Whether you're a food enthusiast, a music lover or a culture connoisseur, New Orleans has something for everyone. From lively festivals to its renowned culinary scene and picturesque parks, this city offers a huge variety of activities — equal parts family-friendly and adults-only. Take a trip to the heart of the South and walk down the city’s historic streets, explore the lush landscape and immerse yourself in its rich culture.
Festivals and Seasons: When to visit New Orleans
New Orleans, with its near-constant festivals and unwavering enthusiasm for revelry, welcomes visitors at any time of the year. According to Rachel Funel, tourism sales senior account executive with New Orleans and Company, there is an occasion to suit the tastes of every traveler.
“New Orleans has over 130 festivals yearly, so there's always a celebration taking place no matter when you visit,” Funel said. “Each festival focuses on something different: music, tomatoes, po-boys, Jazz music, fried chicken, beignets, cocktails and much more.”
Funel recommends checking out this event calendar for the latest information on festivals, concerts and events to plan your visit around.
However, some festivals are so central to the city’s culture that they need not be researched. Many of these major events — some being Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Southern Decadence and Essence Fest — occur in the spring and fall, making those seasons an excellent time to visit.
Mardi Gras is New Orleans’ largest festival, and it infuses the city with a contagious spirit of fun that lasts for several days. It culminates on Mardi Gras — Fat Tuesday — itself. The exact date changes each year since Mardi Gras falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the festivities can occur anytime from early February to early March.
For this early spring bacchanal, visitors and locals alike don colorful costumes and participate in vibrant parades, making it a true spectacle to behold.
Later in the spring comes the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, commonly called “Jazz Fest,” a full-fledged music festival celebration that further elevates the city's festive atmosphere.
In the fall, Halloween adds an extra layer of thrill to New Orleans. As a city known for its haunted past, New Orleans goes all out for the holiday, with locals pulling out all the stops in terms of costumes and spooky decorations, creating a truly immersive and spooky experience. Visitors could also go on a cemetery tour to make the most of the city's ghostly atmosphere.
While spring and fall are the busiest tourism seasons, the summer months provide a great opportunity to explore the city with fewer crowds. Visitors can beat the heat and humidity by taking a refreshing dip in a rooftop pool or eating a famous snowball. Also, try delving into the city’s world-class museums like The New Orleans Museum of Art, the National World War II Museum and the Ogden Museum, among many others.
Winter in New Orleans brings its own set of festivities, namely through enchanting holiday light shows, such as LUNA Fête and Celebration in the Oaks, illuminating the city's already lively ambiance.
Regardless of when you choose to visit New Orleans, you are sure to find a festival or event that suits your interests and guarantees an exhilarating and unforgettable experience in the Big Easy.
What to Do
From hearing live music to antiquing in the French Quarter, New Orleans has no shortage of activities. Even a simple walk through one of the city’s eclectic neighborhoods will provide endless visual appeal, thanks to New Orleans’ largely historical architecture, including colorful Creole cottages in Tremé and antebellum homes in the Garden District.
Beyond sightseeing, you can partake in guided tours of every sort — from cocktails to ghosts — and enjoy the city’s nightlife and nature.
Culinary Scene
Though festivals are frequent and plenty, New Orleans has far more attractions to enjoy. The destination offers a wide array of guided tours and exciting activities that cater to various interests. For foodies, culinary tours provide a taste of New Orleans' legendary cuisine.
For visitors who want a more hands-on experience with food, Funel suggests taking cooking classes.
“I recommend a cooking school here you can work with world-class chefs, master your cooking skills and follow a recipe for a four-course meal,” Funel said. “The chefs walk you through the process of cooking New Orleans dishes, and then the best part—you get to eat all of the food cooked afterwards!"
Nighttime in the City
Exploring the New Orleanian nightlife scene is essential. While the French Quarter’s Bourbon Street is notorious for its nightspots and is certainly a tourist hub, visitors who seek a less crowded experience have no shortage of other options.
Bustling Frenchmen Street offers live music in nearly every venue, usually free of charge, as well as nighttime art markets for local craftspeople. Additionally, cocktail tours and ghost tours provide an intriguing way to discover the city after dark.
The city is also full of bars, from Uptown dive joints like The Club Ms. Mae’s to the Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone. For a closer look at where to drink in New Orleans, check out this beverage guide.
Outdoor Activities
From swamp tours to golfing, getting outside and enjoying the city's natural beauty is a must-do in New Orleans. The city boasts several picturesque parks, each with its own charms. City Park, home to the world's largest grove of mature oak trees, offers not only natural splendor but also live concerts, an amusement park and contains one of eleven locations of the iconic Café du Monde.
Uptown’s Audubon Park, located across from Tulane and Loyola Universities, features winding walking trails, the Audubon Zoo and stunning views of the Mississippi River. Visitors can admire the gorgeous Spanish moss and get invested in the abundant wildlife here.
Further downriver, Armstrong Park in Tremé features the iconic archway, the Mahalia Jackson Theater and Congo Square, an essential stop for lovers of music history.
There are also abundant options for active outdoor experiences, ranging from kayaking within city limits to choosing from a variety of swamp tours.
“You can also kayak or paddleboard on Bayou Saint John, or even zipline over the swamplands in the outskirts of New Orleans,” Funel said.
If the uninhibited outdoors are too intense for your tastes, you can still enjoy New Orleans’ sultry climate by dining en plein air on a bar’s balcony or in a restaurant’s courtyard.
Getting Around
One of the remarkable aspects of New Orleans is its walkability, particularly if you're staying in or around the French Quarter, or in the nearby Arts and Warehouse District. Staying downtown provides easy access to the city's top attractions and allows you to explore the vibrant streets on foot. Uptown is also relatively walkable, and it’s only a streetcar ride away from the Quarter.
The streetcar lines are an excellent way to sightsee while also getting to destinations that may be out of reach on foot. Not only are they a viable means of transportation, but also a charming piece of history. Having been in operation since 1835, New Orleans’ streetcars are now protected as national historical landmarks.
Of the city’s four distinct streetcar lines, the St. Charles Avenue line provides more than just transportation.
“One of the most memorable sightseeing lines is the St. Charles Streetcar line, which is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world,” Funel said. “You'll get the opportunity to travel through tunnels of live oak trees and pass by dozens of breathtaking antebellum mansions.”
In addition to all New Orleans public transit being wheelchair accessible, Funel recommends this accessible itinerary for the ease and comfort of disabled travelers.
Booking
Looking to book a trip to the Big Easy? New Orleans & Company offers complimentary planning assistance to travel advisors and their clients.
“We are happy to work with travel advisors on custom itineraries, restaurant recommendations, advice on tour operators and along with their hotel search,” Funel said. “We want to make the travel advisor's job a little easier by helping make their clients’ visits to New Orleans successful.”
Those considering New Orleans for their next booking can contact Funel or another New Orleans and Company representative.
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