Sister Trip to New Orleans

Happy Spring! I hope wherever you are, the weather is getting warmer and the sun is getting brighter. I returned to my job as a first grade teacher this week after two weeks of spring break. It was beautiful but I am happy to be back with my kids. For three days of those two weeks, I flew to New Orleans, Louisiana to meet my sister, Kendall, for a quick getaway. Neither of us had ever been to NOLA prior to this trip so when planning for it, we could not be more excited. The two of us travel very well together for many reasons but most importantly, we both have the same idea of a vacation and that is to EXPLORE!

I flew out of Reno around 2pm on Tuesday, March 18th. I had a rather long travel day with a layover in Denver and finally arrived in NOLA around 10pm that night. I waited at the airport for Kendall to arrive about an hour after I did. Once she got there, the trip officially began and we took an Uber to our hotel in the French Quarter.

We stayed at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel and loved our stay. I'd highly recommend to anyone looking for an affordable location in the French Quarter. We were one block from Bourbon Street. After checking in, we headed to check out the pool before putting our backpacks down in our room. After that, we left around midnight to get some drinks to celebrate the start of our trip!

We walked around and enjoyed some live music at a bar on Bourbon Street before returning to the hotel to get some rest before the next day began.

On Wednesday morning, we had a walking tour scheduled at 10am so we walked over and got some breakfast at the Bread and Butter Cafe which was delicious and just what we needed.

We took our first walk along Canal Street and picked up some coffee on the way to the starting point of our tour.

We also walked along the Mississippi River which was beautiful. Kendall lives in La Crosse, Wisconsin along the Mississippi so we joked that she should have just floated down instead of flying.

The start of the tour began in Jackson Square. It was already a lively, beautiful morning in the square.

Sister selfie!

To be honest, the walking tour wasn't exactly our cup of tea so we sneaked away a little early. We stopped back at the hotel to freshen up and then went back out on our own walking tour.

All of the buildings in the French Quarter were stunning and since we came a few weeks after Mardi Gras, there were many decorations still up!

We walked over to the Historic New Orleans Collection Museum which has free admission! We spent some time there looking at the beautiful exhibits before heading over to another museum!

The next museum we went to was the Cabildo. The Cabildo is a very historic building that served as the center of the New Orleans government until 1853.

Afterwards, we walked across the street to the 1850 House. The 1850 House is a an antebellum townhouse with 1800s furniture and objects on display. I loved seeing what life was like back then.

We stopped and enjoyed some more time in Jackson Square for a bit.

Then, it was getting close to lunchtime and we were ready for a snack and drink. We grabbed some sangrias and tried our first beignets at the French market.

We walked around the French Quarter and did a little shopping. This store was SO cute and reminded us of our mom, Amy!

We walked over to Louis Armstrong Park. We strolled through and it was beautiful! On this day, the temperature reached 80 and we were thriving in the sun.

Inside Louis Armstrong Park is Congo Square which is a former gathering place for enslaved people with rich history.

We couldn't help but take a selfie when we walked past the Court of Two Sisters! This is a restaurant in the French Quarter that we had plans to visit on Friday morning.

After a lot of walking, we took a break at the hotel pool!

Later that night, we went out for dinner at the Olde NOLA Cookery and went on a ghost tour!

The next morning was an early one as we had a swamp tour scheduled for 9am. We went out for a quick breakfast at Nostalgia which was a cute cafe with old arcade games.

We were picked up for our tour about 9am and were driven out to a bayou a little ways away from the city. Although it was a bit chilly on the boat, it was a beautiful tour and we are so happy we did it! It was probably one of my favorite things we did on the trip.

We saw a ton of alligators and other wildlife. This alligator's name is Lucy so we had to send a picture to our little sis, Lucy.

At the end, we walked around a parking lot filled with seafood marketplaces with unique food. We thought of our mom when we saw, Amy's Seafood Mart!

After the tour, we were able to get dropped off in the Garden District to walk around and check out the beautiful houses. If you've watched the show, "Your Honor" on Netflix, this house might look familiar! It is the Desiato house and I was so excited to see it in person!

Beautiful Kendall!

After walking around a bit, we took a tram back to the French Quarter.

We treated ourselves to some ice cream and stopped back at the hotel for a bit!

For a later lunch, we ate at the Acme Oyster House. This was a destination that Kendall had been wanting to check out. She was excited to try the char-grilled oysters! Me being a vegetarian and far less adventurous eater, chose a veggie burger!

We then walked over to the Museum of Death. This cost $20 to get into and was an interesting experience. If you are into true crime, this could be for you. I like true crime but it was a very small museum and for the cost, did not think it was worth it to be honest but Kendall and I still made the most of it!

We stopped for coffee before I had to hop on a quick zoom call.

After my zoom call, we headed back out and ended up finding a parade that was walking around the French Quarter! We took part for a bit which was so much fun. I love the music of NOLA.

For dinner, we ate at the Gumbo Shop which was delicious! I got the vegetarian dish of the night and Kendall ordered gumbo and jambayala.

We spent our final night on Bourbon street in and out of various bars, taking it all in!

We had the very best time and already cannot wait to go back.

On Friday morning, we ended our trip with a beautiful brunch at the Court of Two Sisters. For anyone visiting NOLA, I highly recommend planning a brunch here. It was beautiful, the live jazz music was gorgeous, and the food was delicious.

Before Kendall flew out, we walked over to Jackson Square one last time together.

Since my flight wasn't leaving until later that day, I went on a cemetery tour at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. It is the oldest and most prominent cemetery in the city with a ton of rich history. I loved my tour and would also suggest this one to anyone visiting.

Before my flight, I hung out and basked in the sunshine for a bit in Jackson Square.

So long, New Orleans! Overall, it was an amazing trip and I am so grateful to have been able to do this with Kendall. She is one of my all time favorite travel buddies and I can't wait for our next trip together.