4-Day Nola Girls Trip

Arrive to Louis Armstrong International in the morning. If you do not have a prearranged transfer, go to the taxi stand on arrival level to get a taxi; it's regulated in Nola, so it is a set fee of $35.00 + $15.00/additional passenger.

Share ride services; you have to walk to meet them, and they have been known to gauge the prices to 3 figures. Though #1 choice for getting around the city. If your taxi driver is amazing, make sure to get his card; they tend to offer good prices if you call them directly for transportation while visiting.

Arrive at the hotel and check in and see if your besties have arrived if traveling from multiple locations. Meet up with the girls for cocktails and lunch in the hotel. Each hotel I have recommended for this trip has a legendary cocktail bar for you to get your first taste of the amazing culture, history and spirit that dwells in all that is New Orleans.

When staying at the Roosevelt, I recommend meeting up with the girls in the Sazerac Room where you can enjoy a Ramo Gin Fizz or a Sazerac while catching up with the girls.

Afternoon

Now that you are all together, no husbands, no kids, no Zoom meetings and it's time to distress. It's spa time! With your spa packages already prearranged, make your way to the hotel spa. The Hotel Monteleone Aria Spa has amazing packages pre-designed for a group spa visit for girls' trips, bachelorette, etc. including mani/pedi and a specialty treatment.

After your lovely afternoon with the girls, take time to settle into your luxury accommodations and enjoy the view of the French Quarter from your room while getting ready for your first night out.

Tip: Wear comfortable shoe and try to avoid open toes; the spirit of the city is beautiful, but the cleanliness of the streets is not so much. Once the girls are ready, you want to leave the hotel for 6pm to give you plenty of time to have dinner before venturing on an 8pm night through the cemeteries.

Take a pedicab from the hotel to Voodoo bar and po'boys. Tip: pedicabs charge $1/person/block and tip. (Bring a little bit of cash for tipping but pedicabs usually take cards too, but always ask first to avoid using ATM on Bourbon St, Royal St is 1 block over and has bank ATMs that don't charge 6-15 service charges and always mindful of who is around as it is notorious for pickpockets, hustlers and credit card crimes) and it's like a personal mini tour usually, your driver will tell you about the quarter, point-out must-see, give recs, great way to start exploring. Enjoy cocktails and dinner while waiting for the tour to pick you up. The dirty shrimp po'boy is a must-try and the bartender is amazing! At 8pm the tour driver will load up the tour bus and off to a guided tour through Nola's cemeteries.

When you are dropped off, it's now time to start your evening musical portion of the evening; head across the street to BMC and enjoy a cocktail and cheers to girls' night while enjoying the live music. Grab the next round to go and start making your way up Frenchmen St. (Local, not tourist-trappy like Bourbon Street) music hotspot. Check out a funk band at Maison, brass band at the Blue Nile and finish your Frenchman experience with a jazz trio or quartette at the Spotted Cat.

Take a shared ride or taxi back to the hotel and if you need to get some after-bar food or another round of drinks, stop off at the 3 Legged Dog, a 24-hour fq local dive bar with a 23 hr. kitchen that is within walking distance to recommended hotels.

Start off with breakfast at a local spot like Café Fleur De Lis, Luzianne or Cafe Beignet, definitely try beignets with a cafe au lait with chicory coffee. Walk to Jackson square via Royal St. Do a little retail therapy before stopping for a light snack and refreshment in Jackson square. Stop at the corner cafe for some oysters and bloody marys, as you watch the endless characters, street performers and hustlers entertain the tourists. Admire the art strung along the wrought iron fence and stop and chat with the local artists. Make your way to Louis Armstrong park on Rampart for 1 pm to go on the very popular walking tour Saints and Sinners at the original voodoo tavern. On your way back to the hotel walk down bourbon, maybe stop in for a to-go drink, a frozen daiquri or a hand grenade to bring back to the hotel and enjoy by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.

With prearranged dinner reservations, 8pm would be perfect for the formal dining out experience at one of the oldest restaurants in the city, Antoines, Tujagues, Galatoire's or Arnaud's, and each of these fine dining restaurants has a special after-dinner drink, like the grasshopper at Tujagues or Cafe Buloit at Gallier's. If you have time stop by a live music bar on bourbon before dinner, have a drink and enjoy some live music dressed to the nines. After dinner, hit Bourbon St. after a quick change at the hotel or not. Check out Spirits bar and have a shot in the barber's chair. Afterward, it may be time for spiritual guidance, maybe a tarot card reader by the ghost queen, she is usually set up across from spirits and is my go-to for readings, she's good. Then time to party, go to Pat O'Briens for a true hurricane, and dueling pianos, Cats Meow for karaoke, Fat Catz music club (friends with the band as I used to work there, always a fun time) and Tin Roof for live music.

Sun Drag brunch at the Country Club (if you can get reservations as they book months in advance or maybe know someone who will put you on the wait list) or at The Virgin on the second last Sunday of the month. If neither of these works, Court of Two Sisters and Broussard's has jazz brunch which also has an amazing show minus fabulous glam drag queens.

Then off to the streetcar, ride at St. Charles line and see the famous mansions along St. Charles and in the Garden District. While shopping at the cool and unique boutiques along Magazine St., maybe stop by Tracey's or Auntie Mae's and get a drink before heading to lgd for dinner at Gris-Gris. Then maybe go to Bacchanal in the Bywater for an evening show in the best backyard venue (it's a wine store, with an outdoor music venue to drink in). Love Bacchanals. Be back to the hotel before midnight and again at a few 24-hour bars near the hotel if Ya girls can't sleep.

Pack your new treasures and memories carefully away and prepare to bring an end to your ultimate girls' weekend and back to the husbands, the kids and the Zoom meetings. But if you do have time before heading to the airport, grab a cafe au lait and some beignets from Cafe Du Monde and sit on the river walk and enjoy the view of the skyline, the bridge and the river as you start thinking about what you will do on your next trip.

If you like this trip or have a trip in mind, let me help you plan the perfect travel experience by sending me an email. Happy Travels!