New Orleans - in August.

I’m thinking about booking a trip to New Orleans for me and SWMBO as a surprise, hence the profile name change to hide from the googles (like that’s even possible). 

Im trying to do it when the kids are at camp, but that means late July or early August. It looks like we might be able to get to the Satchmo Jazz festival if we time it right  

How unbearably hot will it be at that time? Will it even be tolerable for new Englanders to be outdoors at that time of year?

Any suggestions on where to stay, visit, or avoid?

Thanks

It ain't only the heat, it's the humidity that is unbearable.  

The Gulf coast is nothing like the SE when it comes to muggy heat.

I go there a lot at that time of year and enjoy it.  It's not all that bad, but then I live in Texas.

Be sure to "do" the Aquarium.

You really need a car. Parking is a bear in the French Quarter, but I know a place you can stay that has real parking.  It's also protected parking!  And it's right near the French Market and Jackson Square so you are within walking distance of most of the Quarter.

As for "what to do" a lot has been written here before on the topic.  I'm sure it is all still good advice.  

The earlier thread is about "one night". If you are going to be there longer and want to get out of the city a little (about a 1hr drive) you might enjoy the tours of the Plantations.  

We enjoyed the Laura Plantation which is a French Creole Plantaion.  From there, just a few miles away is the Oak Alley Plantation of which you have likely seen a picture of before...

Check hotel prices during those jazz festivals. I work out there frequently and have had to stay an hour outside of N.O. to get a hotel for a normal price.  A hotel will go from normal 130$ or so a night to 300-400$ a night during the many parties and festivals. 

In reply to No Time :

Where to stay depends entirely on your budget vs. whatever rate the hotels nearby are charging. There are plenty of hotels in or bordering the French Quarter, but there are also plenty just a block it two away uptown. 

Mom presuming you’re flying in & won’t have a car? If you do have a car you could even stay in Metairie and be down in the Quarter in about 20-30 minutes. 

If you’re a history buff the WWII museum is awesome, but it takes most of a day. As others mentioned the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is great & we go at least a couple times a year - if you plan now you may be able to get backstage tickets to play with the otters or penguins if SWMBO is into that. The Audubon Zoo is also really nice(and huge). 

Definitely plan a couple hours to take a street car through the garden district & back too.  

I lived there for a year and a half.  It is the arm-pit of the world, and I've been around it 3 times, so I know what I'm talking about here.  When I lived there, the TV weather man once said "And the humidity right now is 75%, so let's all go outside and enjoy the nice dry weather..."

it will be steamy.  Wear light clothing, embrace the sweat...women folk down NOLA don't sweat...they GLOW.

If you have a car consider going up to covington for jazz in the vines.  Truly great event.  Wonderful vineyard...great wine.  Get there early and enjoy outdoor concert.  Only $10 a head.  Buy wine and food onsite, picnic among the vines.  ponchartrainvineyards.com  Really a local event...hidden treasure.  About 40 miles from NOLA.

EDIT: just checked schedule.  last concert is June 30.  But they do have fall schedule that cranks back up in September.

Personally I would skip jazz festival...too crowded and everything will be overpriced..  Go on a non event weekend.  Plenty of great music.  Great food.  Go to Acme oyster house for inexpensive lunch.  Galatoirs for brunch.  Take St Charles street trolly out through garden district,  audubon park, have lunch at camelia grill on trolly line (best $1.50 youll spend) Cafe du monde for beignets and chicory coffee early or late.  Go to central grocery for muffalettas take out and pic nic on jackson square.  Catch a cab to Tipitinas for live music at night.  if staying in quarter,  i like Hotel Monteleon.   

A lot depends  on how long you plan to stay.

I love Nawlins. I cannot imagine being there in August...

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

...and don’t try to drive the wrong way on a one-way street, even if it’s only 50-feet. 

In reply to iceracer :

Are you saying it’s better or worse than Hilton Head or DC in August?

I appreciate all the information and advice.

I’m thinking it will be a fri-mon trip, so there will be some time to explore. If I can avoid any festival I will probably do that.  

I’d like to go earlier in the summer, but making arrangement for someone to take care the boys is a challenging with school, baseball, and lacrosse. 

If you stay in quarter I'd definitely try hotel monteleone.  An old style landmark hotel on edge of quarter near Canal street.  Beautiful lobby, rooms are smallish .   has a great carousel rotating bar.  AWAY from craziness of bourbon street. Near casino, aquarium, WWII museum...easy walking distance.  Safe area. GREAT ROOF TOP SWIMMING POOL FOR COOLING OFF. Reasonably priced for nola.  Looking at their booking last weekend in July is probably only time rates aren't jacked up for special events...180 per night as opposed to 400 plus for august and festival.

if you want a little quieter area book something in garden district on St Charles so you can catch trolly street cars to get around.  I enjoy the Best wester Garden inn.  Not typical BW.  Very nice old style hotel.

