Situated in Louisiana city on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans is a city that is best known for its incredible nightlife, vibrant music, and some spicy French, African, and American cuisine cultures. Orleans is also known for organizing annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras World.
New Orleans has also been described as the “most unique” in the United States. For its prominent role in the film industry and pop culture, New Orleans has been increasingly known as the “Hollywood South.“
So, if you are a person who is fond of living this nightlife, experiencing vibrant music, and tasting different cuisines and are planning to visit Louisiana city, you are at the right place because we are going to guide you through the top 10 fun things to do in New Orleans.
Over 18.5 million people visit lovely New Orleans each year, the adored beating heart of the American South. So be ready to take notes of these different Orleans attractions to make your Orleans experience unforgettable.

10 Fun Things to do in New Orleans
There is more than enough to see and do in this global melting pot for the entire family, despite its reputation for adult-focused activities.
Visitors come to New Orleans for the jazz and the crazy parties, but they remain for the rich history, intriguing museums, vast parks, and alligator-infested swamplands.
The Cajun and Creole cultures are alive and well in NOLA, where revellers party till the early hours of the morning, history buffs celebrate, and tourists from near and far come to relax.
It’s the kind of town where each street has its own distinct taste, sometimes literally because of all the fantastic eateries, and where the history of many centuries coexists with the vivacious energy of each new day.
In this renowned Crescent City, you may go on a Mississippi riverboat tour, take in the Mardi Gras customs, explore a plantation, order a drive-through daiquiri, and so much more.
1. Visit the French Quarter
We recommend starting in the French quarter to have the best Orleans experience. The French Quarter neighbourhood is vibrant and will offer you a memorable experience. The French Quarter neighbourhood, also known as Vieux Carré, is a part of Orleans’s history. It is considered the heart and soul of this city and a National Historic Landmark.
It is the site of the original New Orleans colony, and the French Quarter has held on to its heritage, as you will see street names listed in French. In the French Quarter, visit narrow cobblestone streets and find attractions such as Jackson Square, Faulkner House Books, and the Cabildo.
If you see architecture, the French Quarter will not disappoint you. French Quarter neighbourhood architecture holds balconies designed with baroque ironwork and hanging plants. French Quarter also has leafy courtyards which are filled with bubbling fountains.
Even though you will be mesmerized by the French Quarter’s beauty, one con of the French Quarter could be that it can be expensive if you stay in any French Quarter hotels. So, make sure to plan your budget accordingly if you decide to stay in one.
French Quarter, Bourbon street will have performers and fortune-tellers and rowdy bars. Another thing you can do in the French Quarter while visiting New Orleans is to visit Bourbon Street. It is considered New Orleans’ infamous party hub.
Quite an unusual mixture, right? Even though a trip to New Orleans isn’t considered completed if you haven’t visited the French quarter and bourbon street, it is recommended not to visit bourbon street if you plan to have a calm and peaceful experience.
Since it is full of adult travellers, you will not be able to escape the endless nightlife. So keep this point in your mind if you plan to visit bourbon street in that sense.
Suppose you want to have a light tour of the French Quarter, plan for a day tour. You can travel the French Quarter neighbourhood in different ways.
You can opt for Mule-drawn carriage tours that line up daily on Decatur Street in front of Jackson Square, taking groups of four, or rely on your two feet and walk through the city life of the French quarter.
So, visiting the French Quarter and Bourbon Street is our first recommendation for fun things to do in New Orleans.

2. Check out Frenchman Street
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Address: Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States
Another fun thing to do in New Orleans is to visit the famous Frenchman Street. Frenchman Street will give you an authentic experience of New Orleans since it is removed from the touristy areas of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.
Earlier, when talking about Bourbon Street, we mentioned that individuals looking for a calm and peaceful environment should not visit the city; you will get that experience here at Frenchman Street.
The town is a four-block stretch in New Orleans’ renowned Faubourg Marigny. It offers live music, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and art galleries, a popular spot for the locals. By offering fewer crowds, you will find cheaper eats and drinks and better music on Frenchman Street. You can consider it to be a good substitute for Bourbon Street.

It has an unofficial reputation as the best place in the city for live music, making it a must-do for music aficionados. Almost every venue for live music along this New Orleans street has something appealing to offer.
You’ll be delighted by the sight of fabulously cultural businesses, adorable old-fashioned cottages in a Creole style, and all the enjoyment of a typical tourist destination without the packed state of Bourbon Street as you wander around the street.
