The Big Easy on a Budget
Explore the culture of New Orleans, feasting on favorite foods and listening to great jazz
New Orleans is a famously fun city, but that fun can slim the wallet. There are ways, though, to experience the best of the Crescent City without breaking the bank. On a recent trip, I turned to a few local friends who helped me nab the best deals at the very best places. (If you’re looking to travel without spending big money and enduring big crowds, skip Mardi Gras season.)
Get oriented
For the best overview of the city, ascend 34 stories to Vue Orleans Observation Deck. Offering 360-degree views from its perch on the Mississippi River, Vue is packed with interactive exhibits that get you oriented and has knowledgeable staff who can help you plan your next steps in NOLA. (Look for BOGO deals online, some of which include a free rooftop cocktail.)
Get acquainted with the city at the free Historic New Orleans Collection in the French Quarter, housed in an early 18th-century home that overlooks a traditional courtyard. Powerful exhibits detail everything from natural wonders to artistic treasures to societal complexities, such as how slavery and modern incarceration are linked.
It costs nothing to indulge in window shopping as you wander the warren of streets in the French Quarter that lead you past buskers, vintage shops, galleries and even voodoo emporiums. Or seek out calm beneath the oak canopy of the Garden District, where you’ll stroll past some of the South’s most beautifully preserved historic homes.
Hop a streetcar, as locals do, and explore the city without the tour bus cost. America’s oldest operating streetcar, the St. Charles Avenue Line, rumbles for six miles, offering a view of many NOLA highlights. You can even take a streetcar to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, famous for its above-ground crypts. (Fares are $3 for an all-day pass.)
Dive into culture
No matter the time of year, a celebratory spirit is always in the air. To understand the background of Mardi Gras and check out eye-popping costumes and jewels, visit The Presbytere, a museum facing Jackson Square. (The fee is $7, and AAA members receive a 10 percent discount.)
Listen to world-class jazz at Preservation Hall, where you’ll be treated to a 45-minute concert in an intimate setting with superb acoustics. (You might be able to get day-of, standing room tickets for as little as $12, or keep an eye peeled online where you can get a discount code that can land you front row seats for half the usual $50 fee.) You can also pop into bars along Bourbon and Frenchmen streets any time of day for excellent jazz.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum is a trove of the art form that was perfected here, including a recently opened exhibit on native son Louis Armstrong. (Admission is $8, and AAA members receive a 10 percent discount.)
Meander amid the beautifully landscaped grounds of the free Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park, which features works by artists including Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois.
Feast
New Orleans is famous for its outstanding food and drink. There’s no shortage of tasty corner-shop po-boys, classic beignets and sweet pralines, not to mention the famed rum-fueled hurricanes often served to-go in cups the size of your torso. But there are also ways to feed your soul and get to the heart of New Orleans by going where the locals go. You don’t need to forego visiting the best restaurants just because you’re on a budget.
The Napoleon House in the French Quarter is the place to get the classic NOLA favorite the muffuletta, a towering sandwich stuffed with cured meats and provolone that will feed a crowd, or try the red beans and rice studded with andouille—a cup will keep you full all day.
The hottest new restaurant in New Orleans, Acamaya, is run by two sisters from Mexico City. Grab a seat at the bar where you can snag creative Latin-meets-Louisiana cuisine that’s meant to be shared, such as aguachile verde spiked with serrano chiles, cooled down by diced cucumbers and featuring Gulf shrimp.
Locals regularly duck into Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar for what many say are the best fire-roasted oysters in town, along with cast-iron cornbread with authentic crawfish etouffee and a hearty cup of chicken gumbo (the latter runs under $10.)
In the end, the beauty of New Orleans is its accessibility. Money has never been the price of entry to the best of what the city offers. So, laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll).
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There’s no shortage of value-oriented hotels in New Orleans but two in particular are ‘only-here’ standouts that channel the distinctive charm of the city:
Copper Vine, which opened in 2024, is a chic boutique hotel connected to a trendy gastropub. Details like massive soaking tubs, original art and friendly staff make this a one-of-a-kind stay. Large loft-like rooms can be booked for as low as $200 (and include two large full breakfasts, a savings of $25 per person).
Hotel Monteleone is a stylish 19th-century hotel in the heart of the French Quarter, complete with a heated rooftop pool. Don’t miss a chance to take a spin—literally—while you sip a Sazerac, NOLA’s official cocktail, at the famed revolving Carousel Bar. Room prices can dip as low as $150.