Considering that I live a mere 5 hours from New Orleans by car, I always knew how crazy I must have sounded when I told people, “No, I’ve actually never been there before!”

After all, I’ve explored so many other regions of the United States, from road-trips across the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, to countless adventures across the entire East Coast. And yet, never to one of the top 15 (or top 10, or top 5, depending on your source) tourist cities in my own country?!

That just wasn’t going to fly!

As much as I love my solo adventuring, I firmly believe that a trip to New Orleans should be a friends getaway…better yet, a friends getaway + road trip!

Earlier this month, a group of five friends and I did exactly that, and I was finally able to see just what all the fuss was about in the Big Easy.

Although I truly wish that I could say our time in NOLA was spent learning about the local history and acknowledging the unique culture, the undeniable truth is that our days were filled solely with an excess of fattening foods and intoxicating liquor drinks.

While Mardi Gras had long ago come and gone, it’s safe to say the general spirit of Fat Tuesday was still alive and well in the middle of April in New Orleans!

I was genuinely surprised at how festive and lively the city was on a random non-holiday weekend, especially given that we had timed our visit with less-than-ideal cloudy weather. We found ourselves in the midst of five or six mini-parades, complete with costumes and instruments and police escorts. The majority of these were NOLA-style wedding processions, but there were one or two I’m still not sure about!

And at literally all hours of the day and night, drunken groups of people roamed the streets shouting and laughing, with drinks in their hands and beads around their neck. Given my lack of NOLA experience, I had assumed that these types of festivities only took place during Mardi Gras. Boy, was I wrong!

We spent a solid amount of time checking out the popular Bourbon Street bars and taking advantage of the loose open container laws, strolling the streets with our drinks as we hopped from one establishment to the next. While most of the drinks were way too strong for my liking (read: Everclear) I’m still reminiscing about the frozen spiked coffees from Erin Rose!

Why Take a Weekend Trip to NOLA?

It’s “do-able” in one weekend

There’s a lot of debate about what it means to “do” a city. In general, I don’t think anyone means to imply that you can see everything in a single trip to any city! But with New Orleans, a single weekend will pretty much paint the whole picture, even if you miss some of the finer details.

New Orleans is extremely walk-able, and Uber is readily available if you’re venturing out somewhere a bit farther. Many of the city’s major tourist spots are situated snugly within the French Quarter, which has a total area of 0.66 square miles.

This includes Bourbon Street, Royal Street, Jackson Square, and many of the city’s hot bars and restaurants. The bottom line is this: not only can you check all of these spots off your list in a single weekend, you can do it without a car or public transportation.

Heavenly creole cuisine

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who will praise the health benefits of traditional Louisianan food, but you’d have an even harder time finding anyone who will deny how over-the-top delicious is it!

Fried or raw oysters, po’ boys, boudin, gumbo, jambalaya, and beignets should ALL be at the top of your “must try” list when you make your way to this Southern city.

Strong drinks and quirky bars

There’s no use pretending that a trip to New Orleans is going to be anything but a wild ride!

NOLA is known for its classic cocktails that’ll knock you off your feet. Tropical Isle and Funky Pirate on Bourbon Street are home to the infamous “Hand Grenade” drink, which–if you’re anything like me–is a “one and done” kind of drink.

Then there’s the equally-notorious “Hurricane”, made from a concoction of rum, fruit juice, and grenadine, and sold at Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter. I was shocked at how large the drinks were when they came, and even more shocked that we all survived (more or less) after finishing them!

My favorite thing about exploring Bourbon Street was how eccentric, lively, and carefree all of the bars and pubs felt. Live music was playing inside many of the bars and on the streets, the people inside seemed to be living without a care in the world, and the atmosphere was laid back and inviting. For a fun-loving Florida-raised girl, I felt right at home in these quirky and easygoing establishments.

No one’s saying the drinks themselves will go down easy, but they’re certainly a part of the fun when experiencing a weekend with friends in the Big Easy.

Unique atmosphere

On a related note, anyone who has visited New Orleans will attest to the fact that it has a vibe and energy that is all its own.

The city’s history is clearly reflected in its architecture; beautiful old homes and buildings with wide porches and pretty wrought iron railings line nearly all of the city’s streets. Jackson Square looks like something from another era, and the many of the building interiors look exactly as they might have 100+ years ago.

At the same time, there’s a distinctly seedy vibe that permeates many of the streets, separate from the atmosphere of non-stop partying that exists on Bourbon Street. And if you’re at all superstitious, you just may pick up a hint of voodoo and black magic, too.

Where to Stay?

Your NOLA home-base should, without a doubt, be in or near the French Quarter. There’s no need to stay directly on Bourbon Street, even if you are planning to make the bars the center-point of your weekend. We rented an Airbnb on Royal Street, and it was the perfect central location for us.

There are plenty of less-rowdy streets to stay on within the French Quarter, keeping you close to the action without being overwhelmed by it.

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It’s safe to say that after my first (boozy) taste of the Big Easy, I’m already eager to head back and experience more of this unique city. Have you ever been to NOLA? What was your impression of it?

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