Suggested Activities for New Orleans Wedding Guests
Part of what makes New Orleans such a wonderful destination for weddings is the abundance of food, culture, and beautiful sights that your guests can enjoy while they are here. Including a list of curated suggestions on your wedding website or in your welcome bags is a great way to extend an extra touch of hospitality to your guests. Below you’ll find my personal suggestions, I hope they’re helpful to you as you plan your wedding in New Orleans!
Food & Drink
It is hard to go wrong with food in New Orleans, but the choices can be overwhelming. You can't go wrong with any of the following:
Willie Mae's: Famous for their fried chicken, but don’t sleep on the red beans and rice either. (That line though! Get there early.)
Parkway Poboys: When they ask if you want it “dressed”, they mean with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise.
Coffee & Beignets at Cafe du Monde
Happy Hour at Cane & Table
Willa Jean (even the apps are party of Happy Hour!)
Frozen Irish Coffee at Erin Rose (The essential day-drinking-in-the-Quarter accessory.)
Bacchanal: Grab a bottle of wine, some cheese, and enjoy some live music. Then you absolutely must finish it off with the sea salt + olive oil chocolate bark!
Atchafalaya: Pronounced “Uh-chaff-uh-lie-uh”. It’s tiny so make a reservation, even for brunch.
Saba: Everything is delicious and there are abundant vegetarian options.
Shopping
Magazine St. is Main Street USA in true NOLA style, offering 6 miles of intermittent shopping and dining. While you will find a few national brands, locally owned is the norm. Unique boutiques, top chefs, art studios and markets have been popping up along this exceptional thoroughfare since the early days of New Orleans. Some of these family owned shops are closed on Sundays, so be sure to check their hours.
Sightseeing
A ride on the St. Charles streetcar to the end of the route and back downtown is only $1.25 exact change each way, and it is the #1 thing I suggest to visitors. This route takes you past some of the most beautiful mansions and oak lined streets of New Orleans. You can also get a day pass for the streetcar that works on the buses as well (which run on Magazine St.!).
Don’t forget about Louisiana’s natural beauty! The swamps are gorgeous, either a drive out to the Jean Lafitte wildlife preserve for a hike* through the swamp, or a swamp tour. Either way you’re likely to make an alligator friend or two. (*hike is strong word, there are walking paths throughout and approximately zero elevation change.)
Music & Nightlife
The calendar at WWOZ will list all the music shows happening as our date approaches. There are brass band shows every week: Soul Rebels at Le Bon Temps every Thursday, Hot 8 Brass Band at Howlin' Wolf every Sunday, and Rebirth at the Maple Leaf every Tuesday. Fritzel's is a great place to catch a Jazz Show, and there are several music clubs along Frenchmen (such as Blue Nile, Spotted Cat) with nightly shows as well.
Museums/Tours
The National WWII museum: Tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world - why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means.
Whitney Plantation: The only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery.
The Cabildo and Presbytere: In the heart of Jackson Square they feature exhibits on Mardi Gras and Hurricane Katrina.
Mardi Gras World: This is where many Mardi Gras floats and props are made and stored. Seeing the huge, beautiful floats up close really helps to show what Mardi Gras is all about.
NOMA and the Sculpture Garden: Both located in City Park. The Sculpture garden is free and conveniently located next to a beignet shop.
Walking tours of the French Quarter, Garden District, a cemetery tour, or a ghost tour via Free Tours by Foot.
What do you think? Who’d I miss?