Louisiana: New Orleans – St Louis Cemetary #1

February 4, 2021
Louisiana
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🪦 Walking Among the Dead in New Orleans

It might not be everybody’s idea of a rollicking good time, and I’ll freely admit that my friends looked at me as if I’d lost the plot when I told them what I’d booked. But I had long wanted to visit one of New Orleans’ famous above-ground cemeteries, and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 had been at the top of my list for years. So I booked myself onto a guided walking tour, and off I went.

The reason it has to be a guided tour, incidentally, is entirely the fault of other people being idiots. The cemetery is no longer open to the general public except on an authorised tour or to visit a loved one — a state of affairs brought about by years of vandalism and frankly embarrassing behaviour from tourists who really should have known better. Cheers for that, everyone.

🐔 Two Chicks and a Very Good Name

I decided to book with Two Chicks Walking Tours, and I’ll be honest — it was the name that hooked me before anything else did. I am, as my credit card statement will confirm, a complete pushover for a bit of clever branding. That said, once I’d read through the reviews and got a proper sense of their ethos — knowledgeable, respectful, genuinely passionate about New Orleans history — I felt fairly confident I hadn’t made a terrible mistake. For once.

☕ Backatown Coffee Parlour — Basin Street

The tour gathered at Backatown Coffee Parlour on Basin Street, which turned out to be a genuinely lovely little coffee shop. To my considerable delight, they served vegan pastries, and I was utterly powerless to resist the sweet potato scone. I am not made of stone. Yummy, as a matter of fact.

The name “Backatown” refers to the neighbourhood’s position away from the waterfront — the districts closest to the Mississippi River were historically considered the front of town, the respectable face of New Orleans. Everything further back was, well, back. This area also goes by another name: Storyville, which was the city’s officially sanctioned red-light district from 1897 until its forced closure in 1917, when the US Navy — apparently concerned about what its sailors were getting up to ashore — pressured the city to shut it down.

In its heyday, Basin Street had an actual railway line running along it, and the women of Storyville would reportedly come out to meet the incoming trains and welcome the arriving men to the neighbourhood. Which, you have to admit, is a fairly proactive approach to customer service.

🏛️ The Cities of the Dead: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

We met our guide Christie just outside the Backatown Coffee Parlour and set off on foot to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which thankfully was only a short stroll away. I say thankfully because, despite it being the end of September, New Orleans had apparently not received the memo that summer was supposed to be wrapping up. It was ferociously hot and sticky — the sort of humid that makes you feel like you’re walking through warm soup. If you’re planning a visit at pretty much any point in the year, do yourself a favour and bring water and sunscreen. There’s almost no shade in the cemetery whatsoever. You have been warned.

🔒 Mind the Guardians

The cemetery is managed by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and access is controlled — not, as you might imagine, by burly security men with walkie-talkies, but by a couple of wonderfully stern grey-haired ladies stationed at the entrance. They gave us a warm welcome, which was rather nice. The Archdiocese decided to close the cemetery to general visitors some years back, and frankly you can understand why. There had been an ongoing and fairly dispiriting problem with vandalism — graffiti sprayed across the tombs, statues chipped away and nicked for resale. People really can be awful, can’t they.

⚰️ A Soggy Problem: Why New Orleans Buries Above Ground

St. Louis Cemetery received its first burials in 1789, making it the oldest surviving cemetery in New Orleans. Before it opened, the city had been using St. Peter’s Cemetery, which had been established back in 1723 in the French Quarter — just five years after New Orleans itself was founded in 1718 by French colonists under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. By the late 1780s, St. Peter’s had simply run out of room.

So the city needed a new cemetery. Straightforward enough, you’d think. Except that New Orleans has always had a rather complicated relationship with the ground beneath it. The city sits on a low-lying delta, barely above sea level, and the water table is absurdly high. Dig down just a couple of feet, and you hit water. Early settlers, accustomed to the traditional European practice of putting coffins in the ground and leaving them there, discovered this the hard way.

Undeterred — or possibly just not very bright — they pressed on regardless. The method they settled on involved lowering the coffin into the waterlogged earth and then, and I promise I am not making this up, jumping up and down on it until it sank far enough into the mud to stay put. They would then fill the grave back in and consider the matter dealt with. Which it was, right up until the Mississippi River flooded — as it did with considerable enthusiasm and regularity — and the coffins came bobbing back up to the surface. Floating coffins. Not ideal by anyone’s standards.

The solution, eventually arrived at with the sort of logic that in hindsight seems completely obvious, was to stop putting people in the ground altogether and instead bury them above it — in raised stone tombs. It was a practice already familiar from Catholic cities in southern Spain and the Caribbean, and it suited New Orleans rather well. The result was the distinctive “cities of the dead” that New Orleans is famous for to this day, row upon row of whitewashed vaults baking quietly in the Louisiana sun.

