Let The Good Times Roll: How To Spend 24 Hours In New Orleans

How do you spend 24 hours in New Orleans?

I recently did an overnight trip at the beginning of the month.

I promised a trip report.

New Orleans is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.

That is for good reason.

First occupied by the French, then the Spanish with Caribbean and African influences, this 300 year old city has something for all with great food, culture, music, and history.

New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz music.

It is also one of the top food destinations in the country.

Many foods that you know originated in NOLA.

Some include:

• gumbo
• banana foster
• jambalaya
• beignet
• Po boys
• muffallettas
• crawfish étouffée
• pralines
• red beans and rice
• Oyster Rockefeller

I live six hours away from NOLA by car.

I enjoyed the road trip.

It was my first time driving through Southern Mississippi.

I am from Alabama though I have lived in other places like New York City and Washington, D.C.

One of the things I always find interesting about car trips is covering new areas of the country I have never been through.

It is fun to drive across America.

I have driven across states all over the country.

In any case, though my trip was only 24 hours, I managed to have a good time.

Twenty-four hours is still enough time to explore NOLA.

Follow this itinerary, and get everything in.

Good times are what NOLA is famous for.

Of course, if you will be coming from farther away (i.e. New York, California, etc), you will more than likely fly.

You will need more than 24 hours if you are flying, so I also included a 3 day itinerary at the end of this post.

Though this is my third trip to NOLA, it has been a couple of years since my last trip.

Since the drive at 6 hours was so easy, I will be back soon (like a month or so).

New Orleans, with it’s rich history, culture, food, and music, is definitely a destination to visit and again one of the most popular cities in the United States.

Here is how to enjoy your time in the Big Easy.

How To Get There

The two popular ways to get to NOLA are by plane or car.

You can also take Amtrak too though.

Since I am only 6 hours away, I drove again

Interstate 10 goes into the city.

If flying, you will arrive at Louis Armstrong Airport (MSY).

I hear most people just take an Uber or Lyft to the French Quarter.

Where To Stay

I recommend most people stay in the French Quarter or Central Business District, so that it is easy to walk to everything.

It is also affordable.

I find NOLA to be a very affordable city in terms of hotels

Most people should get a hotel for $150 (Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt) as compared to places like New York that can start at $300.

Even Nashville in prime location will start at $200.

New Orleans has no shortage of hotels.

I stayed at the Hilton St. Charles in the Central Business District.

Most hotels in the Central Business District are just across the street from the French Quarter.

Canal Street is the divider.

Everything I walked to like Bourbon Street was only a five minute walk away.

In general, I choose between Hilton and Marriott according to price.

I was going to choose between the Marriott, Hilton, Autograph, J.W., or Intercontinental.

I enjoyed the Hilton, but premium/luxury hotels are so affordable in NOLA (like around $200) that I will try the J.W. or Intercontinental next time.

I love cities where premium/luxury hotels are cheaper.

I have been staying at upper upscale Hiltons and Marriotts, but have not gotten to a premium/luxury brand in the past couple of months.

I usually do at least five premium/luxury brands a year.

What is the point of being in the point’s hobby if you are not staying at premium or luxury hotels?

Sure I can do better than that too

I did knock off $50 off my Hilton hotel though.

You can read how I saved money on my Hilton stay here.

Booking The Hotel

I booked the Hilton St. Charles for $130 before taxes in the French Quarter/Central Business District.

Again, I saved $50 by booking last minute.

Again, I don’t usually find New Orleans to be an expensive market, but hotels were averaging $180 which is a little higher than I remember.

I think the hotel industry is trying to recover from the pandemic though.

It is approaching summer though too.

This was the last day of the Hilton promotion where you get 2 k points per stay, so I earned the following:

• 1300 Hilton points: 10 points per dollar base points
• 1040 points, 8 points for being Hilton Gold,
• 2000 points for promotion (this promotion was better for people who do overnight trips)
• Total: 4340 Hilton points

Hilton newest promotion will give you as much as 3 times the points.

I want to get a free stay at the Waldorf in Atlanta or Chicago this summer, so I am building my points.

Hilton points are easy to acquire.

My car rental could not be booked online, but my 2 day rental would have given me 6000 extra Hilton points.

That would have been around 10,000 points for one stay.

I know that is a bummer, but car rentals are having shortages.

They let me book at the car rental place, so at least I had a rental.

The Itinerary: 24 Hours In New Orleans

24 Hours In New Orleans, Afternoon: The French Quarter, Jackson Square

My arrival time was 3-4 p.m.

I assume most people will be arriving in the afternoon.

If you will be arriving in the morning, see my morning itinerary below and come back to this section later.

Your visit to New Orleans, and your first day should begin in the French Quarter.

The French Quarter is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in NOLA.

This is why people come to New Orleans.

