For my fellow college students, the time has finally come and boy are we dreading it. Yes I’m talking about the inevitable finals week that sneaks up on us at the end of every semester. The endless all nighters, the bottomless amount of coffee and the cramming of information into our brain. Just like every semester in the past though we will make it through and what better way to treat yourself after finals a big break or should I say a “Big Easy” break. Still confused? No worries maybe a couple more hints, the Crescent City or maybe the “birthplace of jazz”? It’s none other than the city of music itself, New Orleans.
Many people are unsure about ever travelling to New Orleans, they’re unsure if it has the type of vacation they want or if it’s more associated with the bachelor party vibe that isn’t family friendly. As always, I have the inside scoop for those young adults or for that family that wants to enjoy this beautiful city. When travelling to New Orleans, I would recommend flying unless you’re a neighboring state to Louisiana. The flights can be very cheap if you book them in plenty of time, I was able to save a ton of money with only booking my flight a couple weeks before my trip. Now you’ve officially decided that this is the place you want to be and you’ve already booked your flight. Next thing is of course finding where you’re going to stay at, I stayed at two different places when travelling to New Orleans and they were both amazing. For those of you that are go with the flow and just want a place to sleep at, a hostel is the place to be. In New Orleans they have a ton of different hostels to choose from and they are so cozy. Majority of the hostels will provide breakfast and that helps with saving your money for other things in New Orleans. I also stayed at the Marriott Hotel which was only a couple blocks away from the French Quarter. Again, booking these in advance will really save you some big bucks.
The lounging arrangements is more to you guys and what you prefer, I loved both of them and I believe that staying at both gave me the option to experience New Orleans in both ways. So making it to New Orleans was super easy but now you’re asking yourself what can I do? For the family there is so much more to do than you think, to start off with those history buffs out there; the city of New Orleans has one of the most in depth WW ll museums that provides you with retired planes, uniforms and so much more. For an early morning stroll, the French Quarter is the place to start. They have little markets, and street shows happening as well a couple live bands on every corner playing classic jazz that will surely bring joy to the start of your day. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, they have swamp and bayou tours to let you fully experience that out of city New Orleans touch. To take a breathtaking stroll around the city, the steamboat tours are both relaxing and breathtaking, they provide you with trip around the water taking you through time as you experience some of New Orleans oldest landmarks. If you’re up for it, try the culture of New Orleans and partake in some voodoo tours or just take a look into some store. Last and of course not least is the food, you can’t go to New Orleans without experiencing certain Cajun delicacies. The beignet is the famous pastry of New Orleans, and they are delicious. The little pastries resemble a fritter topped off with powdered sugar, best way to eat them is nice and warm with a cup chicory coffee. Along the way you’ll want to taste some more famous foods such as gumbo, Poi boy, gator and lastly Muffaletta. This sandwich is one for the books, and you can almost find these at any grocery store in the French Quarter. This sandwich is filled with olive salad, salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone and mortadella. This will definitely fill you up for that flight home. I hope this helped you guys with that “Big Easy” break.
Till next time my little travelers,
Ariana
Ariana Wilkinson 