Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!
No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement.
Population: 1,005,000
Founded: 1718
Average income: $26,607
Average price of housing: $330,000
Median age of the population: 37
https://www.neworleans.com/
Impressions of New Orleans
There is no other place like NOLA or (New Orleans, LA). It has its own unique character and personality. Sadly, there are still remnants of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, and the locals still talk about the impact of Katrina. They will tell you it wasn’t the hurricane winds or water that decimated their city, it was because of poor maintenance by city government on the levies in the area. When the levies broke, NOLA was flooded.
But NOLA is more than hurricanes. There is a thriving downtown filled with wonderful original foods like muffalettas, beignets, and Oysters’ Rockefeller. Some of the best food we have had in the country has been in New Orleans.
There are many, many parks and open-air cafes to people watch, one of our favorite pass time in NOLA!!! The city has such a vibrant combination of the very old and the very new.
To really get a feel of the city, take the NOLA City Tour. Even though we had been to NOLA before, it wasn’t until our second trip that we took a tour. Jerrod, our driver/tour guide told us things, and took us to places we had never seen. He made the tour interesting and informative.
And by the way, New Orleanians will fight to the death to say NOLA, not Mobile, AL, was the first place where Mardi Gras happened!
The last time we stayed in NOLA, we stayed at Lake Pontchartrain Landing RV Resort. Since we stayed there the campground has been sold and renamed the New Orleans RV Resort and Marina. We don’t have anything bad to say about the New Orleans RV Resort and highly recommend it if you are looking for a campground a little more out of the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter. Next time we are in the area, we will probably stay at the French Quarter RV Resort.
Downtown
The downtown IS New Orleans! Geographically, New Orleans (“NOLA”) is in south eastern Louisiana, LA on I-10. It is the largest city in Louisiana. You could spend hours and hours just walking the downtown area. There are multiple restaurants, stores and businesses to entertain. And just people watching is worth the trip alone!
Food and Drink
Antoine’s is a 5th generation restaurant in the heart of NOLA. It is a very nice restaurant with linen table cloths. The waitstaff were very attentive. The food was cooked to perfection. This is the place where Oysters Rockefeller originated.
Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar, the one in NOLA, is the original! Casual dining offering a diverse menu of local favorites including shrimp and grits, gumbo, jambalaya and chargrilled oysters! Attentive wait staff.
Café DuMonde on Dreyfous Drive (City Park). Beignets and coffee in a causal open-air atmosphere at City Park. Yum!
Café DuMonde on Decatur Street (downtown). Beignets and coffee in a casual open-air atmosphere. These are the best!
Central Grocery & Deli on Decatur Street closed for renovations in August 2022 when Hurricane Ida hit the area. They may be open when you visit. A MUST stop! It is a 3rd generation, old-fashioned grocery store founded in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant. Their claim to fame? Lupo is credited for creating the muffuletta. While the Country Store is under renovation, you can still buy their world famous muffulettas next door at Sidney’s Wine Cellar. Eat your muffuletta at the water front or Jackson Park.
Sucre Bakery on Royal Street offers tasty bakery products with a NOLA flair. King cakes, macrons, cheesecake, cupcakes, you name it! The cupcakes were excellent!
Attractions
Bourbon Street. You never know what you will find when walking on Bourbon Street! You may not need to experience this area often, but you must do it at least once in your lifetime!
City Park is a 170 year old park with over 1,300 acres. City Park is home to the New Orleans Botanical Garden, Couturie Forest and Arboretum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, and the largest grove of mature live oaks in the world, some of which are nearly 800 years old. There is a Café DuMonde in the park, too!
Garden District. This is on the Mardi Gras parade route. Oak-shaded streets are lined with a diverse mix of homes, from single-story cottages to the grand historic mansions and lavish gardens of St. Charles Avenue. Just take a drive and experience the area!
Jackson Square has even served as a backdrop in a number of popular feature films and television shows. The landmark earns its name from the bronze statue of Andrew Jackson located in the center of the square.
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park Federal Museum protects the natural and cultural resources of Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta region. It is named after French pirate Jean Lafitte and consists of six separate sites and a park headquarters
Louisiana State Museum. Devoted to preserving the memory of the victims and families of Hurricane Katrina.
Mardi Gras World is open 7 days a week. It is a tourist attraction on the banks of the Mississippi River. Mardi Gras World is a 300,000 square foot working warehouse where floats are made for Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.
New Orleans Jazz Museum. Lots of information about the history of jazz in New Orleans. Lots of displays, including Louis Armstrong’s cornet. The Museum offers over 365 concerts per year, more than 15 music festivals per year, and boasts of more than 25,000 artifacts relating to jazz.
NOLA City Tour. There are many city and swamp tours in NOLA. Jerrod, our driver/tour guide, made the tour interesting and informative. We learned a lot about the area we wouldn’t have known without taking this tour. Many stops, including City Park, the Garden District, areas damaged during Hurricane Katrina and St. Louis Cemetery #3. etc. Thanks, Jerrod!
St. Louis Cathedral. The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral, was founded in 1720. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States. It is dedicated to Saint Louis, also known as King Louis IX of France.
Smoke on the Water Cigar Shop. Excellent selection of cigars at a reasonable price.
World War II Museum. The National WWII Museum, formerly known as The National D-Day Museum, is a military history museum located in the Central Business District. Considered by history buffs to be one of the best military museums in the country.
Home Base: The Campground
For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!
We stayed on site 3 at the gated French Quarter RV Resort. The cement walls around the RV resort are 8’ tall. The park is clean and well-maintained. The staff were professional. Staff will greet you at the gate. Our back in, had plenty of space on the side to park our Jeep. The site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on level concrete. All sites with grass between sites. 30 and 50 amp service was available. Good Verizon cellphone coverage. We had an open sky for our satellite.
Fun Facts
Did you know:
- NOLA’s City Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country.
- In 1796 NOLA became the first city in the United States to host an opera performance.
- NOLA is home to 21 historic districts, the most of any U.S. city.
- The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest bridge to stretch continuously over water. It was built in 1956 and spans 23.86 miles over Lake Pontchartrain.
- Jean Lafitte and his brother were pirates who helped defend New Orleans against the British during the War of 1812.
- Poker and craps both originated in New Orleans.
Summary
This was a fun stop. NOLA is not all Bourbon Street / French Quarter, though those are the big draws for this area. The people are friendly, the food is amazing. The history is fascinating. New Orleans frequently gets a bad rap as being a dangerous area. While we are sure there are less safe areas, the tourist areas are well patrolled by police and there wasn’t anywhere we felt unsafe. If it is not on your bucket list, it should be!
Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads
It’s a lifestyle
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