What are the "must do" or "must see" things in New Orleans?

Of course you have to walk Bourbon St. There's a sea food restaurant on the LHS a short distance from Canal St. on Bourbon St., Charlie O's, or something similar that is a must do for some etoufe. There are lots of other really nice restaurants along or near Bourbon St. Have your concierge pick one that meets your taste and make a reservation. You have to ride the Charles St. trolley and see all the ante-bellum homes along Charles St. If you have time the N.O. acquarium is nice. Go to St. Charles Square and have a water color sketch done or your palm read and watch the tap dancers. Go visit the St. Louis Cathedral nearby. Must have a coffee and beneigh (sp?) at an outside restaurant in the Frence quarter. Go to Antoine's restaurant if your pockets are deep enough. Go to the Court of the Two Sisters for brunch. Check out the homes in the garden district. Be careful about walking around at night on the side streets. Take a walk along the Mississipi at the Convention center if that's where you will be. Stay where the people are and you won't have any trouble. The cops keep the tourist area on a pretty tight string. Good luck and have fun. 73, from the fisherman

french quarter, burbon street, everything...

must go to french quarters and you must eat at drako's

Things to do in New Orleans: Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival are world famous events, but New Orleans hosts many festivals and celebrations throughout the year: www.nola.com/festivals The Saint Charles Streetcar is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world and is a "tourist attraction" in its own right. It is part of the public transit system, as are the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcar lines: www.norta.com There is always music, but the bands change: Go to www.bestofneworleans.com and click on Music then Listings or to www.offbeat.com and click on Listings, then Music. Note that music clubs often advertise "No Cover", meaning there is no charge for entering. However, clubs with "No Cover" often require that customers buy a beverage each for every "set " of music (which can be every 20 minutes) so KNOW THE PRICE before you sit down. Clubs do that because some people will sit in the club all evening drinking nothing (clubs only make money from the drinks they sell - not from the music). It is also a good idea to pay for each round of drinks (in clubs on Bourbon Street) as it is delivered so there can't be any confusion at the end of the evening. An incomplete guide to bars & clubs: www.neworleanscheapdrinks.com About certain alcoholic beverages: Realize that some famous drinks are VERY potent compared with regular cocktails that have only 1 to 1 ½ ounces of alcohol. For example, a Hurricane is basically 3 or 4 ounces of rum in something like red Kool-Aid, and a Hand Grenade has at least 4 ½ ounces of Everclear + rum + vodka mixed with melon liquor. They don’t necessarily taste like an alcoholic beverage and it is easy to over-indulge. Wander around the French Quarter, enjoy the architecture, watch the street entertainers (do tip), and visit some of the historic buildings that have been turned into museums (go to www.frenchquarter.com and click on Historic Attractions). Assuming the weather is good, you can collect a sandwich lunch and eat in the riverfront park (watch the shipping) or in Jackson Square (a very nice park). The Riverwalk shopping center has an air-conditioned food court with dining overlooking the river (www.riverwalkmarketplace.com). The Canal Place shopping center is in the French Quarter and has a cinema and higher-end shopping (Saks 5th Avenue, Brooks Brothers, etc.). Magazine Street is a miles-long shopping district: www.magazinestreet.com Louisiana is the only US state that offers tax-free shopping for international visitors: http://www.louisianataxfree.com/ The lobby for the Westin Canal Place Hotel is on the 11th floor and overlooks the French Quarter. It is a great place for an afternoon drink/snack:(www.westin.com). Cafe du Monde is in the French Quarter and you shouldn't miss having cafe au lait & beignets (www.cafedumonde.com). Another great coffee shop is the Croissant d'Or (at 615 Ursulines Street), which is open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and has food in addition to pastry. The Palm Court restaurant is very nice, has moderate prices, and offers traditional live jazz starting at 8:00pm: 1204 Decatur Street, tel 504-525-0200 (reservations are important and they are not open every day). The Palm Court is closed from about July 25th to about September 25th each year. Maximo's Italian Grill has great food and atmosphere: 1117 Decatur Street in the French Quarter, (504) 586-8883. All of the famous restaurants (Antoine's, Arnaud's, Brennan's, Commander's Palace, etc.) have reopened. The Pelican Club (on Exchange Alley in the FQ) is not as well known but is the same type experience. Reservations are a good idea, and probably essential on weekends. Tujaques Restaurant (823 Decatur Street) is very traditional and has moderate prices: www.tujaguesrestaurant.com Cafe Degas is a very French restaurant near City Park at 3127 Esplanade - which is not within walking distance of downtown (5 to 10 minutes by taxi). They are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays (504-945-5635). The Napoleon House restaurant is at 500 Chartres Street in the FQ, and has a menu of great local dishes: www.napoleonhouse.com Preservation Hall has traditional live Jazz, and doesn’t serve alcohol so all ages are welcome: www.preservationhall.com New Orleans has ballet, opera, a symphony orchestra, and theatre: www.nobadance.com www.neworleansopera.org www.lpomusic.com www.lepetittheatre.com There is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the "foot" of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/canal_street_ferry The Aquarium, Audubon Zoo, and the new Insectarium are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. The Zoo is several miles from downtown. You can drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter. The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter: http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/ New Orleans is also home to a number of other museums, such as the National World War II Museum (www.ddaymuseum.org) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org). Both can be reached by public transit: The WWII museum is in the central business district but a long walk from the French Quarter. NOMA is not within walking distance of downtown but has free parking. Go to www.neworleansmuseums.com for info on more museums. Harrah’s Casino is in the Central Business District: www.harrahs.com (age 21 required for entry) New Orleans City Park has a variety of attractions, including golf and an amusement park with rides and attractions for children + free parking. (www.neworleanscitypark.com). Check www.frenchquarter.com and http://www.nola.com/visitor/ for ideas about other things to do. Hope you have a great time!

Naturally, you want to check out Bourbon St(while here see Fat Tuesday's and have a 190 Octane daiquiri or Pat O Brien's and have a "hurricane") but if you are looking for stuff thats a little more local oriented check out some of the bars on Frenchman St.. right outside of the french quarter but within walking distance of it and you can find bars like The Hookah cafe or Snug Harbor(great music and food and drinks).. look up "the Bulldog" or "the Rusty nail" for more small hole in the wall bars but popular local spots. Check out the audobon zoo and aquarium and imax. u can get like a 3ticket pass for all three for a (i think these are closed on Mondays so keep that in mind just in case for planning instances) . take a ride on the (free) ferry over the Mississippi River and check out Mardi Gras World in old Algiers.. take a street car and ride up Canal St or down St. Charles Ave for some sightseeing of the garden district and such. Also walk up and down Magazine.. there is tons of little boutiques and such up and down Magazine st. Check out the Drag King show on Tuesday nights at midnight at the Bourbon Pub and Parade on Bourbon/St. Ann st. Make sure you also check out the the French Market.. most of the vendors are out between like 9am and 4pm on saturdays and sundays.. lots of fun little souvenir shopping and such. For dining, some musts are Mother's Restaurant on Poydras St. and Port of Call on Esplanade Ave. If you make it down St. Charles to the very end, check out Cooter Browns(over 400 beer choices, big screen tvs and probably some of the best bar food you will ever eat!!) and have breakfast at Camellia Grill. Like Mothers, Camellia's will have a line most likely but both are very much worth waiting for! Good Luck on your trip and have lots of fun!!

The superdome or the beaches