New Orleans Trip Part 1

Super excited to share this trip itinerary with y’all. Nick and I wanted to do a 30th twin trip for our birthday last November, but we weren’t really sure what that meant when we initially discussed the idea. Last time we traveled together we backpacked in Europe after we graduated college. That was a great trip and will forever be a wonderful memory. I’m excited to say that this trip definitely topped that.

Tim (my husband) and I went to New Orleans the first time for a weekend over New Years a couple of years ago. We were supposed to go with another couple but the guy ended up breaking his foot and we couldn’t find anyone last second to join us. We made the most of it, but being that it was January, it rained a lot! That trip the highlight was definitely The World War II Museum. It’s a must to check out if you enjoy history, there is loads of information that can take you a full day to get through.

We spent a good amount of time culling a list from various sources. This was our first trip traveling together and we wanted to do it right. Whenever you travel with someone, it’s always wise to really spend some time figuring out expectations and goals for the trip. That way, you prioritize effectively and everyone in theory will be satisfied!

The search for an Airbnb was a little delayed, I’d advise to book that as soon as possible. We ended up with a smaller pool of choices, but ended up being really happy where we stayed. It was booked through Airbnb but was a hotel. Not sure if they’re able to use Airbnb because they’re a timeshare hotel, but the location was fantastic. We were close to the river, but just East of the French Quarter and west of Frenchman street. While we were in the city, we were able to walk anywhere we wanted to go. Otherwise there were trolley lines nearby as well.

Our flights landed around 10ish. By the time we grabbed our rental car and checked into the hotel, we were ready to eat! We purposely waited on dinner because we wanted to eat as much delicious food as possible to maximize our time there. We headed down the road and started with Port of Call. If you’re looking for a hearty amazing burger and an incredible baked potato, look no further. Pair it with a Monsoon, and you’ll be on your butt after one drink. Be forewarned, there was still a wait at 11 at night, so we ended up snagging seats at the bar instead! We knew the next day would be full, so we headed back and got some sleep.

Saturday morning, we got up and moving pretty leisurely. First stop was at Cafe du Monde, to grab some coffee and of course, the beignets. We had booked a walking tour of the French Quarter with Free Tours by Foot. I absolutely recommend them for any area you’re mildly interested in. Their concept is pay what you feel the tour was worth. Our tour guide, Andrew, was definitely worth the time and money. He gave us a ton of interesting information during the tour and kept it entertaining as we wandered around. We used the live music guide and other recommendations he gave us throughout the rest of the trip to make it amazing.

After our tour we had to grab a muffuletta for lunch. I missed out on them the first time I visited and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. Central Grocery & Deli was right on way back to the hotel and happened to be the home of first muffuletta. We waited out the line, and it was definitely worth it. The mixture of olives, and meats and cheese is unlike any sandwich I’ve tried before.

From there we wanted to hit up the Barataria Preserve. It’s a free entry Wildlife Preserve, and it was definitely worth the visit. We saw two alligators and a venomous snake (can’t remember the name of it). The boardwalk itself was gorgeous as well. On our way back into New Orleans we stopped at one of the many Daiquiri drive-thrus and grabbed one to bring back. That was a fun little extra, definitely a true New Orleans experience if you rented a car. We also stopped at Creole Creamery to have an ice cream mid-afternoon snack.  

For the night, we changed and headed to St. Roch’s which is a food court spot (unfortunately I didn’t grab a picture of my night looks). The goal was to grab charbroiled oysters, but unfortunately they were sold out by the time we got there. The fresh oysters were a decent stand-in. I wouldn’t really recommend them unless you love fresh oysters. To make up for it, we found ourselves another Po-boy just down the road at Hanks. In our experience, the best Po-boys were at completely unassuming spots (basically dirty looking convenience stores/gas stations). We took the shrimp po-boy and some beers to-go and sat on some steps to savor the sandwich to round out our day.

For my outfit, I always try to accomplish comfort and style. This often means choosing sneakers or slip-ons that you can easily walk in. I had gotten this pair of striped paper bag waist shorts on sale (plus they are tall for a great length inseam) at Gap. Being that Wisconsin doesn’t lend itself to shorts weather until May at best, I had been itching to wear them in New Orleans. They were super comfortable and are very flattering. The Van’s sneakers are my Mom’s that she let me borrow. After this trip, I’m going to pick up a pair of my own. You can’t go wrong with a neutral sneaker.

My jean jacket is the one I always travel with and I actually stole it from my husband once he outgrew it. It is a men’s from Old Navy, but they have a boyfriend fit tall sized option right now that I linked below. Otherwise we always encourage you to try out the men’s section and see if you like that fit better. There is nothing more comfortable than this oversize fit and then you can easily layer anything!

Stay tuned for the rest of our trip. If you have any questions or need clarification on any information I shared, please feel free to reach out and I’ll answer as best I can!

Outfit Details