Unlock NOLA: Top Things to Do in New Orleans
Whether you are coming to New Orleans for work, school, or another reason, moving is a long process. Make your move easier by renting a storage unit with Fountainbleau Self Storage. We have interior, temperature-controlled, and drive-up storage units in a range of sizes. No matter your storage needs, we have a storage option to help. Our outdoor parking is even large enough for boat and RV storage in New Orleans. Fountainbleau Self Storage’s facility on Tulane Avenue offers convenient storage near Mid-City, Gert Town, and Tulane-Gravier neighborhoods. Find storage to help you settle in, and browse our Mover’s Guide to New Orleans LA below to explore the city!
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Explore Life in New Orleans, LA
Population: 389,648
Median Rent: $973
New Orleans attracts more than 18 million people annually for world-famous celebrations like Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Music is deeply ingrained into the soul of New Orleans and its cultural identity. Often called the “birthplace of jazz,” the city has been a hotbed for musical innovation and talent for generations. Walking through its streets, you’ll hear jazz, blues, zydeco, and Dixieland styles pouring out of clubs, bars, and balconies. Live music can be found any night of the week, from street performers to renowned venues like Tipitina’s, House of Blues, and Preservation Hall which hosts intimate jazz concerts.
Beyond tourism, music also drives New Orleans’ economy and vibrancy with major music festivals year-round being just the tip of the iceberg. Local radio stations spotlight homegrown artists. Young musicians sharpen their skills at establishments like the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. Music education programs thrive in schools across the city. While the legacy of jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Professor Longhair lives on, New Orleans continues fostering new generations of musical talent. For travelers and locals alike, music provides the festive, joyous backdrop to experiencing all the Big Easy has to offer.
With its unique island-like geography and melting pot of cultures, New Orleans developed one of the most distinctive culinary identities found anywhere. The city’s cuisine blends European, West African, and Southern influences into beloved traditions like Creole and Cajun cooking. Staples like gumbo, jambalaya, po’ boys, and beignets reflect the blending of flavors, styles, and ingredients over centuries. Chefs continue to innovate on classics at restaurants ranging from hole-in-the-wall joints to white tablecloth dining rooms. The abundance of fresh seafood and local produce elevates any dish. For visitors, diving into New Orleans’ famous food scene offers an authentic window into the city’s culture and character. Explore the famous Bourbon Street in the French Quarter and all its restaurants and historical landmarks.
Considering a move to New Orleans? Check out our NOLA Neighborhood Guide to learn more about the city’s different neighborhoods and what makes each of them special.
Quality Education
Education in New Orleans provides families with plenty of high-quality public, private, and charter schools to choose from. The city’s public schools are part of the Orleans Parish School District and include standout institutions like Benjamin Franklin High School, praised for its academics, music program and athletics. Lusher Charter School is consistently ranked among the best in Louisiana with programs emphasizing arts and sciences. Prestigious private academies like Isidore Newman also call New Orleans home.
At the university level, New Orleans is home to several excellent higher education institutions. The University of New Orleans is a public university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in fields from engineering to education. Tulane University, a private research university, provides studies in arts, sciences, law, business and more. Loyola University New Orleans is a Catholic Jesuit school providing liberal arts curriculums. Southern University at New Orleans is a public historically Black university. Community college options include Delgado Community College with technical programs.
St. Louis Basilica, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA lic PXFuel
Things to Do in New Orleans
Experience the Vibrancy of the French Quarter
Can you visit New Orleans without visiting Bourbon Street? This historic, adult-friendly street is the place to go for bars and fun at any time of day or night. Named for the royal family in France at the time of New Orleans’ founding, Bourbon Street is the heart of the French Quarter, famous for its lively nightlife and eclectic mix of restaurants that encapsulate the city’s heritage. It is home to classic dining and drinking spots that have been serving up Creole and Cajun flavors for generations. Restaurants here embrace tradition from their antique decor to their customary dishes like gumbo, jambalaya and po’ boys. At the same time, chefs put creative spins on Louisiana standbys with new takes featuring fresh local seafood and produce. Soak in the jazz, conversation, and people-watching just as much as the local flavors.
From historic fine dining institutions to lively music venues, Bourbon Street’s famous restaurants offer a delicious introduction to New Orleans’ vibrant food culture.
- Galatoire’s – This fine dining institution opened in 1905 and still draws crowds for its old-school ambiance and signature shrimp remoulade, trout meunière, and escargots bourguignonne. Jackets are required for dinner service.
- Acme Oyster House – Slurp down raw, char-grilled and Rockefeller style oysters at this casual Creole seafood joint open since 1910. Their oyster po’ boys are legendary.
- Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar – Said to be the oldest continually operating bar in the country since the 1700s, the rustic Lafitte’s serves drinks by candlelight with a healthy dose of history.
- Café Beignet – Stop by this cozy cafe for piping hot beignets doused in powdered sugar, chicory cafe au lait, and New Orleans-style entrees 24 hours a day.
- Bourbon House Seafood – An upscale NOLA restaurant featuring creative takes on seafood classics like blackened redfish and shrimp etouffee as well as craft cocktails. The dining rooms open to Bourbon Street views.
Jackson Square is right along the Mississippi River, housing beautiful, historic buildings, as well as an open-air artist community. For more than half a century, artists have gathering in Jackson Square to create and share their work. An afternoon in this stretch of New Orleans will walk you through many genres of art along the fences and introduce you to some truly stunning architecture. You can visit the Presbytere and Cabildo museums and the St. Louis Cathedral in the area. The cathedral is open to tours, and you can worship there daily. Explore NOLA like a local by checking out all the Jackson Square attractions the French Quarter has to offer!
Take a Walk through City Park
City Park in New Orleans is a 1,300-acre public park, one of the largest and most-visited urban parks in the United States. Established in 1854, City Park offers lush landscapes of centuries-old oak trees and a wide variety of recreational activities for residents and visitors alike.
Families visiting the park can enjoy the amusement park, Carousel Gardens, which features a historic wooden carousel, Ferris wheel, roller coaster, and other rides. Included in your ticket for the rides is your admission to Storyland, a fairytale-themed playground that delights children with its larger-than-life sculptures of popular characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales.
Among the park’s many attractions, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) is the city’s oldest fine arts institution, featuring a diverse and extensive collection of art from around the world. The adjacent Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, spread across 11 acres, showcases more than 90 sculptures by renowned artists.
Get your nature fix by taking a stroll through the New Orleans Botanical Garden. Also within City Park, it offers a serene environment with more than 2,000 plant species from around the world, including a magnificent conservatory that houses tropical plants and a butterfly exhibit. It was named the best birding spot in New Orleans by Birder’s World Magazine thanks to its more than 280 bird species that have been spotted. The dedicated preservation of the park’s natural resources has maintained its integrity as a center for biodiversity in the city.
City Park also offers various outdoor recreational activities, such as golf courses, tennis courts, sports fields, playgrounds, boat and bike rentals, and walking, jogging, and biking paths.
Bring the Fanatic Energy
Sports also play a central role in the culture of the Big Easy. In 2010, the NFL’s New Orleans Saints‘ first Super Bowl victory became a symbolic championship for the city as it continued rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Home games at the iconic Superdome erupt with cheers of “Who Dat!” as fans sport black and gold. And during basketball season, the Smoothie King Center arena is taken over as the New Orleans Pelicans take the court. Louisiana’s only NBA team, the Pelicans joined the league in 2002 and have showcased stars like Anthony Davis. The arena also hosts NCAA contests and tournaments.
For college sports, LSU football rules with New Orleans residents flocking to Baton Rouge for SEC matchups. Meanwhile, Tulane fields competitive teams across sports from baseball to tennis.
Get to Know New Orleans with Fountainbleau Self Storage
Are you getting to know the area for an upcoming move? Fountainbleau Self Storage understands the ins and outs of the New Orleans community, and can offer you support through the transition. We strive ease the stress of moving into a new home and allow settling into your space to be as seamless as possible.
From Fountainbleau Self Storage’s affordable storage spaces, to our friendly and knowledgeable staff, we can provide superior customer service from start to finish. With us, you never have to worry about losing or misplacing your belongings in the chaos of a move. Rather than squeezing a full load of boxes into your new space at once, rent a storage unit with us, and take your time taking in New Orleans!
Self Storage in Mid-City
Our Tulane Avenue storage facility, near the intersection with I-10, is your premier storage solution in Mid-City, New Orleans. We offer a variety of indoor and temperature-controlled storage units to protect your most valuable items, and our drive-up storage units give you the highest convenience when it comes to loading and unloading. Are you are a musician looking for practice space? We have that, too! Our music rehearsal studio rentals provide a professional location for you to work and collaborate with other artists. Get everything you need and more with Fountainbleau Self Storage.
You can find your self storage space and handle your rental completely online. Browse our available storage units and take advantage of our different resources to determine the ideal storage unit size and features for your situation. Rent or reserve online today!
Katie Mest
About the Author: Katie Mest is a Content Marketing Specialist at Storage Asset Management in York, PA. She specializes in writing about the self storage industry, including storage tips and helpful resources. Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time exploring the outdoors and snuggling in with a crochet project and her cat, Billie.
