Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Planning a New Orleans Bachelorette? Let This Girls Trip Be Your Guide

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Each summer, I try my hardest to squeeze in a girls getaway with my gal pals Angie and Alex, which can be challenging as we’re often spread out across the globe. Two years ago, it was Bonaire. Last summer, we convened in Boston and Martha’s Vineyard. This year, we had a brief reunion in Orlando then upped the fun factor and headed straight to the Big Easy, where I celebrated my own New Orleans bachelorette nearly a decade prior.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

This post was last updated in August 2021.

Crazy as it may sound, it had been seven-and-a-half years since my own bachelorette when I was last in the Big Easy. So what perfect timing to recreate an adult bachelorette in New Orleans via a weekend with two of my best girls who weren’t there the first time around, right?

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana

Where to stay for your New Orleans bachelorette

First things first: You need the perfect place to stay in New Orleans that’s befitting of the queens that you are. On my last two visits, including my New Orleans bachelorette, I booked chain hotels, of which there are many in the Big Easy. This time around, though, we opted for a boutique hotel instead, which is always my preference if given the choice.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

One of the city’s most charming boutique hotels, the Selina Catahoula Hotel with its 35 rooms and suite of services, like a full bar and Peruvian restaurant is the perfect base in the Central Business District (CBD) from which to explore. As its name might suggest—the Selina Catahoula is the state dog of Louisiana—it’s pet-friendly, too, so you can bring your pup along with you (Ella would be so jealous if she knew I’d traveled here without her!).

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Each of our individual rooms was dramatically different, which makes sense given that the hotel was adapted to fit an 1840s townhouse. But given the cozy nature of most city hotels, I was shocked with how open and airy my room was, thanks in part to the soaring ceilings. I know each of the Selina Catahoula accommodations are different, but the second I stepped into my quarter for the week, I was immediately impressed with how they laid out each room to maximize space.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Stay

I also loved the common areas, particularly the courtyard—which boasts one of the most Instagrammed pieces of art, a mural of a burlesque dancer, in town—and the inside Piscobar.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

What to do on a New Orleans bachelorette

To be perfectly honest, New Orleans is one of those cities I like to hit the pavement and explore every inch of with my own two feet, which we did—from the CBD to Magazine Street to the French Quarter and everywhere in between.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

We lucked out in that August is actually one of the best times to go to New Orleans and avoid crowds, so we were able to move freely around Bourbon Street and Jackson Square without bumping into fellow tourists.

But if you’re outdoorsy or a fan of active pursuits, you’ll want to head up to Bayou St. John and take a trip through nature and NOLA history with the fine folks behind Kayak-iti-Yat. After you’re through, stroll through City Park and visit the New Orleans Museum of Art’s sculpture garden. The free Move Ya Brass dance classes are also an excellent way to break a sweat.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Want to learn how to make cocktails just like they do in the Big Easy? Book a class with New Orleans Drink Lab. An experienced mixologist will give each attendee her own drink station and the tools with which to whip up a true Hurricane (and another cocktail or two, depending on the length of your class). Drinking while learning? Sounds like my kind of activity!

Where to eat in New Orleans

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and a must for any New Orleans bachelorette to fuel up for a day of fun, and I was all kinds of jazzed about eating at Willa Jean after so many of you recommended it via Instagram. We each ordered off the menu—I was feeling gluten hungover, so I opted for the quinoa bowl with poached eggs—but man, I want to come back here on a weekend for the Nutella muffins and eat my way through the rest of the baked goods section.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Another morning, we had the iconic New Orleans experience and dined at Brennan’s, something I did my very first time in the city with my parents when I was just a teen (it’s been around since 1946!). The only thing that’s really changed is I’m of age now, so I was able to take advantage of the brunch cocktails!

