A Girls Weekend in New Orleans

Last month a group of friends and I celebrated one of my best girlfriend’s bachelorette party in none other than New Orleans! It was my first time there and I can honestly say it’s unlike any other place I’ve been to in the South- and in a good way! The food is amazing, the music is POPPIN’, and the streets are so beautiful and lively you’ll feel as if you’re on a movie set. We managed to see a ton of the city in three days, all while staying within a reasonable budget. Use this guide below to plan your next 3 day weekend in NOLA!

A Girls Weekend in New Orleans

Due to our schedules we all took an early flight Saturday morning. It’s just a 3.5 hour flight from NYC, so we took off at 8am and landed in NOLA at 10:30am (thank you time change!) so we still had a full day to spend, plus one less night in the hotel to pay for 😉 An Uber XL from the airport to the French Quarter is roughly $35 and takes about 40 minutes.

 

Where We Stayed

Because this was a special weekend we wanted to treat our bachelorette to the best hotel – that being The Ritz Carlton! Let me just say this place is worth every penny. The decor is absolutely gorgeous and V instagrammable. Snap some photos in the outdoor garden & post a story grabbing a bottle of Moet from the champagne vending machine to maintain that Instagram aesthetic.

I also have to note that the location is PRIME because it’s located in the heart of the French Quarter, so you can pretty much walk anywhere. But because it’s on Canal Street it’s not going to be crazy loud all night – so once you’re home the party is over – unlike if you were staying on Bourbon street! Ok here’s the kicker – the Ritz is not cheap – but I mean would you expect it to be? If you’re on a budget like me you can easily get a room or a suite with two double beds and do 3-4 people to a room which makes it actually V affordable!

Day 1 –

After we arrived at the hotel and dropped off our bags we headed to lunch at Shaya for some Israeli food. Shaya is a James Beard award winning restaurant & definitely worth stopping by! What I loved about this place is that everything is made to share, so you can order a ton of different dishes without breaking the bank. We got about 10 plates + a few drinks and our bill was only $180. Not bad for splitting amongst 6 people!

Next we decided to hit up Miss Claudia’s Vintage to get some wigs for the night. While this was super fun, the wigs are very overpriced at roughly $50-$60 a piece. If you want to wig out for the weekend I recommend just buying on Amazon beforehand instead 😉 After that, we decided to take a stroll through Jackson Square. There are tons of street performances going on, art for sale, and even tarot card readers! A day in the park is a great free way to spend the afternoon.

Finally, it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the night.

We had reservations at Gautreau’s which is a fine dining restaurant in Uptown New Orleans. Our only mistake is that we didn’t realize that this was the case until we got there donned with our funky wigs LOL. This of course caused a bit of a stir, as most of the clientele seemed to be older patrons who were a little taken aback by our attire. Nonetheless the staff there is extremely friendly and didn’t seem to mind at all – the owner actually even came over and chatted with us for a while, and he could not have been nicer. I definitely recommend Gautreau’s as both the cuisine and the staff were delightful!

After dinner it was time to head back downtown to go out. Per the Ritz’s recommendation, we ended up at dba on Frenchmen Street, which was a super fun live music spot! We danced the night away as the band played everything from Lauryn Hill to 4 Non Blondes. This spot is just one of many though, so follow your ears and see where they take you!

Day 2 –

We started our day a bit hungover from the night before, so we decided to make use of the spa at The Ritz. We relaxed in the hot tub, took a dip in the pool, and then hit the sauna to sweat it out. Did I mention their pool area is just gorgeous? Definitely take advantage! After that, we decided to head to brunch, this time at Monty’s on the Square.You’ll find all the must have New Orleans dishes at Monty’s like Gumbo, Jambalaya, and even Beignet Fries! Once we finished brunch we decided to go shopping around the French Quarter. There are tons of vintage shops, souvenir shops, and even doggy speciality shops! If you’re looking for something special to bring back home, make sure you grab a bag of Pralines because they are amazing 😉

For dinner we made reservations at Cane and Table, a cute little spot on Decatur Street that gave me major Brooklyn Vibes. The drinks here were phenomenal and our waiter was kind enough to comp shots for the table! TBH the food was nothing stellar, but I would definitely recommend going for the drinks.

For our final night out in NOLA we hit up The Cat’s Meow which has held the title for “the BEST Karaoke Bar in the World” for 25 years.

I’m not sure if I can whole heartedly agree, but we did have a great time! If you are planning on singing, make sure you put your name & song down as soon as you get there because there will be a wait. If you’re not one to sing on your own you can totally sing as a group, which is what we did to The Spice Girl’s “Wannabe”! Curious to check it out before you go? The bar actually does a live webcast on their site every night. So yea, random strangers can totally watch you make a fool of yourself but whatevs – YOLO.

Day 3-

Our last day! We booked our flight out for 6pm so we could make the most of the afternoon. We knew we couldn’t leave without trying the beignets at Cafe du Monde so we started off our day with a very unhealthy breakfast there 😉 Pro Tip – that massive line outside the door is for to-go orders. Just sit down at any table inside and you’ll be waited upon immediately! After breakfast we took a stroll through downtown one more time and then sat down at Domenica for a quick lunch before our flight. The staff was very accommodating to our time crunch and brought out the food right away. Make sure you try the pizza because it’s delicious! 

And that was our weekend! A few things we had on our itinerary but didn’t make it to included: walking in the cemetery, touring City Park, and getting a tarot card reading (make a reservation in advance!). I’ve included a map at the bottom of this post with all of the hot spots mentioned so you can use it for your reference!

Bonus! Scams to Avoid

Although the majority of people in New Orleans are ridiculously nice, they are a few who will try to scam you to make a quick buck.

Beads

On one night out we were approached by a guy holding an armful of beads asking if it was our first time in NOLA. He said because it was our first time we didn’t have to show our “boobsies” and could have some beads. It wasn’t until he passed out the beads to all of us that he informed us that he actually was running a “charity” with his wife, and that he’s not trying to rob us (ok lol) but donations are very much appreciated. I don’t know what kind of charity that might be but we gave him $10 to leave us alone.

Statues

You might think something is a statue but it’s NOT. It is a person dressed like a statue, and as soon as you take a pic they’ll pop out of their pose and demand money. Just don’t take the pic, or if you do be V sneaky about it.

Shots

There are women who walk around on Bourbon street holding test tube like shot glasses. They will approach you and ask you to take a shot with them as if it’s free. WRONG. Once you take the shot they will demand $20, and if you refuse to pay their “pimps” will come after you.

Shoes

Ok, this is a weird one. People will come up to you and say “I bet you $5 I can tell you where you got them shoes.” So you might say “Ok bet”, confident this man can’t possibly know what store you purchased your shoes at. Again- WRONG. This scam is a quick play on words. The right answer to this weirdness is to say “I got my shoes on my feet”, or to just ignore them all together. My personal preference.

In general, I would say when being approached by strangers on the street make sure youkeep in mind that nothing really comes for free. Don’t accept any beads, shots, psychic readings, etc without being willing to pay up or there will be trouble!

A Handy Map

 

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