🪦 More Bodies Than You’d Think Possible

We stood there looking at this modest patch of ground and couldn’t quite get our heads around it. Thousands upon thousands of people buried in what is, frankly, not a lot of space. The answer lay in the shared crypts. Many of the tombs were not single occupancy affairs — think less private room, more student halls of residence. Bodies were slid into openings built into the tomb walls, some set directly into the cemetery walls themselves. These slots looked, rather disconcertingly, exactly like the bread ovens you’d find in an old French or Spanish kitchen.

Once a body was placed inside, the opening was sealed up. And then New Orleans’ frankly oppressive climate took over. For most of the year the city sits in a state of warm, clammy misery that visitors cheerfully describe as “atmospheric.” Inside a sealed tomb, these conditions become rather more dramatic. The heat accelerated decomposition considerably — which is the polite way of saying things happened rather quickly in there.

The less polite version involves gas build-up. As decomposition proceeded at its accelerated Louisiana pace, gases accumulated inside the sealed space. Enough gas and the seal risked blowing. Which, as we noted to each other at the time, would not be ideal. Particularly not on a walking tour.

The solution, developed over generations, was elegantly practical. After a prescribed waiting period — traditionally one year and one day — the tomb was reopened. The remains had by then become considerably more compact, and a cemetery worker would wrap what was left in a sheet and use a long pole to push the bundle to the rear of the niche, where it fell into a collection space at the base. The original slot was then free to be used again.

This is supposedly where the phrase “wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole” originated — the actual poles used for this purpose measured, rather specifically, ten feet. Though others dispute this, pointing instead to British bargemen who used ten-foot poles to propel their vessels through shallow rivers and canals. Given the British were doing that long before New Orleans existed, the boatmen may have the better claim. But the cemetery version is considerably more entertaining, so we’ll leave it there.

We decided, by general agreement, that this was probably quite enough information for one afternoon.

🎬 Lights, Camera, Acid: The Easy Rider Incident

The cemetery was, for a good while, a rather popular location for film and television productions. The dramatic white-washed above-ground tombs, the Spanish moss, the general air of faded grandeur — it all made for rather compelling television. The most famous production to use the cemetery was the 1969 counterculture road film Easy Rider, directed by and starring Dennis Hopper alongside the recently deceased Peter Fonda, who died in August 2019 at the age of 79.

In the particular scene filmed here, the two of them — playing their respective characters Wyatt and Billy — rode into New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the city’s legendary annual carnival. If you’ve never been to Mardi Gras, it is essentially a fortnight of organised chaos, beads, brass bands, and extraordinary quantities of alcohol consumed with cheerful abandon by hundreds of thousands of people. The city effectively loses its mind in the most enjoyable way possible, and has been doing so since French colonists first celebrated it there in 1703.

In the scene, Wyatt and Billy picked up a couple of women and headed into the cemetery — stoned, it must be said, entirely out of their heads on LSD. What followed was a drug-induced hallucinatory sequence involving discarded clothing, a general disregard for the sanctity of the dead, and various goings-on of an unmistakably sexual nature. Not quite what the Archdiocese had had in mind when they issued the filming permit, one suspects.

The most memorable moment — and the one that still has consequences to this day — involved Peter Fonda’s character having a delusion that one of the stone statues adorning a tomb was, in fact, his dead mother. He climbed up onto the statue and began tenderly stroking its face. It was, in its way, rather affecting cinema. The fact that Fonda and Hopper were genuinely method actors of considerable skill made the scene convincing. The fact that they were also, by all credible accounts, actually on acid at the time made it considerably more convincing still. One imagines the director had a fairly interesting afternoon.

Here’s where it gets interesting for the visitor today. In the film, the statue Fonda climbed clearly had both hands intact. When we visited the cemetery, one hand was conspicuously missing. The story — and it is firmly in the realm of rumour, though a very persistent one — is that Fonda broke it off during the filming. Nobody seems to have owned up to it officially, and the Archdiocese has presumably been tutting about it ever since.

As you might imagine, the Archdiocese did not take a particularly relaxed view of the whole episode. The sight of stoned hippies wandering around their graveyard, climbing on sacred funerary statues, removing items of clothing, and generally treating consecrated ground like a particularly adventurous festival campsite was not what they had envisaged when they agreed to the filming. From that point forward, all future requests from television and film production companies were flatly refused. The cemetery has been off-limits to cameras ever since, which is, all things considered, entirely understandable.

🪦 The Man Who Said No — And Changed America

As you might expect, St Louis Cemetery #1 is packed with the good and the great of New Orleans society — politicians, civic worthies, the sort of people who had streets named after them and never did anything remotely interesting. But dotted among all that respectability are one or two folk with a genuinely remarkable story. Homer Plessy is one of them.