Standard genres include jazz and the blues, but there are many others to be discovered and heard.
Palace Market is a shopping heaven in the central city as you will find locals selling homemade art and jewellery, making it a healthy French market. If you stroll down this street, you will find old-style jazz clubs with local musicians with great music.
This combination of this Orleans jazz, live music, talented local musicians, and great atmosphere will make your New Orleans experience in Frenchman Street worth every penny, adding to the fun things to do in New Orleans.
3. New Orleans Jazz Museum
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Address: 400 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States
Our third entry of fun things to do in New Orleans is to visit the New Orleans jazz museum. If you want to mix Orleans jazz with some history, seeing this New Orleans museum is not bad.
This place celebrates jazz in the city where it was born. New Orleans Jazz Museum resists in the heart of the city’s vibrant music scene.
Evening programs, solo and small group concerts, and special events while National Park Service offers daily live music programs are the activities you can find here.

You don’t need to look very far to find something to do this weekend that is thematically suited for this culturally vibrant Louisiana city than the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
This museum has an amazing collection of jazz-related artefacts, exhibits, and memorabilia and is housed inside the magnificent Neoclassical Old U.S. Mint building.
The world’s largest collection of its kind is on display here, including numerous precious instruments performed by notable individuals in jazz history, including those used by George Lewis, Sidney Bechet, and Dizzy Gillespie.
The world’s first jazz music recording, which dates back to 1917, and Louis Armstrong’s first coronet, which features hand-carved notches by the man himself, are two particularly poignant exhibitions.
There are also many CDs with these soothing sounds and thousands of photos from the jazz scene’s early days. Live performances are occasionally available as well!
4. The National WWII Museum
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Address: 945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Visiting this Orleans Museum will make you revisit the events of World War 2. Even if you are not very keen on history, don’t worry. You will still enjoy the national WWII museum.
This Orleans Museum has an impressive collection of artefacts and educational films documenting all aspects of the war, from D-Day to the war in the Pacific to the Holocaust’s dark history.
The Higgins landing craft was created and constructed in New Orleans. Along with other World War II items like tanks, artillery, and aircraft, you will witness these boats.
The only authorised WWII museum in the United States is located in New Orleans since these boats were utilised in the amphibious landing invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Explore six ongoing exhibits that eloquently explain the causes of the war, how it was won, and what it means to us now through first-person accounts, artefacts, interactive displays, and media exhibits.
There is also a fantastic 4-D movie to see! This museum is one that you could easily spend a whole day exploring. Visit one of the numerous hip cafes or eateries in the Warehouse District afterwards.
National WWII Museum will offer you an educational experience, but we caution you that some of the displays may be disturbing for children. It is located on magazine street in the Warehouse District, and you can visit the national WWII museum daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket price for adults costs $27 and $17.50 for students and children ages 5 to 12.
At the same time, it is free for World War two veterans. Make sure entry to the Victory Theater, and specific exhibits will cost you extra. If you want to capture all of the texts, artefacts, and testimonials on display, you must spare three hours. If you cannot see all the things in one day, you can return the next day with your ticket and only pay an additional $6.
If you choose to visit this New Orleans Museum while driving, you can find a paid parking lot on Magazine Street, across from the theatre. Other than this, you can also find other parking lots in the neighbourhood.
You can also use the bus service, and you can hop on bus no. 11, 100, or 114, stop at Magazine Street and Poeyfarre street in front of the museum. So, if this wakes up your interest in visiting the New Orleans Museum, you are welcome to add this to fun things to do in New Orleans.
5. Stroll through the Garden District
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Address: St Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Another fun thing to do in New Orleans includes having a garden district tour. This garden district tour will give you a look at some of the city’s beautiful homes. This experience will provide you peaceful atmosphere and a much-needed break from city life.
Because they did not want to dwell among the Creoles in the French Quarter, New Orleans’ affluent population constructed their residences here.
The Garden District, which was created in the middle of the 1800s, got its name from the extensive gardens that encircled each mansion.
However, by the 1900s, the majority of the lots had been divided, and the gardens were no longer there. Today, the Garden District is best recognised for its opulent architecture.
The majority of the homes you’ll see are Neoclassical and Greek Revival in architecture and have huge two-tiered porches.
Take a thorough neighbourhood tour with a guide or explore the Garden District at your own speed with a self-guided tour.
