in New Orleans. You gotta go! Plus they will be expanding even more.
Not many of these guys left.
Girls got to hear this gentleman's story about arriving during D-Day and going all the way to Berlin in a Sherman tank.
Hopefully this helps if planning a trip sometime. This was a family vacation: wife, daughter and her best friend.
We had a really great time overall. At no time did we see anything dangerous. You see a few weirdos around the French Quarter but that is to be expected. We also did not spend much time there except for one brief walk in the late afternoon up and down Bourbon. Our ghost tour was also in the French Quarter but away from the crazy stuff. Plus there are so many other things interesting to see around the area.
I had not been to New Orleans since Katrina. Seems like I didn’t see very much of the bad element.
We went to Café de Monde at about 11:00PM after the ghost tour. No problems at all except the site of some homeless crazy folk near Jackson Square on the way. We paid a little more to park in a garage when in the French Quarter.
We did a vacation rental in the Garden District through VRBO and it was really nice. There are a bunch of vacation rentals in the area. Works great with family. We arranged for the guy who looks after the place, also a chef, to come and cook for us one night. That was a huge amount of fun and he got us involved as well.
National WWII Museum – originally started out as the D-day museum but now is growing into a WW2 museum with expansions. Definitely a must see for history buffs. Girls got to meet some vets as well including one that arrived during d-day and went all the way to Berlin as a tank commander. We arrived at 9 and left at 2 but could have done the day no problem. Be sure to get tickets in advance for the film and the USS Tang submarine experience so you don’t miss out.
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/about-the-museum/Mardi Gras World – very fun to go and learn about the holiday. It’s so much more than what you see on Bourbon Street and very much a family oriented affair. Interesting to see how the floats are made.
http://www.mardigrasworld.com/Cemetery tour – if you do this be sure to go with Save Our Cemeteries because your fees will go towards upkeep. We went to the Lafayette cemetery. Really very interesting.
http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/Plantation visits – also definitely worthwhile if you like history. We went to see the San Francisco and Oakley plantations. We would like to go back and see more.
http://www.plantationparade.com/Ghost and Vampire Tour – most of these are led by people going from a memorized story. For more of a theatrical experience go with
http://www.lordchaz.com/We had a great time and our daughter and friend had the most fun. Not for everyone though. You got to be able to laugh and have fun.
Audubon Aquarium – very good aquarium and you cannot really go wrong with any of the Audubon activities in New Orleans.
Creole Queen Riverboat – it was a fun tour but wish we had more time at the battlefield. The park ranger there gives a really good story that is certainly worth hearing about the battle in the war of 1812. Fun way to see the river and city.
http://www.creolequeen.com/Honey Island Swamp Tour – it’s a bit touristy but also fun, guides are entertaining. Good way to see some swamp particularly if taking young people.
http://www.honeyislandswamp.com/Alligator Farm – it was entertaining for us but the teens had a real blast. I think this would be very fun especially if you have kids or want to get up and close with gators. It’s somewhat oriented around kids.
http://www.insta-gatorranch.com/Barataria Preserve Nature Walk – better bring some good bug spray and be prepared to get sweaty in the summer. I would go again but not sure if the girls would like to return. You get to see some swamp up close and personal with a Park Ranger on an hour-long free guided tour. Beautiful place though.
http://www.nps.gov/jela/barataria-preserve.htmTipitina's Cajun Fais Do Do – on Sunday evening they have a live Cajun band and a lot of people dancing. The crowd is mostly older but very friendly. Locals will come grab you to get on the dance floor so don’t go if you don’t want to dance or at least learn. All ages are welcome on Sunday.
http://www.tipitinas.com/Tabasco – on the way back we went along the Cajun coast to Avery Island to visit the Tabasco plant and store. Interesting free tour and worth a stop. Wish we would have had more time in the area. There’s also some interesting gardens to visit.
http://www.tabasco.com/avery-island/visitor-information/We would have liked to visit Preservation Hall in New Orleans but did not have time.
http://www.preservationhall.com/Would have also liked to visit this place on the way back but did not have time either. This is also where they drilled in a lake and hit a salt mine by mistake creating a huge calamity in like 1980.
http://www.ripvanwinklegardens.com/Dinning: all of these were really good, be sure to check reservations and dress code where applicable.
Dragos
Harbor Seafood & Oyster Bar in Kenner – simple local place but be prepared to wait for delicious food, order from their fresh menu
Court of Two Sisters
Ruth’s Chris in Metairie
Commander’s Palace – world class 5 star dining experience
Pecks Seafood in Slidell
Prejeans near Lafayette – try the smoked duck and sausage gumbo
Stop at the Best Stop Supermarket in Scott, LA and pick up some fresh boudin and sausage to take home.
