I just wanted more New Orleans.
So after I moved into the Courier office and needed cities to write about, I dialed up my friend Tara Letort, who’s with the New Orleans CVB, and sort of invited myself to visit her city.
I wanted more of New Orleans, and I got it. During three days of strolling around the French Quarter, I saw a dozen people on a Segway tour, Darth Vader walking to work, two mostly nude ladies and a gold man.
Hola, NOLA.
I saw lots more, of course. Staying at Maison Dupuy in the French Quarter, I could easily walk to the restaurants and attractions I wanted to visit, and for those attractions located well outside the Quarter, I could walk to a streetcar stop.
By mule and by paddlewheel
While there’s much to be said for walking (see the aforementioned Darth Vader, mostly nude ladies, etc.), a New Orleans visitor will gain a lot by riding.
I spent a wonderful morning with Nancy Landry of Royal Carriages, who showed me around the sightseeing company’s stable. Thirty mules call it home, and all are ready to pull a wagonload of visitors.
“We’ve got wagons to match the group size, and we’ll use as many as we need,” Nancy said. “We normally operate 13 carriages, and we can tour 150 people over the course of two hours.” She told me they can also add a jazz musician to carriages.
The hour-long mule-drawn carriage tour was fantastic. Mark Orfila (human) and Cole (mule) led eight of us on a leisurely ride up and down French Quarter streets, and we got out to explore one of the city’s 40 cemeteries. As a native New Orleanian, Mark proved to be a passionate advocate for the city and a gifted raconteur of its history—and oh, my, does that town hold some stories!
Another gratifying ride I took was aboard the Steamboat Natchez, part of the New Orleans Steamboat Company. The paddlewheeler is 26 tons of white oak and steel, and the Dinner Jazz cruise was grand. The Mississippi River is a busy place with lots of ships plying its waters, and the riverfront is lined with interesting industries.
I joined a couple from Australia in the dining room, and we enjoyed a feast of local cuisine. I had been aboard Natchez before, when our Travel Exchange crew filled the ship. It was much quieter with the Australians. steamboatnatchez.com
Two half-day spots
I needed more … time. I visited two attractions that both warranted at least a half-day’s stay, but I could give each only a couple of hours.
The Audubon Nature Institute encompasses a zoo, aquarium and butterfly garden insectarium. Jeannine Becker, group and tourism sales manager, told me that the aquarium draws visitors of all ages.
“We have a fantastic education department, and you can add on a great class—even dissecting sharks,” she said. “The aquarium is ideal for seniors because of easy access and air conditioning. It’s very cool inside.”
Note: It gets hot outside.
Jeannine also told me about the insectarium: “It’s absolutely beautiful—if people can get past the bug thing,” she said. “Small groups can go out at night, led by experts, to catch and identify bugs.”
I opted for larger, more readily identifiable animals and visited the zoo. Three things I took special note of: Cool Zoo, a splash park add-on, open April through Labor Day; the lush plants and trees, some as old as 300 years; and Louisiana Swamp, an exhibit that features animals, of course, and also examples of human interactions with the swamp—camps and boat docks. audubonnatureinstitute.org
A second attraction I wanted to spend more time with is the National WWII Museum. I am not a warlike guy, but I like heroes and I appreciate a good story, and this massive attraction is loaded with both. This museum—ranked No. 2 in the world by TripAdvisor—provides just as much memorabilia, information and inspiration as you’re willing to take.
The six-acre campus includes buildings that house vast exhibits of the war’s European and Pacific theaters, machines of war, a restoration facility and a 4D theater, which shows “Beyond All Boundaries,” a stirring film narrated by Tom Hanks.
Ruth Katz, the museum’s director of group sales, explained the variety of groups that help make the museum New Orleans’ No. 1 attraction.
“Nearly half of our group business is students, and 28 percent are seniors,” Ruth said. “We also get a lot of corporate and military groups.”
New this fall is a permanent exhibit that tells the story of Americans on the home front, including the political discord of the prewar years, the terror of the Pearl Harbor attacks and the massive mobilization in personnel and manufacturing. nationalww2museum.org
Oh, yeah … food
I don’t know if people visit New Orleans just for the food, but I wouldn’t blame them.
I got a full serving of local fare—gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding and pralines—at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Pat Hirsch was the chef who demonstrated how to make those dishes, and while I still can’t cook,vI’ll never forget the healthy serving of regional history and Louisiana lore that Pat dished up. The key to appreciating the incredible roots—and indelible flavors—of Creole and Cajun food is understanding the heritage of the people who created and adopted it.
One morning I met Tara for coffee, and she told me that even though she works for the CVB, she has to keep a restaurant guide in her car so she and her husband can keep up with the city’s many and diverse restaurants. But that’s how you get more New Orleans.
“It’s a total sensory experience,” Tara said. “You eat well and you drink well, and you soak up everything—every feeling—as you go through the city.”
My very first stop in the city was The Court of Two Sisters, a rambling restaurant in the French Quarter with a courtyard nearly covered by a century-old wisteria. Sherry Constance, events sales manager, told me they are group heavy.
“We do a ton of tour groups: three to seven a day,” she said. “Our owners view groups as premium business; they really get it.”
And each group gets a taste of New Orleans—shrimp étouffée, crawfish Louise, andouille sausage—whether they’re enjoying dinner or the daily brunch with live jazz. courtoftwosisters.com
The Court of Two Sisters was the perfect introduction to New Orleans. I went there for more, see, and the city provided it. When I expressed surprise at the size of the place despite a very normal-looking entrance, she summed up the city:
“A lot of New Orleans spaces are deceptive. They might look small on the street, but you get inside and they keep going and going.”
And all I can think about is going back. For more.
Whatever floats …
I missed it on this trip, but Mardi Gras World holds great memories from our Travel Exchange ’15 icebreaker. More than 500 floats are built and decorated there each year, according to Brooke Pickett, and groups can visit year-round.
“Every tour includes a guided walk through our float den, a short film, a slice of king cake, a tour of our artists’ workshop, and the opportunity to try on costumes and take pictures with our spectacular floats,” she says.
Tours last about an hour and a half, and Brooke can organize lunch or dinner and can add on creative workshops like mask making and mini float building. mardigrasworld.com
Top photo: Royal Street Carriages
Photo by New Orleans CVB
