This past week I was able to head down to NOLA. Below are my recommendations for unique experiences while in New Orleans!

1. Eat some of the most delicious food (and of course try beignets)

Here are some of the most delicious places in New Orleans that are worth checking out:

• Cafe Beignet-Delicious beignets and breakfast with multiple locations

• Cafe Du Monde-Try these beignets as well and compare to Cafe Beginet!

• Surreys - The oldest organic juice bar in all of New Orleans. Stop by for a juice or a delicious breakfast. With an extensive menu you are sure to find something to please everyone!

• District Donuts - Delicious breakfast sandwiches and sliders, and of course donuts! They even have donut sandwiches.

• Cochon - Hands down one of the best meals we had in New Orleans was at this restaurant. Make sure to make a reservation early and order the gumbo!

• Cane & table-Rustic small and large plates

• Parkway Tavern-Get the shrimp po boy!

• St. Roch Market-An upscale market place for a quick lunch or dinner with drinks! With 11 different vendors you’re sure to find something unique!

• Commander’s Palace-The place to go for an unforgettable upscale lunch. The food is delicious and the service is impeccable. Make sure to get the bread pudding at the beginning of your meal.

• Turkey and Wolfe . Named #1 best restaurant in 2017 this sandwich shop does not disappoint. I recommend getting the Tacos inauthenticos, the pork and peppers sandwich as well as the deviled eggs. This food is so delicious it gets it’s own bullet point. Check out #9 for more food recs.

2. Do a ghost tour. I found a tour just by walking around the French Quarter and popping in a tourist information center. There are all types of tours but make sure your tour will stop at the famous Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar one of the most famous spots in the French Quarter.

3. Learn about the history of medicine at the Pharmacy Museum. Go around 12:45pm and pay $5 to be on the 1pm tour. This tour happens during the week Tuesday-Friday. The museum is also open on Saturday but sadly no tour happens on this day. Be warned this tour isn’t for the faint hearted, old timey medicine was not a pretty sight.

4. Go to a Cemetery. I visited Lake lawn Metairie Cemetery. Which is a little bit outside of the city, but easily accessible with Uber. This cemetery is HUGE and has a lot of interesting tombs, I would definitely recommend making the trek. There are smaller cemeteries in town as well like the St Louis Cemetery no 1 as well as the Lafayette Cemetery (which was closed when I visited). You can either explore on your own, or sign up for a tour!

5. Happy hour hop at some of the best places in town! One of the best things about New Orleans is the amount of options for happy hour! Start your happy hour hop at Cavan. Set in a mansion from 1883 feels like an upscale dinner party with delicious food and drink to boot! A perfect introduction into New Orleans bar and restaurant scene. Another great spot is Hot Tin. Located in the Pontchartrain Hotel, make sure to come for drinks at sunset—Hot Tin boasts some of the best views of New Orleans.

6. Check out the French Quarter (obviously)-Lafayette Cathedral, Jackson Square, Pirate's Alley, Royal Street, Julia Street, are all great places to get a taste of New Orleans. Walk through Jackson Square and check out art my local artisans.

7. Explore Bourbon and Frenchman Street. On Bourbon street split a hurricane at Pat OBriens, split a frozen grenade from Tropical Isle if you dare. Check out Frenchman street, the locals version of Bourbon street. Be sure to check out the Spotted Cat. Also the Maison and the art garden which are open until 11.

8. Visit Mardi Gras World-One of the coolest experiences in New Orleans. If you can’t come to NOLA during Mardi Gras this is the 2nd best thing! See tons of amazing and colorful floats while learning the backstory of Mardi Gras culture (which is huge in NOLA).

9. Visit City Park and the sculpture garden-City Park is a 1300 acre park in New Orleans that boasts a botanical garden, an antique carousel/amusement park, mini golf, the New Orleans Museum of Art and sculpture garden, and a train garden. For the athlete, to the artist this place has it all!

10. Go on a swamp boat tour-While this technically isn’t in downtown New Orleans it is definitely worth the trek out to the country side (only about 45 minutes). I recommend using a tour group like Cajun Encounters. They will pick you up and bring you back to various locations in downtown NOLA. Depending on when you go you will see an assortment of wild animals (pigs, alligators, raccoons, and bald eagles!)

Make sure to pin this post to save it for future trips to New Orleans!