You might pass through the mansions of John Goodman or Sandra Bullock, the childhood residences of Eli and Peyton Manning, the George Washington Cable House, or perhaps the residence from the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button during your journey.
Garden District also has many shops, cafes, and the famous Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. You will also find Commander’s Palace Restaurant, one of the city’s most well-regarded and refined restaurants. This place in New Orleans can be accessed via the Magazine Street bus, carriage, or St. Charles Avenue streetcar.
6. Take a tour of New Orleans City Park
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Address: 1 Palm Dr, New Orleans, LA 70124, United States
Is there anything to do in New Orleans with kids? Yes, there is. Visiting New Orleans city park will offer you that. It is a great place to spend your afternoons with your loved ones.
You can stroll through nature in the 12-acre New Orleans Botanical Garden. Another positive point of this place is that it is near the New Orleans Museum of Art, so after spending time in the city park, you can visit the art galleries.
For your young ones, New Orleans City Park offers Storyland which is the home to giant storybooks and fairy tale characters, and it also has carousel gardens amusement park and the Train Garden. It doesn’t stop here.
New Orleans City Park also has tennis courts, soccer fields, two football stadiums, and an 18-hole golf course. This place is also home to the world’s largest grove of mature live oaks, including the Anseman Oak and McDonogh Oak.
City Park is also homes to the Louisiana Children’s Museum, which has different recreational activities like a climbing wall, a fake broadcasting studio, an art studio, and a mock cafe.
The park was established in 1854, but before duelling was made illegal in 1890, men used to fight there in the shadow of the big oak trees.
Dueling Oaks is the name given to this location, and one of the two duelling oaks still exists today.
Rent a bike or a paddleboat at the great lake, or have a picnic lunch under one of the numerous historic Live Oaks covered in Spanish moss.
Play a round of golf, perfect your tennis serve, go to a concert, ride the vintage carousel at the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, or simply take a leisurely stroll through the park.
There are countless possibilities, and everyone can enjoy themselves.
The place is open daily from 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset, so if you are an early bird, make sure to visit at this time. Entry to New Orleans City Park is free, but some attractions will cost you.
In the end, it’s not that you can’t visit New Orleans with kids. New Orleans offers things for your young ones. So, make sure to add New Orleans City Park to the fun things to do in New Orleans.
7. Check out The Cabildo
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Address: 701 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Its existence extends back hundreds of years, but the Great Fresh Orleans Fire and the subsequent restoration in the 1790s gave it new life.
Near Jackson Square, located in the heart of the French Quarter, you can visit the New Orleans history piece, The Cabildo. It was initially constructed in 1799 as the seat of the Spanish government.
When New Orleans was under Spanish rule, this Spanish-style building worked as a city hall and Supreme court after the Louisiana Purchase. Here you can also see the room where Louisiana Purchase took place.
The Cabildo is a sight to behold thanks to the Spanish Colonial architecture combined with other influences like a French Mansard roof.
It was a government and judicial building up until the year 1908, but it was given to the Louisiana State Museum after that and now has more than 500 items that showcase the history and culture of the city.
Louisiana State Museum relives Louisiana’s history with the help of Native American objects, Colonial-era paintings, and even Napoleon Bonaparte’s death mask. It is home to a three-floor branch of the Louisiana State Museum.
Here at Cabildo, an entire floor is devoted to Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was a 2005 storm that devastated New Orleans and surrounding regions. You will find multimedia displays and artefacts collected during the cleanup of both Rita and Hurricane Katrina.
You can fairly say, The Cabildo is a sentimental place that preserves the historic New Orleans Collection. Again if you are not a history buff, you will be mesmerized by the building’s architecture.
If you visit this place, consider stopping by the St. Louis Cathedral, located next door on Chartres Street. The location is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the ticket price for adults costs $6, $5 for students and seniors, and is free for children 12 and younger.
To visit Cabildo, you can use the available bus services in the area, including buses No. 5 and 55. So make sure to add The Cabildo to your fun things to do in New Orleans. You will not regret it.
8. Cemetery Tours
New Orleans is also often considered the most haunted city in the United States. It is filled with stories of ghosts, Voodoo, magic, pirates, vampires, and more. So, if you ever wanted to explore a haunted city, and you are quite a daring person who isn’t scared to explore something “Ghostly,” Well, if you are visiting New Orleans, don’t forget to have Cemetery Tours.
