Hi everyone! As I said in my last blog post, I went on a two-week road trip last month with my boyfriend. One of my stops was New Orleans, LA, where I spent about a day and a half there! I ate lots of beignets and walked a lot of the French Quarter. I didn’t get to explore the nightlife, but I want to visit again to explore more of the city! This is how I spent a day and a half in New Orleans, LA!

Beignets and More Beignets

Cafe du Monde

800 Decatur Street

The half-day I was in New Orleans was spent visiting the first beignet spot. That was Cafe du Monde. We knew about this place because during covid we spent time making beignets with the Cafe du Monde mix, so we knew we needed to make a stop to have the real thing! There was quite a line to get in, but it moved quickly. We each ordered 3 beignets and I had a hot chocolate. If you don’t know beignets are like small fried doughs with powdered sugar. These were super delicious and very affordable! The hot chocolate was delicious as well!

Loretta’s Authentic Pralines

1100 N Peters Street, Stall #9

Our next beignets were from Loretta’s Authentic Pralines. My boyfriend’s family had heard about this place through a local, so we knew we needed to check them out! We went to the booth in the French Market, so everything was to-go. We ordered the original beignets, and the praline-filled ones because the people in front of us said they were the best thing they’ve had! These are more expensive, but they are incredible! I am so glad we had the praline ones because they were, in fact, the best thing I’ve had! I haven’t stopped dreaming about them! The original ones were good as well!

Cafe Beignet

334 Royal Street

The last beignets we tried were from Cafe Beignet! We ate breakfast here on our full day had delicious croissant sandwiches and decided to head back in the afternoon to try the beignets. This is a chain restaurant, you can find them throughout New Orleans. I bought the original beignets, and they were good, but I think they are the least good ones compared to the others. Don’t get me wrong they were delicious, just not as delicious as the others. They were priced in the middle range, so not too expensive, but not as affordable as the Cafe du Monde beignets.

Overall Cafe du Monde beignets are the best for your money, but Loretta’s Praline filled were the most delicious! Next visit, I want to try even more beignets from other places!

Exploring the French Quarter

Bourbon Street

During our full day in New Orleans, we started our day by having breakfast at Cafe Beignet and then headed to Bourbon Street. We walked most of the street and admired the architecture and various Halloween decorations! All of the balcony ironwork and neon signs were super interesting. They were even cleaning the street, so it didn’t smell bad at all. We even ended up walking past Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar. It is one of the oldest structures in New Orleans and it’s even thought to be haunted. I want to check it out next time! After walking most of the street we headed to our next stop, New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum.

New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

724 Dumaine Street

We heard about the Voodoo Museum from my boyfriend’s sister, as they had just visited it and it sounded very interesting, so we thought we would check it out! “Voodoo has been a significant part of New Orleans culture since the city was first established in the 1700s. The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum strives to preserve this aspect of NOLA history through education and entertainment. The museum explores the mysteries, legends, and traditions of voodoo, and educates visitors on the influence voodoo has had throughout the city’s history.” (Source: Visit New Orleans)

The museum was very fascinating! It’s a small space filled with lots of artifacts about voodoo and the history that surrounds it. There was also a section that explained the difference between voodoo and hoodoo. Which is that hoodoo blends faith beliefs into its traditions, whereas voodoo does not. There was also a lot of history of the prominent figures of the voodoo community and the history of the person who started the museum. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s worth a stop in my opinion, and it only costs $8 (as of October 2023).

The French Market

After the museum, we headed to the French Market, which is an open-air marketplace to get beignets from Loretta’s. There was a bit of a line at Loretta’s, so we walked through the market. There were many different vendors, most were touristy items, but there was an art vendor, so I bought a print of Cafe du Monde. Afterward, we bought the delicious beignets and then went to check out the riverfront. We even saw one of the steamboats take off. Then we headed back to our hotel to rest and re-group. After catching up on my travel journal, I ended up heading back out to check out a bookstore!

Faulkner House Books

I went to Faulkner House Books, which is a bookstore in the home of William Faulkner. The bookstore has lots of collectors and special edition books for sale. There were so many I wanted to buy, especially the cloth-bound version of Les Miserables! I didn’t end up buying it, but I did buy two books, which I’m very proud of myself for only buying two! I bought The Secret History by Donna Tartt and Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, which was the inspiration for Cats the Musical. I ended the day by getting beignets from Cafe Beignet and then ordering Shake Shack for dinner through Doordash because we don’t have access to either where I live, so it’s always a fun treat when traveling!

That is how I spent a day and a half in New Orleans! I hope to visit again because I would like to explore more of the city, as I only saw the French Quarter, listen to some jazz, eat more Beignets, and try other foods! Mostly I want to go back to eat the praline-filled beignets from Loretta’s again, but also to explore!

If you are looking for more travel recommendations, check out the Travel category on my Home page. Please give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! As always, thank you for your continued support!

Take care and stay safe,

Renée