New Orleans: Laissez les bons temps rouler

New Orleans (aka NOLA) is one of our favorite cities - the music! The food! The laid back attitude! I mean, their slogan is literally “Let the Good Times Roll.” We’ve been there a bunch of times for JazzFest (an annual spring music festival) and I’ve been there 3-4 times for conferences. We thought it would be fantastic to start our slow traveling as retired people with a month there.

JazzFest is more formally known as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and it is, but the music has become much broader than that, and the heritage includes (IMO) the best food available at any festival anywhere. Music is playing from 11am - 7pm, on up to 14 stages at any time, for 8 days (two 4 day weekends). We’ve never come both weekends in one year, but we thought, if one weekend of JazzFest is good, two must be amazing. And it was, but it was also exhausting and maybe, just maybe, too much festing. 😱

Here are my daily highlights from Insta for those 8 days - it was my way of practicing using that platform. You’ll notice Day 8 is missing - maybe it really was too much festing…. To complete the thought on Day 3 (which must have been in my caption) - my fave thing about Jazzfest is randomly wandering by a stage, on my way to something else, hearing something awesome, and getting pulled in to enjoy a band that is new to me. It really is the best. For more info and lots of photos, see the Jazzfest gallery.

Wandering around New Orleans, we learned that there appears to always be a festival and/or a parade happening. So much so that we saw these signs all over the place. No info on what parade or when, everyone is expected to know!

We didn’t find out until about a month before we arrived in NOLA that the French Quarter Fest was coincidentally happening over our first weekend there. We had not heard of this festival before, but found to to be quite the event, spread across many stages in the French Quarter (mostly along the river bank). Fortuitously, our friends R&G were able to join us for our first 2025 music and food adventure.

As with most NOLA adventures, it all started on Bourbon street. Where we indulged in some awful signature drinks (also a requirement):

Got to enjoy some fabulous local jazz at a venue in the French Quarter the first night and then throughout the weekend at the festival (hover or click for captions):

Big Sam’s Funky Nation at the Barnett

Main Entrance to the French Quarter Fest

Yummy food all over the place! My first Jambalaya of the NOLA visit.

Jackson Square had a lot of great music and food.

Bonerama! Always a good show.

One of the bands in Jackson Square.

We really enjoyed the food we had in the Quarter before/after the music festivals - my personal favorite is Peche (technically right outside the quarter in the CBD). It never disappoints - I was so focused on the food, I forgot to take photos. Oops.

We also try to have authentic local food as much as we can - we went to Creole House Restaurant and Oyster Bar (the “taste of New Orleans” entree was excellent) and Olde NOLA Cookery (we sat on the second floor and could hear the street performers on Bourbon Street). Another fave is Cochon (another celebrity chef restaurant, but completely justified).

More fun in and around French Quarter (hover or click for captions):

Bourbon Street

Just a random place on Bourbon St. I liked the neon.

Plaque at the famous Monteleone Hotel which houses the Carousel Bar.

More music at a speakeasy in the quarter.

Can’t go wrong with Crème Brûlée.

Infamous Pirate’s Alley Cafe

It’s an absinthe house - I never touch the nasty stuff :-)

Loved their add for help wanted.

Can neither confirm nor deny.