Most of our time in Louisiana has been spent in the heart of New Orleans. We had an extended weekend here when APTA’s CSM came to the downtown conference center. For those who do not know, CSM is a massive physical therapy event that sees at least 15,000 PT professionals run rampant through the host city. It was the perfect excuse to research and check off some of the top things to do in New Orleans!
Moxy Hotel by Marriott
First, we desired to find a somewhat affordable hotel in the downtown/CBD area that was close to the conference center. As thousands of other PTs booked rooms by the minute, we ended up choosing Moxy Hotel. I can’t say we were ecstatic about the result, but it was an experience! Upon check-in at the hotel’s lobby bar we were given two complimentary mixed drink tickets that we used immediately. Taking in our environment a little bit more, we found suggestive portraits on all the walls, even in the elevators, and when we turned on our room’s TV the welcome channel greeted us with scenes of partying into the morning. Not a family hotel…
The lobby of the Moxy Hotel
Honey Island Swamp Tour
Being in the bayou we knew we had to hit up a swamp tour. So, we grabbed an Uber and headed over to Slidell where most of the action is located. Here there are multiple boat tours that bring you on a ride through the Honey Island Swamp. We’re guessing you really can’t go wrong. Most of them do all the same things and hit the same highlights on their nature tours. We saw tons of alligators, raccoons, wild hogs, turtles, snakes, and birds! We cruised by some funky looking homes as well. You can even take a bachelor/bachelorette party on one of these boats!
Honey Island Swamp Tour!
Where we saw gators!
And wild hogs.
And unique homes!
Honey Island Swamp Tour!
Where we saw gators!
And wild hogs.
And unique homes!
Two Chick Walking Tours- St. Louis #1 Cemetery Tour
In keeping up with the swamp tours, there are also tons of companies offering tours of the famed above-ground cemeteries. Again, take your pick. All of them get you into the gated resting sites. We chose Two Chicks Walking Tours and ironically, we got a guy as our guide! He was very knowledgeable and brought us through the history of New Orleans and why they built these cemeteries. He then led us into the St. Louis #1 Cemetery and gave us information on some of the more famous crypts around the plot of land.
Cemetery Tour!
The tour was actually very educational!
Where Nicholas Cage will be buried!
Cemetery Tour!
The tour was actually very educational!
Where Nicholas Cage will be buried!
Bourbon Street/French Quarter
Welcome to the main attraction! After learning more about the history of swamps and New Orleans it was time to take in the true nature of the “Big Easy”– Bourbon Street! If you do not like people and/or drinking, this is not the place for you! But never fear! The further you walk away from the main drag the less intense it gets and more of the melting-pot culture and cuisine comes out. Here are several spots we enjoyed in the French Quarter:
Coop’s Place: Creole/Cajun-style restaurant with traditional gumbo and jambalaya at reasonable prices!
Napoleon House: An old European-style restaurant engaged in Napoleonic history; serving up deliciously large muffulettas and the Pimm’s Cup!
Pat O’Brien’s Courtyard Restaurant: Most famous for The Hurricane drink, this giant space is 3 in 1- featuring a main bar, a huge patio with a flaming fountain, and a dueling piano lounge!
Tropical Isle Bars: Has 5 locations, the most fun being the Honky Tonk; serves up the famous Hand Grenade drink!
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar: Located just off Bourbon Street, this is an upscale bar/restaurant serving top tier drinks and food; we went for the traditional French 75 drink!
Bar Tonique: An eclectic bar on the outskirts of the night-life scene with decent drink specials and chill vibe; here we snagged some Frenchmen’s Dark & Stormy drinks!
Cafe du Monde: A New Orleans staple- you have to go here (whatever state of mind you’re in) and get at least 1 order of beignets! It’ll hit the spot.
House of Blues New Orleans: The APTA hosted a private jazz party here for PTs and it was awesome; they have two levels of bars and a large dance floor/stage for live music!
Welcome to Bourbon Street!
Trying out the Hand Grenade!
Enjoying Cafe du Monde!
Ending the night at House of Blues!
Welcome to Bourbon Street!
Trying out the Hand Grenade!
Enjoying Cafe du Monde!
Ending the night at House of Blues!
Frenchmen Street
Go a little further east out of the French Quarter and you will arrive at Frenchmen Street, a growing-in-popularity live music, night-life area that is slightly more low key than Bourbon Street. If you’re looking to enjoy fantastic jazz-type music with less crowds, this is the place to go. It is safe on Frenchmen Street- just make sure you have your numbers and don’t go wandering alone at night. Also do not take any drugs from stranger’s baskets! Here are some spots we hit up:
The Spotted Cat Music Club: A very popular roaring jazz bar, complete with trombones blaring sweet, sweet music into your skull as you feel like you’re in the front row at a concert in this snug space!
Three Muses: A jazz/music restaurant with another fantastic scene of musicians and really good looking food!
Blue Nile: Phenomenal jazz club that you will literally not want to leave, and not just because you paid a cover!
Having fun listening to live music at The Spotted Cat!
Our other downtown/CBD stops:
Cochon Butcher: This is an amazing locally-sourced, hand-crafted sandwich shop that also makes their own bread. Hurray!!! They also make poboys, another New Orleans food staple we sought after.
Mulate’s: “The Original Cajun Restaurant”; very close to the conference center so it was convenient for lunches. They have everything cajun seafood related and a lot of it is deep fried to clog your heart. Our group of 4 people split the Mulate’s Cajun Seafood Platter.
Courtyard Brewery: Not quite located in the CBD, but more so in the Warehouse district, this nano-brewery was a breath of fresh air apart from the French Quarter. It has a fun little outdoor patio area where you can sip on their good beers and enjoy the evening. It is located just past the National WWII Museum, a site we definitely want to visit if we return.
Whether you make it to New Orleans for a conference or a bachelor party, we hope this list gives you a few ideas for where to start. We would love to return to Louisiana someday, but we sure enjoyed our blur of a weekend in New Orleans!