While places like Brennan and Commanders palace are nice landmark restaurants, I prefer to avoid those as "touristy."  Prefer instead to find places a little more local.  NOLA is a food lovers paradise...if a restaurant isn't good it won't last long in nola.  I've already mentioned Acme oyster house and Camelia grill, cafe du monde and city grocery for cheap eats for lunch or late night food.   E.g, cafe du mond...beignets donuts and coffee about $5 a person, huge breakfast or diner food about $8-10 a person at camelia grill, po boy sandwiches or oysters or gumbo etc about $5-15 a person,  City Grocery half mufletta sandwich more than enough for 2 people maybe $8.  A burger at Port o call is delicious bargain at maybe $10-12.  For pricey Sunday brunch Galatoirs...be prepared to wait in line even if you get there early

For one evening of ent er raiment definitely recommend Tipitinas (uptown) for music and dancing partying.  Check their website to see what's entertainment and buy tickets...may be blues or rock or zydeco.  Revelry type of night.

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

...and don’t try to drive the wrong way on a one-way street, even if it’s only 50-feet. 

Yup ....landed me in central lockup for 2 1/2 days!

I know you were looking at New Orleans and I would highly recommend going there if you've never done it before. But you might want to consider a trip to Memphis in the event that you can't worknola out. Memphis has a lot of good food, primarily BBQ LOL, but also has Beale Street, the pyramid, the Peabody Hotel and you could book a tour or do your own to go down to the Mississippi Delta for a Blues tour.  AND DON'T FORGET GRACELAND!!!!!  Just a thought for something alternative if New Orleans doesn't work out.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Thanks for the advice. We haven’t done NOLA, so I thought it would be fun and we wouldn’t feel bad about not taking the kids.

But Memphis is also a good idea and Graceland would be cool.  

There is a reason no one in NO goes out during the day. It's unbearable. If you go to the French Quarter in the AM for coffee and a stroll to beat the heat wait until the bars have finished hosing down or the the morning sun  + humidity will amplify the stink of piss, puke and stale beer to the point that you toss your Café Du Monde beignet into the trash before you get halfway down the block. 

Or, just hide in AC until dark and then go out like everyone else who lives there.

I lived in the New Orleans area for 44 years, grew up in the next parish over but everything happened in the city.    August is hot and humid.  Really.  I live in Houston now and people complain when the humidity gets to 80%.  

Expect New Orleans to have temps and humidity in the high 90's.    Some years it rains a lot, more like afternoon monsoons. It rains a little while and after that you can see the humidity, the streets stay wet for a while.  (I was shocked when I moved to Houston and after a rain the streets would be dry in a 1/2 hour or less) .       If you wear glasses and are in an air conditioned place they will fog up when you go outside.

Don't go wandering off the beaten path anywhere in the city.  Especially at night.  The quarter is not to be taken lightly.  Con artists are there as well so if anyone asks you "I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes" just tell them "on my feet" and walk away.     

The food is so good you can barely go wrong.    August is shrimp and crab time so be sure to get some.   Don't eat the oysters, August is the worst month for them.  Don't ask for crawfish either as you will only get frozen Chinese ones.      

I you like sight seeing plan it all out ahead of time - there are so many side places to visit with in 50 miles of the city you will be overwhelmed with choices from alligator tours, to river boat rides, to plantations, not to mention you could spend a year just exploring the French Quarter shops and attractions.  

oooh...almost forgot.  Make sure you get a soft shell crab poboy.  yup you eat the whole thing....she'll and all.

In reply to jharry3 :

Isn't the rule you don't eat oysters in any month that doesn't have an R?

Check out Bourbon St. just to see it......but Frenchmen St. is a way better place to hang out.   It's free of the crowds, tourists and college kids vomiting on themselves.   Frenchmen St. is  full of great live music and fun bars--- and it has a more local vibe.  Watch your back at night in the French Quarter.....it's a dirty, dangerous place.  It's also full of culture and there's tons of friendly people too.....but it ain't Disney.   Keep your wits about you, and you should be ok.  

Also--- be sure to catch the Rebirth Brass Band if they are playing when you are in town.  They are fantastic.  Even if you aren't a dancer.....you'll find your feet moving!   

New Orleans is like a different country--- the culture, music, food and dialect are all unique to that area.  It's a wonderful place....but yes....it will be hot and muggy---- like cut the air with a knife muggy.   Linen clothing is your friend---- and get used to sweat, because you'll be wet the entire time you are there.  

In reply to No Time :

Better

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Yes, oysters only in R months. Hot Septembers are borderline IMO.   

And definitely get the soft shell crab po-boy, the one with two whole crabs.  That is my absolutely favorite choice. 

They clean the gills, etc, out before they cook them, soft shell and all.   Except in New Orleans the gills are called "the deadmen" and you don't eat them.

.If you get the boiled crabs you can see the parts they clean out cause you will too.  But the yellow and orange fat is one of the best parts, you put that on crackers like butter..  Females have more fat than males.  

I went in the summer and the smell bothered me more than the heat....