Things to do in New Orleans in the Morning

Deep-fried and coated in sugar, beignets are the state donut of Louisiana and usually come in a square or rectangular shape (with no hole). Served with an earthy chicory coffee, they’re a great way to kick-start your New Orleans day, and French Quarter stalwart Café du Monde – originator of the Louisiana beignet, no less – is as good a place to get your fix as any. Fancy something a little more substantial? Try one of the popular Ruby Slipper Café outlets for comforting Southern classics like biscuits and gravy, shrimp and grits, French toast and eggs Benedict, Creole-style (though perhaps not all at the same time if you value your waistline). 

Spice up your morning repast further still by adding a generous dash of the music with which New Orleans is synonymous. That’s right, hepcats, we’re talking jazz. Here in the birthplace of the genre, there are dozens of jazz brunches to choose from, but the upscale Commander’s Palace and historic courtyard at the French Quarter’s Court of Two Sisters promise some of the best toe-tapping/face-filling experiences in town.

Walk off that bacchanalian breakfast with a brisk stride along the banks of the Mississippi River at Woldenberg Park, watching the pleasure boats cruise past and keeping your peepers peeled for historic paddle steamers. Or, if that three-hour brunch has rendered you too full to move, simply join said pleasure cruisers and let the boat do all the hard work for you. For proper old-school vibes, Steamboat Natchez – the city’s last authentic surviving steamboat – is the connoisseur’s cruise of choice. Creole Queen runs it a close second though. This modern boat has painstakingly recreated the original Mississippi boating experience, thanks to the awesome firetruck-red paddle wheel that powers it. It should also go without saying that both cruises run lazy jazz brunches on weekends. 

Top tip: a historic sightseeing tour aboard the Creole Queen is included with the Go City New Orleans pass. The pass can save you up to 50% on a number of NOLA tours, activities and attractions, including the National WWII Museum, bayou boat tours, Mardi Gras World, the Cabildo museum and more. 

Find out more about the various pass options available and choose yours here.

Chock full of brightly painted Creole houses, ornate balconies and lively markets, the French Quarter is like catnip for photography enthusiasts. It’s also at its least busy first thing, perfect for wandering the atmospheric lanes in relative peace and quiet. Snap a selfie and watch the artists setting up their easels on Jackson Square, admire the neighborhood’s Spanish-tinged architecture in the soft morning light, and take time out to explore the absolute goldmine of Louisiana jazz history that is the New Orleans Jazz Museum; entry is included with a New Orleans pass. The pass also comes loaded with an excellent French Quarter tour that includes a heavy accent on the city’s fascinating voodoo history; highlights of the tour include Congo Square and the home of infamous voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

New Orleans’ sprawling City Park contains several fine morning activities that are, once again, best enjoyed in the early hours before the sightseeing crowds arrive. This vast green space in the heart of the city is home to a charming century-old carousel, a sculpture garden, a botanical garden boasting the world’s largest collection of mature oak trees (some dating as far back as the Middle Ages), and the New Orleans Museum of Art, where you can ogle modern masterpieces by Pollock, Picasso, O’Keeffe, Monet and more.

And if all that sounds a bit much to deal with before lunch, you can always find a spot in the gardens and simply idle away the hours watching the world go by. Bliss.

Louisiana is bayou country, where taking a boat out onto swampy waterways to say hey to the resident gators, turtles and other resident critters is practically a rite of passage. Take an atmospheric boat tour through cypresses robed in Spanish moss, and learn all about the fascinating flora and fauna found on the bayou from your expert guides. Brace yourself also for spooky local folk tales involving malevolent voodoo spirits and flesh-eating werewolves, after which you’ll likely spend the rest of the ride praying you don't run into them.

Bayou tours (both scary and not so scary) are available with the New Orleans pass.

New Orleans oozes American history from every nook and cranny, so there are plenty of opportunities to get under the skin of the place. Start with the pretty Garden District, where grand antebellum mansions line leafy streets filled with mature oak and maple trees. Admire perfectly preserved 19th-century Southern homes with wrap-around porches and decorative wrought-iron balconies on a meander around this historic neighborhood, a firm favorite with the Hollywood A-list.

Back in the city centre, hit up the 1850 House and State Museum, a Paris-inspired architectural marvel full of antebellum-era art that also just happens to be the oldest apartment block in the States; drop by the former home of French Impressionist Edgar Degas; and expect a religious experience at St Louis Cathedral, a landmark neo-Gothic and Spanish Renaissance confection overlooking Jackson Square.

Last but by no means least, the Cabildo state museum is Louisiana in microcosm. Step through its remarkable Spanish Baroque facade to discover thousands of historical artifacts, including 19th-century Louisiana landscape paintings and folk art, Newcomb pottery and period military gear.

Discover more things to do in New Orleans in the morning with a New Orleans pass. Hit the buttons below to find out more and choose the pass that’s right for you.