We woke up super excited for our first day in New Orleans! Since we were staying at a hotel on Canal Street, the JW Marriott, we were located within walking distance of so many city attractions and restaurants — a beautiful thing.
We took a leisurely stroll to Jackson Square and the French Quarter. Be sure to spend some time here; it’s gorgeous! It’s also the perfect spot from which to start a carriage ride.
Our first stop of the day was Cafe Du Monde, just across the street from Jackson Square. It’s always packed with people, but don’t let that deter you. You’ll find a seat within a minute or two.
Cafe Du Monde draws people in for these delectable beignets, served three to an order and generously sprinkled with powdered sugar.
This was my daughter’s first taste of beignets, so I let her have two of the three, and she didn’t let a gram of that powdered sugar go to waste! She also enjoyed a cup of Cafe au Lait with her fried fritter treats.
After breakfast, we walked across the street to Jackson Square in order to visit The Cabildo, The Presbytere and St. Louis Cathedral.
Left to right: The Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral, The Presbytere
The Cabildo (which means city council) celebrates the history of the people of Louisiana. So many diverse cultures make up the population, so the exhibits are really interesting.
Did you know: The Cabildo is the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer!
I’m pretty sure my daughter’s favorite display was this celestial globe.
She also enjoyed reenacting some historically classic poses.
And making pretend music on the drums.
There is so, so much to see in this museum and we spent about an hour there, but we finally left and walked next door to peek inside the St. Louis Cathedral.
Then we decided to take a museum break, so we strolled through some of the stores in the area.
My daughter bought a couple things in the Tabasco Store while I tried to recover from tasting one of their hotter sauces.
We also must have tried thirty different kinds of sauces in the Pepper Palace. They encourage you to keep on tasting… so we did.
We happened upon this relaxing statue so my daughter stopped to relax as well.
Next we went into The Presbytere museum. There is an enormous section of the museum devoted to Hurricane Katrina and it’s extremely well done. It’s both a showcase of the facts and a poignant reminder of the disastrous event in New Orleans history.
This garage door can’t help but call forth emotion when you look it, and there was another exhibit with a Katrina victim’s daily journalings scribbled across the walls of his home. My daughter and I read every bit of it. ( It was peppered with bad language which is why I don’t have a photo here but it was quite powerful and affecting.)
The other major section of The Presbytere celebrates Mardi Gras and the many costumes and traditions that surround it.
Mardi Gras parade Queen costume
Mardi Gras Parade King’s Costume
After leaving the museum, we walked around the corner and down Decatur Street to the home of the original muffuletta, Central Grocery Company. Neither one of us had ever tried a muffuletta sandwich before and what a fabulous first meal in New Orleans. Muffulettas are crazy good!
After lunch we walked to the French Market which was very nearby and casually meandered through the wide assortment of goodies for sale.
Whether you want souvenirs, clothes, jewelry or food, it’s all at the French Market and the prices are super reasonable.
My daughter found the cutest hat which she wore for most of the remaining time in New Orleans. It looked so cute on her!
After we’d finished shopping and since it was a super hot day, we decided to head back to the hotel for a rest, but first we had to stop at Napoleon House for a Pimm’s Cup, their signature drink.
You must get one, you must! With a mixture of Pimm’s #1, lemonade, Sprite and a cucumber garnish, it’s a light and refreshing cocktail and we absolutely loved it!
After our sips, we went back to the hotel and while my daughter had planned on taking a quick dip in the hotel pool, we both fell asleep for a nice long afternoon nap.
When we woke up, we were ready for dinner so we walked across Canal Street to Bourbon St and made our way to the Bourbon House restaurant.
We enjoyed some blackened yellowfin tuna and a grilled chicken ‘Bourbon House’ salad, and everything was just delicious. We were also seated right by a huge window so we could people watch (and there’s a lot to watch, believe me).
After dinner, we wandered Bourbon Street for a little bit, but then we went back to the JW Marriott and crashed from our full day of fun? And it was just the first day!!!!
Stay tuned for our day 2 adventures…
Thank you to the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation for the trip planning assistance at www.followyournola.com and for making this NOLA trip possible.
Thanks for sharing your trip! I love New Orleans, but have’t been down there since before Katrina.. I really need to get back there and enjoy the sights!
New Orleans is such a fun place to visit. I also experienced my first muffuletta from Central Grocery. I’m not a big olive fan at all , but I thought the sandwich was great. And Cafe du Monde….oh my! My mouth is watering for some of those beignets now.
That looks like so much fun! That Tuna looks so good!
Do not forget to have a bowl of gumbo while you are there!
