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Things to Do in New Orleans When Bourbon Street Is the Warning Label

New Orleans is music, food and a river. Book a jazz room with seats, eat in a neighbourhood that is not a daiquiri stand, and treat Bourbon as a 15-minute curiosity.

4.7(53k)
Activities vetted
7
Cheapest pick
$29
Best time to go
February for Mardi Gras (if you mean it), or October to November
Last checked
August 24, 2026

New Orleans sells a cartoon of itself on Bourbon and then, three blocks away, plays a clarinet like it still matters. Your job is to walk toward the clarinet.

Eat properly. The city’s reputation is deserved and also full of tourist plates. A cooking class or a well-chosen neighbourhood restaurant will beat a hurricane drink with a souvenir cup.

Where to spend your money

Book: Frenchmen jazz, Garden District walk, cooking class or a serious reservation, swamp if you want the landscape.

Skip: Bourbon as a plan, most ghost tours, and stacking daiquiri shops as cuisine.

The part nobody tells you

The streetcar is slow and fine. It is not a transport hack. Walking the Quarter in July at 2pm is how people get angry. Do museums and air-conditioning then, music after 8.

The 7 activities we would book in New Orleans

Ranked by rating weighted against review volume, then filtered for free cancellation and honest itineraries.

1
Food & drink3 hours

Frenchmen Street jazz crawl, sitting down

Frenchmen is where visitors should hear music. A guided crawl helps with cover charges and which rooms are tourist traps that night. Sit, tip the band, do not treat it as a bar hop to get drunk.

  • Two or three clubs, not seven
  • Cover + one-drink minimums are normal
  • Brass on the street is extra, not the whole plan
4.8(3.2k)
from$89

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

2
Walking tours2.5 hours

Garden District walking tour

The houses, the fences, the cemetery if included. A good history walk is worth it. Ghost tours in the Quarter are mostly theatre — fun if you want theatre, skip if you want the city.

  • St Charles streetcar to get there
  • Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 has had access changes — check
  • Morning before the heat
4.8(5.4k)
from$29

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

3
Outdoors & hiking4 hours

Swamp tour (airboat vs pontoon)

Pontoon boats are calmer and enough to see cypress and alligators. Airboats are loud and splashy. Neither is wilderness camping. Go for the landscape, not a guarantee of a leaping gator.

  • Hotel pickup often included
  • Sunscreen, insect considerations
  • Small operators vs cattle boats — read recent reviews
4.6(11k)
from$79

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

4
Food & drink3 hours

Cooking class: gumbo, roux, not a Creole-experience lecture

High satisfaction because you eat. Better than a second overpriced Quarter restaurant. Vegetarian versions exist but this cuisine is not primarily vegetarian — be honest with yourself.

  • Roux is the lesson
  • Market add-on sometimes included
  • Daytime slot, music at night
4.9(2.8k)
from$99

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

5
Culture & history4 hours

National WWII Museum

One of the best museums in the US, and it will take your afternoon. Not a "New Orleans flavour" activity, and still often the thing people are glad they did. Book timed entry when required.

  • Allow four hours or you will resent leaving
  • Warehouse District
  • Not for a hungover morning if you can avoid it
4.8(19k)
from$32

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

6
Water & boats2 hours

Steamboat Natchez jazz cruise

Touristy and actually pleasant at sunset if you like a band and the river. Dinner packages are cruise food. Daytime harbour tours are skippable if you would rather walk the levee.

  • Calliope as you leave
  • Open deck
  • Heat on the river in July
4.4(7.6k)
from$55

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

7
Culture & history2 hours

Cemetery tour with a licensed operator

Some cemeteries require licensed guides for a reason (theft, safety, respect). St Louis No. 1 rules have changed more than once. Book whoever currently has access. Do not jump fences.

  • Above-ground tombs, city history
  • Heat, uneven ground
  • Not a horror film set
4.7(4.1k)
from$35

Free cancellation up to 24h before

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Booked on Viator. We may earn a commission — the price is the same for you.

New Orleans activities: common questions

How many days in New Orleans?

Four. Music nights, one museum or swamp, Garden District, food. Weekend plus Monday can work. Mardi Gras is a different trip with different hotels.

Bourbon Street?

Walk it once in daylight if you need to know. At night it is a loud outdoor bar. Frenchmen, Treme, and neighbourhood restaurants are the city.

Safety?

Stick to busy streets, use licensed taxis or rideshares at night, do not walk drunk with a phone out on empty blocks. The Quarter is not uniformly safe at 2am just because it is famous.

Heat and hurricanes?

Summer is oppressive. Hurricane season is a real calendar. Travel insurance and flexibility in August–October.

Beads and balconies?

Do not throw things off other people’s property. Mardi Gras has rules and a lot of alcohol. If you go for it, research parade schedules and stay hydrated.

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