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The 6 Best Things to Do in New Orleans
Jazz, Creole cooking, and French Quarter nights
New Orleans is like nowhere else in America: jazz spilling from doorways, Creole and Cajun feasts, and centuries of French, Spanish, and Caribbean soul.
BEST TIME
February–May (mild; Mardi Gras/Jazz Fest)
TYPICAL BUDGET
$900–$1,700 per person for a long weekend
6 best things to do in New Orleans
1
French Quarter and Jackson Square
2
Live jazz on Frenchmen Street
3
Beignets at Café du Monde
4
Garden District and streetcar ride
6
Creole-Cajun food crawl (gumbo, po’boys)
How to fit it into a day
French Quarter and Jackson Square
Spend the morning on the highlight, then in the afternoon or evening: live jazz on frenchmen street.
See it laid out day by day: the 3-day New Orleans itinerary →
LOCAL TIP
Frenchmen Street beats Bourbon for real live music.
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Things to do elsewhere