Looking to spend a long weekend in New Orleans? I got you covered. From your self guided tour to Hurricane Katrina to spooky ghost stories, New Orleans has it all! Before I continue, I would like to start by saying this itinerary is mainly geared to people who want to explore New Orleans as opposed to those bachelor/bachelorette parties or those here for Mardi Gras.

Look below for a rough idea of what a long weekend in New Orleans would look like.

First Day:
Get your walking shoes on because today you will be exploring by foot! Today you will be exploring the French Quarter, Jackson Square, Decatur Street, French Market, and Bourbon Street during the day.
Start your morning with Cafe Du Monde for french style beignets. These are to die for. I promise you you will become easily addicted. Unless things have changed post covid, this is cash only!

Today the focus will be the French Quarter and nearby sites! This means walking around Jackson Square and strolling down Bourbon Street. In addition, you will walk along Decatur street and the French Market. You really can’t make a wrong turn. Hey, you may even find yourself taking a mule ride!
During this time you will find souvenir shops, tour companies, restaurants, walking tours, beautiful architecture, bars, candy shops, jugglers, street shows and more!
Okay, so now, it’s probably been half the day and you’re exhausted. I would suggest going back to your hotel and sleeping for a few hours. Make sure you get a good nights rest because after you will want to party the night away on Bourbon Street or Frenchmen Street!
I would say that both Frenchmen Street and Bourbon Street have different vibes so both may be worth checking out.

Second Day:
Even though I do admit that New Orleans is amazing, I believe that the Bayou and history outside of New Orleans is definitely worth checking out. With New Orleans being in the South, you will find many plantations outside of the city, and though a sad history, worth checking out. Many of the plantations have museums as part of the history, and many you can sight see from the outside.
I would start your day with a New Orleans Hurricane Katrina self guided tour. You will hear about the rebirth of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and drive past the levee that “breached,” resulting in the flood.

If you end up not renting a car, you will can plenty of all day tours showing you the Hurricane Katrina route, bayou and plantations, a combo tour!. The bayou swamp tour was definitely a must as you see alligators in their natural habitat.
At night time, you will want to come back then do a haunted walking tour! There are actually walking tours in every city, with many different types. We chose the haunted tour where they showed you the many buildings that have high spiritual activity.

Third Day:
Revisit any of the places along the French Quarter and get your souvenirs! After you have done this you will want to explore the Garden District. The Garden District is definitely for you if you have any shoppers in the group. Depending on how much time you have in the day as your flight will likely be leaving on the 3rd day, you can also add on nearby mansions and cemeteries (I know…, weird combination, but that’s New Orleans for you!). Along the district you will find Magazine Street, a 6 mile street filled with trinkets and shopping galore.

All in all, I hope you enjoy your long weekend in New Orleans.

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