Once upon a time, for Jamin’s big 4-0 celebration to be exact, we had big plans to visit the Big Easy.
We’d never been before, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see something oh-so-neat.
It was to be a bit of a getaway if you will… to celebrate a birthday and all things middle life crises.
We had a babysitter lined up. The hotel booked. Bags ready to be packed…But we never went.
Classic us.
Because we were overworked and exhausted, it just didn’t work out in a timely manner. I think at the time, all we really wanted to do was sleep in. We’re from the heart of the south, so you think we’d have ventured over a few times in our lives. But it had been a no go until now.
I know. Shame on us.
So this time when we had the opportunity to visit New Orleans with the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, we were so excited we could hardly stand it.
We packed up our bags and the car… lined up the dog sitters, and set out on a family adventure of sorts.
It was driving distance from Nashville, and I guess you could say it was much different than we’d originally planned as our first trip. And so much better.
It was everything we thought it would be.
And more.
{photo from inside Commander’s Palace}
We’re smitten by this city. And honestly, we don’t say that much. We’re such homebodies, most of the time we’re ready to get back to life in Franklin. Not this time. This time, we wanted to stay.
The places.
The food – And the culture behind the food…
{wine cellar tour at Commander’s Palace}
{Redfish Grill Oysters}
The kids {our perpetually picky eaters – which we always say is a horrible shame because we’re foodies ourselves} kept a running tally of what they tried…
From alligator and oysters to octopus and of course chocolate… it was such a treat. They really ventured out of their comfort zones on this one, and had a blast doing it. We initially made a rule that they had to try things, and by the end of the trip they were asking what was on the menu that they could try.
Total side note: I had no idea that I have such a preference for oysters. Who knew?
We’ll have more on that one, coming up.
If you’re not familiar with New Orleans, it’s rich in history,
As well as culture, music, and art.
An additional side note: I think we missed our true callings as float designers for Mardi Gras. The entire thing is fascinating.
Even the bathrooms were a treat to soak in.
Yes, I did just write that. I even took photos of some of the bathrooms.
I’m a sponge.
That designer in me never flips off that switch.
Just photographing New Orleans was fun for us.
That alone, alongside the things we experienced, paired with everything the kids learned.
Heck, everything we learned.
I really can’t believe we almost went without kiddos in tow. It’s a beautifully enriched destination for families, with so much more than we ever anticipated.
I mean, did you know swamps can be beautiful?
Because I certainly didn’t.
This was a mama pig with lots of babies in tow. But we’ll share more on ‘Big Mama’ as the locals call her, later.
And this guy was making eyes at Malone for a cheesy puff. No worries, we told him it would make him bloated. {The raccoon, not our son. But that, too.}
We had such a blast with our entire experience, and there is so much to share, we want to bring a little of it here.
So we’re thrilled to announce a little mini-series of sorts, where we’ll be bringing our favorite things to try, eat, and do… straight to you!
We know we could never possibly cover it all, but we do feel like the first experience was a perfectly well-rounded one, since it was guided by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. We consider them the experts, so we can’t wait to share more in detail. It was a packed trip with tons of fun!
We hope you’ll stay tuned with us, especially if you’re planning your own trip, soon.
If anything, to enjoy the eye candy that is this beautiful city.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you.
Are you familiar with the beautiful city that is New Orleans?
If you were following along on our instagram stories, we loved sharing a lot of it step by step.
A ton of you were amazing about giving out little gems of advice on your favorite places, along the way.
So… What are your favorite things to do?
Places to eat?
Things to experience?
We’d love to hear.
Stay tuned for the next installment, and let your voice be heard…
we want to hear from you!
And as the locals say… laissez les bons temps rouler
I would have botched that one if I’d tried to say it out loud… so Let the good times roll!
Have an inspired day!
Check out the entire series:
Lovely
Where to Eat Part 1:
What to Do Part 1:
Where to Eat Part 2:
What to Do Part 2:
Perfect Itinerary:
{We partnered with the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau to highlight some of the great aspects of this city. For more on our partnerships please visit here.)