Take in the unique architecture of the French Quarter with it’s 18th century French and Spanish style homes with wrought iron balconies.

The center of the French Quarter is Jackson Square.

I like to arrive places with plenty of daylight to explore my surroundings

.

You will want to walk around Jackson Square.

When I went it was not as populated as normal, but usually you will see live performances, musicians, fortune tellers, etc.

The St. Louis Cathedral is the center of Jackson Square.

St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest church in American and probably one of New Orlean’s most famous landmarks.

It really looks like a Disney castle.

Through the week, outside of mass time, you can enter the building for free.

Take time to take in the whole environment at Jackson Square.

Have a seat on a bench, and relax.

It is probably a great place to people watch.

24 Hours In New Orleans, Late Afternoon: More In The French Quarter

This is a good time to walk around the French Quarter other than Jackson Square before nighttime.

Places I suggest you walk to are (if enough time):

• French Market
• Mississippi River
• Cafe Du Monde
• Royal Street
• Bourbon Street in the daytime

Since you were in Jackson Square, I would walk toward the Mississippi and stop at the French Market.

I suggest you get beignets at Cafe Du Monde the next morning for breakfast, but you can grab some now.

Most people like them with cafe du lait.

Continue to walk toward the Mississippi.

There was a place where you can stand close to the mighty Mississippi, the longest and most famous river in the United States.

The Mississippi has been written about by famous literary giants like Mark Twain who lived in New Orleans for a short time.

Snag some up close pictures of the Mighty Mississippi.

If you have more time later in your trip, you can take a steamboat cruise or even just a cheap trip across the Mississippi on the Algiers ferry.

None of this was open when I went.

Next, you can head back toward Bourbon Street.

You can take a walk down Royal Street with it’s galleries, antique shops, and famous restaurants.

If you will be walking down Bourbon Street at night, you may want to see what it looks like during the daytime.

If you have extra time, take a walking tour of the French Quarter and learn more.

There are some free tours.

24 Hours New Orleans, Evening, Activity: Bourbon Street

For the evening, everyone should once in their lifetime walk down Bourbon Street.

Bourbon Street is the most famous street in NOLA.

It is known for bars, gigantic cocktails, strip clubs, neon lights, live music, and everyone walking around with a “go cup” of alcohol.

You may see all kinds of things on Bourbon Street, but no adult trip to NOLA is complete without walking down Bourbon Street (leave the kids at home).

Personally, I found the food on Bourbon Street to be overpriced, but if you drink you can grab a “go cup.”

In most places in the United States it is illegal to walk around with a cup of alcohol in public places like bars, sidewalks, and beaches.

In NOLA, as long as your container is not made of glass, you can walk around with a cup, usually referred to as a “go cup” given by restaurants.

If you are someone who cannot tolerate raunchy Bourbon Street, then skip to the next activity.

Again, I think everyone should walk down Bourbon Street at night at least once in their lifetime.

24 Hours Alternate, Evening Activity: Frenchmen Street

Bourbon Street will go on very late, so you actually could walk down Frenchmen Street first.

If you find Bourbon Street too rowdy again, Frenchmen Street could be your evening activity

This is where you will find all the authentic jazz clubs.

Again, New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz music,

If possible, I would recommend doing both Frenchmen Street and Bourbon Street.

One of the most famous jazz clubs on Frenchmen Street is the Spotted Cat.

You can try to grab a seat.

You could also just get to Frenchmen Street and choose a hole in the wall jazz club with good music.

24 Hours In New Orleans, Morning: Cafe Du Monde

Wake up to get a famous beignet and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde.

You will walk toward the Mississippi River again.

You will see the French Market again.

There will probably be a long line for Cafe Du Monde.

If you did this yesterday, then you can choose any other popular breakfast location.

You can take this time to walk along the Mississippi if you did not have time yesterday.

It was desolate the day I went, but it was about to rain.

24 Hours In New Orleans, Morning Activity: St. Charles Streetcar & Garden District

To conclude your 24 hours in NOLA, you will take the St. Charles Streetcar to the Garden District.

This will go from the early morning into the afternoon.

The streetcar will take 30-40 minutes each way.

It charges $1.50 each way, but you can buy an all day pass for $3.00

You must have exact change.

You could take the streetcar to the Garden District and come back because everyone should ride the streetcar.

I think you can have enough time to spend at least an hour or more walking around the Garden District though.

If you have more than one day, you can devote one day to the French Quarter and another to the Garden District.

A third day could be spent doing day trips from New Orleans.

Walk around the Garden District, and enjoy the beautiful homes.

Stop at the cemetery if time permits.

NOLA’s cemeteries are above ground and unique.

On another trip, I even enjoyed lunch at the famous Commander’s Palace in the Garden District.

Flying Or Have More Than 24 Hours In New Orleans? Other places to Cover

Again, I only had 24 hours in New Orleans.

