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New Orleans
The Big Easy
Party Time's Guide
Built from real bach party itineraries
Food
Book Ahead (Reservations Required)
Whole roasted pig, boudin, cracklins. Get the boucherie plate. This is the real deal Cajun food and it's so, so good. Book early for groups!
Prepaid Cajun tasting menu, family-style. It's intimate and beautiful and honestly one of the most memorable meals you'll have in the city. Book way ahead — it fills up fast. If you love it, grab the cookbook on your way out.
Really nice Louisiana cooking in a charming Uptown spot. The blue crab beignets are the thing to get. Great for a night where you want something special but not stuffy.
Same team as Cochon but more upscale Southern-French. Gumbo, shrimp & grits, great wine list. This is your "big dinner" night spot.
Caribbean meets Creole in The Old No. 77 Hotel. The curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi is unreal.
The famous one. Go for the 25-cent martini lunch (yes, really). Jacket required at dinner but the lunch is more casual and honestly more fun. The Jazz Brunch on weekends (before 2pm) is also incredible — classic Creole food, martinis, and a live jazz band in a gorgeous old dining room.
Walk-In Friendly
Best fried chicken in America. Not debatable. The line moves fast, usually 20 min max. Cash only!
Famous sandwiches in the Irish Channel. Get the collard green melt. It's weird and fun and perfect for a group lunch.
Grab wine at the counter inside, pick up a cheese plate, then head to the backyard. There's live jazz back there and it's the best first-night-in-town move.
Gourmet hot dogs with crawfish, alligator sausage, duck. Quick, fun, easy for a group.
24-hour corner store in the Quarter. The "All That Jazz" po-boy at 2am after a long night out is a must.
Seafood
Old school oyster house with tile floors. Raw oysters and the oyster loaf are amazing. Cash only and closed in summer!
James Beard winner. Whole roasted fish, great raw bar, wood-fired everything. A little nicer but still relaxed.
Yes it's touristy but the chargrilled oysters are honestly still really good.
Bars & Nightlife
Tiny jazz club on Frenchmen, always packed, always amazing. No cover. Get there early if you want to be near the band. Also there's a piano in the women's bathroom.
Wine bar with a great backyard and live music most nights. Perfect "first night in town" spot.
The diviest dive bar in NOLA. Christmas lights year-round, cash only, opens at midnight. Trust me just go.
Neighborhood cocktail bar in Mid-City. Strong drinks, great jukebox, zero pretension. Locals love it.
In The Roosevelt hotel. Art deco everything, white-jacketed bartenders. Get a Ramos Gin Fizz. You'll feel very fancy.
Home of the Hurricane. Go for the flaming fountain courtyard, not the drink quality. You kind of have to do it once.
Oldest bar in America (1722!). Candlelit, no AC, piano bar in the back. Even if you only stay for one drink, it's worth it.
Live Music
You don't really need a plan for this, just walk down Frenchmen Street and follow your ears. But here are the highlights.
Intimate 45-minute jazz sets, no drinks, no phones. Just incredible music. Buy tickets in advance, it sells out.
This is THE strip for live music. Walk from club to club, no cover at most spots. This is where locals actually go instead of Bourbon Street.
Legendary Uptown music venue. Check their calendar and if there's a brass band or funk show while you're in town, just go.
Jazz dive in the Bywater. Cold beers, hot brass, no frills. Thursday nights with Kermit Ruffins are the best.
Uptown spot, live music every night, the dance floor gets sweaty. The kind of place where you lose track of time.
Good cocktails and brass bands on Frenchmen. A little more chill than The Spotted Cat.
Things To Do
Gators, cypress trees, and a Cajun captain with stories. 2-hour tour from Slidell. Book ahead for groups!
Genuinely one of the best museums in the country. Plan for 3-4 hours, the immersive film alone is worth the trip.
Free (tip-based) walking tours for history, ghosts, food, whatever you're into. Nice way to get oriented on day one.