Many of the tombs found in this city are above-ground levels to protect them from rising water levels. If you want to learn the relationship between New Orleans cemeteries and their relationship with Voodoo, we suggest you opt for Witches Brew Tours – 3in1 Cemetery Tour.
In a two-hour excursion, you will understand New Orleans customs, traditions, architecture, and superstitions while also visiting today the most famous tombs in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Louis cemetery will make you learn about the city’s unique internment process and history of Voodoo.
You will also visit Congo Square, located in Louis Armstrong Park. This tour runs from Monday to Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. On Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m. You need to have reservations for these tours, and Tickets start at $25 for adults and $12 for children ages 6 to 12.
For something more chilly experience, you can also opt for the 4in1 tour, which also explores vampires and witchcraft in the Crescent City, adding this to the list of fun things to do in New Orleans.

9. New Orleans Pharmacy Museum
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Address: 514 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Another interesting place you can visit in New Orleans is the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, located in the neighbourhood of the French Quarter. The place is home to a unique heritage of medicine and pharmaceuticals, which can turn out useful to increase your knowledge.
It is registered in the National Register of Historic Places and has a mid-19th-century apothecary shop while also having various other antiques from this era in healthcare on display. It’s a unique and fairly uncommon type of museum, which just adds to its allure.
You can discover eyeglasses, wheelchairs, optical prosthetic devices, ancient leather doctor’s purses, surgical tools, and medical equipment among the curiosities, bits, and bobs. You can also locate ingredients in authentic apothecary jars.
The cabinets are also lined with voodoo potions, including Love Potion No. 9, a legendary and frequently spoken concoction from long ago.
A reproduction of an old-time pharmacist’s workspace can be found as you move back toward the shop area. With tools like wooden blenders, mortar and pestles, and microscopes, attention to detail is rather astounding.
The museum also remembers Louis J. Dufilho Jr. of Louisiana, America’s first licensed pharmacist. Hence, don’t forget to visit Dr J. William Rosenthal’s Spectacles Collection display on the second floor!
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is located on Chartres Street. The ticket price will cost you $5, including a guided tour. The museum is typically open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday but can be closed early for some private events.
So, if this interests you, add this to your list of fun things to do in New Orleans. Any medical geek should visit this place without a doubt.
10. Steamboat Natchez
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Address: 400 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Our last entry of fun things to do in New Orleans includes taking a ride on Steamboat Natchez. Being the only steamboat in New Orleans, it was launched in 1975 and took visitors on a tour of the Mississippi River.
The Steamboat Natchez Cruise is a unique opportunity to view the sparkling NOLA lights and take in the smooth city noises from the water. It is one of the city’s most well-known and well-liked attractions, suitable for visitors of all ages. Experience the charm of the Old World while sailing on the storied Steamboat Natchez.
Steamboat Natchez will offer you a few tour options like a dinner jazz cruise, a harbor jazz cruise, a Sunday jazz brunch cruise, and special event cruises.
Indoor and outdoor seating will be available on the boat so that you’ll have a terrific time whether it rains, shines, or hails. The tour will last about 2 hours, offering you a concert, a narration of historical facts, and an optional meal. A gift shop and bar are also available onboard.
Steamboat Natchez will provide a unique and entertaining way to explore the city and the river. Also, make sure to tour the engine room while visiting the Steamboat.

All Natchez cruises travel along the lower Mississippi River, which is shaped like a crescent, with the staff pointing out interesting and important sites along the way. Undoubtedly, there isn’t a more impressive way to see the city.
But the boat itself is a work of art, so it’s not just about what you can view from it! Onboard, you’ll get to witness a working paddle wheel and engine room up close, experience a sense of time travel thanks to decor from the early 1900s, and buy a few souvenirs.
And More…
A few more places that can’t be left out besides the Top 10 are:
- Mardi Grass World
- Ogden Museum of Southern Art
- Swamp Tour
- Oak Alley Plantation
- Orleans Rum Distillery
New Orleans has a lot to offer, and you can either enjoy the hardcore nightlife or have a relaxing time by alluring the beautiful nature of New Orleans. This stark contrast of the city makes it great to spend your money on and have a wonderful time with your loved ones.
So here is the list of the top 10 fun things to do in New Orleans, from strolling in French Quarters and Frenchman Street to visiting the Museums like of National WWII Museum and New Orleans Pharmacy Museum or exploring the mysterious nature of Cemetery tours.
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Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani