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    Home » Travel » Classy New Orleans Travel Guide + Things to Do

    Published: Mar 3, 2021 · Updated: Mar 18, 2021 · Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may also earn from other companies mentioned.

    Classy New Orleans Travel Guide + Things to Do

    New Orleans Travel Guide

    This New Orleans travel guide is for those who want more high-end, adult things to do in this colorful city. My husband studied at Tulane University from 2000-2004 and, while he will tell you his college experience was decidedly casual. However, as thirtysomething adults, we visited NOLA with the goal of having a “classy” long weekend, filled with low-key relaxation and “nice” dinners. The result is this post, but I still snuck in a few of his old favorites.

    New Orleans Travel Guide

    First, I list my favorite fiction books set in New Orleans, so you can get in the mood for your travel. Then, I discuss things to do, what to eat, where to eat it and where to stay. By the end, you will be radiating Southern charm. (*wink*)

    Fiction Books Set in NOLA

    A Streetcar Named Desire
    A Streetcar Named Desire portrait in the French Quarter

    This is a blog “where books meet lifestyle.” I just love to pair travel with books set in the same location and, as such an artsy and cultural melting pot, New Orleans provides some of the best options, from Classics to diverse reads:

    • The Awakening
    • A Confederacy of Dunces
    • A Lesson Before Dying
    • All This Could Be Yours
    • Interview with the Vampire
    • November Road
    • Salvage the Bones
    • A Streetcar Named Desire
    • The Vanishing Half (my top pick)
    Learn More About These NOLA Books

    Things to Do in New Orleans

    French Market in New Orleans
    Jackson Square in NOLA
    houses in New Orleans

    There’s no shortage of things to do in New Orleans. Besides eating and drinking, below are a few options we like for some low key adult relaxation:

    • Browse the French Quarter (pictured above)
    • Visit St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square (pictured above)
    • Listen to live jazz music (We love the popular Rebirth Brass Band, which plays at the Maple Leaf on Tuesdays. My husband says that, if you go there, get dinner at Jacques Imo’s, which was on one of Anthony Bourdain’s shows, and serves Cajun comfort food. My husband loves the alligator sausage cheesecake. There’s also a table in a pickup truck out front.)
    • Shop on Magazine Street.

    It seems like there’s some sort of festival always happening in New Orleans, but the most popular ones are Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.

    NOLA Restaurants & Food

    Restaurants in New Orleans

    What to Eat in New Orleans

    • Red Beans and Rice: A Cajun spice red bean gravy with celery, onions and green peppers, over rice and served with sausage
    • Etouffee: a stew of onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, hot sauce, and either shrimp, crawfish or chicken
    • Gumbo: a Cajun flavored soup with sausage and shellfish, celery, bell peppers, and onions
    • King Cake: a round iced cake with a hole in the middle and a plastic baby hidden inside. The finder of the baby becomes the “King” or “Queen” of the day. My husband’s favorite flavor is “cinammon.”
    • Beignet: a square pillow-like doughnut covered in powder sugar, preferably from the famed Cafe du Monde (pictured above)
    • Jambalaya: a Creole rice dish consisting of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, the meat includes sausage, along with pork or chicken and seafood, such as crawfish or shrimp.
    • Po-Boys: a variety of sandwiches (like a hoagie) with Cajun sauce, served between two slices of french bread. My husband’s favorites are fried soft shell crab, catfish or shrimp. He prefers Domilise’s.
    • Muffaletta: an Italian sandwich with cured meats, cheese, olive dressing and bread
    • Bananas Foster: originated in the 1950s at Brennan’s Restaurant, bananas are sautéed in butter, sugar and cinnamon, then bathed in rum and set aflame
    • Pralines: a pecan based candy made with sugar, milk and butter
    • Crawfish Monica: Rotini pasta with crawfish in a creamy Cajun sauce

    I usually drink wine when I am out, but I would be remiss not to mention that New Orleans is also known for a wide array of signature cocktails. My top choice is a fruity and heraceous Pimm’s Cup and my husband’s top choice is the Sazerac, a lemon and rye whiskey drink with a touch of absinthe.

    Where to Eat in New Orleans

    Commander’s Palace

    Commander’s Palace is the place to go for a very traditional high-end New Orleans meal (with a dress code!). Since 1893, it’s earned seven James Beard Foundation Awards (and more awards than I can count), and famous chef Emeril Lagasse once worked there.

    It’s known for its turtle (snapper) soup and bread pudding.

    Read reviews on Trip Advisor

    Brennan’s Restaurant

    Since 1946, Brennan’s Restaurant (featured in the pictures above) is a glamorous pink and green Creole fine dining establishment with several rooms of decor that screams colorful Southern refinement. Chefs love to eat there and it’s also one of America’s best wine restaurants.

    It’s known for its fancy brunch, bananas foster and brandy milk punch.

    Read reviews on Trip Advisor

    Muriel’s Jackson Square

    Muriel’s Jackson Square (pictured above with hanging plants) is a pretty and comfortable restaurant right next to St. Louis Cathedral, perfect for high quality Southern bistro food. It’s haunted, and its Inner Seance Lounge is where their resident ghost, Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, spends most of his time.