Born on 17th March 1862 in New Orleans — St Patrick’s Day, as it happens, though we’ll let that pass — Plessy was, by trade, a shoemaker. Not exactly the profile of a revolutionary. But on 7th June 1892, he did something that took rather more courage than stitching a sole: he sat down in a “whites only” railcar on the East Louisiana Railroad and refused to move. Simple as that.

He was arrested, naturally. Louisiana’s Separate Car Act of 1890 had made racial segregation on trains the law of the land, and the authorities weren’t terribly impressed by his principled objection. His case — Plessy v. Ferguson — went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled against him in 1896, cementing the shameful “separate but equal” doctrine into American law for the next six decades.

It felt like the end. It wasn’t. The arguments made in his case were dusted off and deployed again sixty years later in Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 landmark ruling that finally began the dismantling of state-sanctioned segregation in American schools. Plessy never lived to see it — he died on 1st March 1925, aged 62, a shoemaker from New Orleans who lost his case and helped change the world anyway. Not bad for a Tuesday.

🏛️ Nicolas Cage’s Rather Ambitious Final Address

Now, if you wander far enough through the cemetery, you’ll eventually stumble across what is arguably the most peculiar tomb in the whole place — a proper pyramid. Not a subtle, tasteful little monument, mind you. An actual pyramid. And it belongs to Nicolas Cage, who, at the time of our visit, was still very much alive, still making films, and presumably still being Nicolas Cage, which is a full-time occupation by anyone’s estimation.

Cage, it seems, fell head over heels for New Orleans — not an uncommon affliction, the city has that effect on people — and set about buying up properties there. He also apparently thought it wise to invest in a tomb while he was at it. You know, as you do.

Now, Cage is rather famous for two things: his extraordinary performances in wildly uneven films, and his spectacular inability to hold onto money. During his New Orleans years, he reportedly threw lavish, eye-wateringly expensive parties at local restaurants and bars — a man who clearly knew how to enjoy himself on other people’s patience. What he apparently couldn’t manage, though, was leaving a tip for the staff. Not a penny. Needless to say, his reputation around town wasn’t exactly glowing, and the phrase “mean dk hd” has been heard muttered in more than a few kitchens.

Then came the taxes. The city of New Orleans, displaying the patience of a saint and eventually the resolve of a debt collector, waited while Cage failed to pay what he owed on his various properties. Eventually, they’d had quite enough of it and repossessed the lot.

So what does Cage actually own in New Orleans today? Just the pyramid. The city cannot touch it, thanks to the rules of the Archdiocese. Which is, when you think about it, a very Nicolas Cage outcome.

👑 The Queen of Voodoo

Probably the most famous resident of the cemetery — and there’s stiff competition — is Marie Laveau, New Orleans’ Queen of Voodoo. Now, before you back away slowly, Voodoo has rather an unfair reputation. It tends to get lumped in with witchcraft, black magic and devil worship, which is a bit like blaming all cricket fans for the behaviour of a few idiots in the car park. It isn’t a cult, its followers don’t worship the devil, and practitioners are not witchdoctors, sorcerers or occultists. Voodoo was never intended to hurt or control anyone. And here’s a fact that might surprise you: most Voodooists have never actually seen a so-called “Voodoo doll” — those cheerful little pin-cushions beloved of tacky souvenir shops the world over.

Voodoo is a proper religion with roots stretching back to West Africa. When enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas and the Caribbean from the 16th century onwards, they brought their beliefs with them. What emerged was a fascinating blend of African spiritual traditions, Roman Catholicism — courtesy of the French and Spanish colonial powers — and Native American practices. It has no single scripture, no Pope, no world authority, nobody issuing edicts from a big chair. It is community-centred, focused on individual experience, personal empowerment and responsibility, and varies quite considerably from one community to the next.

Marie Laveau was born around 1801 — the historical records being somewhat sketchy, as they tended to be for anyone of colour in antebellum Louisiana. Her mother, Marguerite, was a freed slave, and her father, Charles Laveaux, was a free and reportedly wealthy mixed-race businessman. This made Marie the first generation of her family to be born free — which, in a city still deeply entangled in the slave trade, was no small thing. She was a devoted Catholic her entire life and saw absolutely no contradiction between her faith and her Voodoo practice. Which, given how much New Orleans Voodoo borrows from Catholic ritual, makes rather more sense than it might first appear.

Laveau saw individual clients and offered advice on an extraordinary range of concerns — winning lawsuits, curing ailments, attracting lovers. Think of her as a combination of solicitor, therapist and agony aunt, with considerably more theatrical flair. People of all races attended the ceremonies she led, and yet the white community as a whole never accepted Voodoo as a legitimate religion — which is frankly one of the reasons it remains unfairly associated with the occult today.

