Category: Sightseeing

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Food, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

Sazerac House Tour

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Sazerac House Tour

While looking up things to do in New Orleans, I came across the Sazerac House. They offered several different types of events: tastings, demonstrations, virtual events, and even a free tour with a tasting. The free/complimentary tours were limited to 6 people of the same household, so we had our time slot all to ourselves.

It was honestly one of the best museum type of tours we have been on and it was FREE! They have been open about a year and have some cool technology in their exhibits.

We entered on the main floor and were given disposable gloves. They also had disposable masks available. All staff wore gloves and masks as well. After you had your gloves and mask on, you went to the temperature taking station. Once we were cleared, we headed over to the desk to check in with Tim (he was a fellow Ohioan!) and received a map of the facility, a wrist band for the adults (after checking ID’s), and a touch screen key.

Our tour guide was Kristine Lou. She did a great job during the tour and pointed things out the boys might like to try (the interactive exhibits).

We took the elevator up to the third floor to the history of “coffee shops”, which were apparently upscale bars where women were not allowed. Along one wall, there was a projection screen with a moving illustration of an 1800’s scene. There were history facts and displays along the wall.

We learned about bitters and moved on to the bitters tasting room. They also bottle the bitters here. Bitters are aromatics and seasonings steeped in alcohol, then filtered and added to cocktails. We tried three types: Hellfire (jalapeño), Xocolatl Mole (chocolate), and Peychaud’s bitters. They make bitters on-site and had several barrels of rum aging on-site as well. The bourbon gets shipped to Frankfurt, Kentucky for aging.

We moved onto another room where we learned about the official cocktail of New Orleans, the Sazerac. We also learned about Absinthe. It was in a lot of cocktails and was banned in 1912 for health concerns. A man recreated it and substituted the wormwood (the ingredient they thought was causing problems) and renamed it Herbsaint (used all the letters in Absinthe and added an R, according to our tour guide). This room also had information on Prohibition and how New Orleans kept the drinks coming. There were these really fun interactive tables here as well. There were three different shapes of coasters (round, square, hexagon). You placed your coaster on the table and it told a story based on the coaster shape. You tapped the table to go to the next information screen.

Video

We had our first drink tasting of a Sazerac and watched a short video. Our tour guide poured the boys a limeade, that they make on-site as well.

We walked down to the second floor and had fun “ordering” drinks from the interactive bar. There were four different stations/bar types. There was also an option to take a selfie with your bartender at the end!

Our second tasting was of a rum drink called Aku Aku and limeade again for the boys. This one was a nice mix of sweet and sour. We moved on to the Bourbon room where we learned about charring the barrels to release the sugars in the wood and to add color to the drink. There were some really cool displays with interactive glass windows. You could even tap over a bottle of their alcohol and have a recipe sent to you. (Here is the link to the drink I choose.) We walked through the Rum section, where we saw some barrels sitting to age. There was another short video to watch as well.

Interactive screen bottom right: getting a recipe sent via text

The tour ended with you back on the main floor to see the distillery, where we had our last tasting of straight Sazerac Rye Whiskey and got to see the equipment. After the distillery, you end up in the shop area, where you checked in. The bottle prices didn’t seem that outrageous compared to going to a liquor store.

Note: Kristine Lou had her mask on the whole time until the picture. We were the only ones there and maintained a 6+ foot social distance. Gotta love the zoom feature on cameras!

Everyone enjoyed the tour. It was a fun history lesson with lots of things to read for Will, tastings for the adults (although the limeade was good too!), and interactive screens and videos for those with a shorter attention span. Everything was super clean. I thought they did wonderful job with the tour and the museum. I would definitely recommend it!

DETAILS: *

  • TICKETS: Due to COVID, you need to make reservations online ahead of time. We took the Complimentary tour (free), but they do offer other tours and events ($30 and up).
  • HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday. Tour times vary (usually 11:00 am to 4:20 pm)
  • PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots
  • BATHROOM: Yes
  • TIME RECOMMENDED: Ours was about a 90 minute tour, others may vary
  • *Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.
Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Food, Sightseeing

The World Of Beignets (According To Will)

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on The World Of Beignets (According To Will)

If you haven’t tried these delicious treats then I highly recommend it. You can buy them if you live in New Orleans in a lot of different places, but you can also get them in other places too! If you can’t find a place that makes them close by here are some recipes:

https://tasty.co/recipe/beignets

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7179/beignets/

Recipe 3

When my family and I stayed in New Orleans we were close to the French Quarter. My Mom loves beignets. So we obviously went to where all of the people who think of beignets go…Café Du Monde. The first time we were just driving carefully through the French Quarter at night trying to glimpse the crowds you usually see around here. Since we were close by, we decided to go to Café Du Monde and get some of their famous beignets! They are handling COVID pretty well and have opened outdoor pickup and have up to three different pickup stations. Since it was late there were only a few people in line so we got our food and went!

