This blog brings the total to four days of nonstop fun in NOLA. First, we took a look at what one can do in two days. CLICK HERE to refresh your memory. Now we’re following this up with another two days to equal a FOUR-DAY sojourn in The Big Easy.

DAY THREE:

FAUBOURG MARIGNY AND BYWATER

MORNING:

- Join the Confederacy of Cruisers: a bike company that offers cycling tours through scenic Creole neighborhoods, namely: Faubourg, Marigny, Tremé and colorful Bywater – call (504) 400-5468

- Stroll in Washington Square Park that’s located at Elysian Fields and anchors Frenchmen Street with its incredible music scene.        

THEN:

- Walk east (or down) along Royal or Congress Streets and take a look at all the colorful houses. Go by Press Street and you’ll be in Bywater, where you’ll see Dr. Bob’s Folk Art at 3027 Chartres Street. Then stroll into City Park (roughly 50% larger than Central Park in New York City) where you’ll have great views of the Mississippi River.

DRINKS:

- Stop at 600 Poland Avenue for Bacchanal and enjoy wine and cheese with live music playing on a back patio: it’s a lovely and relaxing scene. 

FUN:

- Stay in this area to enjoy live music on St. Claude Avenue or onFrenchmen Street – it’s usually crowded and buzzing,– but it offers live music ranging from traditional jazz to blues and rock. This street attracts audiences from all over the world.

DAY FOUR:

MID-CITY AND THE TREMÉ

MORNING:

- The Backstreet Cultural Museum is located at 1116 Henriette Delille Street in the Tremé (the oldest African-American neighborhood in the United States). Stopping here is a must if you come to New Orleans. It’s a small museum that holds the world’s best collection of traditions such as: the Mardi Gras Indians, jazz funerals, Pleasure Clubs and Skull and Bone Gangs (a tradition that dates back to 1819).

- The Louis Armstrong Park is just steps away from the French Quarter. Its iconic, arched entrance can be spotted at once. Inside you’ll find Congo Square (a historic meeting place for slaves in the 1800s). Come and view sculptures, marvel at the serenity of duck ponds and relax with lots of greenery and open spaces 

LUNCH:

- Enjoy delicious soul food at the Dooky Chase restaurant, 2301 Orleans Avenue, (504) 821-0600. One visitor says, “The four of us went there for lunch – they ordered seafood and I ordered the fried chicken that the restaurant is known for -- at the end, the three of them had finished and then all three tried to pick chicken off my plate.”

THEN:

- Take a stroll up Esplanade Avenue, one of the quietest, most scenic and historic streets in New Orleans. View all the stately Creole mansions under live oak trees as you walk along

- Go on Esplanade until you reach the 1,300-acre City Park where you’ll find the New Orleans Museum of Art, the oldest fine arts museum in New Orleans – it hosts an impressive permanent collection of 40,000 objects. Phone: (504) 658-4100

After this, you can stop for a rest on the banks of bucolic Bayou St. John where you can sail, eat or drink at a local beer garden.

DINNER:

- Dine at Café Degas, a classic French Bistro you’ll find at 3127 Esplanade Avenue (fairly close to Rathbone Mansions). It can be reached at (504) 945-5635. For dinner one can order entrées such as: pan-seared gulf fish, hanger steak or crawfish and spinach quiche. For desert we suggest Chocolate Decadence to round out your meal with style.   

DRINKS:

- Enjoy an after-dinner drink at the welcoming Twelve Mile Limit, a watering hole with a pool table and patio that offers cocktails and beer. It is located at 500 S. Telemachus Street and is open from 5:00 pm until 2 am.

FUN:

- PURE WOW! Hail an Uber cab and spend the rest of your evening at the Mid-City Rock & Bowl – a super fun spot that has bowling lanes, a bar with Creole-inspired eats plus live music by local legends and a dance floor. It’s at 3016 S. Carrollton Avenue and can be reached at (504) 861-1700. Please remember: Uber operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week in New Orleans.

WHY RATHBONE MANSIONS? If you’re in the mood for an elegant, fun place to stay that will remind you of the gracious antebellum South then we’re the spot for you. Have you ever slept in a four-poster bed? Come and see ours – you’ll fall in love in seconds!

PLEASE CHECK THE WEB for any additional information about any of the places you see in this blog.

Shaun Nelson-Henrick