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Eat

Don’t go to Brennan’s without peeking upstairs in the bathroom and the various rooms. They’re each decorated differently and are quite elaborate.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Eat

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana

As full as we’d get on breakfast, it was hard to fathom needing lunches and yet we persevered. Even though we have a Cochon Butcher in Nashville, we ate at Cochon in New Orleans anyway, and it was a far different experience with its Cajun focus and, dare I say, even better (if that’s possible) than the food I’m used to in Music City.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Also on the lunch front, there’s no way you’re coming all the way to New Orleans and not having a meal at Commander’s Palace; it’s simply a rite of passage. And you need to order a little bit of everything to get a taste of iconic NOLA (that means you have free rein to full-on indulge).

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana

But particularly when accompanied by gal pals and on a weekday—because who can pass up 25-cent martinis? (You read that right: For a quarter, or the price of a gumball, you get an entire cocktail! Apparently, the three-martini lunch is back in NOLA.)

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Drink

Pro tip: Go ahead and schedule time for a nap afterward!

St. Roch Market is perfect for finicky groups who can’t decide on where to eat—it’s got a little bit of everything all rolled into one, served in a food hall type of atmosphere. I had Creole while Angie had mango wings and Alex got her chicken bowl. We all won! This would be the place I’d eat at weekly if I were a NOLA local, and lucky for me, they’re opening a Nashville location very soon!

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Of course, no New Orleans bachelorette weekend is complete without a fancy dinner out; for us, that meant we hopped the St. Charles cable car and made our way out to DTB, a new restaurant on Oak Street that stands for Down the Bayou.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Eat

DTB wasn’t just perfect because of its casual-chic atmosphere, but most of the plates were sharable. As the name suggests, it’s all about Coastal cuisine, and everything we had was delicious. We tasted our way through the menu from Brussels sprouts to mushroom boudin balls, cornmeal gnocchi to short rib. DTB also doubles as an excellent place to have a drink, so arrive early for cocktails and stay for the food.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Where to go out for your New Orleans bachelorette

New Orleans is all about that cocktail culture, so obviously we had to indulge, even if some of us (ahem, me) are bigger drinkers than the rest.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Our first night started at the most convenient place we knew: Piscobar in the lobby of the Selina Catahoula. Because you can’t visit and not try a Pisco Sour; pisco is the core of the bar’s sophisticated Peruvian-inspired cocktail program.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

On night one, we didn’t want to wander far so the rooftop bar of the brand new Ace Hotel, Alto, seemed a good fit. The weather was nice, the hotel is walking distance from where we were staying, and they serve drinks out of pineapples. For another type of pool bar scene over in the Bywater district, the house in which the Country Club conceals a bohemian-style pool retreat out back where you can pay an entrance fee and nab a lounge chair for the afternoon as you sip the day away; admission is $15, and there’s a full locker room, showers and changing facilities on site.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

Over in the French Quarter, rum-soaked, Cuba-inspired Cane & Table is one of the new “it” spots, while the revolving Carousel Bar & Lounge at Hotel Monteleone is always a fun place to grab a cocktail.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Stay

I also really wanted to try the Confederacy of Cruisers biking bar tour, but alas, the timing didn’t work out. Next girls trip!

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana: Where to Drink

Late night, Frenchmen Street is where the party is really at; this three-block stretch of Marigny houses some of the best live music—not to mention, rowdiest bars—in New Orleans.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

I know we just scratched the surface of New Orlean’s multi-faceted offerings—there are so many things we didn’t make it to on my to-eat and to-drink lists—but it still was a most excellent week of gluttony, copious amounts of walking and togetherness.

Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana

What’s on your must-do list for a New Orleans bachelorette party?

For other travel tips to New Orleans, start here:
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisianat
Planning a Bachelorette or Girls' Weekend: Where to Eat in New Orleans, Louisiana
COMMENTS
  • August 19, 2017

    Love NOLA! Looks like you had a great trip!

