In honor of Mardi Gras just passing I’m throwing it back to recap my New Orleans trip I took this summer. It was my first time visiting, and I honestly fell in love! The city of fantastic seafood, Cajun any and everything, and beignets. You can’t forget to get the beignets. If you do one thing when you go to NOLA, do yourself a favor and go and get some beignets, and go multiple times.
I finally got to take the trip I’ve been dying to for years now. I was so happy to finally have experienced NOLA I also got to attend Essence Festival as a bonus.
If you are familiar with Essence Fest, you know it happens every year in New Orleans. It is the ultimate music & food festival that celebrates African American heritage. When I went, there were so many good acts to see. One of my favorites was Solange, Chance the Rapper, and I was so upset I couldn’t get in the room to see Escape! As a newbie to both NOLA and Essence, I did find it very hard to do Essence Fest and visit all the touristy spots on my list. My advice if you plan to go to New Orleans during Essence Fest is to give yourself a couple of days so you can go out and experience all that this city has to offer.
Since I only attended Essence Fest for one day, there is not much I can recap for you. I did find out that you can attend all the day events for free. The Day festival is where you will catch some great performances, interviews and walk away with a bag loaded with freebies. (Who doesn’t love free stuff!). My favorite moment of the day events would have to be listening to Kofi Siriboe (from Queen Sugar) interview and hearing how he started his career.
What We Did:
On our first day in NOLA, our very first stop was Bourbon Street. This is a must see and mostly for the experience. It is not the prettiest place as its usually crowded with intoxicated people, BUT it is still a blast! Everyone is generally walking around with some drink in their hand. I highly will suggest you get a hand grande from Topical Isle. I made the mistake of starting with a frozen alcoholic slushie, which was okay but it was mostly sugar. The hand grenades are a great stiff drink, but don’t have more than two 🙂 just remembered that I warned you. Bourbon street is also filled with so much talent to see.
We saw an adorable group of boys that were playing on buckets, and it was hard not to stop an watch them.
The nightlife on Bourbon is fun to experience one night. There are so many different bars that you can try, no cover needed which is great. Also, there is no need to dress up you come as you are and have a great time.
What We Ate:
I knew one thing for sure. I was going to be indulging in some good food. I do regret not stopping inside of Popeyes and experiencing the Original Louisiana fried chicken. I’ve heard it is way better than the chains outside of Nola. Visting Popeyes will be on my agenda for my next trip.
I was able to grab brunch at Willa Jean and was amazed the second I walked through the door. Once you step inside you are immediately greeted with that southern hospitality which is terrific. I ordered the crawfish and grits which is served with a slow cooked egg. This was my first time trying crawfish, and I wouldn’t want to try it for the first time other than New Orleans. The cocktails here are on point as well.
If you are a lover of Fried Chicken make sure you got to Willie Mae’s Scotch House I’m going to say the fried chicken lives up to the hype. Get there early as they do not take reservations, and there is always a line. The food makes it so worth it, I didn’t even notice that I had been waiting in line for over an hour. I got the chicken dinner that came with mac and cheese. When chicken doesn’t need anything additional, you know its good! Once you are inside the restaurant, you feel like you’re in somebody’s grandmother’s house.
Reasons to make a trip to Nola:
- The Food
- More specifically Chargrilled OystersStop by ACME Oysters
- Beignets
- Cafe Demond is open for 24 hours. If you want to beat the rush go at night. The only bad thing is your pictures won’t be amazing. (Hence why I have no photos)
- The People, everyone I met in NOLA was extraordinarily friendly and helpful
- NOLA makes for a good girls trip! So grab your crew and plan your trip! I will be coming back.
- The Culture #DoItForTheCulture
The only picture I took at Cafe Du Monde 🙁
Until next time!
