Endless Bliss | Happy Lifestyle Blog: The Best Way to Explore New Orleans.

The Best Way to Explore New Orleans.

freewheelin bike tours new orleans


Last week, I spent a few days in New Orleans for a work trip. I was asked to give a presentation on social media on Tuesday, but I spent Sunday through Thursday in the city, which meant I had one major day of work and a lot of free time. I knew that I was going to be spending a lot of time on my own, and I wanted to find a fun and safe way to explore the city, so I opted to do a bike tour. A quick Google search led me to FreeWheelin' Bike Tours, and I must say, they were amazing. 

My tour guide's name was Mike, and he did a great job of making little ole me feel right at home. There were just three of us in this tour, which was called Mardi Gras, Mansions, & Movie Stars. I wanted to go on the Creole & Crescent tour, but it was sold out, and I'm actually thrilled that it was. This was my first time riding a bike in a really long time, and if I was with nine other people (which is the max for their tours) and the tour guide, I think I would have struggled a lot more with keeping up on my bike. I loved just having the four of us together. 

On the tour, we learned about the history of New Orleans and visited one of the most beautiful parts of New Orleans that I've ever seen, The Garden District. We saw some gorgeous mansions, many of which were decorated with Mardi Gras beads for the season. It was a lot of fun to do this tour while Mardi Gras season was in session. It was also interesting to see places where movies and TV shows had been filmed and see the houses mansions that celebrities call home. 

american horror story coven house new orleans
This was the house used in season 3 of American Horror Story.

american horror story coven house new orleans
Here's a front view of the house. 

anne rice's house new orleans
This is one of Anne Rice's houses. 
sandra bullock's house new orleans
This is Sandra Bullock's house. Unfortunately, we didn't get to say hi, but her precious dogs barked at us. 

the curious case of benjamin button new orleans
This house was used in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 
new orleans mansions
This house used to belong to Anne Rice, and she used it to display her doll collection. Later, Nicholas Cage bought it, but he refused to pay his taxes, so it was seized by the government. 

eli and payton manning house new orleans
For all of you football fans, this is where the Mannings live. 


We made a pit stop for refreshments at a coffee shop called Still Perkin' during the middle of our tour. I enjoyed an everything bagel while exploring the little book shop in the shopping area. It was so cute, and I was tempted to buy many things, but I stopped myself because of my challenge and all.

still perkin new orleans
garden district book shop new orleans
They had so many awesome books and even a few signed books. Anne Rice does books signings here. 


We visited the Lafayette Cemetery, where I learned exactly how tombs work. It was definitely interesting considering many of the tombs had been there for so long. 

lafayette cemetery new orleans

lafayette cemetery new orleans


On our way back to FreeWheelin', we ran into a mini Mardi Gras parade with several elementary school students. It was the cutest thing. We also ran into a line of floats headed to be set up for the parades that would be happening later that night. 

Mike told us about an artist that they call Banksy who sneaks around every once in awhile and pants murals on buildings. These murals are worth thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars, and we stopped to admire this one, depicting the Gray Ghost:

banksy mural new orleans


I loved exploring New Orleans on my bike and would love to take another tour with FreeWheelin'. Mike was an incredible guide, and he was so patient with me after finding out that I hadn't ridden a bike in years. After the tour, I asked him for a recommendation of where to eat, and he suggested a place called The Royal House. I walked there and enjoyed impeccable service. Everyone was so nice, and one of the workers even talked to me about Shreveport because he had lived there for awhile. 

I ordered a dozen raw oysters for lunch, and holy cow, they were so good. It was an oyster bar, so I figured I may as well go for what they're known for, and they didn't disappoint. I forgot how much I loved raw oysters. I also enjoyed a glass of moscato with my meal that was tasty and sweet. 

the royal house oyster bar new orleans
Bad case of helmet hair right here. 

the royal house oyster bar new orleans


On my walk back to the hotel, I spotted a cute little place called Cafe Beignet and decided to stop in. I knew I wasn't going to be able to make it to Cafe du Monde this trip, but I still wanted to get my beignet fix. I'm so glad I made the stop, because the beignets were delicious and the perfect thing to fill my already mostly full belly. Plus, the place was so adorable. They had little heart chairs and brick walls. I loved it.

cafe beignet new orleans

cafe beignet new orleans
cafe beignet new orleans


I'm so happy I decided to take a bike tour because it led to so many great things. I was able to explore parts of New Orleans that I know I wouldn't have seen otherwise, and I got a great recommendation for a lunch spot and an awesome surprise dessert on the way home. It was definitely a perfect solo travel day.

If you want to see my New Orleans trip in action, be sure to check out my latest vlog!


Have you ever been on a bike tour? What's your favorite way to explore a new city? 

38 comments :

  1. It looks like you had an amazing trip, New Orleans is on my list of places I want to visit & you just gave me so many great ideas that I can use on a future trip :)

    xoox, SS

    The
    Southern Stylista

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  2. That tour sounds so cool! I love the big ol' southern mansions, even the graveyard looks really interesting and I'm normally not a big fan of potentially spooky stuff like that!

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  3. Sounds like a great trip. I have never been on a bike tour before. I normal explore new city on foot.

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  4. How fun is that! I've always wanted to go to New Orleans and this seems like an awesome way to tour it.

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  5. This is awesome! We're going to New Orleans in the spring and this looks like such a fun way to see the city + we love biking!

