Welcome to Part One of this New Orleans Trip Report series! Sorry that these are coming to you late, I’ve been in the process of moving so it’s taking me some time to get settled. But now I’m back to tell you guys all about my trip! We spent three days in the Big Easy and this will cover the first half of the first day which was basically our French Quarter morning. I won’t drag this intro out for too long, let’s just get right to the report!
Subscribe to my Youtube channel @ Stephen Flores Travel, like me on Facebook at Passport Perspective, and follow me on Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok @StephenJFlores.
This post contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission for purchases made after clicking on these links at no extra cost to you.
Down in New Orleans
The trip report actually starts the day before with us flying out of LAX. We flew Delta Airlines from LAX to MSY, getting in at about 11pm. We quickly jumped in an Uber and made our way to our hotel. We stayed at Le Richelieu, a boutique hotel located at the edge of the French Quarter. We liked it because it was close enough to a lot of the attractions but far enough from all the noise and chaos that we could still sleep. We couldn’t see it at night but we had a view of the French Quarter that was nice. So we quickly jumped into bed and set our alarms for 7am. We had a full day of exploring ahead of us!
The Fluffiest Beignets
We then woke up at 7am the next day. We quickly got changed and started heading out. Immediately upon leaving we were struck by the beauty of the French Quarter. Multi-colored buildings with wrought iron balconies that all looked absolutely stunning. Seriously, I could’ve stared at them forever (and I felt I did throughout the weekend). But our first stop of the day was to one of the most iconic restaurants in New Orleans: Cafe du Monde.
Known for its cafe au lait and beignets, Cafe du Monde was established in 1862. In May 1942, the Fernandez Family bought the coffee and beignet stand from Fred Koeniger. The Fernandez Family also owned a nearby wine cellar which they closed in 1972 to fully devote themselves to Cafe du Monde. The location we went to, the one just off Jackson Square, is the original location.
We quickly went inside and got a table. A waiter then came to us and asked us what we wanted. I got a hot chocolate and an order of beignets. My friend got the same but ordered the cafe au lait instead of hot chocolate. Our beignets arrived pretty quickly, and to say that I was so excited for them would be an understatement. I quickly snapped a few pictures then went and bit into the beignet.
And let me tell you, it was so much better than I thought it would be.
They were the fluffiest pastries I’ve ever had. They were so warm and the powdered sugar just gave it that hint of sweetness that I really enjoyed. My friend liked them as well, and they said it paired really well with the Cafe au Lait. After gobbling up our beignets, we got the bill, paid, and proceeded along with our day.
The River and the Square
Once we were done, we headed up to a little overlook and took pictures with Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral in the background. It was a little overcast at this point but it was still a pretty view of Jackson Square and the cathedral.
We then crossed the railroad tracks behind the overlook and took in the view of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is the second longest river in the United States. This was my first time seeing the river, and in the distance we could see the Steamboat Natchez docked on our side of the river. We had planned on doing that but due to lack of time we couldn’t fit it into our schedule.
After taking some pictures by the waterfront, we then proceeded to take a look around Jackson Square. Jackson Square was formerly called the Place d’Armes and was the site where Louisiana was officially made a part of the United States following the Louisiana Purchase. It’s been designated as a Great Public Space of the United States.
We walked through the square, taking our time to notice all the historic buildings around us. The statue of Andrew Jackson is also very impressive, and while the park may not be big, it’s still a very tranquil and relaxing space to be in. We spent a few minutes here before leaving to see more of the French Quarter.
Wrought Iron Wonderland
My friend and I decided to walk around the French Quarter for a bit to kill time. We had planned on splitting up for the rest of the morning as my friend wanted to do a bit of eating while I wanted to see some of the attractions around the French Quarter. We took some time then to walk around the French Quarter and soak up the atmosphere.
I will say, after my trip, I think the French Quarter is now one of my favorite neighborhoods in the entire world. Founded way back in 1718, two fires in 1788 and 1794 destroyed approximately 80% of the buildings, meaning most of the buildings were built after 1794. Most of the buildings were built during Spanish rule, which is why the buildings have Spanish-inspired architecture even though it’s called the French Quarter.
I personally loved it. I love the architecture with its wrought-iron balconies and eye-popping color schemes. It instantly transported me back in time, and as we strolled along the streets of the French Quarter, we saw many different iconic places, including Preservation Hall and Brennan’s, as well as Bourbon and Royal Street. I could have spent hours walking around the quarter, taking pictures and admiring the sheer beauty of the buildings. But there’s still a lot of New Orleans to see.
My friend and I split up after wandering for a bit. I decided to walk through the French Quarter a little more before visiting the 1850 House, which was going to be my next destination. The 1850 House opened at 9am, so I walked down several more streets, admiring the architecture until about 8:50am. I then proceeded to Jackson Square and found the entrance to the 1850 House, which is to the right of the square if you’re facing the church.
Preservation House
The 1850 House, part of the Lower Pontalba Building on Jackson Square, is a museum that recreates how life looked like in mid-19th century New Orleans. It wasn’t really meant to showcase how one particular family lived, but instead is supposed to give a general idea of how the upper classes lived in that time period. The building was financed and designed by Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, hence the name of the building.
At the lobby, which doubles as a gift shop, you pay the entry fee and are given a small packet of laminated papers that you’re supposed to take with you as you explore the museum. You’re then ushered into the back of the building where you take some stairs up to the second floor where the museum starts.
