What better way to start our first full day in New Orleans than by going to a cemetery? We went to St. Louis Cemetary No. 1 and walked around inside to see all the above ground tombs. It is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans and has been in existence since 1789.
It was really cool to walk through and think about how old some of the tombs were and who these people and families were during their lifetimes. One of the tombs that the cemetery is famous for is Marie Laveau, a Louisiana Creola practitioner of Voodoo. Many tourists believe an old rumor that if they wanted their wish granted by Laveau, they had to draw an X on her tomb, turn around 3 times, knock on the tomb, and yell out their wish. If it was granted, they needed to come back to the tomb, circle their X, and leave an offering for Laveau.
*Please do not try this yourself.* In fact, it is a criminal activity and is a form of vandalism. Those who practice true Voodoo do not deface property in order to do so.
Amidst all the decades-old history, decaying tombs, and legends associated with the cemetery, there is the pyramid tomb seen in the photo below. To my surprise, I discovered that this was to be the final resting place of Nicolas Cage. He purchased the last two side by side plots in 2010 to have this pyramid built. Because why wouldn’t you need a 9-foot tall pyramid to spend all of your eternity in?
After the cemetery, we took a walk down Bourbon Street and started out with a drink as we continued on our day in the French Quarter.
We then headed to get some lunch at Cafe Amelie. Hands down, my favorite restaurant we ate at in New Orleans. There were a lot of good ones, but this place definitely tops them all. We started out with the satsuma pepper glazed shrimp, which I thought couldn’t be topped. That is, until our entree of the amelie shrimp pasta arrived. The savory flavors and fresh ingredients of the food along with the peaceful, garden ambiance make this restaurant a winner in my book.
We continued our day by more walking around the French Quarter. Then we headed back to Bourbon Street to have some drinks and a crab cake appetizer at The Embers. We got a perfect seat on the balcony overlooking Bourbon Street where we could people watch and enjoy our food and enormous drinks.
After our snack and more walking, we headed to Crescent City Brewhouse for a delicious dinner and live jazz music. This long and exhausting day would lead to another long and fun filled one up next!
17 Comments
Kim
October 14, 2014 at 10:30 pmI loved your detailed description of your day in New Orleans. I will be there next month for the first time and have been wanting to go for years. I am just hoping it lives up to my high expectations of it. Loved all the photos you posted of the city.
Marissa Sutera
October 15, 2014 at 8:31 pmThanks Kim, I hope it does live up to your expectations (I have a feeling it will). The food, the history, the culture… it all makes for a great city! Would love to hear how it goes 🙂
Jess
August 2, 2014 at 11:47 pmI lived in New Orleans for years – I miss it so much! Cemetery visits and foods are definitely key parts of any NOLA stop. 😀
Marissa Sutera
August 3, 2014 at 11:37 amIt really is such a great city with so much history and delicious food. Thanks for reading!
Adelina // PackMeTo
July 31, 2014 at 6:04 pmYummmy food! It looks so good. I could dig into that plate of shrimp pasta right about now.
Marissa Sutera
August 1, 2014 at 7:31 amThe shrimp pasta was SO delicious! I could go for some myself!
Christa Thompson
July 27, 2014 at 11:54 amAlways heard the food in New Orleans is delish now I’m sure of it, yumm!
Marissa Sutera
July 27, 2014 at 4:44 pmYes it sure is! My mouth is watering just thinking about all of the delicious food I had while I was out there 🙂
Anna | slightly astray
July 27, 2014 at 9:54 amI love the look of the cemetery! Ever since I started visiting cemeteries as a tourist attraction, I have really come to love the above ground tombs. I really hope to visit New Orleans someday! Not for the cemetery (to specify), but for the amazing ambiance and food!
Marissa Sutera
July 27, 2014 at 4:43 pmThere are so many great things about New Orleans! The history is so interesting and the food is delicious! Thanks for reading Anna!
Mandie
July 27, 2014 at 6:55 amI LOVE New Orleans so much! Just reading this has made me want to go back. I’m very glad your experience did not involve getting highly intoxicated and trying to climb onto a police horse (not that I would know anything about that…ahem…)
Marissa Sutera
July 27, 2014 at 4:41 pmIt is a fantastic city, and reading my own posts always makes me want to go back! I did not happen to have any incidents with police horses haha but it sounds like it would make for a great story! 🙂
Esther
July 27, 2014 at 2:54 amNew Orleans is high on the top of my list of cities I must visit. It looks so colourful and grungy at the same time. Love the food pics 🙂
(Found you through #SundayTraveler)
Marissa Sutera
July 27, 2014 at 4:39 pmHi Esther, thanks for reading! New Orleans is one of my favorite cities to visit. There’s always so much to do there and the food is fantastic!!
Baskets Life Travel
July 26, 2014 at 11:58 pmLove New Orleans its vibe, food and people! Fantastic place and so much to do and see – thank you for sharing, you have some great ideas on the town and off the beaten path! thank you for sharing !
Marissa Sutera
July 27, 2014 at 4:38 pmGlad you enjoyed! I LOVE New Orleans and there is so much to do there no matter what you’re interested in. Thanks for reading!
Stephen
April 2, 2014 at 8:06 pmLooks like you truly captured the essence of New Orleans