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  6. So gorgeous!! That must have been so much fun!

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  7. This is so cool! We are planning to go to New Orleans one of these days. I'll definitely be putting this on my to-do list! =)

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  8. Well, Sandra Bullock lives in my dream home... who knew?


    This looks like a fabulous trip! I've always wanted to visit New Orleans and you're just reconfirming that dream. A few friends of mine went last year for a Jazz festival and said it was one of the best trips they'd ever been on.


    Very cool!
    www.cookwineandthinker.com

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  9. You attend the coolest things! This looks like it was a super-fun trip. I haven't been to New Orleans since I was about 6. We went to the original Popeye's. :-)

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  10. Wow! New Orleans looks amazing, i've always wanted to go, but this has convinced me that I need to! I love love love that first white house! Ahh it's amazing. Thanks for sharing !!


    xoxo
    Karen
    http://kensingtonwest.me.uk

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  11. This is such a neat idea! Even though Jeromy lived in New Orleans for a year, we did not get to explore as much as I wanted to!

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  12. This is such a cool idea! I absolutely need to do something like this in Madison!

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  13. Oh that is so awesome! I live about 4 hours away from New Orleans and have been wanting to go! Now I know the right way to do it! Great post :)

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  14. I have never been on a bike tour, but you can bet I'm going to go on one now! Most important question: how did your presentation go?!?!?! I need to hear all about it! I'm sure you #slayed it. (:


    cominguprosestheblog.com

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  15. I'm obsessed with bike tours now, and I decided if there's a bike tour in a city I'm traveling to, I'm taking one. It was so fun! My presentation went really well! I was so nervous, and I accidentally sang a word during it because I'm awkward haha. But everyone was really complimentary and said I did a good job, and some of the big wigs in the company even attended and had great things to say, so that's always good. Thanks so much for asking!!

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  16. Do it! I live about 5 hours away, but I got to sleep most of my ride there and back! You should definitely make the trip. It's worth it!

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  17. One of my bosses said she had taken one before, so I thought, why not? I'd rather ride a bike than walk! The beignets were so good! I had Cafe du Monde the last time I visited New Orleans, so I wasn't too heartbroken, but I still like the environment of Cafe du Monde because there's so much happening around there! I'll definitely be making a trip back later.

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  18. Do it! It's such a fun way to explore new cities. I would love to take one every time I travel.

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  19. If I had more time, I would have taken another bike tour with them. It was so fun. That's such a shame that you didn't get to explore as much as you wanted. There's so much to see! I feel like I didn't see much compared to the vastness of New Orleans. There's so many different areas.

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  20. You should! I know a lot of people go for partying and stuff, but there's also so much history and beauty in New Orleans. Plus, the food is amazing.

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  21. That's so awesome! I really wanted to get some Popeye's while I was down there, but I didn't. I would have loved to go to the original one.

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  22. Right?! I want her house! It was gorgeous. All of the houses were. New Orleans is so amazing! I'm jealous of your friend that got to go to Jazz Fest. I really want to go this year because there are so many amazing people that are going to be there.

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  23. It was a blast. I'm so happy I explored the city that way.

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  24. Yessss! Carly, you seriously have to do it! It was amazing. And if you love biking, then you'll definitely love this. I was nervous the whole time because I wasn't used to it, but I still loved it.

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  25. Yes! It's the perfect first day activity, because you get to ride by a lot of awesome places, and if you want to go by after the door or some other day on your trip, you can! They also have bike rentals so you could explore the city on your own after your tour.

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  26. This was my first bike tour, and I'm so glad I did it. I usually explore cities on foot too, but now I'm going to be looking for bike tours everywhere I go.

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  27. Same here! Graveyards creep me out, but this one was just neat!

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  28. Yay! I'm glad! When you make your trip, you'll definitely have to report back and tell how much you love it! It's easy to fall in love with a city like New Orleans.

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  29. Okay. I LOVE New Orleans! It's my favorite place that I've ever been. I'm craving beignet thanks to your picture!

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  30. I LOVE New Orleans and if I won the lottery, I'd definitely get myself a place in the Garden District...its so lovely! I was there last September and ate at Cafe Beignet as well (we actually waited out a rainstorm there...loved their coffee!). I never thought about doing a bike tour, but you've inspired me! What a great way to see a city :-). Loved this post, Tiffany!

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  31. Go go go! It's such a beautiful city to explore. I hope you make it there one day!

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  32. Most definitely! Everything in the Garden District is so beautiful. That's awesome that you've been to Cafe Beignet too! I loved how quaint it was. You should definitely do a bike tour! It was a blast!

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  33. I have always wanted to visit New Orleans! It looks like such a beautiful place with a lot of history. Totally jealous that you saw Sandra Bullock's house...would I have tried to break in? Maybe yes. Also, the beignets looked DELISH, though I don't know about the raw oysters. But if you're washing them down with moscato, how bad can they be? Loved reading!


    Xo
    Taylor
    acupoftay.com

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  34. I love New Orleans! It's such a great place to visit, because even though I've been a few times, each of my trips have been so different, and I've been able to explore different parts of the city. I would have loved to break into Sandra Bullock's yard and play with her dogs! They were so cute!

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  35. I never would've thought to take a bike tour in New Orleans, but that seems like the perfect way to see everything. Those old buildings are just gorgeous, and I'm glad you got to get some beignets... even if they weren't from Cafe du Monde!

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