Beignets are delicious. I love them. They are a little chewy on the outside with a nice soft inside. For all of you people who have a sweet tooth, they are covered from head to toe in puffy, white, powdered sugar. The sugar tastes amazing and when it fades you get the delicious doughy texture and taste of the beignet itself. We have currently visited the Café Du Monde two times.

If you are worried about COVID the Café itself handles it pretty well. The city also handles it better than a lot of places I have gone before. Almost everyone wears masks and that makes it nice. The Cafés’ workers are all wearing masks and the line goes by a lot quicker than it used to, with three separate places to order. I heard a kid, who probably was visiting for his first time, whine about how long the line was. But we got through it in less than 5 minutes. That is a huge difference than before when we had to wait for at least 20 minutes, to just get SEATED! All-in-all I think that Café Du Monde is doing well in the face of the pandemic, as is the whole city of New Orleans.

Thank you for reading and this is Will signing off from the wonderful world of beignets.

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

Written by tepetravels

We took a tour of the Pharmacy Museum. (Thanks Claire for the idea!)

The Pharmacy Museum was located in the French Quarter. It was $5/person to visit. Due to COVID, they were limiting admission to 15 people per hour, so reservations were required and could be made online. This limit gave it a nice open, non-rushed feel. It was currently a self guided tour over two floors and the courtyard. When you check in, you received a hand out that describes the exhibits on the main floor. The second floor also had a hand out. When we were there, the handout was on the counter in the first room you entered at the top of the stairs. The exhibits were well labeled and had interesting descriptions.

It was interesting and I think we each learned something new. I do think it is probably a one time event though.

DETAILS: *

  • TICKETS: $5/person, but increasing to $10/person starting 2/1/21. Due to COVID, they are limiting to 15 people per hour. Reservations/tickets required to be made online.
  • HOURS: Wednesday to Saturday at 12, 1, 2, 3, 4.
  • PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots. There are a few spots of free parking in the Quarter, but they are taken quickly.
  • BATHROOM: Yes, downstairs in courtyard
  • TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-2 hours. With social distancing, the museum is asking for a 45 minute time limit.
  • *Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Food, Sightseeing

Eating In New Orleans: Toast

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Eating In New Orleans: Toast

We found this awesome breakfast place called Toast. It is by the French Market in the French Quarter, which gives it a nice view and the opportunity to people watch.

Everything was delicious. It was a chilly morning, so Ben and I started with coffee and we got the boys hot chocolate. We picked 4 items from the menu and shared between us, so everyone got to try the different foods. We ordered chicken and waffles (it came with a delicious container of Cajun butter), a savory Florentine crepe, Aebelskivers (puffed pancakes) with chocolate sauce, and coconut cream stuffed french toast.

The puffed pancakes were little round balls of fun, and tasted like…well, pancakes. The crepe had a lot of flavors going on and was the most savory out of the things we ordered. Chicken and waffles are always a hit with our family. The Cajun butter was a nice surprise, not very spicy, just enough to add flavor and cut down on the sweetness. I think they used white and dark meat for the chicken. The stuffed french toast was huge. The macadamia nuts added a nice crunch and texture. I enjoyed it even though I normally don’t like coconut. It was a very sweet dish though.

Our waitress even brought us to-go coffees, which was super nice on a chilly morning. I would definitely recommend eating here!

When we eventually get more storage room, I may give making the Aebleskivers (puffed pancakes) a try. There is a special pan for them and I found a couple of recipes online (Recipe 1, Recipe 2).

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

River Plantations of New Orleans

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on River Plantations of New Orleans

New Orleans is on the Mississippi River and has some great water views. We frequently sit on the benches near the French Quarter and watch the river and the ships that go by.

Along the river you can also find several plantations (conveniently called the River Plantations), that are open for tours. We did not take any tours this time, just drove by each one. Unless you book with a tour group, each plantation tour is a separate cost. It would have been roughly $70 for the four of us at each location, which was a little more than we wanted to spend. The last time we were here, we did take a tour of Oak Alley Plantation. It is a gorgeous home and the live oak trees lining the walkway are amazing.

Images from our Oak Alley Plantation tour in 2017
This one was right next to a Marathon plant!

