Curator’s statement
Do you want to feel some of the old-time allure, history and charm of New Orleans? Do you want to be within walking distance or a short cab/bus ride from all of the action in downtown New Orleans? The Mercantile Hotel, New Orleans is located on the former site of The Henderson Sugar Refinery, a New Orleans landmark and major sugar manufacturer that once produced up to 800 barrels a day. This hotel offers a boutique experience with an excellent bar in the heart of the historic Warehouse/Arts District in New Orleans.
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Where to stay in New Orleans, Louisiana
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Things to do in New Orleans, Louisiana
What to do in New Orleans? Starting from The Mercantile Hotel in New Orleans? Well, let's start with history; it is everywhere! How about just wandering around, listening to boisterous jazz music, nibbling on great food and having some southern cocktails? How about wandering over to the Super Dome and checking it out, seeing what events are going on when you are there? How about the big old Mississippi River, about ten blocks away?
There are all sorts of boat tours, jazz cruises, you name it! Not only a great zoo nearby, how about the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Insectarium? Art galleries: Museum of Art, Museum of Southern Art. Speaking of museums: WW2 Museum, Voodoo Museum or visit a cemetery. Tour mansions, churches, voodoo churches - there must be 50 great things to do in NOLA!
Day Trips:
These are still very close to NOLA - find the Tobasco factory at Avery Island; get on a boat cruise, on the muddy Mississippi; maybe even head out into the Gulf. Visit a swamp, a plantation, an old church - Lafayette is about as Cajun as it gets. There are all sorts of tours offered, take your pick, but get it booked!
Places to eat & drink in New Orleans, Louisiana
Where to eat and drink? Have you seen The Confectionary bar at the Mercantile Hotel in New Orleans? Maybe a late nightcap there, or an afternoon julep? How about whatever looks regional and is right nearby whatever you are doing? Head for the sounds of jazz, eat and drink there! If I just said, "Go to Bourbon Street", would that be enough of a start? LOL really, this is all about exploring chance encounters - look for fish, seafood, try something new, with a southern twist. Think crawdads, southern biscuits and gravy, po boys, gumbo, fried chicken, the beignets and buckets of seafood called Southern Boil.
If you see tiki, stop in! OK, how about Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, the oldest bar structure in America? Order a voodoo daiquiri, drink at the piano bar - 941 Bourbon; look for it. Absinthe at Pirate's Alley - it's a gentler version of the illegal substance from Europe, but still fun! Oysters Rockefeller and Baked Alaska at Antoine's still in the French Quarter, 713 St Louis St. OK, now venture down some dark alleys, go into some 1900s-looking shacks, find your OWN adventures!
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This guide is part of our ongoing series on travel to New Orleans. Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out Jonna Robertson's guide, Guide to Pet-Friendly Hotels in New Orleans - French Quarter.