What is genuinely remarkable is that Laveau managed to rise to such a prominent position in New Orleans society at all. She did it through sheer force of personality, genuine charity work, and a brilliant instinct for spectacle. She nursed yellow fever patients during some of the city’s most devastating 19th-century outbreaks, posted bail for free women of colour, and visited condemned prisoners to pray with them in their final hours. Not exactly the behaviour you’d associate with someone in league with dark forces. After her death in 1881, her legend only continued to grow.

🚉 Basin Street Station — Buses, Steam Engines, and the Storm That Changed Everything

Just around the corner from where we’d been wandering sat Basin Street Station, which turned out to be a rather useful spot for catching the bus back into the centre of New Orleans. Now, I’ll be honest — when someone mentions a bus station, I don’t usually rush to get my camera out. But this one was genuinely worth a look.

The building itself was beautifully restored, and it showed. Inside, we found a proper old steam engine on display, the sort of hulking iron beast that makes you want to check your pocket watch and mutter something about the golden age of travel.

But the real centrepiece was the exhibit dedicated to Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans on 29th August 2005. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, and the flooding that followed — largely due to the catastrophic failure of the city’s flood levees — left more than 80 per cent of New Orleans underwater. Over 1,800 people lost their lives. The exhibit conveyed all of this without being either melodramatic or sanitised. We stood there longer than we’d planned, which is probably the highest compliment you can pay something in a bus station.

And then, because life must go on and we were getting peckish, we discovered a rather charming little café tucked inside. Quietly getting on with being good without making a fuss — which, come to think of it, describes New Orleans rather well.

Planning your visit to the St Louis #1 Cemetery

📍 Location

St Louis Cemetery No. 1 Basin Street New Orleans Louisiana 70112 United States

🚗 How to Get There

On foot: The cemetery is located at the edge of the French Quarter, a short walk from Canal Street and within easy reach of most French Quarter hotels and guesthouses.

By streetcar: The Canal Street streetcar line runs directly past the cemetery. Alight at the Basin Street stop.

By bus: Several New Orleans Regional Transit Authority bus routes serve Canal Street and the surrounding area.

By car: Parking is limited in the immediate vicinity. Street parking may be available along nearby streets, though visitors are advised to allow extra time. Ride-sharing services are a convenient alternative.

By taxi or ride-share: Uber, Lyft, and local taxi companies all serve the area readily.

🌐 Website

www.saveourcemeteries.org

📞 Contact Phone Number

+1 (504) 482-5065

✉️ Email

info@catholiccemeteries.org

💵 Entry Fees

Entry to St Louis Cemetery No. 1 is restricted to guided tours only. Independent, unaccompanied access is not permitted.

Guided Tour Fee: Approximately $25 USD per person

Tours are operated by Save Our Cemeteries, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of New Orleans’ historic cemeteries.

🕐 Opening Times

Guided tours are offered Monday to Saturday, with departures throughout the morning.

Monday – Saturday: Tours depart at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, and 12:00 noon

Sunday: Tours are not available to the general public on Sundays, as the cemetery holds religious services on that day

Visitors are advised to book tours in advance, particularly during busy periods such as Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, and the Halloween season, as places fill quickly.

Planning Your Visit to New Orleans

🗺️ Planning Your Visit to New Orleans

New Orleans — known affectionately as the Big Easy, or NOLA — is one of the most singular cities in the United States. Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River in Louisiana, it is a place that defies easy description: part French colonial, part Spanish Baroque, part African, part Caribbean, entirely itself. The culture is rich, the food is extraordinary, the music is inescapable, and the sense of celebration is baked into the city’s very bones. Few places on earth feel quite like it.

📍 Location

New Orleans sits in south-eastern Louisiana, cradled in a crescent-shaped bend of the Mississippi River — hence its nickname, the Crescent City. The city lies below sea level in many areas, buffered by a network of levees, and is flanked by Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Gulf of Mexico not far to the south. The surrounding region is a mosaic of bayous, wetlands, and cypress swamps that give Louisiana its unique ecological character. The city itself is relatively compact and largely flat, which makes it unusually easy to navigate on foot or by bicycle.

✈️ Getting There

The main gateway is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), located in Kenner, approximately 15 miles west of the city centre. It receives direct flights from many major American cities, and increasingly from international destinations including Europe and South America. Those arriving from elsewhere in the country may also consider travelling by rail — Amtrak’s City of New Orleans and Sunset Limited services connect the city to Chicago and Los Angeles respectively, with the journey forming part of the experience for those inclined towards a more leisurely arrival.

From the airport into the city, options include the Airport Express bus (Route 202), which is the most economical choice and runs to Downtown New Orleans for a flat fare of $1.25. Taxis charge a standard flat rate of around $36 to the Central Business District and French Quarter. Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft are widely used and convenient. Airport shuttle minibuses also run to major hotels and the French Quarter, though these require advance reservation for the return journey.

