New Orleans for First-Timers: 4-Day Itinerary, Neighborhood Food Crawls, and What Bourbon Street Gets Wrong

Go before 8am to avoid the line. The beignets are the same at any hour but the experience of eating them without a crowd is different. Wear dark clothes because the powdered sugar is unavoidable.

The street artists and tarot readers set up on the square's fence by 10am. Some of the art is genuinely good and affordable. The cathedral is the oldest in continuous use in the US.

The flea market section has better finds than the covered market. Walk all the way to the end past the tourist stalls to find local vendors selling hot sauce, spice mixes, and handmade jewelry.

Central Grocery's muffuletta is a half-sandwich that feeds two people. Do not order a whole unless you are very hungry. Parkway is a 15-minute rideshare to Mid-City but the roast beef po'boy is worth the trip.

Royal Street is the French Quarter's quieter, more elegant parallel to Bourbon. Closed to car traffic during the day. The antique shops and galleries are worth browsing even if you are not buying.

Start at the Spotted Cat Music Club or d.b.a. for live jazz and brass bands. Most venues have no cover or a $5-10 charge. The music starts around 8pm and goes past midnight. Eat at Three Muses if you want tapas and live jazz at the same table.

Sit on the right side heading uptown for the best views of the mansions. The streetcar itself is a National Historic Landmark. Catch it at Canal and Carondelet.

Walk First Street, Coliseum Street, and Prytania Street for the best concentration of antebellum mansions. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is free to enter on your own. Skip the paid walking tours unless you specifically want architecture history narration.

Magazine Street runs 6 miles through multiple neighborhoods, each with a different character. The stretch between Washington and Napoleon has the best mix of restaurants, boutiques, and local coffee shops. Try Dat Dog for loaded hot dogs or Surrey's for brunch.

The park's walking loop under the live oaks is one of the most peaceful spots in the city. The zoo is solid but skippable if you have limited time. If you go, the Louisiana Swamp exhibit is the standout.

The front porch of this St. Charles Avenue hotel is one of the best spots in the city for a drink. Order a Pimm's Cup or a Sazerac and watch the streetcar roll by under the oaks.

Try Boucherie on Carrollton for modern Cajun, Brigtsen's for upscale Creole, or Jacques-Imo's for the funky local favorite (expect a wait at Jacques-Imo's, but the bar next door is the unofficial waiting room).

Li'l Dizzy's in Treme serves a Creole breakfast buffet that is one of the best deals in the city. Get there by 9am on weekends. The trout Baquet and fried chicken are standouts.

Congo Square is where enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays to play music and dance, making it the birthplace of jazz. The park is often empty on weekday mornings, which makes it a quiet, powerful visit.

This small museum in Treme houses the most important collection of Mardi Gras Indian suits, second line umbrellas, and social aid and pleasure club memorabilia in the city. It is the best $10 you will spend in New Orleans.

The Bywater has the best street art in the city. Ride along the Crescent Park trail on the river, then loop through the residential streets. Stop at Bacchanal Fine Wine and Spirits for wine, cheese, and live music in the backyard.

The Joint has some of the best brisket in the South, which is a bold claim in a city known for Creole food. Elizabeth's praline bacon is famous for a reason. Both are cash-only or card with a minimum.

Hit the historic bars: Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel for a Sazerac ($16), Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop for atmosphere (one of the oldest bars in America), and the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone where the bar literally rotates. These are not tourist traps. They are the bars that invented New Orleans cocktail culture.

Morning Call in City Park is the locals' answer to Cafe Du Monde, with the same beignets and half the crowd. Sit in the open-air pavilion next to the lagoon.

City Park is 50% larger than Central Park and a fraction as crowded. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and has over 90 pieces set among live oaks and lagoons. If you like art, add the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) which anchors the park.

Katie's has been serving neighborhood Italian-Creole food in Mid-City since 1984. The crawfish pizza is not on any tourist list but it should be. Mandina's is the classic Mid-City lunch counter for gumbo, po'boys, and fried seafood.

Both streets have a local, non-touristy feel with independent bookshops, record stores, coffee shops, and restaurants. Freret Street's revival over the last decade is one of the city's best comeback stories.

Commander's Palace is the grande dame of New Orleans restaurants. The 25-cent martini lunch is a real thing (weekdays only). Cochon, by Donald Link, serves Cajun food at a level that makes you understand why people fly here to eat. Both require reservations.