So although Mardi Gras was the main reason for my visit to NOLA, of course, the city is much more than just Mardi Gras… NOLA is famed for its jazz clubs, Garden District, the French Quarter outside Mardi Gras and its food. I am ashamed to say that we did not make time on this trip to hit any of the jazz clubs, but I had to leave something for the next visit. Seeing the French Quarter when the hoards had left refreshing…. it has a completely different feel and you actually see things a little differently, possibly because you can see things without hundreds of people walking around with alcohol and beads around their necks.

I do have to say the food was possibly the disappointment of this part of the holiday and I’m not sure if we just ate at the wrong places or it was just the remnants of my stomach bug that I was suffering from just prior to the holiday. But I was not overly impressed with Cajun cuisine… so I am going to have to make a return visit to give it a second chance!!!!

We went on a walk around the Garden District and fell in love with the grand houses in that area… some of them were magnificent… and Lafayette Cemetery No.1 is the area, so we wandered around that for a bit doing our best both in the cemetery and around the GD to avoid the tour groups… I would have liked to have seen a few more, but sometimes you can just get tombstone fatigue……

We also booked on a 2-hour kayak tour on Bayou St. John which is in the city but provided a new perspective, as you are in the water. It was incredibly relaxing, even though it was a bit of a workout… Sonny and Sara made sure we had a good time and were safe in the water. Definitely, something different to do if you head to NOLA. They have a 4-hour tour for the fitter amongst us.

We even managed a streetcar trip after waiting ages for one to arrive and then 4 turned up all at once :). As I stated in my previous post, NOLA is a city I would return to, both during and outside of Mardi Gras… you should consider it too!