It's bigger than Central Park! Rent bikes, walk the sculpture garden, or just hang out by the bayou. Morning Call is here too.
Six miles of shops, restaurants, and bars. Great for a lazy afternoon if you need a break from the Quarter.
The "Cities of the Dead" are super cool. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 requires a guided tour but it's worth it.
Coffee & Beignets
The original, since 1862. Open 24/7, cash only, always a line but it moves fast. Pro tip: go at midnight instead of morning.
The locals' version of Café Du Monde, out in City Park. Same powdered sugar situation, way fewer tourists.
Best actual coffee in the Quarter. Great cold brew.
Local roaster, several locations around town. Good pour-over and pastries.
Really good donuts and coffee in the Garden District. Flavors rotate daily.
Not just coffee. Get the biscuits. The everything biscuit and the fried chicken biscuit are both insane. Great for brunch.
Where to Stay
For a bach party you want to be in or near the French Quarter / CBD so you can walk to everything. Marigny and Bywater are great if you want more of a local feel and easy access to Frenchmen Street.
French Quarter / CBD (Best for Walkability)
Grand, historic, home of the Sazerac Bar. You can walk to everything. Worth the splurge.
Classic French Quarter hotel. The rotating Carousel Bar is worth a visit even if you don't stay here.
Bougie but worth it. Gorgeous pool, amazing poolside food and drinks, and one of the best Bloody Marys in town. There's a beautiful boutique inside by George (out of Austin) and The Chapel Club, a really cool cocktail bar in the hotel that's perfect for late-night drinks. Definitely a splurge.
Cool and modern, great rooftop pool and bar (Alto). In the Warehouse District.
Boutique hotel on St. Charles with a really nice restaurant and bar. Feels like staying at a friend's really nice house.
Bywater / Marigny (More Local)
Great for groups since it's apartment-style with kitchens. Walking distance to Frenchmen Street.
Really nice hotel in the Warehouse District with a great restaurant.
Airbnbs
Great option for groups, especially in the Marigny or Bywater. Look for shotgun houses (the long narrow ones). Just check the local short-term rental rules first.
Family Friendly
Not everything has to be a bar crawl. If you're bringing kids or just want something more chill, these are all great.
Great zoo in Uptown, easy to spend a full morning here. The Louisiana swamp exhibit is really cool.
Storybook-themed playground in City Park. Really cute for little kids, and it's right next to Morning Call so the adults can get beignets.
Also in City Park, old-school amusement park with a carousel, rides, and a mini train. Only open on weekends and certain seasons so check the schedule before you go.
In Jackson Square. Really fun walk through the history of Mardi Gras with costumes, floats, and all the traditions.
Know Before You Go
A lot of the best spots are cash only (Willie Mae's, Morning Call, Snake & Jake's, cabs, tips for musicians). Hit an ATM before you go out.
Bourbon is the tourist party strip. Fun for one walk-through but it gets old fast. Frenchmen Street is where locals go for music. Night and day difference.
The French Quarter, CBD, Warehouse District, and Marigny are all walkable. The St. Charles streetcar is $1.25 and goes from downtown to Uptown. Uber for everything else.
Fall (Oct-Nov) and spring (Mar-May) are great. Avoid July-August unless you love sweating. Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest are amazing but expensive and crowded.
Open containers are legal on the street so the drinking culture is real. Eat actual food between bars and drink water. It's a marathon not a sprint.
Musicians, bartenders, second-line dancers all work for tips. Carry small bills. $5-10 per person in the bucket at a jazz club is standard.
It's always hotter and more humid than you think. Wear comfortable shoes because you'll walk miles. Bring a light rain layer, afternoon showers pop up out of nowhere.
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Want to see a full NOLA trip put together?
Check out our demo event, it's a 4-day bachelor party schedule with all the spots from this guide.
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Laissez les bons temps rouler!