New Orleans

The Perfect New Orleans Bachelorette Party Itinerary (2024)

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Planning a New Orleans bachelorette party? Feel free to copy this itinerary we followed for my cousin’s NOLA bachelorette!

New Orleans is hands down one of my favorite cities in the United States. I first visited while living in Houston, taking a couple road trips to NOLA to visit nearby friends of friends. There was instant appeal as I was struck by just how unique everything felt in New Orleans.

So, when my cousin decided she wanted a New Orleans bachelorette party I was glad for another excuse to visit the Crescent City. 

No nuptials coming up and simply want to explore this southern city? This guide works for you, too, with tips for making the most of your New Orleans trip!

Find recommendations for where to stay, when to go, what to eat and things to do in New Orleans. Whether you’re planning a couple’s getaway, solo adventure or New Orleans girls’ trip there’s something in this guide for you.

Psst! Not decided on a bachelorette party destination yet? Check out this San Diego Bachelorette Party Guide for more inspiration!

The Perfect New Orleans Bachelorette Party Itinerary 

New Orleans Bachelorette Party Itinerary

When is the best time to visit New Orleans?

If you want to cross Mardi Gras celebrations off your bucket list you’ll want to head over in February.

Want a little less chaos? Go in late spring or early summer, think April or May, to simultaneously avoid the crowds of Mardi Gras and extreme heat of mid-summer.

If you visit in the fall Winter Bachelorette Party Ideas & Destinations for the Most Memorable Experience“>or winter months, be aware it will be a bit cooler and pack accordingly! We visited in mid-January and a light jacket was enough.

How to get to New Orleans:

If you live close enough, why not use this as an excuse for a road trip as a fun way to kick off your New Orleans bachelorette party?

Or, if you don’t feel like getting behind the wheel, take a train with Amtrak.

If you’re further away or simply want to minimize travel time and maximize mimosa time, then a flight to New Orleans is the way to go.

Where to Stay in New Orleans for a Bachelorette Party Weekend?

New Orleans Bachelorette Party Where to Stay

I can highly recommend where our group stayed: The Westin New Orleans in the French Quarter. It’s located right next to the Mississippi River which means incredible views.

The Westin New Orleans also has 24/7 room service, two restaurants on site, is close to Harrah’s Casino and is overall centrally located to the main sights of New Orleans.

Staying in the French Quarter makes for a lovely and convenient home base for your New Orleans bachelorette party.

Westin New Orleans Canal Place
100 Iberville St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 566-7006

If you’d rather share an apartment with your crew so you can have a full on New Orleans Bachelorette Party home check out these VRBO New Orleans apartments

New Orleans Bachelorette Party Itinerary : Day 1 

We left Chicago on a Friday morning and landed in New Orleans a little after 1:00 PM. Then, we made our way to The Westin.

Since it was too early for us to check in, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and decided to grab lunch.

Eat a Po Boy for Your First Day in New Orleans Lunch

New Orleans Bachelorette Party Ideas lunch at Mother's Restaurant

Mother’s Restaurant
401 Poydras St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-9656

A recommendation from a friend led us to Mother’s Restaurant for po-boys! I ordered the fried shrimp and oyster: shrimp, because it’s always delicious and fried oyster because I had to try it.

Verdict?

Delicious, what else? I had a taste of their gumbo which was yummy too. The line was long, but moved swiftly and was worth it.

Even though the place was packed, we found plenty of seating by the time we’d finished placing our orders. 

After our very late lunch, we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up and rest before hitting the town for the night.

Have Dinner & Drinks in the French Quarter

Before we left our hotel for the night, we passed out some New Orleans bachelorette party favors. We threw on our sashes and light-up rings, graced our bride’s head with a crown and hit the town. 

new orleans bachelorette party carousel bar night out

Carousel Bar
214 Royal St
New Orleans, LA 7013
(504) 523-3341

Our first stop of the evening was the carousel bar at Hotel Monteleone. This instagram-worthy bar is a must-visit for pre-dinner drinks during any New Orleans bachelorette party!

The main bar is surrounded by bar stools that rotate slowly around it under a beautiful carousel topper. It’s usually busy, so if you actually want to sit on the platform you’ll need to wait it out.

We were content to snap a few pictures and then find seating in the larger room behind the main bar.

For dinner, we went to Restaurant R’evolution which is an elegant hotel restaurant in the French Quarter. Our waiter was fun and we struck up a conversation about his foodie connections in Chicago!

In fact, on his recommendation I later visited El Ideas in Chicago one Valentine’s Day. Anyway, the service, food (I had the short ribs), wine and vibe at R’evolution were great for our first New Orleans bachelorette party dinner experience.

Restaurant R’evolution
777 Bienville St
New Orleans, LA 70130
504) 553-2277

Experience Frenchmen Street Live Music

After dinner, we decided to take in some jazz music along Frenchmen Street. We got dropped off at one end and walked along the lively street, stepping into bars when the music drew us in and moving from one to the next with curious excitement.

I recommend you do the same, while also making it a point to check out one of my personal favorites, Cafe Negril, for reggae and dancehall music.

At the other end, we ran into an outdoor, nighttime art market and a couple of the girls explored while the rest of us sought warmth in yet another cozy jazz bar. Look up Palace Market Frenchmen for exact details if you want to make sure you don’t miss the market. 

We called it a night early our first night, meaning midnight which is pretty early for NOLA. But after a long day of travel, eating and jazz bar-hopping we were ready to get some rest before our second day of fun on this New Orleans bachelorette party adventure. 

Looking for more jazzy fun? Try this jazz cruise!

