New Orleans is a destination known for crazy parties, southern food and funky jazz music. It might not be the first option for a classy girls weekend getaway, but I can tell you that this city has so much more to offer than Bourbon Street. Here is an itinerary that my girlfriends and I just completed back in March that includes some must do’s if you are planning a classy girls weekend in New Orleans.
Friday
We all flew in and arrived in the afternoon around 1pm. Our hotel was a 22 minute drive from the airport at the W French Quarter and was the perfect location to pretty much everything.
The room was ready so we checked in and loved that it had a balcony overlooking Chartres Street.
Our first stop was lunch. We did our research and asked around back home for great places, so when the concierge also recommended Tableau we were sold and made a reservation right away. When we went, New Orleans was still in phase two of opening back up after the pandemic and everything was limited capacity, so making a reservation on OpenTable was the best way to get in most places.
Our first meal was incredible and we were excited for what other amazing foods The Big Easy had to offer. After lunch, we got a gauge of the French Quarter and wandered to Jackson Square, which was only 4 blocks away from the hotel. Café Du Monde is right outside the square and was on our list to try their famous beignets.
We snagged a bag and a coffee and enjoyed sugary confections on the steps of Jackson Square, overlooking the Mississippi River.
By then it was around 4:30pm and we met up with some local friends for a couple of drinks at Muriel’s. It’s right outside the square as well and a short walk from the river.
Legend has it that this restaurant is haunted, mainly by Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan who formally lived in the building and committed suicide there before losing a bet to give it up. Naturally we had to check it out!
They have a Séance Lounge on the second floor, which has such a cool vibe and is apparently where the most of the ghost action takes place. We hung out there waiting for Pierre for a little while enjoying our drinks. The story goes that they always keep a table reserved for Mr. Jourdan, set with bread and wine as a welcoming gesture to his harmless spirit.
After a couple drinks, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for our fancy dinner reservation at Galatoires, a historic and renowned fine-dining restaurant on Bourbon Street. Because no classy girls weekend is complete without dressing to the nines and dining at an exclusive restaurant in the city!
We grabbed a delicious drink at the hotel bar while we got ready in the room. Although we didn’t get a chance to eat there, we heard that the restaurant at the W, Sobou is amazing. If the drinks are any tell of how their food is, I would definitely try it out next time.
We got all dolled up for our evening out and although we didn’t plan to spend much time on Bourbon Street while we were there, enjoyed seeing a bit of the action on our way to dinner. It was way tamed down due to their phase two opening policies, but that was fine by us!
Dinner was amazing and we got to try our first crawfish dish of the trip. We all shared a trio of seafood salads as a starter, enjoyed delicious wines, and our main dishes were amazing. I had the duck and it was cooked to perfection.
Our original itinerary had us stopping by the Carousel Bar on the way back to the hotel, but it was closed due to Covid, understandably. If we were to go again, we would definitely make this stop, it looks like such a fun, whimsical experience to have a drink with your girlfriends on a real carousel.
Saturday
There is a Starbucks within walking distance from the W, where we started our morning before calling an Uber to take us to the Garden District. It’s a 12 minute drive and a great place to venture off and enjoy lunch, explore historic homes and shop on Magazine Street. As we explored the district, each corner revealed another gorgeous home to awe over.
The Garden District is also where the Buckner Mansion is, where the witches from the American Horror Story: Coven lived—my favorite season!
For lunch, we ate at Lula Restaurant and enjoyed bottomless vodka drinks from their distillery and more delicious crawfish, in queso.
After lunch, we continued to explore the Garden District, which included stops at the famous Lafayette Cemetery, the Garden District Bookstore where they have signed copies of Ann Rice’s books—a native of New Orleans—and plenty of shopping. There were so many interesting shops, from voodoo to local arts and handmade items to exquisite home decor and novelties.
We were ready for some R&R at the hotel and a hearty dinner after all that walking and knew we wanted to try some authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine. So we hit up Mambo’s, another venture to Bourbon Street before our Ghost Tour at 8pm.
Mambo’s was amazing and had a gorgeous rooftop area that we totally snuck up to go see. We devoured our dinner—the gumbo was so good and we had to get a taste of their traditional New Orleans bread pudding.
The ghost tour we went on was by French Quarter Phantoms and is definitely a must do in New Orleans. My friend Nicole did her research on this one and it’s rated in the top 10 of best ghost tours in the US. We opted out of the 2 for 1 Voodoo Punch at the starting point, and took some fireball shots instead to keep the party going.
This city has such a haunting past and there are so many cool stories to learn about. Do you see any unusual orbs in our photos!?
A night out in New Orleans is not complete without some live music to top it off. We were able to catch the end of an amazing show after the tour on Frenchmen Street, known for it’s live music and entertainment. It would have taken us further into the night if it wasn’t for Covid, but we enjoyed every minute of it.
Sunday
Our flight on Sunday wasn’t leaving until later in the afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to eat a few more meals in N’awlins. We decided it was very important to try another place for the famous beignets that New Orleans is known for. And I have to say, Café du Monde has got nothing on Loretta’s. This spot is located in the Shops of the Colonnade French Market, right in the French Quarter. Not only were they light, fluffy and made fresh, but they were stuffed with chocolate and pralines. This is where to go for beignets in New Orleans for sure.
That was the appetizer to our amazing brunch at French Toast, which is a great local spot and has scrumptious and huge portions.
This three day itinerary for a classy girls weekend in New Orleans packed it in. New Orleans is an amazing city, with so many stories to unfold and experiences to share with friends and family. I hope you have tons of ideas for your planning a classy girls weekend in New Orleans. Just writing this itinerary makes me want to do it all over again!
For more travel ideas and itineraries check out these amazing things to do in Savannah with kids and my top Chicago must-sees.
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