The Garden District is the ultimate New Orleans experience, and a top things to do in the city!
It has all the New Orleans classics from cast iron balconies, beignets, and cemeteries! You can even ride the iconic St Charles New Orleans streetcar to get there!
Here’s why you have to visit the Garden District New Orleans and what to do while you’re there.
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
Why You Have To Visit The Garden District New Orleans
If you aren’t convinced on visiting on the Garden District New Orleans just yet, hear me out.
When I first heard about the Garden District, it sounded like the LAST place I wanted to visit in New Orleans. It was out of the way, and honestly didn’t sound that interesting (all about the architecture of old mansions).
But, an emergency run to Walmart for a computer charger brought us to the Garden District. So we figured we might as well make the most of it while we were there…
Not only was it one of my favourite days in New Orleans, but we even went back to the Garden District on our last day we loved it so much!
The Garden District is so much more than just gorgeous mansions (which are incredible by the way!). We had some of the best food of the trip and it’s not as complicated (or as far) to get to as I initially thought!
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How Long Do You Need In The Garden District?
You can easily spend an entire day in the Garden District New Orleans. But more realistically, you’ll spend a half day here. It’s not a very large area, just a few blocks.
I recommend coming a bit before lunch. This way, you go for a stroll through the side streets – admiring the mansions and working up an appetite for lunch.
As I said, they had some of my favourite restaurants here so come hungry!
Getting To The Garden District: The St Charles Streetcar
One of the top things to do in New Orleans is to take the St. Charles streetcar. This is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, operating since 1835.
It stands out from the other streetcars in New Orleans because the trolleys on this line are green instead of red.
The St Charles Streetcar isn’t just a means of getting to the Garden District though. It’s really an entire activity in itself. Grab a seat, and enjoy the view of all the buildings your passing (P.S. try to get a seat on the left side of the car!)
Paying For The St Charles Street Car: Exact Change Or The App!
You can pay for the streetcar when you board, but you’ll need exact change.
So I would recommend downloading the transit app, Le Pass, here. If you don’t have a U.S. number, I strongly suggest setting up the app in your home country. You’ll have to have cell service to confirm your phone number.
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When To Get Off The St Charles Streetcar?
The are a few stops you can get off the St Charles streetcar in the Garden District.
The earliest you can get off is at Jackson Avenue, this is the start of the Garden District. This is a good stop if you’re very interested in seeing more of the mansions and aren’t afraid of some extra walking!
Otherwise, I recommend staying on until at least Washington Avenue, which is in the middle of the Garden District. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to see some nice homes, it’s just a much shorter walk.
Alternatively, if you’re enjoying the ride, you can continue on the St Charles streetcar for as long as you like. I will warn you, the streetcar follows the Mississippi River for quite a while, so I wouldn’t stay on until the end.
I went as far as the Audubon Park (I was interested in seeing the Tree of Life). Then, just take the Streetcar in the opposite direction to get back to the Garden District. I recommend getting a day pass for the streetcar in this case!
Things To Do In The Garden District of New Orleans
Here are all the main things to do in the Garden District of New Orleans.
Explore The Mansions Of The Garden District
As I’ve mentioned, The Garden District New Orleans is famous for their extravagant mansions from the 20th century. This is where dream homes live!
They are absolutely massive mansions that you wonder how they’re only for one family. The main feature though is the cast iron work on the balconies and gates!
Most of the homes in the Garden District have a plaque on the gates giving you a bit more information about the house. This way, you can do a self guided Garden District tour. But there are also organized walking tours if you’re interested (like this one from Viator).
P.S. A lot of celebrities have homes here, so you never know who you might see!
New Orleans Garden District Tour
You can also go on a guided walking tour of the Garden District in New Orleans to find out more about the unique architecture behind each mansion, see it on Viator here.
Click here for more tours in New Orleans on Viator.
Walk Through Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
If you get off the St. Charles streetcar on Washington Avenue, you’ll be a short walk away from Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, why am I sending you to a cemetery? But the cemeteries in New Orleans are somewhat one of a kind.
That’s because New Orleans is at or below sea level… meaning they can’t really use in-ground graves… as they learned the hard way! So New Orleans cemeteries are all above ground tombs.
On top of that, they’ve devised a system to save space by burying multiple people in one tomb or “oven” as they call it. Don’t worry, they try to keep it all in the family.