This is my third trip to New Orleans (though it has been a couple of years).

I know how easy the 6 hour drive is, so I will return soon (like within a month or so).

Here are some other activities to do in New Orleans:

• Steamboat cruise on the Mississippi
• Audubon Park
• Cemetery/Ghost/Voodoo tours
• New Orleans Jazz Museum
• World War II Museum
• Backstreet Cultural Museum
• Pharmacy Museum
• New Orleans Museum of Art
• Studio Be
• Swamp tours
• City Park
• Crescent Park
• Louis Armstron Park
• Spotted Cat Music Club
• Mardi Gras World
• Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Here is what 3 days in New Orleans could look like:

• Day One: The French Quarter, including walking tours and ride across Mississippi on Natchez Steamboat or Algiers Ferry
• Day Two: St. Charles Streetcar & Garden District, including Magazine Street & cemeteries
• Day Three: Half day to full day at museums, half day to full day at parks, and/or day/half day trips outside NOLA

So, that concludes you time in the Big Easy until the next trip.

Where To Eat In New Orleans

New Orleans is famous for food.

A trip to New Orleans without food is not a trip to New Orleans at all.

Food unique to New Orleans again:

• gumbo
• Jambalaya
• Muffeletee
• Po Boys
• banana foster
• red beans rice
• beignets

Top restaurants picks;

• Cochon
• Brennans (can get just banana foster since this restaurant is where it was invented)
• Cafe Beignet
• Johnny’s Po boys
• Junction
• Galatoire
• Antoine’s
• Central Grocery

Note: I don’t believe in spending A Lot Of Money On Travel

I always point this out.

Most people cite money as a reason they don’t travel more.

I like to stay in upscale and luxury hotels too.

That is the beauty of points and miles.

You will want to save your points and miles for bigger trips though.

If you spend little on your small road trips, you will have more money or points for bigger international trips.

Everyone should prioritize international travel after the pandemic, and see more of the world.

Some tactics that helped me spend little on travel on this trip were:

• Overnight trip: I keep my trips that are a car drive away to overnight
• Saved money on hotel.
• Still using this tactic to cover cost of travel (read below)

Just note that car rentals are ridiculous right now, and I paid for it.

I have an older car that is paid off, so renting cars is not as expensive as a new car note.

I plan to get around this soon by flying.

Breeze Airlines with fares at $38 each way is coming to my city.

I don’t think most people will need to rent a car on their car trips, so this is just something I do.

Again, I have no car note.

I had to rent for two days to do this 12 hour round trip drive too, but usually my car rentals are just one day.

My travel budget is not my own money.

I use things like Swagbucks, bank bonuses, etc. to cover travel.

You can read about it here.

My expenses came out to:

• Car rental $218 (car rental apocalypse has hit until I can get around it, 2 day rental not my normal again though)
• Hotel $160
• Gas $50

My food budget is covered by my normal budget.

My travel budget is around $500-$600 per month now.

That is in addition to points and miles though.

Again, I cover my travel budget by using things like Swagbucks, bank bonuses, etc.

You can read about it in this post again.

You can also check out my other blog that shows you how to put extra money in your pocket, Adding Pennies.

It will show you how to make money from the activities I mentioned earlier.

This was more than my other car trips in terms of car rental because I need 2 days for the 12 hour round trip drive again.

I have not done 6 hours of driving in a while and looked forward to it.

My method of using things like Swagbucks and bank bonuses also builds up quite a lot of hotel points.

Many people may not need a rental car, so road trips can be just a hotel and gas again.

Road trips are a way to travel more and have more money or points for bigger international trips.

The point of this blog is to help you spend little on travel and travel more, so I hope this was helpful.

Again, my $500-$600 monthly budget is covered by things like Swagbucks and bank bonuses, so technically I am not spending my own money.

I may need to increase this slightly too.

Later, I plan to cover my travel budget with reselling.

Summary

I had a lot of fun during my 24 hours in New Orleans.

It was such an easy drive that I will return soon (like in a month).

I know 24 hours trips are not for everyone, but I still had fun.

I enjoy my short overnight trips and get a lot in.

Overnight trips are a way for me to visit more places for less.

Hopefully, I will be flying soon.

My domestic flight trips will be 2 days instead of overnight again.

I want to travel almost every week, whether road trip or flying soon.

I work a full time job and run three businesses, so weekends it is right now.

Hopefully, I will get to international travel soon now that countries are opening up.

Maybe, I will by this summer.

I want to cover continents quickly.

I have been to Europe and Africa.

I want to go to Europe again and Asia and South America for the first time.

Again, if you are flying, of course you will need at least 2 days, so I included more information in this post.

New Orleans is all about good times, so I hope you will plan a trip to this popular destination in the U.S.

Have you been to New Orleans?

What were your favorite spots?

I am sure one trip to NOLA is not enough.