New Orleans

We began our second day with a bayou tour run by Cajun Encounters. Just a short ride from the center of Crescent City are swamplands with their own ecosystems. We rode on small boat into the swamp and explored its depths while alligators and other wildlife slid in and out of view. I had a chance to toss a food morsel to an alligator near our boat and it was thrilling to watch its jaws clamp down on its meal. Back in their giftshop, there was also a baby alligator you can hold.

We headed back to the city where we had a great lunch at Willa Jean’s. To combat the heat, we stopped by Aqua S for delicious, pastel-colored milkshakes. We wandered back to the French Quarter and through Bourbon Street, which is brimming with party spirit all day. We visited the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, which houses artifacts of Louisiana Voodoo. Though it is a small area, it gives a comprehensive view of the religion and its importance in New Orleans’ history. Our next stop was Café du Monde for more beignet research. We headed over to the Garden District to grab dinner at a chic spot, Vintage NOLA, that had everything from truffle fries to alligator nuggets.

The third day began back at Café Beignet for breakfast., where I opted for a more solid meal of an omelet. We boarded the Steamboat Natchez and began our cruise down the Mississippi. The live band struck up jazz music while we sailed down the river. When we disembarked, we returned to the French Quarter to get lunch at the Gumbo Shop, which served traditional gumbo as well as a vegetarian version. We popped into Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, the oldest bar in the city.

We returned to the Garden District and checked out shops in that area. We also visited the assortment of beautiful houses, including historic mansions like the Buckner Mansion known in pop culture for its appearance on American Horror Story. We stopped for a snowball, another popular regional dessert. We grabbed a quick dinner in the neighborhood.

Our last stop before our flights departed was Brennan’s, a pink restaurant famous for inventing bananas foster in the 1950s. Not only was the décor as charming as could be, but the food was also wonderful.