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The main cemetery in New Orleans is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, but it became overcrowded with tourism a few years ago. So now to go inside, you now need to pay for a ticket… and it isn’t exactly cheap considering it’s cemetery…
That’s why going to Lafayette Cemetery No.1 is a great alternative. You’ll see similar style graves to the ones in St. Louis No. 1 for free! Plus, it’s on your way from the St. Charles Streetcar to your next stop in the Garden District: Magazine street New Orleans!
Update: Lafayette Cemetery No.1 has been closed for repairs since 2019!! Hopefully it will be open again soon! You can still see a bit from the gates at least.
P.S. You can also go on a tour of the Lafayette Cemetery AND the Garden District if you’re interested on Viator here. While the cemetery is closed, they conduct part of the tour from the cemetery gates.
See the other cemeteries in New Orleans that are still open to the public here.
Walk Along Magazine Street New Orleans (Washington To Louisiana)
Magazine Street New Orleans is one of the longest streets in the city. It follows the curve of the Mississippi River from Canal Street through Audubon Park.
Along the street, there are a few worthwhile blocks to check out – one of the best ones happen to be in the Garden District.
The best blocks are from Washington Av. to Louisiana Av., with a few notable shops and restaurants.
This is the part of the Garden District that we came back a second time because we loved it so much!
Joey K’s For A Po’ Boy Lunch
Po’ boys are a NOLA classic. It’s essentially a sandwich made from French bread. You can fill it with roast beef, shrimp, catfish…etc. You’ll want to order it all dressed with tomatoes, pickles, and onions.
We had a lot of po’ boys in New Orleans. We even trekked to Bayou St John to go to the Parkway Bakery and Tavern – known to have the best po’ boys in the city…
Let’s just say, we went back twice to Joey K’s and left disappointed from the Parkway Bakery and Tavern…
I highly recommend the roast beef po’ boy, all dressed, and make sure to add sautéed onions at Joey K’s.
I also like Joey K’s because you can order a half a po’ boy, if you aren’t that hungry, or you want to try two sandwiches! They also offer a DELICIOUS vegetarian eggplant po’ boy!
New Orleans Food Viator Tours
Food is such a big part of New Orleans culture so dive right in with a guided food tour in the city!
New Orleans food walking tour in the French Quarter →
New Orleans Demonstration Cooking Class and Meal →
Click here for more food tours in New Orleans on Viator.
Antique & Souvenir Shopping On Magazine Street
Next continue your walk along Magazine street. You’ll walk by several one of a kind shops: antique shops where you can literally get lost inside, and some local New Orleans shops – perfect for souvenir shopping (see my suggestions in my post here).
New Orleans is somewhat known for their abundance of antiques, so it’s only necessary that you walk into one antique shop while you’re there!
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The Vintage Cafe For A Beignet & Chicory Coffee
Close to the end of Magazine Street in the Garden District is another New Orleans classic: The Vintage Cafe.
I mean, it would’t be a day in New Orleans without a beignet and coffee, and these are some of the best in the city!
They actually fill their beignet with a variety of different flavours. You can get a flight and try them all, or order one and come back a second time to try the others!
The Vintage also of course sells their own chicory coffee blend. Order a New Orleans cafe au lait, or order it black to really notice the chicory notes!
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P.S. Bring a book to just hang out here and read for a bit to digest your beignet and enjoy your coffee!
How To Get Back To New Orleans Center From The Garden District?
You can continue walking down Magazine street New Orleans, but as I said, it continues on for quite a while longer!
If you’re ready to head back to the city centre, you have two options to get back: Uber/ taxi, or take the streetcar.
If you’re interested in taking the streetcar back to Canal street, you’ll have to walk back up to St Charles avenue. It’s about a 10 minute walk, depending on where you are in the Garden District.
The St Charles streetcar will take you back to Canal street in the city centre.
New Orleans Hotel Recommendations
I stayed at the Hampton Inn Conference Center in New Orleans, although it was a great hotel, it’s a bit far from all the main attractions. See it on Booking.com here.
I would recommend instead staying on Canal Street instead. It’s a large lively street with a lot of hotel options. Plus you’re within walking distance to the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, and all the streetcars (even the St. Charles Streetcar!) to take you wherever you want to go!
A good option is the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street (see it on Booking.com).
Or if you’re looking for a more budget friendly option, just slightly off Canal Street is the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton, see it on Booking.com.
Click here for more hotels in New Orleans on Booking.com.
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