Drinkery
We had started the evening on a low note with the fail at the Carousel Bar, but things turned around QUICKLY when we arrived at Bourbon Street Drinkery! This bar was a frickin VIBE. Our bride, Dakota, absolutely loved this place. The music was AMAZING & perfect for dancing – think pop jams. The groom had Venmoed us for a round of shots so we headed to the top floor bar! You could see the view of Bourbon Street from the small balcony view, so after a few drinks here we headed out for bar hopping!
Bar Hopping On Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street was filled with SO many bars & we were HOPPIN. One cool thing about Bourbon Street that I didn’t know beforehand was that you are allowed to leave a bar with an alcoholic bev & GO INTO ANOTHER BAR WITH THAT SAME DRINK. This was KEY when trying to hit a bunch of bars without getting toooo drunk & also not spending an arm & a leg on drinks. Another bar that we loved was Beach On Bourbon (pictured). This outdoor patio bar was where we posted up & funny enough we even ran into another bachelorette party! Beach On Bourbon is home to awesome live music & a poppin’ courtyard with a color-changing fountain in the center LOL. This is a nice little escape off of the street tucked behind Voodoo Chicken & Daiquiris. The slushy drinks may look tempting, but best to avoid the sugar rush if you are in it for the long haul LOL.
We mainly drank High Noons & vodka sodas throughout the night as we jumped from bar to bar. Other spots we hit along the way were Prohibition, Tin Roof, Hideout Bar, and my absolute FAVORITE, Razzoo! Notable details about each bar: Prohibition had a super interactive band which was so fun being there for a bachelorette party, plus they are the home of the HUGE A** BEER; Hideout Bar had an outdoor patio with corn hole where my friend & I lost to a pair of guys (one of which didn’t even know the rules…yikes on us); Razzoo had rap & hip hop tunes you don’t hear at most bars. Razzoo was no doubt my favorite bar of the night because I LOVE going to a bar where I can hear Lil Wayne, Waka Flocka & other throwback rap faves. After staying out arguably TOO long, we walked to Canal Street to grab an Uber, realized I had to go to the bathroom, was told at every place I had to buy something to use the bathroom, bought a wine slushy (😭), went to the bathroom & caught our Uber home. If you thought that was the end of our night, you would be wrong. Of course, we needed some late-night food so we got Rally’s burgers & fries while watching Bridesmaids (appropriately) on Netflix LOL.
The Drifter Hotel & Pool
The next morning we went to The Drifter Hotel & Pool. This spot had a very specific vibe so def look it up beforehand to see if it is the spot for your crew. One thing we didn’t know before going was that it was a topless optional pool LOL. If that is your vibe absolutely go offfff, but we were not expecting this so just be prepared to see b00bies 🤣 The Drifter had a poolside bar with beer, cocktails, etc. available for purchase to enjoy by the small pool. Tickets were only $10/person so it was a super affordable way to relax in a pool with a drink for a couple hours.
Crescent City Brewhouse
Our pool day came to a close & we went back to the AirBnB to change & freshen up for Saturday night. For dinner, we wanted a spot that had seafood options, but also vegetarian options & classic American options for our crew. We ended up deciding on Crescent City Brewhouse in the French Quarter. Crescent City Brewhouse has a solid variety of beers brewed in-house from their pilsner to their American IPA. They have beer flights available for 4, 5, or 6 samples of beer so you can try a few if beer is yo thang. For appetizers, the bride & I ordered fried alligator & crabmeat hushpuppies to split. Both were SOO yummy. The fried alligator came with white remoulade, house pickle relish & a lemon wedge while the crabmeat hushpuppies were made with Louisiana blue crab & accompanied by a white remoulade. For our mains, the bride ordered the shrimp & crawfish pasta – tagliatelle, Louisiana shrimp & crawfish, white wine cream sauce, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese & creole seasonings, and I ordered the crabmeat stuffed shrimp – jumbo shrimp, crabmeat stuffing, roasted summer vegetables & tomato beurre blanc. They were both soooo yummy as I’m a big seafood gal. To see the full Crescent City food & drink menu, click here. Crescent City also accepts reservations which is great for large parties!
Cafe Du Monde
After we finished dinner at Crescent City Brewhouse, we walked down towards Jackson Square & stumbled upon Cafe Du Monde! The girls that took the pole dancing class hadn’t gotten the chance to eat beignets yet, so we stopped & got some. I also tried the frozen cafe au lait this time around rather than iced. Things were a little chaotic at this location (813 Decatur Street) in the evening so we just took them to go. As I mentioned before, I preferred the beignets at Cafe Beignet, but these were still tasty & worth a stop to compare for yourself!