    • August 24, 2017

      It’s one of those cities it’s impossible not to love, you know? =)

      • January 25, 2019
        Cathy

        Your article was awesome! I live here and also host my vacation rentals in Bywater close to the Country Club and never can get enough of New Orleans there’s so much to see and do.

  • August 21, 2017

    Wow, You all is very beautiful, Your all image is very cool. You and your friend are very pretty in all image. I like your dress up. This trips plan is wonderful. I also love kayaking. Your party drinks traveling is excellent. I really fun all of you. I love you all. Thanks for sharing your post and keep posting.

  • August 23, 2017

    This is a great article/itinerary! Thanks for your great writing. I took a Confederacy of Cycles tour back in 2012 and it was excellent. We went over Civil War, Katrina, Civil Rights and Jazz history all in one awesome tour that still had time for a Bloody Mary stop. Perfection.

    • August 24, 2017

      I’m so sad we couldn’t go! I think they only offered them on Monday and Thursday—right before I flew in and right after I flew out! I’ll definitely plan my next trip around their cycling schedule 😉

  • August 24, 2017

    I’ve been to New Orleans twice and both times have been super quick trips, no more than a night and the first time only a few hours. I really, really need to go back and spend some actual time down there. It’s so pretty and so fun and we didn’t eat nearly enough of the delicious offerings the has for us.

    • August 24, 2017

      I feel like this was the first time as an adult I’ve had more than a quick 36 hours in NOLA, and it was glorious! Also, visiting as an adult is way more fun 😉

  • August 24, 2017

    You have very technical stuff and it gives me information. Thank you

  • August 25, 2017

    I can’t imagine a better place for a bachelorette party than NOLA! Sounds like you had a blast!

    • August 28, 2017

      We really did! Best place for a bachelorette party at any age (and even if none of us are getting married, lol).

  • August 25, 2017

    Wow, that last photo of you three on that beautiful patio! I’ve always wanted to visit New Orleans since my mom visited a few times during my childhood. What a fun destination for a girls’ getaway.

    • August 28, 2017

      Thanks, Jenna! The Catahoula is definitely one of the most Instagrammable hotels in town =)

  • August 26, 2017

    What a totally fun way to have a bachelorette celebration! I’m so envious because I’ve yet to go to NOLA!! Can you believe it? Especially since the food looks to die for! And cornmeal gnocchi? Yum! Glad you had a fab time!

    • August 28, 2017

      OMG, Christina, you would LOVE the food there. Just schedule time for dieting when you get home 😉

  • August 27, 2017

    I feel like the fraud! I’ve never been to NOLA! This is inspiration for sure… All the food looks amazing. Hope to go out there soon!

    • August 28, 2017

      Ha, well it’s not going anywhere! You have plenty of time =)

  • August 27, 2017

    Just as a warning, September is during hurricane season. And even when there’s no hurricane, it’s very humid and rainy.

    • September 1, 2017

      We went during August and it was humid, but the upside was that crowds were few =)

  • August 29, 2017

    What a GREAT spot for a girl’s weekend. I’ve been in June and July, is the humidity a bit better in August? I have yet to explore much of the city and totally want to go back and just wander!

    • September 1, 2017

      Um, I would lie to you and say no…but it was 1000 percent humid, ha! Still, I loved that there were NO crowds and the prices were lower everywhere!

  • September 1, 2017
    Melissa Barto

    Great post and photos! I’m planning a girls trip there next year. It’ll be my 2nd time there. I did the Confederacy of Cruisers tour of Bywater and some of the other neighborhoods around there (and a few cemeteries). It was fun and I loved the tour guide! We also stopped at a bar at the end.

    • September 15, 2017

      Ahhh I really want to do that tour so badly! An excuse to go back =)

  • May 2, 2018
    Toria

    This post was amazing!!! I’m planning my cousin’s bachelorette party this summer and this offered so many good things for us to do. Thank you!

    • May 2, 2018

      So happy to help, Toria! I did my own bachelorette weekend there 8(!) years ago, and it was a blast. Have a great trip!

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