MUSIC
What we love most about New Orleans is to wander down Frenchmen St. until we hear the right horn, and then head in to listen to it. New Orleans is RICH with live music. Here are some of the spots we frequent:
733 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Best music on Bourbon. We tend to enjoy some of the daytime or early evening Bourbon events, while skewing toward Frenchmen for the bulk of our evening.
Our two Frenchmen St. Faves:
Royal Frenchmen
700 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Live music, more polished jazz, more sit-down style.
Bamboula’s
514 & 516 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Also a good time:
The Irish Cultural Museum
933 Conti St New Orleans, 70119
Yes, there is a museum; there is also an adjoining coffee shop. They have an incredible espresso martini
The area around Carrollton and Oak St is also fun:
(And the music venue just next to it…)
Kermit Ruffins Mother-in-Law Lounge
Kermit Ruffins is a New Orleans native and amazing trumpet player. He has been instrumental in revitalizing New Orleans Jazz, and remains a leader in the music scene and general cultural landscape/community.
And for a very special, KID-FRIENDLY event:
Congo Square Drum Circle
Congo Square / Louis Armstrong Park
701 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Sunday: 3pm - 6pm
NOVELTY BARS
(This place is cute and silly; you can get a card from here to enter the secret vampire bar upstairs of Fritzel’s - free early in the day, before 6pm, I think. They sell drinks that are “blood bags” but most importantly we just loved talking to the people here. It is a quieter oasis to make spooky-minded friends)
Muriel’s
Supposedly very haunted, old bordello with seance room.
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop
(I think this place is slightly overrated but very popular due to being a historic site)
The Goat
1301 St Bernard Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
Goth dive bar - they were just really sweet here
Golden Lantern (gay bar/drag bar)
1239 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Vanessa Carr performs really funny parodies of 90’s R&B classics on Sundays from 3 - 5pm
Traditional Drag (lip sync, multiple performers) Saturdays at 10pm and Sundays at 5pm
TOURS
A friend of Sarah Rose who is an integral part of the voodoo community recommended OSS as a resource for outsiders to learn about the actual spiritual practices and history of voodoo.
World War II Museum
You can visit without booking a tour, but the tours are 100% worth your time and money.
Ursulines Convent
Swamp tours!
We don’t back any particular one. The bayou is beautiful and magical. You’ll want to plan at least a day in advance for this; they’ll be shuttling you 45 minutes outside the city.
City Park: Has art, a storybook-themed playground, and a children’s museum
Mardi Gras World
Jazz Museum (little bit of a grungier walk)
Unique shopportunities:
Art Bazaar
619 Frenchmen Street, New Orleans LA Open every day 6pm-Midnight
The block of Chartres/Dumaine/Decauter/Madison has cute frilly goth wear. Roadkill, Kulture Vulture were cooler than the Boutique du Vampyre which is at the secret vampire bar at the back of Fritzels.