New Orleans Coffee Shops & Day Tours Guide ☕️🐊

1. Café du Monde 📍 French Quarter (est. 1862) — look for the green-and-white striped canopy across from Jackson Square! 🍩 Must-order: Café au lait (made with chicory) + beignets — think fluffy fried dough buried in powdered sugar! 💰 Cash only. 2. French Truck Coffee 🟡 My go-to spot all week! Their New Orleans-style coffee can be hit or miss — sometimes perfectly sweet, sometimes too much. 🍰 Also try: Hubig’s Pies — the coconut flavor is amazing (microwave for 5-10 secs!), but avoid the lemon one 😅 ☕️ P.S. Blue Bottle in NOLA is great too — but not as local! 3. Day Tours & Swamp Fun 🏛️ Oak Alley Plantation: A gorgeous, photo-ready historic site 🎥 Featured in Interview with the Vampire and Gone With the Wind vibes! 🐊 Swamp Tour: Choose between airboat or larger boat (+$5) We picked the big boat — saw 2-3 gators (water was cool), and they used marshmallows to lure them closer! Bonus: The captain brought out a 1-year-old baby alligator for photos! 🐊📸 (Airboats don’t do this!) 4. National WWII Museum 🎖️ Fascinating look at how Americans remember and narrate their WWII experience. 5. Lower Garden District – Shopping 🛍️ Best vintage/finds at Méchant House — a mix of furniture, decor, and clothing. 6. Pralines – Sweet NOLA Specialty 🍯 A must-try local treat! We sampled from 3 different spots — all unique, all very sweet! ✈️ Ended up grabbing more at the airport for friends & coworkers. 7. Zapp’s Potato Chips 🥔 A Louisiana-born snack brand — tasty, crispy, and totally classic! #TravelGuide #USATravel #NewOrleans #NOLATours #CoffeeLover #SwampAdventures #SouthernEats #HistoricSites