Be sure to check out the New Orleans Main Page for more ideas of things to do while planning your New Orleans Mardi Gras Weekend Itinerary!
*Last updated August 4, 2024
New Orleans Mardi Gras Weekend Itinerary
New Orleans and Mardi Gras
If you have never been to New Orleans or Mardi Gras, I suggest you be honest about what you are interested in, but also open minded. Most people I talk to who did not like New Orleans, visited in summer, when it is ridiculously hot and humid. Fortunately, Mardi Gras occurs in February and early March when the weather is much more enjoyable!
Additionally, most people don’t realize that Mardi Gras is over a month long! Also, if you want the busiest, craziest, most festive atmosphere, then visit the weekend right before Fat Tuesday. However, if you want a little more laid back (and a lot less expensive), consider going in February for one of the other weekends. There are still a lot of parades and festivities going on every weekend during Mardi Gras. In fact, we went a couple of weekends before Fat Tuesday and saw three parades in one night.
Finally, unless you are only interested in the party atmosphere, a lot of people will also be looking to do some other things than just Mardi Gras and the French Quarter. Additionally, we did some other things so I’ve included everything we did with our 3 days in New Orleans.
Day 1 – Mardi Gras Parades
4:00pm – Arrive and check into Q&C Hotel
5:30pm – Dinner at Mothers Po’boys
6:30pm – Krewe du Vieux Mardi Gras Parade
8:00pm – Walk the French Quarter, Frenchmen St.
After flying in and arriving, we checked into our hotel, the Q&C, which was a Marriott Signature hotel, so we could use points.
Afterwards, we stopped for dinner at the nearby local institution, Mothers Po’boys, which was a great place to try a New Orleans favorite.
Additionally, as it was Saturday night, we went into the French Quarter to watch the Krewe du Vieux parade, which was funny and entertaining as it is known as one of the more “raunchy” and irreverent parades.
After a few parades, we stopped at a couple of bars around the French Quarter and Frenchman Street, which is hotspot for live music.
Day 2 – WWII Museum & French Quarter
8:00am – Breakfast at Bearcat CBD
9:00am – WWII Museum
12:30pm – Lunch at Killer Po’boys
We didn’t stay out crazy late, so we stopped over for a quick breakfast at Bearcat CBD, in the Central Business District.
Afterwards, we spent the morning at the WWII Museum, which is a giant museum spanning to blocks and definitely worth visiting. There are tons of exhibits and a room with old WWII planes hanging from the ceiling.
We spent close about 3 hours at the museum before heading out to get some lunch at Killer Po’Boys near our hotel.
Day 2 – French Quarter and Preservation Hall
2:00pm – French Quarter, Beignets at Café du Monde
5:00pm – Preservation Hall performance
6:00pm – Dinner and night out
After lunch, we made a stop for Beignets and chicory coffee at Café du Monde in near Jackson Square in the French Quarter. The line always looks long, but it moves quickly.
After beignets, we stopped at the hotel for a little nap. We had planned to see a jazz concert at Preservation Hall, but when we made the reservations we didn’t realize that our Bengals were going to be in the Super Bowl! So we skipped the show to go watch the game out.
Unfortunately, the Bengals lost to the Rams, but we had fun. Next time we are in town, we’ll definitely make it back to Preservation Hall.
Day 3 – Plantations Tours (Whitney and Oak Alley)
8:00am – Car pickup
9:30am – Whitney Plantation tour
12:00pm – Oak Alley Plantation tour
On our last day, we rented a car in town and drove west of the city to visit some plantations. We first went to Whitney Plantation, which we really enjoyed. If you only visit one plantation, I think this is a good one as it is focused on preserving the memory of the slave people who lived in the area and worked at the plantations.
After Whitney, we stopped at Oak Alley Plantation. It is widely recognized with its giant oaks that create a tunnel leading up the main house. Additionally, it has been used as a setting in some movies, like Interview with the Vampire.
Day 3 – Barataria Preserve Swamp Hiking8:00am – Car pickup
2:00pm – Barataria Preserve hiking
5:00pm – Drop off car
7:30pm – Dinner at Herbsaint
After the plantation tours, we got a quick lunch and drove south of New Orleans to Barataria Preserve to do a boardwalk trail through the swamp. We saw some egrets and other various birds. We did not see any alligators, but I know that you might see them in this area.
Next Time
Next time we visit, I’d love to make it to Preservation Hall for a jazz show since we missed it this time. Also, it would be fun to visit some of the city graveyards, which all burials are above ground since the city sits at sea level. Additionally, it would be fun to make it to some other neighborhoods since we really were mostly in the French Quarter and Central Business District.
Additionally, be sure to visit the New Orleans Main Page for more details about New Orleans!