🚋 Getting Around

New Orleans does not require a car — in fact, hiring one is more of a burden than a help in most cases, given parking limitations and the city’s walkability. The most charming and practical way to move between neighbourhoods is aboard the historic streetcars, operated by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). The St Charles Avenue line runs through Uptown and past the Garden District; the Canal Street line connects the Central Business District to Mid-City; and the Riverfront line traces the edge of the Mississippi. A single fare is just $1.25, and a 31-day unlimited pass costs $55. The streetcars themselves are a delight — some of the oldest continuously operating street railway cars in the world.

Buses supplement the streetcar network and reach parts of the city the trams do not, though frequency can be variable. The city is also extremely bikeable given its flatness, with over 100 miles of bike lanes; several hire companies operate across the city. Rideshare apps are ubiquitous and inexpensive for short hops, particularly useful after dark or when venturing beyond the main tourist neighbourhoods.

Walking remains the best way to explore individual neighbourhoods, particularly the French Quarter, Marigny, and the Garden District, which reward slow and unplanned strolling. The Canal Street/Algiers Ferry crosses the Mississippi every 30 minutes and is free for pedestrians, offering a scenic perspective of the city from the water.

🏘️ The Neighbourhoods

The French Quarter (Vieux Carré) is the oldest part of the city and its most famous neighbourhood. Despite the name, much of the architecture is actually Spanish Colonial in style — the result of two catastrophic fires in the late 18th century that razed the original French buildings. It is a dense grid of ornate ironwork balconies, courtyard fountains, jazz clubs, and restaurants. Bourbon Street is its most raucous artery, best experienced at night and ideally with a certain spirit of surrender. Royal Street and Chartres Street offer a more refined pace, lined with antique dealers, galleries, and some of the finest restaurants in the city. Jackson Square, with its iconic St Louis Cathedral, is the neighbourhood’s grand centrepiece.

Faubourg Marigny, immediately downriver from the French Quarter, offers a more authentic and less tourist-saturated experience of the city’s musical soul. Frenchmen Street is widely regarded as the best street in America for live jazz, with multiple clubs operating simultaneously every night of the week, and impromptu dancing frequently spilling onto the pavement. The neighbourhood is characterised by colourful Creole cottages and a bohemian, artsy energy.

The Garden District, reached most pleasantly by the St Charles streetcar, is a neighbourhood of extraordinary antebellum mansions shaded by ancient live oaks. Developed in the early 19th century by wealthy Anglo-American newcomers who wished to distinguish themselves from the Creole families of the French Quarter, it represents one of the best-preserved collections of historic architecture in the American South. Lafayette Cemetery, with its above-ground tombs, is a haunting and beautiful landmark within the neighbourhood. Magazine Street runs nearby, offering six miles of boutiques, cafés, antique shops, and restaurants.

The Warehouse District, adjacent to the Central Business District, has transformed in recent decades into an arts and cultural hub. It is home to the National WWII Museum — one of the finest museums in the country — and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, among others.

Tremé, just inland from the French Quarter, is widely regarded as the oldest African American neighbourhood in the United States and the cradle of jazz culture. It is home to Congo Square, a historically significant gathering place within Louis Armstrong Park where enslaved Africans once maintained their cultural traditions. Sunday second line parades frequently move through Tremé; WWOZ 90.7 FM publishes weekly schedules online each Thursday.

Bywater and the Lower Ninth Ward sit further downriver and offer a more local, lived-in feel, with vibrantly painted shotgun houses and Crescent Park running along the riverfront. This is a neighbourhood for wandering without a checklist.

Best time to visit New Orleans

🌸 Spring (March – May)

Spring is the most vibrant and celebrated time to visit New Orleans. The city bursts to life with some of its most iconic events, including Mardi Gras (late February to early March), the French Quarter Festival in April, and the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival spanning the last two weekends of April and first weekend of May. Temperatures are warm and pleasant, typically ranging from 18°C to 27°C, making it ideal for exploring the French Quarter on foot, strolling along Magazine Street, or lingering on the many outdoor terraces. The air is perfumed with magnolia and jasmine, and the city’s legendary hospitality feels especially alive during this festive period.

The downside is that Spring brings the highest crowds and hotel prices of the year. Book accommodation and festival tickets well in advance — sometimes six months or more ahead — particularly if your visit coincides with Jazz Fest. Rainfall is moderate, with the occasional shower, so a compact umbrella or light rain jacket is wise. Despite the costs and congestion, for those who want to experience the full soul of New Orleans, Spring is unmatched.

What to pack: Light, breathable layers for warm days and cool evenings, a packable rain jacket, comfortable walking shoes (cobblestones are hard on feet), sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and a small crossbody bag for festival days.

