New Orleans Food & Sightseeing Do’s and Don’ts

Spent 4 days here during the Independence Day holiday—hit plenty of letdowns but also lots of pleasant surprises. Sharing them with you all! 📝 French Quarter: Super enjoyable to wander around, with stunning architecture that’s like stepping into a postcard 🎨. A total must-visit! Sazerac House (Cocktail Museum): Free tour + free tastings of 3 local cocktails—total win! 🥂 It shares tons of fun stories about New Orleans-style cocktails, looks awesome, and is so perfect for photos 📸. National World War II Museum: A must for WWII buffs! It feels like teleporting into history, covering land, sea, and air battles across the U.S., Europe, and Asia ✈️🚢. You can easily spend a full day here if you take your time. Preservation Hall: A historic jazz venue 🎷. The music itself is nice, but personally, it felt a bit monotonous. In NOLA—where jazz is everywhere—sometimes street bands are way more lively and fun! 🎶 Optional visit (your call!). Bourbon Street: Nightlife is wild and crazy 🌃, but the restaurants/bars here? Terrible 😫. The street also gets pretty chaotic after dark. Go during the day if you want to explore; if you go at night, stick with friends just to soak up the vibe—nothing more! 🧑👩👧👦 Swamp Tour: Learn all about swamps and alligators 🐊, see gators big and small, and even hold a baby gator for photos 📷! The whole thing is a bit boring, but still worth a try for the unique experience. Pro tip: Slather on sunscreen and bring bug spray—mosquitoes here mean business! ☀️🦟 34 Restaurant (Portuguese Cuisine): One of only two spots in NOLA that blew my mind 😍! Tried tons of dishes, zero misses. Highly recommend the Iberian ham 🐷, seafood paella 🍚, and duck paella—so flavorful! Their wine list and cocktails are top-tier too, and the ambiance is cozy and nice 🌟. Luke (French Cuisine): Daily oyster happy hour 3-6 PM—game-changer! 🦪 These oysters are huge, super fresh, and plump (hardly seen better in the U.S.!). Oyster lovers, RUN here! Other dishes are also fresh and hearty—don’t skip the crawfish🦐, escargot 🐌, and bone marrow 🥩. P.S. Also checked out the Museum of Death—no photos allowed ❌. It’s pretty quirky and darkly fascinating 😱, but you get a weirdly vivid sense of history and human nature through the artifacts, texts, and images. #NewOrleans #Travel