Bringing you our New Orleans Travel guide and recap of our 2 weeks stay. This was my second trip to NOLA after having been for my 2018 bachelorette. But this time with the whole fam!

We actually stayed at the golden nugget in lake Charles before getting into New Orleans the next day and we absolutely loved this casino! Plus you can use your Cesar rewards here!! We played some craps and our room was so nice and with a great view. Also pet friendly!

It was our first week in New Orleans and it was also March Madness weekend, which was about to begin. Which we forgot all about. Since this trip was super last minute and we had our pups we opted for townplace suites by Marriott in New Orleans. Best decision being away from the French quarter and to not be around so much noise with a toddler. Plus downtown New Orleans you have to usually pay a parking fee for your car to be parked at the hotel you’re staying. Parking is definitely limited. But the hubby had to get in and out for some work. So being parking friendly was needed for us.

WHERE WE STAYED

We loved our whole suite having the set up with the mini stove + sink, plenty of dishes and cookware. Great sized fridge, dinning table, vanity area. Two good queen beds one for us and one for the little and just a great spacious suite overall. Also loved that I didn’t have to worry about breakfast first thing in the morning with this wild toddler. We woke up and had a peaceful worry free breakfast each day 🙂 had no issues at our stay here.

PLACES TO EAT

First night on the town for dinner we were able to pop in to Lucy’s really quick and we absolutely enjoyed it. Gary James had his lemonade and the sweet girls even had a mini flamingo float for his drink. A very popular spot, easy, fast and GOOD food! Located to many more fun places to have a drink afterwards.

Dinner one night at New Orleans Creole Cookery was literally ok. The service kinda sucked and the food was super late and our main course was just ehh especially for the price you’re paying. Just my two cents. But they are lucky they have a historic court yard and the ambiance of New Orleans down. That’s about it. FYI xx

Flamingo A Go Go I’ve been to before and this time too, the food was great, service was nice and love all the photo op spots. It’s very cute here. Inside is very cool too with their map of travelers from around the world. But definitely recommend getting seated outside. It’s lovely!!

Had a mommy and me day lunch at live true food the food was good here! Everything was FRESH and they even give your toddlers a choice at a hot wheel, which I thought was the sweetest thing! Great location in garden district.

Tried this margarita flight at Bjs in Slidell near Gary’s job. I usually don’t have anything on the rocks but these were really good! My favorite was the ancho pineapple, like wowzaaa ❤

We’ve been dying to try Landry’s since we’ve had a gift card since forever and lost the other, whoops. We were able to get a window seat which was nice to see out to Jackson square. I did love their space overall and food was good!

You must stop in at Cafe beignets Decatur, not pictured is the 3 beignets we grabbed from cafe du monde. But the place looked like it was under construction a bit. This was my actual first time getting beignets here. We didn’t didn’t sit just ordered, grabbed them and kept exploring before it rained. We tried CBD on my first trip but they closed at 5. So we went to cafe du monde. For 3 beignets you’ll bay under $4.

restaurants & places we didn’t get to visit

• Lucy’s surf house
• New Orleans Creole Cookery
• Flamingo A Go Go
• Live True Food
• Landry’s
• Cafe Du monde (not pictured, 3 beignets eaten too fast) I say skip this one and go to cafe beignets Decatur!! It’s probably the nicest and it still has great beignets 🙂
• Brennan’s * didn’t reserve in time 😦
• Peche *
• Commanders palace *
• Evangeline *
• Cafe Amelie *
• Bayona *
• Napoleon House *
• Pat O Briens +
• Acme oyster bar *

THINGS TO DO

A must visit is bourbon street. Like that’s a no brainer! We did not take Gary James when we went down ourselves. There were many kids with there parents on bourbon. You can definitely make it work. But just with a 2 year old? He runs too much and too fast LOL & when you are on bourbon street make sure you experience a bar with a balcony. That it’s the funnest to people watch, drink, throw beads and have fun on those. Drink responsibly!!

Jackson Square is my absolute favorite to see. Over 2 million people visit each year. It’s open till 6pm during the fall and spring time till 7pm. It’s absolutely stunning to see. Along with the whole French quarter and all the shops, restaurants and bars you’ll find.

We actually had a trip planned before the 2021 hurricane Louisiana had experienced. So we went to Vegas instead. This time we did get to try Harrahs casino and could also use our Cesar rewards here too. They did have Willy wonka machines, which I was so excited for! we played slots and Gary played craps too, which is always so fun to watch. Had a friend with us and we just had a blast.

Had to pop into Stoney Clover Lane, once I found out New Orleans had a shop. It was so pretty inside, they also give you so many different ideas to customize your own pouches and bags. Adored the girly aesthetic in here. The staff was so sweet and would love to come back and purchase what I really want. So many decisions on color and patches I was overwhelmed lol

New Orleans Steamboat Front Walk was really nice to walk. People are out exploring, running or being entertained out here. Loved the view!

Wish we would have scheduled a tour for this museum during the day. Both Garys would have loved it like we did the outside views. With a toddler though couldn’t go by myself that’s forsure. Lol stoped by and walked around right after flamingo a go go.

Passed this restaurant/bar that was so cute and full of arcade games! We ate at Lucy’s again for lunch before we made our way to other bars and than the casino not a block away! All in walking distance from each other.

Here’s a list of everything we did + what you can try too!

• Bourbon Street
• Jackson square
• Garden district
• Harrahs Hotel & Casino
• Stoney clover
• Steamboat Front
• The national WWII museum
• Barcadia
• Jack Rose *
• Bar Marilou *
• Nole *
• The Calbildo Museum *
• Plantation tour *
• Ahs house *
• Graveyard tour *

I leave you with the best advice! Wander the French quarter, Try all the food, sample the cocktails, explore garden district and learn about history. You’ll have a good time I promise. A great affordable trip to add to your list to visit this spring or beginning of fall when the weather is quite nice. Cheers Darlings xoxo