Frenchmen Street
From Cafe Du Monde, it was about a 10-minute walk down to Frenchmen Street to The Maison. This bar is a New Orleans must for live music! Brass bands & DJs can be found performing at this popular Frenchmen Street bar. We enjoyed a couple of beverages here before heading out & continuing down Frenchmen.
We stumbled upon an outdoor bazaar lit up with twinkle lights overhead. Several vendors were selling stunning jewelry, paintings, cute little dinosaur glass statues & more! Two of the girls in our group even decided to get permanent bracelets at one of the pop-up shops. My favorite vendor pop-up was Ajoonii Eastern Craft Jewelry. The woman who owns this business has some of the most delicate & glamorous pieces of jewelry I have ever seen. You can find pieces for under $20 to high-end more intricate pieces over $400. Check out her website linked above! Following our little evening at the bazaar, some of the girls went out to some more bars while others, including myself, called it a night.
The next morning I woke up refreshed & ready to go. However, when I looked at my phone, it hit me as I started getting notifications on my phone that the New Orleans Saints had a home preseason game that day. Just for funsies, I looked at the Gametime app to see how much tickets were. The Saints vs. Chiefs game was only $12!!! WHAT WERE THE CHANCES. I was going to be able to go to the Superdome for TWELVE FREAKIN DOLLARS. The rest of the gals weren’t ready to commit, but me & my friend Kayla were all in. We purchased the tickets & were ready for GAMEDAY.
French Truck Coffee
We were heading to our brunch reservations at Birdy’s Behind The Bower on Magazine Street when I realized a coffee shop chain my friend recommended was a few blocks away. After getting dropped off early at Birdy’s, a few of us popped over to French Truck Coffee. I had one of the best iced coffees OF. MY. LIFE. Obviously, I had to go with an iced vanilla oatmilk latte & the crushed Chick-fil-A ice…CHEF’S KISS.
Birdy’s Behind The Bower
THIS BRUNCH WAS FIRE. Birdy’s Behind The Bower was PERFECTION for a bottomless brunch. We sat outside & enjoyed bottomless mimosas for $22/person. The one catch here was that they asked all people at the table to participate in the bottomless mimosas in order to get served them. If you choose to forgo bottomless mimosas, they have several delicious brunch cocktails, mocktails, specialty coffees & teas.
In traditional brunch fashion, Birdy’s has a limited food menu of items encompassing breakfast, lunch & a combo of the two for that true brunch feel. I chose the fried chicken biscuit – a juicy, crispy chicken thigh, chicken sausage, country gravy & sunny side egg. It was the PERFECT pairing with my mimosas. The bride got what would have been my second choice, the huevos rancheros – black beans, adobo chicken, pico, cilantro, avocado, crema & two scrambled eggs. To see Birdy’s full food & drink menu, click here! We finished up brunch to head to the SUPERDOME. Sadly, by the time the other gals were interested in buying tickets, the prices had increased to over $50/ticket.
New Orleans Saints Game @ The Caesars Superdome
A DREAM COME TRUE. I have been a football fan since the wee age of 9 as a little 4th grader. I have followed football closely over the years as my beloved Steelers are truly my heart & soul. This being said, I always knew of the Superdome in New Orleans as one of the iconic indoor stadiums in the NFL. Getting to go here & see the reigning Super Bowl Champs, the Chiefs, play the Saints was SO surreal. Even though it was preseason & the starters were only in for a few plays, it was still incredible to experience!!
Le Pavillon Hotel & Bar
When the game ended, we headed to Downtown New Orleans to check out the postgame bar scene & wait for Uber prices to go down. We passed by this STUNNING hotel, Le Pavillon & knew we would find a RICH espresso martini here. We were right indeed. The bar in the hotel lobby, Cachette 1907 Bar & Lounge, served up an incredible little tini with fancy vibes. Did we belong? Probably not LOL but we were paying customers looking for the best espresso martini so if the shoe fits!! Check out the Cachette 1907 Bar & Lounge menu here!
After finishing our espresso martinis we popped over to one other bar, Baroness on Baronne. This little restaurant/lounge had picture-perfect decor & drinks. I ordered the Poncho Villa, a cocktail with tequila, jalapeño, grapefruit juice, agave & bitters – basically a spicy Paloma…say less. Kayla ordered the Little Boy Blue, a cocktail with vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, blueberries, sage & lavender. We chatted with some other peeps who had just come from the game & then headed back to the AirBnB to chill for the rest of the night.
As you can tell, we did A TON of stuff while we spent our 4 days in New Orleans. We managed to hit haunted tours, football, Frenchmen Street, Bourbon Street, Downtown NOLA, the French Quarter, great food, tasty cocktails & lots of beignets. I hope if you head down to New Orleans you hit up some of these spots because we truly did do it all & had the best time doing it 😊
The 412 Franimal 