☀️ Summer (June – August)

Summer in New Orleans is not for the faint-hearted. The heat is intense and relentless, with temperatures regularly hitting 32–35°C and humidity making it feel even hotter. Afternoon thunderstorms roll in frequently, providing brief — if dramatic — relief. June officially begins the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through to November, though major storms affecting the city are relatively rare.

That said, Summer has its rewards. Crowds thin considerably compared to Spring, and hotels and flights drop in price noticeably. The city’s famous culinary scene continues unabated, and many of the best live music venues — from Frenchmen Street to the Spotted Cat — operate year-round regardless of the mercury. Outdoor sightseeing is best tackled in the morning before the heat builds, with afternoons reserved for air-conditioned museums, galleries, and restaurants. The Essence Festival, one of the largest African American music and culture events in the world, takes place over the Fourth of July weekend and draws enormous crowds.

What to pack: Ultra-lightweight and moisture-wicking fabrics, a hat with a brim, high-factor sunscreen, insect repellent (mosquitoes are fierce in the heat), a reusable water bottle, sandals with support for daytime, and a light layer for heavily air-conditioned restaurants and venues.

🍂 Autumn (September – November)

Autumn is widely regarded as one of the sweetest times to visit New Orleans. The suffocating summer heat begins to ease from late September onwards, with temperatures settling into a far more agreeable 18–27°C range by October and November. The humidity drops, the skies clear, and the city takes on a golden, languid quality that suits its character perfectly. Rainfall is lower than in summer, though early September can still see the occasional tropical storm passing through.

Crowds are moderate — noticeably lighter than Spring — which means shorter queues at popular restaurants, better availability at hotels, and a more relaxed atmosphere overall. October brings the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, a major three-day festival held in City Park, as well as the city’s enthusiastic celebration of Hallowe’en, which in New Orleans becomes a week-long affair of costume parties, ghost tours, and theatrical revelry. November is particularly peaceful, with the added bonus of Thanksgiving week bringing some festive warmth before the holiday rush sets in.

What to pack: Light layers that can be added or removed throughout the day, a light jacket or cardigan for evenings, comfortable walking shoes, a small umbrella for early-season visits, and smart-casual attire if you plan to dine at the city’s finer restaurants.

❄️ Winter (December – February)

Winter is New Orleans’ quietest and most affordable season, with the exception of the Christmas period and New Year’s Eve, when the city celebrates with characteristic excess. Temperatures range from around 10°C to 18°C — rarely freezing, but cool enough to require a proper jacket in the evenings. Rain is infrequent, and the winter light gives the historic architecture of the Garden District and French Quarter a beautiful, clean quality.

Outside of the festive holidays, January is arguably the most peaceful month in the entire calendar. Hotel rates drop to their annual lows, restaurants are easier to book, and the city — though never truly quiet — has a more local, unhurried feel. It is an excellent time for food lovers, history enthusiasts, and jazz devotees who want to explore the city at a slower pace without fighting festival crowds. The Sugar Bowl American football game takes place on New Year’s Day and brings a significant influx of visitors. Mardi Gras season technically begins on Twelfth Night (6th January), so late January and February sees the city gradually rev up again with parades and celebrations building toward the main event.

What to pack: Warm layers including a wool or fleece mid-layer, a waterproof outer jacket, a scarf, comfortable closed-toe shoes, and smart-casual clothes for evenings out, as New Orleans’ restaurant culture skews dressier than many American cities.

🗓️ Overall Best Time to Visit

If pressed to name a single best time to visit New Orleans, late October to early November stands out as the sweet spot. The heat and humidity of summer have fully retreated, the hurricane season is winding down, crowds are manageable, and prices are reasonable without being rock-bottom. The city is alive with festivals and events, the outdoor dining terraces are open and comfortable, and the streets of the French Quarter and Garden District are at their most inviting. That said, those who want to witness New Orleans at its most theatrical and exuberant should aim for the days around Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest in spring — accepting the crowds and costs as part of the experience. New Orleans is a city that rewards visitors in every season; it simply offers different versions of itself throughout the year.

Vegan dining in New Orleans

New Orleans may be best known for its rich, indulgent Creole and Cajun cuisine, but the city has developed a thriving plant-based food scene that gives vegans every reason to celebrate. From veganised takes on gumbo and po’boys to Afro-vegan food trucks and beloved organic bakeries, NOLA’s vegan offerings are bold, flavourful, and deeply rooted in the city’s culinary soul.

🍃 I-tal Garden

I-tal Garden — as in vi-tal for the body — is a family-owned vegan institution in the Tremé neighbourhood, beloved for its plant-based spin on New Orleans soul cuisine. The menu features cauliflower “wings”, jackfruit BBQ ribs, coconut pasta, quinoa jambalaya, and vegan crab cakes, all crafted with organic ingredients. Just a short walk from the French Quarter through Louis Armstrong Park, it offers a calm, welcoming escape from the bustle of the tourist trail. A firm favourite with locals and visitors alike.