We drove by Destrehan, San Francisco, St. Joseph, and Oak Alley plantations. Some of these have been kept up a little better than the others. They are all gorgeous homes though with different stories to tell. If you are in New Orleans, I would tour at least one of them. They are very interesting pieces of history.

Video of the drive.

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Staying On Bourbon Street, New Orleans: Four Points by Sheraton, French Quarter in New Orleans

Written by tepetravels

We mostly enjoyed walking Bourbon Street during the day. Even with the COVID restrictions, it still was busier at night. One of Ben and my “bucket list” items was to attend Mardi Gras. We lost this opportunity, but wanted to make the best of it and still experience Bourbon at night. We also didn’t want to be in the midst of everyone down in the street.

Images on Bourbon during the day. Not quite the Scooby I remember 😂

We were lucky enough to book a hotel room on Bourbon Street at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel had most of the 2nd floor under renovations, so we were on the third floor. We did have our own balcony (some of the rooms share a balcony). The rooms currently did not have a mini fridge or microwave with Covid being cited as the reason. Our room had two double beds (doubles or Kings only).

It was nice to have an unlimited hot water shower. The bathroom consisted of a sink, the toilet, and the shower/tub.

The room was pretty standard, I feel like you were paying mostly for the location. There was a closet with a luggage rack, a chair at the desk, two double beds (a little softer than I like and feather pillows), and an ottoman tucked under the shared nightstand. There was a TV as well, which the boys enjoyed. The balcony had two chairs with double doors that opened into the room. There were no screens on the doors, so in the summer I imagine the bugs could be a problem. The pool was open, but it wasn’t heated, so it was a little chilly for us. There was also a Grab & Go Breakfast option, as the sit-down dining was closed. Breakfast was not included in your stay.

Bourbon Street picked up a little on the weekends, and last weekend (1/16/21) was busier than we had seen it this month. (Still not as busy as it was in 2017.) Bars closed at 11:00 pm, so about 10:00 the lines started getting longer to get in. The one right across from us was doing temperature checks to get in. We walked around and got back to our room about 4:00 pm. Our our way back to the hotel, we only saw about 60% of the people out wearing masks. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of mask wearing as the night progressed.

Pool and elevator

We saw some crazy stuff: horses on Bourbon Street, a guy dancing on a trailer bed. There was a drum band next to the hotel, and later a religious group complete with a cross came to stand by the hotel as well. After the kids went to bed, we did see it get a little rowdier.

Pano view from balcony, street performer, horse group, cross bearing religious group, crowd watching drummers

The party is still going on in Bourbon, although maybe not a large of a group. VIDEO: Views From Our Balcony On Bourbon Street

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Louisiana, Hiking, Sightseeing

Audubon Park in New Orleans, LA

Written by tepetravels

We wanted to get out and take a walk, so we started looking for local parks. We found Audubon Park. There was on-street parking, and their website states there is a parking lot as well. You can also take the St. Charles Streetcar to get to the Park. The park had a a golf course, a great walking/biking trail. There were a few shelters and spots to have a picnic. There was a pond as well, but no fishing was allowed. It sits next to the Audubon Zoo and also across from Tulane University. The park itself was free, but the Zoo and golfing do cost extra.

Restrooms were also hard to come by if you are not familiar with the park. Shelters 10, 11, 12 are listed as having restrooms. (Two of which are on the same side of the park.) The men’s restroom was closed at Shelter 10 and while the women’s was open, it was missing toilet paper in some stalls and was ok in terms of cleanliness.

We really enjoyed walking around the park and seeing the huge live oak trees. We stopped at the Tree of Life (Note: It’s on the zoo side, not the golf course side, so we had to cross the road to get to that part of the park). It was planted around 1740! The tree was amazingly large and very neat to see.

We also saw The Labyrinth while we were on that side of the park. It is a two part maze, but is built into the ground, so there is no getting lost! We had a kind of sunny day, so it was a little hard to see the different colors of the bricks marking the path.

Video: Walking the Labyrinth

While walking around the pond, we saw a few different types of birds that were new to us as well.

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Food, Sightseeing

Eating in New Orleans: Cafe Du Monde

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Eating in New Orleans: Cafe Du Monde

I have a confession to make.

I love beignets.

We first had them in New Orleans in 2017. I’ve tried them elsewhere but they just aren’t the same. We were lucky enough to be staying in the French Quarter in 2017 and were able to walk up almost everyday to grab a bag to share for breakfast. It was delicious and messy (powdered sugar just gets everywhere!).

