GRISWOLDDAD
Parenting, Entertainment, and Travel Tips
Things to Do in Louisiana
*For the top yearly events of the Baton Rouge area, click here. For the New Orleans area, click here. For the rest of Louisiana, click here.
Baton Rouge
While in Baton Rouge, you can go see the old state capital building or the new one, there's a zoo and there's a Navy Destroyer ship you can tour, the USS Kidd.
However, I chose to go just outside of the city to see The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville (shown below). This is one of the most haunted homes in America. Ghosts of kids, ghosts of slaves, ghosts of Civil War soldiers...there's a lot of reported ghost activity here! Plus, during the day, it makes for a good historical and educational home tour from the Civil War time period.
New Orleans
Mardi Gras. That's what you're going to hear most in relation to this town. The two are synonymous with one another. However, there's MUCH more to this place. There are other events, like Jazz Fest. There's traditional Voodoo, Cajun and Creole shops and activities. There's bars with live Jazz, others with Zydeco. The French Quarter, the French Market, the Garden District. Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral. Historical homes. The cemeteries filled with above ground vaulted graves. History Tours. Ghost tours. Vampire tours. (Don't let the ghost and vampire tours fool you, you'll still get a lot of history during the tour.)
With the famous Mardi Gras celebration, keep in mind, even though New Orleans has made an effort to make Mardi Gras more family friendly...the later it gets...and the further down Bourbon Street you go, it isn't family friendly at all. If you're there with kids, stick to the parades on Canal Street and don't go down Bourbon after dark. Seriously, too many blocks down Bourbon, and the leather chaps come out, with no pants underneath! Get a peak at what's going on at Bourbon Street right now by looking at their cam. Your kids will be happy with Canal Street though, the parades are a lot of fun, filled with music, good food, extravagant floats, and even more extravagant costumes and masks! If I haven't emphasized enough for you to be aware that Bourbon Street has ADULT themes, alcohol is sold on the sidewalks, people are flashing for beads, some of those extravagant costumes...on Bourbon...are just paint and NO clothes, and there are plenty of "dancing" establishments. So, know your kid and what they AND you are comfortable with before proceeding.
The French Quarter is the home of Bourbon Street and all things Mardi Gras. The French and Spanish influenced Antebellum architecture is beautiful to see. People on balconies throwing beads and huge crowds in the street aren't just a thing that happens during Mardi Gras, these are weekly staples as is Bourbon Street's invention, the Hurricane drink. This is a constant party filled with bars and ...other forms of nightlife. Every Saturday, it's packed. The difference between a typical Saturday and a Mardi Gras day is you can find 2 square feet to stand on. If you're there during Mardi Gras and find 2 square feet to stand on? Look down, you're standing on garbage. Be sure to leave party central long enough to see the French Market, a combination of a farmers market and a flea market.
Also, venture over to the Garden District which is filled with beautiful old style houses, most of which of course have pretty flower gardens. The cemeteries are a really creepy addition to your tour, and if you go to St. Louis #1 Cemetery, you can see the supposed burial site of voodoo queen, Marie Laveau.
Walking Tours of New Orleans: Tour New Orleans, Haunted History Tours, French Quarter Phantoms