My sister made a promise to both of the girls about their birthdays. If you are a follower for our blog, or you know us personally, you know Desiree and I went to Las Vegas for her 21st birthday. Here is the post about her trip. Unfortunately, right after her celebration, the 2020 year went to crap due to COVID. COVID stopped us from celebrating Danielle's 21st birthday like her mom had always promised. So this year we did a 21st birthday redo for her. Danielle, Desiree, and myself took a road trip from Dallas to New Orleans.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, LA
I wanted the girls to have a great New Orleans experience, so I booked a room at the Bourbon Orleans hotel on Bourbon St. This was all of our first time staying on Bourbon Street, and it was great. The hotel is close to everything around the French Quarters that we wanted to see.
Our room had a balcony where we could see Bourbon street. We were on the fifth floor, so it was an amazing view to see. The hotel has valet parking for an additional cost, so we just left the car parked and walked everywhere for two days.
Outside our room at the Bourbon Hotel
Our experience in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel was great. Everyone from the valet to the front desk was so friendly and helpful. The hotel was clean and the room was beautiful. Of course I could point out small things that could be fixed, but in all, it was a great place to stay. Unfortunately, we did not have any ghost experiences. We were hoping though.
New Orleans food
We ate a lot in New Orleans. There is food everywhere. I am from Louisiana, so I love any Cajun or southern foods. We enjoyed pretty much everywhere we ate, but had our favorites.
NOLA Poboy
NOLA Poboy had some of the best poboy sandwiches I have every had (I am from Louisiana and have eaten many). It was located a block from the hotel we stayed at, and the lady at the front desk of the hotel actually recommended NOLA Poboy. I had the oyster poboy, which was expensive due to a storm that had hit recently down South. Even though it was one of the most expensive poboys I have had, it was well worth the cost. The customer service and food was amazing, and I highly recommend it.
Monty's on the Square
Monty's on the Square is located on Jackson Square. We were looking for a place for brunch around the French Quarters. A lot of places offer brunch but Monty's on the square offers a few unique items that looked delicious on the website. So that is where we went. To begin we had spiked coffees, which were delicious. Then we each ordered different brunch items. Desiree ordered the Gator Benedict, Danielle ordered the brunch poboy, and I ordered the cajun Benedict with the boudin. Each meal was fresh and delicious. It was my favorite food place that we visited while we were in New Orleans, and we visited a few.
We visited a few other places that were pretty good, but I enjoyed these two more than any of the others we went to.
VueOrleans
Vue Orleans in an interactive history exhibit located on the end of Canal Street by the Mississippi river. The exhibit has these displays that you control on different screens, it has a history of food at the bar where you order your virtual foods, and more fun ways to learn about the history of New Orleans. Then you go up the elevator to the (I believe)34th floor where there is more interactive displays. One more floor up there is a little cafe and an overlook to see for miles. It was a great experience and was not very expensive.
St. Louis Cemetery #1
St. Louis Cemetery #1 is a place that we have always wanted to see in New Orleans. Not just because of Marie Laveau and Nicolas Cage (future resting pyramid). It is also the oldest cemeteryin New Orleans. The detail of the tombs and the history around the cemetery is something amazing to see and learn from. We decided to walk to the cemetery the night we got there to see it. Yes, it does cost to go in and we knew that. We just like cemeteries at night. The following day we went to the visitors center next to St. Louis Cemetery to get a tour. The tour was enjoyable, but it seems rushed. They focus on the main tourist spots, but there are some amazing tombs that they do not really show or say anything about. There is also a lot of tombs that are falling to pieces. It is sad to see the shapes of some, but they are still beautiful and interesting. I am someone that like to go to cemeteries to learn about individuals and their families. Cemeteries tell a story about the past.
Here are some of the pictures that we took.
Marie Laveau, VooDoo Queen
Nicolas Cage future burial site.
Pat O'Briens
Denise, The kids Mom, always loved going to New Orleans, but her favorite place was Pat O'Briens. The hurricanes were her favorite thing to drink, so we had to go get a few. We also got a few collectibles and drink mixes from there.
American Horror Story Coven House
We made our way to the Garden District of New Orleans to see the American Horror Story Coven House. It was beautiful and fun to see. Here is a few pictures of the Coven house and the Garden District.
Things we did in New Orleans
We stayed in New Orleans for a few days and during that time we did a lot of walking and being tourists. We ate ate different places, walked through Jackson Square, and had a few drinks. We even got to see one walking Mardi Gras Parade, the Joan of Arc Parade. We all enjoyed everything so much. I will be sharing more from the rest of the road trip in my next post but until then, here is a lot of pictures from New Orleans!