A staple in New Orleans is Cafe Du Monde, which serves beignets and chicory coffee. They have a few locations, but my favorite is the one on Decatur Street in the French Quarter. If you are staying in the French Quarter, it is easy to walk to and you can then grab your goodies, walk up the stairs to the right of the Cafe, and eat while enjoying the view of the Mississippi River.

The cafe has two to three lines open during the day and one line open at night. The outdoor seating was open during this visit, but there are a lot less tables (spaced out for social distancing/Covid). However, they were serving in bags, not on plates like before. The bags still had a ton of powdered sugar in the bottom though if you wanted more for dipping. I would say there was about 1/2 inch in the bag after the beignets were gone!

Beignets on a plate from our 2017 visit. Rest of the pictures from 2021.

It was $3.40 (plus tax) for a bag of 3 beignets. As of our visit, January 2021, the Cafe was only accepting cash.

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Sightseeing

Dutch Alley Artist’s Co-Op (New Orleans, LA)

Written by tepetravels 3 Comments on Dutch Alley Artist’s Co-Op (New Orleans, LA)

While walking through the French Quarter, we stopped at the Dutch Alley Artist’s Co-Op. They had some awesome pieces in there ranging from photographs to jewelry.

I wish we had more room (or didn’t have to worry about things breaking during moves), because there were so many neat pieces in the store. Each artist had their own section/display.

Note: They did have their masks on the whole time until the picture. We stood 6 ft away and were the only ones in the store.

We had a great chat with two of the artists that were in that day, Paul and James. Paul had some great wood creations, including bow ties! James had some unique jewelry made out of records. They were really unique and bright.

Ben bought me a really cool jellyfish necklace. I need to get a longer chain for it, but it is certainly a unique piece that is unlike anything I have.

I don’t think they ship, as I didn’t see anything on their website, but if you are in the French Quarter, you should definitely check it out!

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Sightseeing

New Orleans: What a difference 4 years and a pandemic make

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on New Orleans: What a difference 4 years and a pandemic make

We first came to New Orleans for our family summer vacation in 2017. The boys were so much smaller then. The place was bustling with activity: musicians, street performers, restaurants and bars everywhere, stores with pretty much everything you could think of (food, clothes, souvenirs, etc.). It was bright and lively, with people watching as far as the eye could see.

There is an eclectic group of people in New Orleans, and I do believe there is something for everyone. If you want to party, go to Bourbon at night. Otherwise, there is plenty to see and do during the day and avoid the French Quarter (Bourbon specifically) at night. There are museums, parks, swamp and plantation tours, ghost tours, music everywhere…so many activities to keep you entertained. The food is amazing. (If you have had the bourbon shake I make at Christmas, this is where I had first had it.)

When we planned this journey, we wanted to see new places and things we had not seen before. There were a few that Ben or I might have seen, but the rest of us hadn’t. New Orleans was the exception to that. Everyone loved it and we couldn’t wait to visit again. We booked an RV park back in January 2020, before everything went crazy. We planned to stay a month so that we could be there for part of Carnival season. Although we would miss Mardi Gras, we would still hit some of the parades.

Covid of course changed all of that. Mardi Gras was cancelled and New Orleans isn’t quite the same as it was the last time we visited.

The mayor has put in place some strict Covid restrictions: Mardi Gras was cancelled, masks required indoors and outdoors (not while eating or exercising), social distancing, no live entertainment indoors, bars close at 11:00 pm, no indoor seating at bars and breweries, 25% capacity at a lot of places. I personally feel better with having a mask requirement for indoors and outdoors.

It was empty. Walking around during the week, we saw only a handful of other people. Saturday, normally a very busy night on Bourbon, had maybe a tenth of the people we saw last time. Jackson Square was once teaming with performers and artists, now only had a few. We saw a lot more closed shops than our previous visit. It was a muted New Orleans. For a town that relies on tourism, Covid seems to have hit really hard.

Ben and I were walking around the French Quarter. We bought a few postcards from one of the shops. She told us we were her first sale of the day at 1:00 pm.

We have a monthly budget and part of it goes towards giving. We decided for January’s giving to help locally in New Orleans. After seeing and hearing from local store owners how quiet it has been and how they are struggling, we wanted to use our giving budget to increase our tips and donations to local places in New Orleans.

Granted, one was June vs January, but we’ll see how busy it gets closer to Mardi Gras.

I was doing some reading and found that “the unemployment rate in New Orleans increased (from 12.4% in September to 15.2% in October) with approximately 29K people unemployed. For comparison, last year during the same time period, the total labor force was roughly 180K with 9k unemployed with an overall unemployment rate of 5.1%.” per nolaba.org.

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