Wow, just the first day and it seems you and your daughter saw so much! All the destinations sound wonderful, and I’d love to visit each one. I’d be most excited to try a beignet at Cafe du Monde, see the history and exhibits at The Cabildo and The Presbytere and roam around the French Market! Thanks for sharing the photos!
Sounds like you had the time of your lives! So glad that New Orleans is seeing some of its past tourist trade. The pics are wonderful ~ your daughter is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your adventure!
You guys did a lot!!! I can’t wait to go in a few weeks and eat some beignets myself 🙂
I love love love New Orleans. There are few places I love more, and I am wanting to go back so bad after our trip there earlier this month. We did not make it to the museum to see the Katrina exhibit, but I wanted to. A reason to go back perhaps?
The Cabildo makes me think of the Disney Princess castle. Your daughter is perhaps even a bigger ham than you are… I love it 🙂
Now that looks like one fun-filled day!
Sounds like an awesome trip for yourself and your daughter!! I would love to travel for my blog and be able to write about it
Oh my gosh… what a fun day. We were just talking a few days ago where we want to take our whole family next. I mentioned New Orleans and everyone seemed to like that idea. I need to find a house there to rent with a pool. You made me want to go for sure now….
So much fun stuff to do (and EAT) in NOLA!! I can’t wait to visit someday.
I would give anything for a muffuletta right now!!
I was there last year. My experience was not so fun, however I did like a few things, including the Cafe du Monde. 🙂
There is so much beauty & culture in New Orleans- but I still can’t get over how amazing those beignets look! I’ve never tried them & I want them BAD!
what a fun day you had with your daughter thanks for sharing. Your right that photo of the garage door is sad 🙁
The idea of going to New Orleans used to not appeal to me. It came across as Voodoo City, but I guess I watched too many horror movies in my lifetime. ~lol~ I’d love to visit there someday, though. My husband lived there for a year with his family and they loved it, while my best friend went there recently and had a bad experience with a waitress stealing his credit card to pay for their car insurance online. 😮
I need to go on an food and drink vacation there. I would gain like 25 lbs. but hey it would be fun.
I’ve only been to New Orleans once, and it was when my three daughters were competing in the AAU Junior Olympis over a decade ago. I fell in love with the city, and even more so since Vilalobos Rescue moved there from CA. I’d love to be able to spend a couple of weeks in New Orleans. One week to volunteer at the rescue. One week to just explore the city. Your photos do bring back memories – especially since Cafe Du Monde is one of my favorite places in the world. I had a dear friend who lived near ‘Orleans for years and would send me a goodie box of food items every Christmas, and my brother-in-law would always bring me several boxes of mix for the beignets, which became a regular breakfast feature whenever my daughters had sleep-overs. We even did a Mardi Gras themed birthday party for my youngest daughter when she was only about 6-7 years old, thanks to my friend sending me several large boxes of items from her Mardi Gras shop (including a couple of boxes of King cake mix plus extra “babies” so each child would get one and be able to claim a “prize”). That party was one of the last things my daughter’s friend, Emily, was able to participate in before she passed from cancer, so it has really special memories and I loved that Emily was able to have so much fun at the party. I guess you could say that New Orleans is in my blood, even though I’ve only been there once, and with the girls competing at the Junior Olympics, we only had 1-2 days to do any exploring. Now I am itching to go back. Thanks for the post!
I am so jealous. I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. It looks like so much. I would love to see all the historic buildings and take in all the tourist attractions. Great pictures!
I adore beignets. Can’t wait for my NOLA trip in October just so I can have some 🙂
Okay – I am ready to go to NOLA. I enjoyed your post – you pointed out some things that I have not seen on other sites that feature reviews of New Orleans.
fun pictures and food: beignets – was there 30 years ago – love to go back.
Show off! Lol, Liz, this is the LIFE! And can I tell you, your relationship with your daughter is an amazing thing…you guys clearly are friends too.
Oh my goodness your trip looks amazing! You all look like you are having a blast. Your daughter is so pretty and seems like she has such a great personality. Look forward to seeing more of your trip!!
What fun! I loved seeing our photos and your daughter is gorgeous! That Pimm’s Cup sounds simply delicious!
Looks like you had a very eventful day! I would love to visit New Orleans one day!
Beniets and Bourbon St Salad both look amazing! I want to go there so badly!
Oh my gosh – I can’t believe you guys packed all of that into one day! You must have been exhausted by the end, but so much fun and good food. The pictures you took are fabulous, and I love those Mardi Gras costumes!
Looks like you visited all of the best spots!
Awesome pictures!I would love to visit there..and the food…MMMMM
it looks like you ladies had a ton of fun! I must say my favorite picture is the cathedral. I LOVE architecture, and that is beautiful.