Location: 810 N Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116 (Tremé)
Website: italgardennola.com
Phone: (504) 515-7321
Opening Hours:
- Wednesday – Friday: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
- Saturday – Tuesday: Closed

🌱 Breads on Oak Café & Bakery

New Orleans’ first fully vegan café and bakery, Breads on Oak went entirely plant-based in 2018 and has never looked back. Named the Best Bakery in Louisiana by Yelp, it specialises in organic, Old World–style sourdough breads baked in a stone hearth oven. The menu spans breakfast and lunch — think stuffed brioche, cinnamon rolls, vegan quiches and tarts, cheesy grits, soups, and sandwiches — alongside organic, fair-trade coffees and espressos. VegNews named its Boston Cream Stuffed Brioche one of the 50 best vegan desserts in the United States.

Location: 8640 Oak St, New Orleans, LA 70118 (Uptown / River Bend)
Website: breadsonoak.com
Phone: (504) 324-8271
Opening Hours:
- Monday – Sunday: 7:30 am – 3:00 pm

🫘 Sweet Soulfood

Sweet Soulfood is a much-loved, all-vegan cafeteria-style restaurant serving hearty, organic Creole and soul food classics. The daily rotating menu includes okra gumbo, mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, dirty rice, sweet spicy cauliflower, BBQ cauliflower, loaded potatoes, jambalaya, and vegan bread pudding — all soy-free and dairy-free. Portions are famously generous, and the friendly staff and warm atmosphere make it a go-to for both dedicated vegans and curious omnivores. There is also an ice cream and smoothie bar on site.

Location: 1025 N Broad St, New Orleans, LA 70119 (Mid-City)
Website: sweetvegansoulfood.com
Phone: (504) 821-2669
Opening Hours:
- Monday – Saturday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Sunday: Closed

🌮 Meals from the Heart Café

Tucked inside the historic French Market, this beloved café has been serving vegan, gluten-free, and traditional versions of New Orleans classics since it opened. Chef Marilyn Doucette hand-selects nearly every ingredient herself, and the results speak for themselves: vegan gumbo, plant-based crab cakes (made with artichokes and chickpeas), gluten-free beignets, red beans and rice, po’boys, and Creole-spiced soups. Voted one of Travel & Leisure’s “25 Best Places to Eat Pancakes”, it’s a standout choice for breakfast or lunch in the Quarter.

Location: 1100 N Peters St, Suite 13, French Market, New Orleans, LA 70116 (French Quarter)
Website: mealsfromtheheartcafe.com
Phone: (504) 525-1953
Opening Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

🌍 Tanjariné Kitchen (Food Truck)

Tanjariné Kitchen is a pioneering Afro-vegan food truck inspired by culinary traditions from across the African continent — from the Horn of Africa to the Cape. The menu features dishes such as the signature Mandela Burger (soy-free, high-protein, made with organic beans), African-inspired herbed rice with fried plantains and seasoned tofu, savoury steamed bean pudding, vegan shawarma, coconut milk rice, spicy vegan jerky, and fresh salads with nutritional yeast dressing. The truck’s brick-and-mortar at 3801 Washington Ave is currently under renovation; in the meantime, follow their social media for current locations and event appearances.

Location: Food truck – locations vary; follow @tanjarinenola for updates. Future home: 3801 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70125 (Garden District)
Website: tanjarinekitchen.com
Phone: (504) 301-6954
Opening Hours:
- Variable – check social media (@tanjarinenola) for current schedule and locations

🥖 2 Phat Vegans

With two locations — one in the Algiers neighbourhood and one in the French Quarter — 2 Phat Vegans is a lively, all-vegan deli-style spot known for its bold flavours and generous portions. The menu centres on veganised New Orleans classics: hot sausage po’boys, jerk chick’n wraps, black bean burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese, gumbo, pizza, crabby patties, and tropical smoothies. The French Quarter outpost runs until 1:00 am, making it one of the rare vegan late-night options in the city. Board games, good vibes, and island-inspired décor complete the experience.

Location:
- 1303 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 (French Quarter)
- 3613 General Meyer Ave, New Orleans, LA 70114 (Algiers)
Website: 2phatvegans.com
Phone: (504) 239-7801
Opening Hours (French Quarter):
- Monday – Sunday: 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Opening Hours (Algiers):
- Monday – Sunday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Where to stay in New Orleans

1. Inn at the Old Jail

The Inn at the Old Jail sits in the Tremé neighbourhood of New Orleans, a short walk from the French Quarter. The building dates to 1902, when it was constructed as a Queen Anne-style police jail and patrol station for the NOPD. Over the following century it served as a library and community centre before falling into disrepair after Hurricane Katrina. Bought in 2013 and carefully restored, it now operates as a nine-room boutique guesthouse and event venue on the National Register of Historic Places. The rooms are furnished with local art, antiques, and reclaimed architectural pieces, and the property includes a rooftop terrace, a courtyard, a piano lounge, and a shared kitchen. It is run by brothers Todd and Nick Schwartz.

