Hi Friends!
Are you in need of a break from the daily grind? Look no further than the lively and historic city of New Orleans, where vibrant music, delicious food, and rich culture await you! Dustin and I visited back at the beginning of February, not knowing that it was Mardi Gras and we literally had the time of our lives. We have been to a lot of places and this trip was just to much fun, I would say in my top five trips that we have taken together. It was also the perfect time to go, the weather was a little chilly at night but still so perfect, I say chilly but I live in Florida and anything under 65 is basically freezing. I would say the nights didn’t get below 45 and it was honestly just perfect! In this guide, we will take you on a journey through the best gluten free spots to eat, where to stay, and what to do during your weekend escape to New Orleans! From indulging in mouth-watering Cajun dishes to exploring the charming architecture of the French Quarter, get ready to fall in love with this Southern gem the way we did!
Where to Stay: Bluegreen Vacations Club La Pension
We stayed at Bluegreen Vacations Club La Pension and it was an amazing stay! The room was perfect, it had a little kitchen with a small fridge and microwave as well as cutlery, cups, plates, and other things. Everything seemed updated and new! We loved the location, it was just one street back from the Mardi Gras Parades which was honestly a happy accident. Check-in was quick and easy and the staff, security, and concierge were so nice and helpful. Our room was actually a couple of doors down from the lobby but that wasn’t a problem at all, they showed us to the entrance of the door on the street and we used our key card to get into the main street door and then again to get onto the elevator. It was a very secure building right next to a liquor store and a little convenient shop for snacks and things! We would absolutely stay here again!
Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana:
Deanie’s Seafood - This is where we went to dinner the first night we were here pretty much right after we got checked into the hotel. We were so hungry! They didn’t have a huge gluten-free menu but when I saw that they had gluten-free fried seafood I didn’t hesitate. For dinner, I got the fried catfish and a side of sweet potato fries, as you can see from the picture it was SO much freakin food. I feel like I didn’t even scratch the surface of eating everything on my plate. The portion was plenty for two so learn from my mistake! It was so yummy though. Dustin got the Jambalaya and was impressed, we both really liked our meals!
Bons New Orleans Street Food - This place was so exciting to me that we ate here one day and had gluten-free beignets and then the second day we came back for breakfast and we both got the gluten-free chicken and waffles…. OHHHH my goodness those were killer. I loved the fried chicken so much! A 20/10 on the chicken and waffles, the gluten-free beignets were meh… Like I got them because they were gluten-free but they were pretty dense and had this weird spiced flavor to them, I would call them more like donuts. Dustin said that he liked the ones that were not gluten-free though and he would have those again.
The Will and the Way - We actually stopped in here two different times on different days because we liked it so much! I had probably too many of the Saint Luke which was blueberry, basil, and black tea-infused vodka with lime and simple syrup… SO good, I want to recreate it at home! We also loved their Loaded Korean Hot Fries… OH MY GOSH, they were good! They were almost like a poutine style with kimchi, beef bulgogi, gochujang aioli, and peanuts… We had like three servings of these dang fries! 10/10 recommend this bar, it was our favorite!
Thaihey NOLA - After the steamboat ride, we were hungry but really wanted to head back to the hotel to warm up! We stopped at Thaihey and got an order to go. It was so good! For an appetizer we got an order of their chicken poppers which were like chicken nuggets tossed in a spicy green curry sauce, so good. And then we both got the same thing for dinner which was their soft shell crab pad Thai and that was also delicious both dishes were gluten-free and we liked them a lot! We probably could have eaten in the restaurant, it had a really cute vibe to it. We would eat here again!
Bars in New Orleans, Louisiana:
The Saddle Bar - This is the bar that we went to the first night we were here. There weren’t a ton of people in there but it was a Thursday night. Some groups would wander in and out but not consistently busy overall. It was a country bar which wasn’t usually our scene but they had games on some of the tables, beer pong, and a mechanical rooster so there was plenty of entertainment. The bartenders were nice and the drinks were good, we would go back!
The Will and the Way - see above for a more in-depth review but we loved this place!