Great pictures! Looks exciting, lots of neat stuff to see. I love going on trips I can’t wait until our next one. 🙂 My favorite thing to do on a vacation… eat! Haha.
I can not believe you experienced all of this awesomeness in just one day! I have always wanted to visit Cafe Du Monde and your daughter looks like the best travel companion!
i love new orleans 🙂
Wow you did so much just in one day! Looks like an amazing trip so far. Can’t wait to see day two.
I love beignets and muffalettas. Now I’m drooling!
That sounds like it was an awesome trip. I went to New Orleans a few years ago but I would love to go back. There is so much to do there!
What a fun first day. Those beignets look so good, I want to try one! Can’t wait to hear about more of the rest of your trip!
Your daughter is so cute! The beignets look awesome.
What a fun-filled first day in New Orleans! So much to do, see and EAT! Would love to visit some day! 🙂
I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans. Not sure why I haven’t made it there yet. Looks like an amazing trip!
All your pictures are wonderful! New Orleans is one place I really want to go visit!
Welcome! NOLA is a great place and don’t let the weather trouble you. The river boat tour also would be great
Your daughter is quite the character! Such fun seeing her pose in the pics 🙂 The beignets look divine!
I want to visit NOLA so bad! It’s on my list of place I must see,
Oh how I miss New Orleans. When we lived in MS, we drove down several times when we were dating. It’s such a romantic and fun city.
Oh I love your pictures, you’re hilarious! And I don’t know what beignets is but it looks yummy! Looks like you had a fantastic time, thanks for sharing.
Your food pictures are making me hungry!! Your daughter is beautiful and too funny! Love all the pictures!
Ahh, so many cool things to see! Makes me realize how boring my area is, lol. Your daughters poses and expressions in these pictures makes me laugh – I bet she’s hilarious in real life. 🙂
I want to go there specifically for the beignets!!! oh my goodness those look amazing! Yum Yum YUM!!!!
My husband is dying to go to New Orleans and your daughter is quite the photo trooper, loved all the shots 🙂
All that food makes me hungry!
I loved New Orleans when I went too. But we were there before Katrina so it’s nice to see it just like I remember again.
PS Your daughter is gorgeous!
It looks like an AMAZING time! I wonder what the meaning behind that statue (with the girl) is?!
I’ve only been through NOLA, never stayed for a visit. I think I need to go!
What a wonderful trip! Those beignets look yummy!
I really want some beignets! I have to confess something I named son after Prince Naveen! Middle name! First name after my grandfather 🙂
Oh wow! That looks like an amazing place. That sandwich made me hungry.LOL! You took some great pics, thanks for sharing 🙂 It’s always fun to see other people’s trips.
The food! It looks amazing. I’ve never been, but it’s one place I really hope to go some day!
Love it, oh the food looks to die for! We were going to go last month, but wl postpone for a less scorching hot time! can’t wait to read more!
What a great trip.. I loved ALL the pictures and totally made me feel like I was there with you guys… YUMMM..look at all the yummy food …. and things to see… stunning…
I LOVE muffulettas–because, duh, green olives. It looks like you two had a really great time–you and your daughter are two peas in a pod! Er, two nuts in a nutshell. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed my City!
Your daughter is adorable! What a fun experience, I can’t wait to read more. NOLA is definitely on my life list!
How fun! One of my favorite cities though I was deterred by the beignet line. I guess I have to go back!
I can’t believe how much you did in just one day. I’ve never been to New Orleans. It looks like so much fun!
I’ve never been there myself. The city looks beautiful.
Your trip looks amazing! Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful photos. Now I’m craving beignets!
looks.like.a great time. your daughter is hilarious in pictures.
It looks like you and your daughter had an absolute blast! I would have probably gained 20 pounds on that trip, but it would have been so worth it.
Your daughter seems like a fun travel companion! Lucky you having a trip buddy.
Oh my goodness, it looks like you guys had so much fun! I’ve never been to New Orleans!
Sounds like you guys are having a blast!!! Can’t wait to see what Day 2 entails :o)
Sounds like you had a wonderful visit and this is just the first day! Can’t wait for more!
How awesome to have a Mom & Me trip. I would love to do that with my daughter, often, when she gets older. 🙂
I’d like to do one on ones w/any of the kids. What a great thing!
Love the pictures. I’ve never had a beignet either, but it looks pretty tasty.
Wow! Looks like you lovely ladies totally rocked NOLA! That is a lot of fun for one day! That food looks DELISH! You are making me hungry!
So much fun reading about your trip. Can’t wait to read part 2!!! I love Cafe du Monde! Love me some beignets!!!!
