New Orleans Vacation Activities & Attractions

Let's pretend that there are only two kinds of magic in this world. There is the birthday party magician magic, that almost all-too-obvious, magic kit type with wilted flowers and playing cards. You, smiling in silent admission of the tacky pretense, nevertheless suspend disbelief and lose yourself in the good-spirited fun of the occasion. The second kind of magic, then, is that of master magicians, gypsy caravans and voodoo priestesses--'real deal' love potions, evil eyes, street levitations and disappearing buildings. The kind of magic you've got to believe in a little tiny bit at the very least, because, in all truthfulness, it either freaks you out (again, just a little bit) or draws you in, fascinated, hypnotized. Welcome to New Orleans, master purveyors of both kinds of magic--in abundance.

After booking your New Orleans summer vacation and you have your heart set on a specific type of New Orleans magic, it is advisable to plan ahead or risk being swept up in the maelstrom of hocus-pocus being hawked from every ridge in the French Quarter and leaf in the Garden District. Number one tourist haunt Bourbon Street overflows with fun things to do for fun's sake; a 24-hour reflection of the favorite saying of this 'City That Care Forgot' -- "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!) The bartenders of New Orleans are always concocting party potions and elixirs--fall under their spells on a Southern Comfort Walking Tour. Mix your spirits by taking a Ghosts and Spirits Walking Tour as a 'chaser!' But try to break Bourbon Street's enchantment for one night and head east and stay in the French Quarter area, to Fauborg Marigny's Frenchmen Street, where you'll find several native-endorsed live music venues and eateries.

New Orleans Dining & Nightlife

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  New Orleans chefs have a worldwide reputation for conjuring up otherworldly cuisine; while you are guaranteed to eat well in New Orleans, dinner reservations range from recommended to months-in-advance mandatory. Among the highly acclaimed, award winning, servers-of-sorcery are Bayona, Brigsten's, Restaurant August, and Peristyle. Combine an enchanted walk through the French Quarter with dining and music on a Crescent City Nights Walk. Revel in the magic of a Dinner/Jazz Cruise on the Steamboat Natchez. And don't pass up any of New Orleans' comfort foods: po-boy sandwiches (try Uglesich's), muffulettas from Central Bakery on Decatur Street (salami, ham, provolone with olive relish), snowballs (found at stands everywhere except the French Quarter), gumbo.

New Orleans Daytime Activities

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  Days in New Orleans are just as bewitching as the nightlife. Audubon Tours offer six different tours that combine attractions for a day or more of enchanting exploration of the Crescent City. (Example: Audubon #1 includes the Aquarium of Americas, Audubon Zoo, John James Riverboat, a Gray Line Tour and an IMAX movie.)  The alluring Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is one of the top five aquariums in the U.S. and has the country's largest collection of sharks and jellyfish. See the rare white alligator at the Audubon Zoo, or catch a cooling breeze on the John James Riverboat or the Steamboat Natchez.  Explore the city by land and water on the Paddle and Wheel Tour.

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  Brush up on your knowledge of building styles (Creole cottage, shotgun house...) at the Preservation Resource Center in the Central Business District before exploring the architecture and multicultural influences of the city's buildings. Then tour away! There's the magnificent, Italianate-style Van Benthuysen-Elms Mansion in the Garden District.  Stroll through the timeless streets of Vieux Carre (more commonly known as the French Quarter) on the Louisiana Purchase Walking Tour. Travel Off The Beaton Path and haunt the trail of jazz master Louis Armstrong. Otherworldly experiences await on the Cemetery and Gris Gris Walking Tour--experience the allure of New Orleans' unique 'Cities of the Dead,' their above-ground graveyards.

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  The nearby plantations, bayous and swamps of Louisiana are worthy of a day trip. You can visit Oak Alley Plantation, take a River Roads Plantation Tour, a Plantation/City Tour, or a Swamp/Plantation Tour. How about a Swamp Cruise and City Tour, a Swamp/Motorcoach Tour, or a Swamp/Bayou Tour? The Cypress Swamp Cruise/City/Destrehan Plantation Tour, while it may be a mouthful to say, is at least a roll of film's worth of memories. (Destrehan Plantation is one of the New Orleans locations used in the movie Interview With A Vampire.) You will see live alligators, plus experience the Acadian culture of an authentic Cajun fishing village on a Cypress Swamp Cruise.

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  Once you fall under the spell of New Orleans, it's difficult to break the enchantment. Local legend offers one suggestion, if you dare: Find the grave of voodoo priestess Marie Laveau in St. Louis Cemetery #1. Using chalk or brick, mark "XXX" on the headstone, rub the ground three times with your foot, then knock on the marker three times (to wake the dead.) Make a wish. You can, of course, make any wish. But to break the spell that New Orleans has put on you, you have only two choices: you can wish for the enchantment to end, or you can wish for a way to live there forever.