Hi all!! Planning a solo trip to the New Orleans jazz Festival. Haven’t been to New Orleans so I’m looking for tips, suggestions and any recommendation on anything.
Thankssss!!
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Walking food tour.
Central grocery muffuletta sandwich
Oh my gosh, yum!
+1 to @MaggieUU’s suggestions.
Me, I like to get muffulettas at Central Grocery and find a bench near someone playing jazz outdoors — usually there are talented buskers.
Of course, eat all of the beignets! Maybe take a swamp tour if you’ve not done something similar before. I also like taking the trolley and visiting the Garden District and such.
Mostly, stroll around, eat and drink, because beautiful sights and delicious food and drink.
Especially if you’re solo, stay situationally aware to keep safe.
Lived there for a short time and have visited numerous times. My suggestions:
-Look at the parade routes; decide if you want to be near or away from the routes. You can get quite locked in by parades, particularly with driving.
-Look at neighborhoods to stay that are walkable, either to the events that you want to go to or just in general to walk around.
-I personally really like Uptown, Freret, Garden District, Lower Garden, Mid City. French Quarter can be a lot, and if you have a car, nearly impossible to park. You’ll find that some places that say they are NOLA are actually in the burbs, so check out a neighborhood maps.
-Jazz Fest can get busy so make reservations at any places you want to go, such as a particular restaurant. One great thing about NOLA food though, there are plenty of great high-end and affordable places to eat. However, I’d avoid some of the more touristy restaurants. There’s much better if you dig deeper and find local favorites.
-Definitely set aside time to just walk around. There’s some really wonderful walkable areas with nice parks and neighborhoods. Areas like the Garden District in the evenings are nice, with some beautiful houses and the old fashioned style gas light lanterns.
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You’ll get so many suggestions from everyone because you absolutely cannot go wrong wandering throughout the city. Below are my suggestions as someone who resided there for 3 years but moved a few years ago.
⁃Fun indoor/outdoor bars: Bacchanal (one of my faves), Bayou Beer Garden/Bayou Wine Garden (they are connected), Wrong Iron and Tchoup Yard, Hot Tin.
⁃Food: Camellia Grill, Willa Jean, Ruby Slipper, Katie’s, Surrey’s, The Rum House, Dat Dog, Bearcat, Parasol’s for po boys, Shawarma On The Go, Chance in He11 Snoballs, Molly’s, Bulldog, Blue Oak BBQ, Pizza Delicious
⁃Things to do: JAM NOLA, the murals in the Bywater (walkable, driveable or take the streetcar), Mardi Gras World, Escape My Room, Catch the Hot 8 Brass Band on Sundays at The Howlin Wolf
⁃Take the streetcar - I recommend the St. Charles route. Best way to see the sights! I recommend hitting the French quarter early in the day if you prefer it to be less crowded. Frenchman is better than Boubon Street for nightly adventures in the quarter in my opinion.
⁃You could spend a whole day in Mid-City tbh. Along the bayou there’s some nice patio bars like Wrong Iron and Bayou Beer/Wine Garden. You can rent stand-up paddleboards or kayaks further up on the bayou (mostly a morning/early afternoon activity).
⁃There’s City Park which is HUGE but full of fun things like the art museum + sculpture garden. There’s a tiny trail loop called Couterie forest. Or you can just find any nice oak tree and bring a picnic
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BTW, google “New Orleans cemeteries” and see if you have interest in a tour or visit. Some of us find them worthwhile.
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I did this one. Tour guide was quite a character. Tip generously!
@smunoz505 I am from New Orleans and have been to Jazz Fest many times. I am going to New Orleans next week, but won’t be there for Jazz Fest this year. While it is still a wonderful event, it has gotten very crowded, so most people stake out a space by the stage where the act that they most want to see is performing and stay there most of the day. I prefer to wander about and focus on lesser known acts and smaller stages, but in doing this, I know that if I want to see any headliners, I will be way in the back. Here is a link with some great tips. Jazz Fest: Tips and tricks we learned from week one . Parking is scarce, so if you can take public transit, that is usually best. We always bring a small soft cooler with some frozen water bottles, a small plastic tarp to sit on, sun screen, hats, etc. Have a great time.
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Hello @smunoz505 This previous thread about the New Orleans Jazz Festival might be helpful as well New Orleans Jazz Fest Tips?
I hope you have a wonderful time 
Many thankssss to all! One last question, any recommendations for buying the tickets? Is there a official web site?