2. Oliver House Hotel

Located in the heart of the French Quarter and just one-minute away from lively Bourbon Street, Olivier House Hotel is a charming two-and-a-half-pearl, boutique-style property with 42 guest rooms. This old courtyard mansion has oodles of Old World charm. Guest rooms are arranged around two delightful inner courtyards filled with plants and trees; while the balconies provide views of the greenery and swimming pool below. Rooms and suites are decorated in an old-fashioned style with antique furniture, fireplaces, and oil paintings. Downsides include noise and lack of a restaurant or breakfast service. A similar historic property in the French Quarter worth considering as an alternative is the mid-range Hotel Provincial.

3. La Belle Esplanade

La Belle Esplanade is a bed and breakfast at 2216 Esplanade Avenue, sitting on one of New Orleans’ most handsome streets midway between the French Quarter and the New Orleans Museum of Art. The property occupies a classic Creole townhouse and offers a small number of individually styled suites, each with 12-foot ceilings, a private bathroom, and balcony access. Rooms are furnished with a mix of antiques and contemporary pieces, and original artwork is displayed throughout. Breakfast draws on local suppliers and changes regularly, featuring things like crawfish pie, buttermilk drops, and house-made preserves. Hosts Matthew and Melanie are well known for their knowledge of the city and their willingness to point guests towards places well off the standard tourist circuit. Bicycles are available for guests free of charge, and off-street parking is provided.

Louisiana: New Orleans – St Louis Cemetary #1

🪦 Walking Among the Dead in New Orleans

🐔 Two Chicks and a Very Good Name

☕ Backatown Coffee Parlour — Basin Street

🏛️ The Cities of the Dead: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

🔒 Mind the Guardians

⚰️ A Soggy Problem: Why New Orleans Buries Above Ground

🪦 More Bodies Than You’d Think Possible

🎬 Lights, Camera, Acid: The Easy Rider Incident

🪦 The Man Who Said No — And Changed America

🏛️ Nicolas Cage’s Rather Ambitious Final Address

👑 The Queen of Voodoo

🚉 Basin Street Station — Buses, Steam Engines, and the Storm That Changed Everything

📍 Location

🚗 How to Get There

🌐 Website

📞 Contact Phone Number

✉️ Email

💵 Entry Fees

🕐 Opening Times

🗺️ Planning Your Visit to New Orleans

📍 Location

✈️ Getting There

🚋 Getting Around

🏘️ The Neighbourhoods

🌸 Spring (March – May)

☀️ Summer (June – August)

🍂 Autumn (September – November)

❄️ Winter (December – February)

🗓️ Overall Best Time to Visit

🍃 I-tal Garden

🌱 Breads on Oak Café & Bakery

🫘 Sweet Soulfood

🌮 Meals from the Heart Café

🌍 Tanjariné Kitchen (Food Truck)

🥖 2 Phat Vegans

Like this:

Related

🪦 Walking Among the Dead in New Orleans

🐔 Two Chicks and a Very Good Name

☕ Backatown Coffee Parlour — Basin Street

🏛️ The Cities of the Dead: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

🔒 Mind the Guardians

⚰️ A Soggy Problem: Why New Orleans Buries Above Ground

🪦 More Bodies Than You’d Think Possible

🎬 Lights, Camera, Acid: The Easy Rider Incident

🪦 The Man Who Said No — And Changed America

🏛️ Nicolas Cage’s Rather Ambitious Final Address

👑 The Queen of Voodoo

🚉 Basin Street Station — Buses, Steam Engines, and the Storm That Changed Everything

📍 Location

🚗 How to Get There

🌐 Website

📞 Contact Phone Number

✉️ Email

💵 Entry Fees

🕐 Opening Times

🗺️ Planning Your Visit to New Orleans

📍 Location

✈️ Getting There

🚋 Getting Around

🏘️ The Neighbourhoods

🌸 Spring (March – May)

☀️ Summer (June – August)

🍂 Autumn (September – November)

❄️ Winter (December – February)

🗓️ Overall Best Time to Visit

🍃 I-tal Garden

🌱 Breads on Oak Café & Bakery

🫘 Sweet Soulfood

🌮 Meals from the Heart Café

🌍 Tanjariné Kitchen (Food Truck)

🥖 2 Phat Vegans

Like this:

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