Cafe Negril
606 Frenchmen St
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 229-4236

Palace Market Frenchmen
619 Frenchmen St
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 358-8287

New Orleans Bachelorette Party Itinerary: Day 2

We woke and got ready at a leisurely pace the next morning as we didn’t have any hard or fast plans, and good thing we didn’t.

With only two days in New Orleans we knew our days would be pretty busy, so it was nice to have a slower start. First item on the agenda for day two was brunch, and I took the lead on this one. 

Best Place for Sunday Brunch in New Orleans

New Orleans bachelorette party brunch at Ruby Slipper Cafe

I had been to The Ruby Slipper Cafe for brunch before and knew it would be worthwhile to visit again with this group of gals.

Brunch is a hot commodity and we were taking our sweet time, so I was a bit nervous about the wait and whether we’d even get a table or not.

Luckily, just a little bit of research led me to download Yelp’s NoWait app. Using the app, I got us in line virtually so that by the time we made it to the restaurant it was time for us to be seated! 

I highly recommend the Chicken St. Charles Benedict and the Seasonal Stuffed French Toast, though you’re hard-pressed to find anything on the menu you won’t want to devour.

If you’re up for it (and you probably are, it’s NOLA after all) grab some mimosas for the table plus a refill on your way out, courtesy of the open container laws. There’s no better way to kick off a day of fun on a New Orleans bachelorette party weekend! 

The Ruby Slipper Cafe
Multiple locations 
(504) 525-9355

Indulge in Coffee and Beignets at Cafe du Monde

New Orleans Bachelorette Party visit cafe du monde

Cafe Du Monde
800 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-4544

After brunch, we decided to walk off our heavy meals by exploring the city on foot. We made it to Jackson Square to take in the sights and some street performances, and took our time strolling along the area at a leisurely place.

Before we knew it, we had more room in our stomachs for food and beignets were right across the way. Look how that worked out! 😉

Half of our group got in line at Cafe Du Monde while the other half grabbed tables. In the early afternoon, the place was pretty busy. Previously, I’d visited late at night and if you’re not in the mood to wait then that’s a better option for you. For us, in no rush, waiting in line for a while to order was no big deal.

Either way, it’s good to note they’re open 24 hours so you can stop by literally any time during your New Orleans bachelorette party weekend for a sugar fix!

We each had 2-3 beignets, the perfect amount if you ask me, and a few sips of coffee before beginning the window shopping part of our day.

The rest of the afternoon and into early evening we spent exploring shop after shop of unique knick knacks, ultimately spilling into the open air French Market as the sun was setting. 

Try the Best Hurricane in New Orleans

Before heading back to the hotel to get dressed for our dinner reservations, the group wanted to grab a drink and we went to Pat O’Brien’s, home of the famous Hurricane cocktail.

We sat on the patio (I hear prices are lower out on the back patio than in the main dueling pianos area) and a few of the girls ordered Hurricanes. You can keep the glasses as souvenirs or, return them to the bar and get a few dollars back!

Pat O’Brien’s
718 St Peter
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-4823

Have Dinner at Commander’s Palace

After a quick drink, we headed back to the hotel, got ready for a long, fun night ahead and headed to dinner at Commander’s Palace

Commander’s Palace is a fairly famous New Orleans restaurant and more on the upscale side (in other words, dress up). We ordered off the tasting menu and it was a fun experience in a beautiful setting.

If you’re going for dinner, be sure to make reservations ahead of time and be prepared to spend a bit more here. Or, make reservations for their jazz brunch instead!

Commander’s Palace
1403 Washington Ave
New Orleans, LA 7013
(504) 899-8221

Dance on Bourbon Street

New Orleans Bachelorette Party on Bourbon Street

Here we go. Can you believe we made it this far through a New Orleans bachelorette party itinerary article without any mention yet of… Bourbon Street?! Just goes to show how much more there is to eat, see and experience in New Orleans beyond it.

But of course, no New Orleans bachelorette party itinerary would be truly complete without an obligatory strut down Bourbon. And honestly, you don’t have to guzzle down drink after drink to have a great time dancing and people watching with your friends into the early hours. 

Still, very likely your group will want to start at Tropical Isle for a Hand Grenade. Apart from the Hurricane, this is another famous NOLA drink. Tropical Isle also serves up shark attacks. Not sure what that is? Order and find out! It’s more fun that way.

Big Easy Daiquiris was another win with our group and makes for a fun stop. 

You can mostly treat Bourbon Street like Frenchmen Street in that you’ll want to hop from one bar to the next, to the next.

Follow the music and crowds that appeal to you as you take in the variety of sights and sounds. For a ranking of all or most bars along Bourbon Street, see here.

Go in with a laid back attitude and you’ll likely have a great time. We danced most of the night away, shutting down the bars and then grabbing some late night (early morning?) eats before returning to the hotel for our final night of sleep. 

The next morning we packed and headed to the airport. Our time in NOLA was through, but New Orleans has a way of staying with you even once you’ve left.

With three nights and two days, this largely unstructured itinerary of foodie stops, leisurely shopping and nightlife adventures served us well and will hopefully do the same for you. 

Conclusion: Your New Orleans Bachelorette Party Itinerary

If you’re considering a New Orleans bachelorette party let me confirm you are on the right track! New Orleans is the ideal city for your final send-off. It’s got incredible food, music, culture and party scenes for you to indulge in all weekend long.

Soak up the history, meet the people and indulge in the food and drink — you won’t regret it! From beignets to booze, a New Orleans bachelorette party is the perfect rite of passage for any bride.

Follow this 2-day New Orleans bachelorette party itinerary to help guide your experience. You can even print it and use as your personal New Orleans bachelorette party planner. 

Have you visited New Orleans before? What tips, food or activity recommendations would you add to this New Orleans bachelorette party itinerary? 

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