New Orleans - for the non-party animal

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

Been there bunch of times in the last century (late 1900s). But alas, Im 20 yrs older and cant stay up late or drink a lot without severe repercussions. I do love arts, culture, historical sites, old churches, old architecture, and I like just riding a bike around and looking at stuff.... so I expect Il have a good time. Heck I remember even just being in my room and listening to the radio (WWOZ) was fun.

Wondering if ya'll might have suggestions for things to do, places to go? Ill have a car two days and thinking of exploring bayou country a little. All the times Ive been there Ive not yet seen an alligator in its natural habitat - so that would be interesting. Are there any specific tours that are more for the science/nature geek + environmentalist - maybe one that gets back into the wilderness a little more than the typical party boat?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions - will be there first week of March.

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. Take a look at this website, which rates swamp tours.

http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/which-swamp-tours-of-new-orleans-are-best/

I've been on the Honey Island Swamp tour. It was pretty cool.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

4. Thx! Love the idea of a kayak tour but may not be the right weather for it - this week looks like

RAIN all this week in NOLA - may be better in 2 wks????

[Homoudont]

11. Cajun Pride Swamp Tours

I've done the Cajun Swam Pride Tours and it was pretty good. They usually run a Groupon special so you can check it out there. As others have mentioned the WWII museum, Aquarium and zoo are pretty neat. There is also a bug museum that my kids love.

[irisblue]

2. National WW2 Museum is on my bucket list.

And getting a Muffuletta from Central Market & a drink, then walking over & sitting down by the Mississippi to eat it. Go to Cafe Du Monde for a dessert coffee & split an order of beignets.

Go to Jackson Square about sundown, be amazed at the number of feral cats who come out when the gates are closed.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

3. Excellent - I will go to honor my 94 yo uncle (last remaining relative of that generation & who no

longer travels - he will enjoy a postcard from there I think!)

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

5. Whitney Plantation

http://whitneyplantation.com/

This looks very interesting - historical site which focuses on slavery and the life of the plantation from the slaves' point of view.

[likesmountains 52]

6. I've been there 20 or more times..try this for something great and different

https://longuevue.com/

[Major Nikon]

7. There's all kinds of stuff to do just in and around the French Quarter

You'll mostly want to stay east of Jackson Square as most of the drunken revelry is west of there. Jackson Square always has a lot of street performers and artists. You can take a horse drawn carriage tour there and river tours launch just to the south. Going east of there you'll find lots of cafes and coffee shops in and around the French Market, which is worth going through. Going east of there is Frenchman street which has bars that tend to feature more traditional NO Jazz as opposed to the loud party crowds on Bourbon street. There's all sorts of shops around that area that cater to tourists. I don't buy much, but some of them are fun to browse.

Going a bit farther south to Canal street you can catch the St Charles trolley which is worth riding all the way down and back. I think it costs about a buck and a quarter each way.

Places to eat:
Naturally NO has some upscale restaurants that are world class. If you want to spend the money, my favorite is K-Paul's. A little cheaper place, but still a nice sit down place with excellent food is the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon street. Some cheaper options that are some of my favorites are Willie Mae's Scotch House(outside the Quarter), Dat Dogs on Frenchman, Jacques-Imo (outside the Quarter), and my all time favorite place for breakfast is Messina's Runway Cafe in the historic art deco terminal building at the Lakefront airport. Even some of the locals don't know about that place, but it's excellent and the terminal building has been beautifully restored. It's about a $15 Lyft ride from the Quarter, but if you're out that way it's definitely worth checking out.

I'm not a big fan of Cafe du Monde because they are always crowded, the line to get in is long, and the place is a mess inside with powdered sugar everywhere from the beignets and the coffee just isn't that great. Still most first time tourists will want to go there and the line moves pretty fast. They also have a take out line in the back, which is my preferred option as I just grab coffee and beignets and walk up the levy and enjoy them on a park bench. A much better place IMO is the Croissant D'Or Patisserie which features all sorts of hand made pastries and sandwiches.

Places to stay:
Inside the Quarter the options are limited as the hotels tend to be quite small, old, and cramped. Of those, I like Le Richelieu Hotel as the rooms are at least decent sized and it's very close to most of the things I want to see. If you want to stay at a chain hotel, many are located in the Central Business District.

[likesmountains 52]

8. ST Charles Trolley? Shame! It's a Street Car!

[Behind the Aegis]

9. I lived there a few years ago (06-11), so here are a few of my suggestions...

The French Market -- Touristy, but it has been revitalized and is quite charming.

Right by the French Market, heading away from the French Quarter is The New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint. (On Esplanade St.)

The African-American History Museum (check the hours)

The Louisiana State Museum in in Jackson Square.

The WWII Museum in Uptown.

Take a ride of the Streetcar from the French Quarter all the way though uptown and the Garden District, then ride it back. Takes about an 1.5 hours and is a cheap way to see some sights, and some awesome homes.

Check into any tourist office and thumb the various brochures. There are many walking tours, including movie sets, a Voodoo Tour, a Vampire tour, a tour of the Cemeteries (I highly recommend it!!), and several others.

Take a tour in a horse drawn carriage, many of the drivers know the history (there are supposed to in order to get a license).

For food, I recommend, Cafe Maspero and Fiorella's Bistro & Wine Bar (not so much a fancy place, but a dive with some of the best damn fried chicken and fried pickles EVAH! Also, check out the Clover Grill, a greasy spoon on Bourbon Street in the gay district. And, before or after, hit Café Lafiete's (not the one across the street which Café Lafeite's in Exile (a gay bar...though I loved that place), but a few blocks down is the original and is one of the oldest places in the French Quarter.

Check out the Aquarium of the Americas (by the French Quarter, along the Mississippi) and the IMAX theater. You can also catch the Cajun Queen for a ride, even to the Audubon zoo (also an awesome place to go!!!), and ride it back to your original spot.

If you have any questions or want to know more, let me know. If I don't know I place, I will tell you, but I lived six blocks from the French Quarter, so it was my old stomping grounds for 5 years! You can ask here or in a PM if you choose.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

[LNM]

10. Non-party Animal Here

Definitely see the WWII Museum. It's divided into two parts, Europe and the Pacific. You can spend a whole day in either of them. Someone suggested a Muffeletta from Central Market. They are excellent and make a great picnic in Jackson Square.

We took a swamp tour while there. I can't remember the name of it but it was west of downtown about 45 minutes. It was interesting to take a boat ride through the bayou and we saw the alligators in their natural habitat but the tour guide chummed the alligators with marshmallows so that was kind of disappointing.

We walked throughout the Garden district looking at the beautiful mansions. Domilise's has fabulous Po-Boys!