I am often asked how I have chosen the top 10 list, that I put up on my blog.  While in college I found it much easier to create a list when I started studying for a test or writing a term paper. Knowing that it is easy to understand why I create a top ten list, now as to how do I decide what goes on the list, simply put it is things I would like to do or have done in New Orleans.  I have chosen things on this list either because I have come across them while studying for certifications, personal experience, research, or client recommendations. Each of the item on the top 10 has a link, which will open a new window for more information.

 Let us know what you think of our list in the comments below the list. 

1. Festivals

“Part of what makes New Orleans such a great place to visit, are the various festivals. Below we’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular festivals that take place annually in NOLA. Whether you’re into food fests or are only in town for the local musicians, there’s sure to be one festival that suits your fancy!”

2. Music

“New Orleans may have been named one of National Geographic’s 10 Essential Sounds of America for its position as the birthplace of Jazz, but jazz isn’t the only music genre with unique ties to the Crescent City.”

 3. French Quarter

“As the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, the French Quarter exudes history. It houses centuries-old buildings and holds millions of stories. From museums to shops to bars and restaurants, there is plenty to do in the Quarter. Below are our top 10 things to check out during your next visit to the French Quarter.”

 4. Sports 

“New Orleans and sporting events are almost as synonymous as New Orleans and Mardi Gras. You can truly read the city’s heartbeat through the success of the New Orleans football team. On a Sunday game day, it seems nearly every local in the city has on their black and gold. Whether you travel to New Orleans to root on the home team or the opponent, the energy is irreplaceable and a considerable part of making New Orleans a unique city in the U.S. Football is undoubtedly at the top of the New Orleans sports hierarchy, but not the only intriguing and exciting option.”

5.  New Orleans Cemeteries and Haunted Tour

“Whether or not you believe in ghosts, you can’t deny that New Orleans has a supernatural atmosphere. Between the city’s history of Voodoo practice, tales of vampires, hauntingly beautiful above-ground cemeteries, and secret torture chambers, there are plenty of spooky tales to go around. If you want to learn about this fabled side of New Orleans, take a haunted tour! What better time than the Fall, with Halloween approaching? We’ve made a list of our favorite”

6. National World War 2 Museum

“Three levels of World War II memorabilia await, including huge model displays that you can drive toy tanks over and replicas of life-size submarines, as well as life-size bunkers you can walk inside, thousands of artifacts from guns to patches and flags to uniforms. The museum could quite literally have been picked up from Washington, D.C. alongside any of the other Smithsonian’s buildings and been dropped here overnight.”

 7.  Mardi Gras

“In the name of helping other travelers do more during Mardi Gras than roam Bourbon Street and eat at Café du Monde, here’s a unique first timer’s guide to Mardi Gras in New Orleans to immerse you in New Orleans’ craziest season. Includes practical advice, offbeat tips, and plenty of planning resources.“

 8.  Culinary Tour

“If you tell someone you are going to New Orleans, you’ll immediately get a list of all the great places to eat from them. We put a question up on our Facebook page asking what people loved about New Orleans and nearly everyone mentioned their favourite place to eat! That’s because New Orleans food is one of a kind.“

 9.  Swamp Tour

“There is a ton to do in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana but a must do is to wander out of the city for an authentic New Orleans Louisiana Swamp Tour. I visited NOLA this past October for my friend, Ashley’s, Bachelorette party. Being 20 weeks pregnant at the time, seeing the swamp tour on the itinerary was something I was really looking forward to. It was the perfect day activity to chill, see something new and be outside.”

 10. Plantation Tour

“No visit to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, or Lafayette in south Louisiana would be complete without exploring the New Orleans plantations, some of America’s most interesting, and tragic, history. Mixed in with present day farms and scattered houses are the restored Antebellum-era “big house” plantations, some with refurbished outbuildings and slave cabins.”