Weekending it in the Big Easy!

Sometimes my family and I like to “get outta dodge” for the weekend. We make frequent trips to Destin, Tallahassee, and New Orleans. Out of those three, New Orleans is by far our favorite.

Because I am getting antsy about heading there soon, I cannot get New Orleans out of mind, so I thought that I could share the things we enjoy doing in NOLA the most.

Here is a sample Itinerary of a weekend trip to New Orleans.

Day 1

Around 10am we start our day at the New Orleans Audubon Zoo, allow at least 2.5 -3 hours to get around this zoo. There is a lot to see and do. If your children are into dinosaurs, I recommend spending the extra few dollars to go into the Dinosaur Experience.

If you are going to more than just one Audubon Park, purchase the tickets together because it is much cheaper. We have not checked out the Audubon Insectariums, IMAX theatre, or the Audubon Park yet because our boys are a little too young to enjoy them. If anyone has visited any of these parks I would love to hear what you think, I have gotten mixed reviews.

We then make our way towards downtown, and stop for a picnic. (I always pack a lunch we eat out only for 1 breakfast and two dinners) Our favorite picnic spot is The Botanical Gardens, there is a small fee to enter but it is completely worth it. After we are done eating, we walk around the gardens, go on the carousal and visit Story Land. These are all in New Orleans City Park which is 1300 acres and beautiful, but make sure to bring bug spray.

Around 2pm or so, depending on how long everything takes, we head to the Audubon Aquarium. This is a great way to (A) get out of the Louisiana heat, and, (B) check out some really neat marine life. My boys enjoy going to the aquarium, it has a kids section on the second floor for them to run around and play in for a while.

After the Aquarium, we head to the hotel, since by then it is around check in time. Once we get checked in, rest our feet, and clean up a little we head out for some good eatin’!

Normally we go to Muriel’s Jackson Square Restaurant because they have amazing Creole dishes. After putting ourselves into a food coma, we walk a couple blocks down to The Shops at JAX Brewery. This little shopping center has some unique stores. Make sure you check out the museum and balcony overlooking the Mississippi River while you are there.

Most of the time after doing a little shopping, we head back to the hotel to swim in the pool and relax.

Day 2

We try to check out and be on our way around 9 am. Our first stop is Café Du Monde, for some hot chocolate and Beignets. After indulging ourselves in sweets, we start the much needed walking tour of the French Quarter. We just print directions off the Internet so we can take our time, but the paid tour looks fun.

The tour will take 2-3 hours depending on how many stores you go into and how busy it is. We like to end our tour at Jackson Square and have a picnic lunch there. It is my favorite part of the walking tour.

After we are done with lunch we head over to the Children’s Museum. This Museum is hands on and my oldest boy loves it. I like to leave this for the end of the day because it gives him something to look forward to and me something to bribe him with to be good.

When we are finished exploring the Children’s Museum we start driving back home, we have a little snack in the car because we always stop in Biloxi MS to eat an AMAZING buffet at the Isle Casino. After this huge dinner, the boys sleep the rest of the way home, which leaves a couple hours of peace and quiet for my husband and I.

New Orleans is a beautiful city; we love to visit as many times as we can throughout the year. Every time we go we find something new to do. The itinerary I shared with you was all of our favorite things to do.

I hope you get the chance to visit NOLA soon!