    Its Cajun shrimp and goat cheese crepes are utterly delectable.

    Read reviews on Trip Advisor

    Where To Stay in New Orleans

    The last time we went to New Orleans, we stayed with friends, but I can recommend a few hotels for you to check out.

    Royal Sonesta New Orleans

    Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice

    My husband has stayed at the Royal Sonesta several times, and we have sent friends there who enjoyed their stay. It’s a large hotel in the French Quarter and has a rooftop pool as well as balconies that oversee the famed Bourbon Street.

    Check Rates on Trip Advisor

    Hotel Monteleone

    Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice

    Since 1886, the luxurious Hotel Monteleone is also in the French Quarter, but is unique its historic (and haunted) details. It’s home to the rotating Carousel Bar (pictured above)

    For all the literary buffs here, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Anne Rice, John Grisham and William Faulkner have stayed there, and Truman Capote lounged at The Carousel Bar.  In 1999, it became an an official literary landmark by the Friends of the Library Association. You can even stay in a “literary suite.”

    Check Rates on Trip Advisor

    The Columns Hotel

    The Columns Hotel was my favorite place to visit in New Orleans. It’s a restored 1880s mansion with historic charm (pictured above with large white columns) located in the Garden District on the well-known St. Charles Avenue. They have a large front porch facing a streetcar and an oak tree, by which you can sip a cocktail.

    Check Rates / Book on Trip Advisor

    Pin this New Orleans travel guide to Pinterest because you can refer back to it when you are planning a classy Southern trip.

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    Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: New Orleans

    About Jules Buono

    I'm Julianne a/k/a Jules Buono, a Philly lawyer by day and book blogger by night. My blog is "where books meet lifestyle" -- a book blog with pairings for a classic and timeless lifestyle. It's like Reading Rainbow for women! I've been on The Today Show's Read with Jenna book club on TV, as well as Oprah's Book Club and Reese's Book Club on Instagram, and I am a contributor at The Co-Op Reads. Email me directly at: [email protected]

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    Where books meet lifestyle

    Jules Buono

    I'm Julianne a/k/a Jules Buono, a Philly lawyer by day and book blogger by night. My blog is "where books meet lifestyle" -- a book blog with pairings for a classic and timeless lifestyle. It's like Reading Rainbow for women!

    I've been on The Today Show's Read with Jenna book club on TV, as well as Oprah's Book Club and Reese's Book Club on Instagram, and I am a contributor at The Co-Op Reads.

    Email me directly at: [email protected]

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    Happy world book day my friends!! ❤️ Happy world book day my friends!! ❤️
    **BOOKISH TV RECOMMENDATION** Kudos to my husband **BOOKISH TV RECOMMENDATION**

Kudos to my husband for finding out about and recording the Hemingway documentary on PBS!

This is the Hemingway House we visited in Key West in 2016, which is inhabited by six-toed cats. It's an absolute blast to visit Key West and the Hemingway House is an absolute must visit there. (I have a full Key West guide on my blog if you need it.)

Anyway, the documentary is 3 parts, took 6 years to make and is narrated by a full cast of top celebs, including Jeff Daniels, Meryl Streep and soo many more (30+ people). We are THOROUGHLY enjoying it, and I definitely recommend you check it out.

In high school, I read Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises. I felt kind of mediocre about both but wonder how I would feel about them now. And would love to try A Farewell to Arms at some point. Do you have a Hemingway fave?
    To celebrate my collaboration with @Peepers on my To celebrate my collaboration with @Peepers on my most recent blog post (link in bio), I'm giving away a pair of their blue light glasses (an Oprah’s favorite thing 4x as well as a Jules favorite thing.😉)! The winner will receive one pair - the frames that are shown in the box in this picture, which is Peepers universally flattering frame for both men and women. And there is NO correction in the lenses so anyone can wear them, you can wear them over contacts, etc. 

How to enter:

1. Make sure you are following me @bookish_jules
2. Tag a friend or friends in the comments who may also be interested in this giveaway.

Bonus Entries:
Optional: share this post in your story and let me know you did in a comment below.

Official Rules:
1. U.S. residents only.
2. Must be over age 18.
3. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram.
4. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.
4. The giveaway starts at the time of this post and ends at 12p.m. EST on 4/23/21.
5. The winner will be chosen randomly and notified by direct message and has until noon EST on 4/26/21 to claim the prize by providing their address.
    Which one is your fave? I’m leaning towards bot Which one is your fave?  I’m leaning towards bottom left right now. 🤔 🤓Today on the blog, I collaborated with @peepers to provide a full review of their blue light glasses for e-reading and other screen time.  Blue light glasses just happen to be the #1 bestselling lifestyle product on my blog.  I started using them a year ago after experiencing pretty severe eye strain and dry eyes and I have worn them all day, every day since then.

The blog post dives deep on how to pick the best frame for you using the Perfect Pair Finder and Virtual Try On.  It also links up all of my favorite frames and Oprah's favorite frames (these glasses made her Favorite Things list 3 years in a row). And it provides all the other need-to-know details about blue light glasses generally and Peepers specifically. 

For the full blog post, visit TheLiteraryLifestyle.com at the link in my bio.

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