New Orleans Family Vacation

New Orleans is known for being a wild and crazy place. Those looking for a great party flock to the famous Bourbon Street downing a shot at every bar along the way. And don’t get me wrong, as a young 20-something year old, I thoroughly enjoyed the New Orleans party experience. Of course now, with a new baby and just being a bit older, trips to the Crescent City look a bit different. And I love that New Orleans has something for everyone and can be a great place for a family vacation (holiday)!

Why a New Orleans family vacation is a good idea

The Cajun/Creole culture is very inclusive of children and families. Growing up just north of New Orleans, my parents took me along to everything and I got to experience so much because of it. You’ll find high chairs, kids menus, and changing tables at most every restaurant and you’ll find most staff excited to see and engage with your child. Now having lived in Europe, I understand this culture of inclusivity of children is shared with the general European culture, where children are welcomed into society rather than seen as a nuisance. It is expected that children will come along to social engagements and, as a result, are usually better socialised for it. We love this culture of inclusivity and find it’s much easier and much less stress to bring our baby with us. Of course, he loves it too!

Where to stay on a New Orleans family vacation

We’ve stayed at a couple amazing hotels in New Orleans that we’d totally go back to. Now, these are name-brand hotels and, as such, are much more likely to offer appropriate amenities to cater to your baby.

The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

This was by far our favourite stay in New Orleans, hotel-wise. We actually stayed here while I was pregnant but we actually stayed here with my parents and my in-laws. Their location was perfect for us. It is in walking distance of the super-dome (as we were attending an event there) and of the French Quarter. We didn’t feel like it was too close though and liked that it was in a bit of a quieter space. We also liked there was several restaurants close by, including a Walk-on’s (which is just a good, decent Cajun meal for not too expensive), a couple drugstores (which we needed to go to and get some things we didn’t bring), and more! They also serve a yummy breakfast, have a roof-top bar, and, during Mardi Gras, had security to monitor the door (as most bigger notes do but it’s still very nice).

Airbnb

We also love a good Airbnb, especially for a family vacation, and found a fav near the convention center, PERFECT if attending an event there (as we were). It was a little bit of a walk to get into the French Quarter but we loved that the traditional layout of the house meant families could rent all-together while still maintaining the privacy of separate “apartments” and even a bit of outdoor space by way of the private courtyard. The hosts are also top-notch and so helpful, kind, and great fun!

Read: How to manage jet lag with a baby

What to do on a New Orleans family vacation

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Of course, Mardi Gras is always a good idea. Even with kids, the day parades can be so exciting. Everyone dresses up and walking around, catching “throws”, and just taking in the atmosphere can be a lot of fun for kids. As long as you stay away from Bourbon Street (and are in bed before the night parades), everything stays fairly family friendly!

Festivals in New Orleans

If you’re not going to be there during Mardi Gras, there are still a TON of festive periods so, if you can, take a look on the New Orleans Tourism board’s site (or reach out to them on social media) and see if your trip correlates with a local festival!

Tours of New Orleans

In addition to festivals, my number one suggestion to people visiting New Orleans for the first time is to take a walking tour. They are usually around $20 for an hour or 2 and a registered historian guide will walk you around the city to explain the history of the city. They have all sorts of tours with all sorts of different themes so you can really cater it to what your interests are.

I think tours are a great way to get your bearings around the city and learn a bit in the process. They also usually start a bit earlier as well so they can be a great morning activity. I do always like to mention, though, that New Orleans doesn’t have open container laws so walking around with an adult beverage is perfectly legal! So, if that’s your cup of tea, stop into a bar before your tour and ask for your drink in a “go-cup” so you can take it with you!

What to eat on a New Orleans family vacation

Eating is the main event of any New Orleans holiday and you really can’t go wrong when deciding where to eat in the city. Louisiana in general is one of those places where even the sketchy gas station food is top-notch. So rather than give specific suggestions of restaurants, I’ll give some tips.

Make sure to call ahead for a bigger group (more than 4). A lot of these restaurants are in older, smaller buildings and just don’t have the space available. So calling ahead to let them know you have a table of 5 or more coming in can allow them to get some space ready for you. As you can imagine, New Orleans can also get super busy at times as well so booking ahead can save you a lot of hassle!

Take your Cafe du Monde to go! There is a cash-only window around the back where you can get your beignets and cafe au lait without the wait. Again, it is cash-only though so be sure to have some on you.

One of my other favourite things to do is take our takeaway items (like our Cafe du Monde or our Central Grocers Muffuletas) up onto the levee. There are steps on the river side which, on a nice day, make for a lovely spot for a picnic!

Tipping Culture in New Orleans

If you are sitting in to any restaurants, don’t forget the tip! Wait staff in the US depend on tips for their daily wage so be sure you add:

• ⁃10% to 20% for servers at a sit down meal
• ~$1 a drink (depending on how involved the drink is for the bartender to make, for example, a beer would be less involved than a cocktail, therefore you’d want to tip more for a cocktail)

Tipping is best done in cash, although a tip paid with card is still better than no tip at all, and can be left with the bill when you pay. Most places take card though so you can always pay with card and, when filling out your bill, you can write “cash” in the place of the tip, leaving the cash on the side. Any number written in this spot will be taken off your card.

Ready to travel? Get my free packing list for travel with a baby here.

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