Karlie says
I’m so happy you had such a wonderful trip with your family! I live about 20 min south of the city and work downtown. When we have friends come to visit some of our favorite places to eat are Yo Mama’s (Peanut Butter Bacon Burger) and Felix’s (Charbroiled Oysters and Turtle Soup). My little girl’s favorite places are the Louisiana Children’s Museum and City Park’s Storyland and Carousel Garden’s. The Aquarium and Zoo here are also awesome. My favorite thing is walking up and down Magazine St. shopping and eating, especially a sweet treat at Sucre. Ya’ll come back now, ya hear 🙂
Alissa says
Antoine’s! Some of their waitstaff is third generation! Comparable to Commander’s Palace. Also, The Court of Two Sisters jazz brunch is not to be missed 🙂
ashley @ the handmade home says
We’ll have to try that one next time! ;}
Elaine says
On my someday list
ashley @ the handmade home says
You won’t regret it!
Aimee says
Wait?!?! You took your family to New Orleans? So not on my radar! But I’m intrigued, we love non beach vacays. Will this be a series on everything you did? Like your Disney one?
ashley @ the handmade home says
YES! We can’t wait to share! ;} The kids LOVED it! Hands down one of the best family vacays we’ve taken!
Melissa Martinez says
Thank you for saying this!!! New Orleans is more than beads, booze, and boobs. Even Mardi Gras can be done in a family friendly way!
ashley @ the handmade home says
YES! We loved it.;}
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
I have never been to Louisiana. It looks like you all enjoyed yourselves. The masks are so unique and colorful. Hope you bought a couple.
Erin P says
We’re from Wisconsin…we love that city so much we named our first daughter Nola! 😊 We just went back last year to celebrate my 40th and I missed it the second we left (tears in the cab)! 😉 My favorite sign while we were there said ‘Do you know what it’s like to miss New Orleans?’ So true! We soak in as much music as we can while we’re there but the eye candy and food are the cherries on top! We have not taken the kiddos with us yet so most of what I would recommend is more adult driven. The French Market is a bit cheesy if you didn’t go but it would be good for the fam & they havd a muffaletta sandwich to bring you to your knees! No matter what you can’t go wrong even if you just show up and start walking (in safe areas of course)! 😉 Love this post, glad you got to experience it!
Laura says
Looks like y’all had a great trip. New Orleans is such a pretty and unique city! We also ate at Commander’s Palace when we were there last month, and while both the food and service were AMAZING, the bill just about gave me a heart attack. 🙂 I look forward to reading more!
Jamin Mills says
Hey, Laura!
Yes, Commander’s Palace is AMAZING! I can see where it could be viewed as pricey, but I think you are getting so much more than the food, the experience and service alone is incredible and let’s not even talk about the ambiance. It wasn’t dinner, but an experience, I think our eating time came in at 2 1/2 hours!! We felt like our kids learned so much while eating, a real life experience in table manners and it was cool to talk with them about how eating has changed so much. Dinner was so much more formal back in the day and we relished in this little life lesson with them. You could tell they thought through every single detail and it reminded us a lot of the thought Disney puts into the experience you have there. So glad you got to experience it and I know the memories outlast the sticker shock!
Laura says
I’m with you 100%! I think our dinner lasted about that long, too. And the food is not your average restaurant food…it’s so delicious! While traveling in France last year with an English couple, most of our meals were about savoring the time and experience, and while I don’t think I could do it every day, it’s a nice change of pace from our routine of rushing from one thing to the next!
Michelle says
We are going for Thanksgiving this year and bringing all 3 kids! I will be stalking your series until then to find the best things to do/see!
Kim mckee says
Where did you stay at. We are going next week (last minute) looking for a good
Location
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! We stayed here – they have the option of a kitchen/suite style which was perfect with kiddos! It was a great central location and the service was phenomenal.
Stacie says
NOLA is one of our favorite places to visit as a family! One of our favorite restaurants is Elizabeth’s for breakfast – their praline bacon is to die for. And we love the Palace Cafe. Next time you take your kids, definitely go to Preservation Hall if you want to listen to incredible jazz music. They do multiple shows every night, and kids are welcome. Our son loved it!
Genevieve312 says
I’m going within the next month! Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing! <3