Wow! I have yet to travel to NOLA but now after seeing your post I definitely want to plan a trip with hubby. The food looked awesome, your daughter is gorgeous and the picture of the Katrina sign broke my heart. Awesome post, thank you for allowing us to see NOLA through your eyes.
I love NOLA! You will have a blast!
My son was super impressed with the beignets, too! He loves NOLA!
I soooo want to get there and soon! It looks like an amazing trip!
What fun photos!!! I don’t know what’s better in NOLA the food or the beauty of the city!!?!?!
It is such a fun city! We spent three weeks and I think we could have spent three more and STILL not seen it all
Your daughter looks like she is so much fun (wonder where she gets that ;)…that sandwich looks amazing and I love all the beautiful historical buildings. New Orleans is definitely a place I would like to visit one day.
My husband worked in Baton Rouge but would fly in to New Orleans for about a month. He LOVED the food!!! In fact, a few of our now frequent recipes came from his visit to Louisiana!
Ohhh, we live in north Louisiana. My husband and I have talked about taking the kids down to New Orleans some time. We’ve only lived here a year so we haven’t gone yet, but I think a little trip is in order sometime in the near future. I really don’t know much about New Orleans so thanks for this itinerary! I’ll be staying tuned to see what else you do!
Holy WOW!
I can’t believe that was your guys’ FIRST day; you really packed a heck of a lot of sight seeing and experiences into it, that’s for sure 🙂
I’d love to go to New Orleans one day, just to experience it. From the looks and sounds of it, it’s quite a city to see!
How fun! I’ve never been to New Orleans and now I want to go even more… and definitely eat some of those beignets!
Wow! It looks like such a fun day! It seems like you hit so many of the iconic NOLA institutions on the first day. I am so jealous! Thanks for all the great photos, so I can desk travel.
Those beinets are awesome! One of my favorite places in the French Quarter is Laura’s Candy Shop. They have some creole pralines to die for! They are sooooo good!
That looks like such a great vacation. I am happy you are all experiencing this!
Wow, looks like a fabulous firs day!! I’ve never been but one day I’ll visit New Orleans
What an amazing place to visit and spend a vacation! I would love to go to New Orleans and look at the sites take a carriage ride, and eat one of those awesome puffed pastries! The culture with all the places to visit is amazing!
A very full day indeed!
I think that food would have to be my favorite part…. I do love food! There is a new restaurant where I live and it’s a New Orleans style restaurant and it’s amazing!
Wow, what a trip and what a great variety of things to see and do. It’s like every emotion: I was moved by the Katrina display, laughed when I saw your daughter striking poses with the paintings, and made really hungry by the food. What is in a Muffuletta sandwich? Looks so good! Now I really want to go to NOLA even more than before!
Make certain you catch the trolley and go down to the Garden District. On the way back, hop off at The Rink and visit the cemetery across the street. It’s the most fascinating (and creepy) place to catch a glimpse of Nolo’s past.
Wow.. what a fun day. Your daughter is a hoot. She must be a great travel partner.
oh gosh, what a fun day!! i haven’t had a beignet before either. want to bring me to NOLA? 🙂
its so pretty there, from what i see in photos. i want to go.
I just got back from a press trip to NOLA too! I love how you experienced things that I didn’t even get to see right in the same city(except Cafe du Monde. Loved it there!). New Orleans is such a wonderful place.
What a fun day, I have never been but hope to make it some day even if ti is just for that yummy looking beignet!
What an awesome, awesome day! I’ll take one of everything you ate and drank, please! Everything looks delicious!
Wow it looks like you guys had an amazing time…and the food? Looks delicious!
What a lot of fun! Those beignets look absolutely delish and New Orleans is one place on my travel bucket list!!
ah wow….makes me miss the big easy…..way to get those drums too…ha…
so much to see and do
Those are some serious horse-drawn carriages! Never saw one with so many people. All of these pics are fabulous. This makes me really feel the need to travel SOON!
Sounds and looks like a fun day 1. I feel like I should visit NOLA more often, I’m only 1 hour away.
What an adventure, thanks for sharing your first day in New Orleans. I’ve never been but hope to one day.
wow it looks like so much fun there! loved your photos 🙂
what a fun trip, never been to NO so this is a great recap
Oh my goodness Liz …. How awesome was that trip!!! I have always wanted to see New Orleans … Hopefully someday…..The food looks especially awesome!!!!!!
never been….
MUST CHANGE THAT.
What an awesome pictorial! I want to go back there in the worst way!
Looks like you’re having a fabulous time! I’d love to go and visit, too!
Woohoo..you two ladies are having so much fun!!!! Enjoy rest of your trip!