While this is a small museum, it was pretty interesting seeing all of the old antique furniture. The packet gave a lot of information on the furniture and uses of each room. At the bottom floor there was even a recreation of how a kitchen and slave quarters looked like. As someone who is unfamiliar with American History, I was surprised to find out that even people in cities such as New Orleans had slaves as I thought that was localized only to the plantations.
I wish the museum was bigger as it only took me about 20 minutes to go around, and that was with stopping to really soak in every detail of each room. Still, it was a fascinating look into the lives of the aristocratic upper class in New Orleans at that time and I would recommend visiting if you have some time to spare in your trip to New Orleans.
After touring the museum, I headed to St. Louis Cathedral to take a peek into the city’s most famous church.
St. Louis’
St. Louis Cathedral is a basilica located on one side of Jackson Square. It is currently the oldest continually used church in the United States and is dedicated to St. Louis, also known as King Louis of France. The current cathedral was completed in the 1850s after a fire devastated the previous church.
St. Louis Cathedral is an impressive church. The stained glass windows flanking either side of the church depict the life of King Louis of France from his birth to his death. There are also flags on either side of the church, one side depicting every flag that has flown above the state of Louisiana, with the other side bearing papal related flags.
While it isn’t the grandest church in the world, I found it very beautiful. The stained glass windows in particular were very beautiful. The frescoes on the ceiling were also incredibly intricate, and the organ at the back of the church was grandiose to say the least.
It’s definitely the most ornate church I’ve seen in the United States, but pales in comparison to other churches in Europe. It’s still worth a visit in my opinion, especially because of its status as a basilica, meaning it’s a church of significant importance.
After taking a peek at the church, I headed to my second museum of the trip, and my first tour of the trip as well, which was at another staple attraction of the French Quarter: The Pharmacy Museum.
The Oldest Medicine in the USA
After admiring the church, I then headed for the Pharmacy Museum. New Orleans is home to the oldest pharmacy in America, which has since been converted into a museum. It’s located a short walk from Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral.
The Pharmacy has odd opening times. It’s currently open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 4pm. There’s also a guided tour that takes place before the museum opens which is usually scheduled for 10am. On Sundays it’s closed but has a guided tour at 10am. Since it was Saturday and because I had to meet up with my friend at 11:30am, I decided to do the guided tour.
I arrived and realized there were about 45 other people at the museum. I checked in with the person at the entrance, who also ended up being our tour guide. The tour started promptly at 10am and I have to say, while I wish the group was smaller, it was a very interesting tour and one that I would highly recommend.
She went through the different instruments used to cure people hundreds of years ago and the history of pharmacies in the United States. The original owner of this pharmacy was actually the first licensed pharmacist in America, and the different instruments he used to cure patients ranged from quirky to full on bizarre.
There was a drill that they used to drill a hole in your skull to stop headaches. Opium was also used and dispensed by the pharmacy to cure various diseases, as was mercury. Leeches were also used by the pharmacy as a method of treatment. Since they didn’t understand what germs were at the time, they would simply amputate people with gangrene, as evidenced by the saws found in the museum. The pharmacy also dispensed love potions, which were heavily influenced by the voodoo culture in the city.
The pharmacy had many of these spine-chilling medicinal fixes, and the way they were arranged was overwhelming but in a way that makes you want to discover and learn about every instrument on display. The pharmacy itself looks like it’s been untouched from hundreds of years ago. It was also arranged in a way that made me feel like it was a working pharmacy.
This is one of the more unique museums I’ve been to and is one I would highly recommend to anyone. Don’t miss the second floor that has even more medicinal contraptions, as well as the lovely patio with a fountain at the back of the pharmacy.
Sno Cones for Days
After the tour ended, I hopped in an Uber to meet up with my friend in Hansen’s Sno-Bliz. Hansen’s is a New Orleans staple. It’s the oldest sno-ball stand in the United States, opening in 1934. The sno-ball popularized in Louisiana is similar to a snow cone but uses more finely grated ice and is mixed with homemade syrups.
Since it’s a popular place, we decided to go there right when it opened. My friend met me there and we were first in line! They opened and we were let straight in, with a line slowly forming behind us. I ordered a small sno-ball with chocolate syrup. I have to say, it was really tasty and refreshing, especially because the sun had come out at that time.
I would definitely say it’s worth the hype. The only negative of Hansen’s is that it’s located far from the city center, but the upside being that it’s located near the Garden District, making it the perfect place to begin exploring the Garden District.
After savoring our sno-balls, we then hopped in an Uber to go to the starting place of our self-guided Garden District walking tour, but I’ll save that for the next report!
If you found New Orleans French Quarter trip report helpful, consider subscribing to my newsletter to receive inspiration, tips, and insider secrets delivered straight to your inbox. Whether you’re planning your next adventure, daydreaming about far-off places, or seeking hidden gems closer to home, we’ve got you covered.
✨ Here’s What You’ll Get:
- Curated travel guides to iconic and off-the-beaten-path destinations.
- Budget-friendly tips and tips on solo traveling.
- Exclusive deals and must-know travel advice.
- Stories and trip reports to spark your wanderlust and make your trips unforgettable.
Travel smarter, deeper, and with more joy. Join our community of explorers today and never miss a chance to wander! Sign up down below!
SUGGESTED READING:
Leave A Comment