The Pothole NOLA - I don’t feel like I have a good enough review for this bar. When we were in there we only had one drink, I got a Nutral, and Dustin had a Jack and Coke that he said was awful. The bartender was fine but seemed annoyed that we were there and it was just overall pretty boring. Again, it was the middle of the afternoon but it was a Saturday so I’m not sure, it could be more fun at other times of the day. Keep in mind there were other bars that we stopped into in the middle of the day that were more fun, so it just seemed like the bar was a dud.
What to Do in New Orleans, Louisiana:
I think I should preface this list by saying this trip was very casual and leisurely for us and we didn’t do a ton of planning before getting there because we wanted to have a low-key go-with-the-flow getaway trip. But in the time that we were there, we saw a lot! I also think we could go another weekend and have a full weekend without doing anything again, there was so much to do and look at, and it was so much fun! Keeping that in mind, there will be things missing from this list that are major attractions that didn’t get to see, all the more reason to go back!
Audubon Aquarium + Audubon Insectarium - We always visit aquariums when we visit a new place, we both really like them so when we saw there was an aquarium just a couple of minutes from our hotel walking and it was pouring rain one afternoon, we knew we would be checking it out! It was really cool and I liked the Insectarium a lot. Tons to look at, and really cool interactive learning spots throughout the building, they had a couple of snack counters which was nice! They also gave a discount for buying a ticket to both the aquarium and the insectarium which was nice! I really liked the butterfly enclosure, so many types to see there!
Walk around Jackson Square - this was cool because this is where artists sell their art and they will also work on new pieces right in front of you which was neat to watch!
Steamboat ride - One night that we were there we decided to do a ride on a steamboat as a fun little adventure. It was cool but it was VERY cold doing it at night. Honestly, I would only do this if it isn’t cold while you are visiting because there is limited space inside and the wind is just a lot to handle. We opted out of the dinner that they were serving because we didn’t want to deal with my allergy so we just had a couple of drinks and listened to the live jazz band. That was another odd thing, the band would only play for like 30 minutes at a time and then there would be a 45-minute break which I understand but it was only like a 2-and-a-half-hour boat ride leaving lots of quiet time during the ride.
Pharmacy Museum - Stopping in here was sort of an accident, but a good one! The sign outside looked old and cool so we decided to stop in and the woman at the desk said that it was $10 a person to look at the museum. The first floor looked cool from what we could see so we decided to do it. There were tons of interesting things to look at and we ended up spending about 40 minutes wandering the three floors reading about all of the history of medicine. I would recommend it if this is something that you are interested in!
Shopping, lots of random shopping:
-Stop in the art galleries, they are all over the place and we went into lots of them!
-There were a few antique shops as well!
-Sassy Magick was a witchy type of bookstore that we went into! I ended up getting two books from there, the first one is The Treadwell's Book of Plant Magic and the other one is Green Witchcraft: A Practical Guide to Discovering the Magic of Plants, Herbs, Crystals, and Beyond - they were just too cool to pass up! I linked them both for you guys! There was lots to look at and they also had a lengthy list of services as well if you are interested in that!
-Earth Oddesey Crystal Shop - We/I loved this store! We spent about an hour in here looking at the crystals and talking to a couple of the people working there. It was so reasonably priced and I like that they also have an online store, I will be buying from them online as well in the future!
-Beckham’s Bookstore - We went to this bookstore one afternoon to see what they had to offer. I ended up grabbing a couple of coffee table books and I actually got A Court of Wings and Ruin there for $8 which was a really good find. Worth a stop if books are up your alley!
-Bourbon Street (we didn’t spend a ton of time here but we made sure to stop and wander through it a few times)
I'‘ll wrap it up but needless to say, New Orleans is a vibrant city filled with delicious food, adorable places to stay, and endless opportunities for entertainment. Whether you're a foodie, a history buff, or simply looking for a fun weekend getaway, New Orleans has something for everyone and there is no shortage of things to do. So next time you're planning a weekend getaway, consider New Orleans as your destination. If you have any questions at all, please comment below or send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!
Much Love,
Emma
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