A Memorable Weekend Getaway in the Big Easy
Discovering the French Quarter's Hidden Treasures
The French Quarter |
Haunted New Orleans
Haunted Hotel |
Bourbon Street: All-Day and All-Night Party
New Orleans' Unique Culture and History
Known for its Mardi Gras party all year long, Bourbon Street is lined with jazz and blues clubs and "take-out" bars. You can party to the wee hours of the morning and drink in the streets, taking your drink from one bar to the next.
Sampling New Orleans' Iconic Drinks
Collage of New Orleans specialty drinks |
Sugary Delights
Haunted Adventures at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
Hand Grenades and Shark Attacks
The Famous Hurricane and Beyond
The Hurricane, one of New Orleans' most famous drinks, was on our list. We picked up Hurricanes at the VooDoo Lounge and enjoyed a buy one get one free deal.
Uncovering the Supernatural
Ghosts and Vampires Galore
We joined a ghosts and vampires walk and explored New Orleans' oldest cemetery, learning about the historical basis for the ghost stories and encountering tales of real-life vampire sightings. To this day, there have been many sightings of the Carter brothers, John and Wayne, even by the new owner of the apartment building where the Carter's once called home.
Ghosts of the Andrew Jackson Hotel
You can even book a stay at local hotels and spend the night with ghosts like at the Andrew Jackson Hotel, where several boys died in a fire decades ago when it was an orphanage.
Ghosts of the French Quarter
Marie Laveau: The Queen of VooDoo
VooDoo has a bad connotation, culturally we think of VooDoo
as something evil. Hollywood has sensationalized VooDoo giving it a bad name.
Louisiana VooDoo is a spiritual religion brought to New
Orleans from the slaves of West Africa along with traditions from the Native
Americans using herbs, poisons, and ritual creation of charms and amulets
intended to protect oneself.
Marie Laveau was dedicated to her practice but she couldn't
read or write. When she saw her "patient" she would make a doll of
them. She would then stick a pin in the doll of where the injury or pain was.
New Orleans residents would walk by her shop and see the dolls then see the
patient walking down the street looking sickly.
This is how the rumors started with VooDoo dolls. People would say she would stick the doll "in the knee" and the person would have knee pain. When it was just the opposite.
Marie Laveau |
Exploring the French Market
Beignet |
On a tour bus |
A relaxing trolley ride down St. Charles Avenue offered a different perspective of the city.
Check out my other great getaways from my bucket list like San Francisco and my favorite small towns in America.
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