10 Things to Do in New Orleans in Winter

From mid-December to the end of March, the winter months in New Orleans offer a variety of options for fun without the heat.

Check out the 10 things you can't miss in this southern city during the winter season and discover one of the cultural heartlands of the American South.

When it comes to fun in New Orleans, the first thing that will always come up in conversation is Mardi Gras. It gets its name from the fact that it's the last time you can eat in moderation before Lent. It's a holiday known for the number of tourists who flock to the streets of the French Quarter and Downtown in search of partying, booze and debauchery.

Approximately 850,000 people usually attend this event, which lasts from Friday, the beginning of Carnival, until Tuesday, when it officially ends to mark the beginning of Ash Wednesday.

Costumes, allegorical floats, decorative masks, lots of atmosphere and a lot of jazz is what you will find from the beginning to the end of these peculiar and entertaining days. Without a doubt, these days offer you the best things to do in New Orleans during February. If your stay coincides with this holiday, take advantage of it to book a gastronomic tour of New Orleans and catch up with this celebration.

Useful information

• Price: Watching the float parade is free, but access to some bars with a view can cost $100 (approximately €92.5).
• Duration: Activities usually run from noon to night, but the specific time of the float parade may change from year to year.
• Location: The French Quarter is the epicentre, but the floats run along Canal Street and the festivities take place especially on Bourbon Street.

You may be surprised to know that your visit coincides with some NBA games taking place in New Orleans. The home team is called the New Orleans Pelicans and according to many sports experts, enjoying a mid-season NBA game is among the best experiences you can have. This doesn't matter if you are inexperienced or if you are a true basketball fan.

So, I recommend you to book your ticket for New Orleans Pelicans. It's a great plan to include in your list of things to do and see in New Orleans at night, as it's a festive and entertaining atmosphere that allows you to drink alcohol if you wish. It's a great way to get your mind and body ready to continue the party at a bar or nightclub in the city.

Useful information

• Price: from 60 or 70 $ (55 - 65 €) to 1.000 (1.080 €) or even more, depending on the position of the seat inside the venue and the importance of the match.
• Duration: approximately 48 minutes, but can be extended depending on the number of player changes.
• Location: The Smoothie King Center is the home of the New Orleans Pelicans.

A Christmas tradition that has persisted since the French colony prior to the American purchase of Louisiana is the Christmas Eve Bonfires. Basically, it consists of logs of wood lit on fire that are placed one on top of the other to resemble a Christmas tree.

The purpose is to illuminate the arrival of Father Christmas, although some say the tradition was born to indicate the nearest Catholic church for midnight mass.

Being able to book a flying lesson and see it from the sky will dazzle you. Also, keep in mind that this is an event that takes place in suburban communities as free, family-friendly entertainment.

Information of interest

• Price: Bonfires are a free activity.
• Duration: Bonfires are usually lit with flammable liquids at 7pm and burn until the entire log structure is consumed.
• Location: just outside the city centre, such as the banks of the Mississippi River, in St James Parrish County.

New Year's Eve is another big player in the early winter cultural scene and New Orleans is undoubtedly one of the best places in all of North America to be in the days leading up to it. Fireworks will abound in different parts of the city for the official chimes, but your best bet is to watch the spectacle unfold over the waters of the Mississippi River.

You can opt for a more moderate plan by booking a table at a restaurant in the French Quarter, or head to a nightclub to enjoy the first night of the new year among the throngs of tourists. Either way, booking a tour of New Orleans' French Quarter is a good plan if you want to take advantage of your visit to learn a little about the reasons behind the beautiful and authentic architectural identity of this corner of the United States.

The best steamboats in New Orleans also often offer special tours that include a buffet, champagne and jazz for those looking for a slightly more elegant way to celebrate. Consider it if it's something that might fit into your budget. Here are a few options:

• New Orleans cruise by night, from £46.
• New Orleans cruise with private boat tour and dinner, from £153.

Details of interest

• Prices: From €48.
• Duration: Approximately 3 hours.
• Location: Mississippi River.

If you love sports, or are just curious to see the excitement that Americans feel for their teams up close, then winter is the season for you. The Sugar Allstate Bowl is a semi-final of the College Playoffs. That is, the post-season of college football in the United States.

Traditionally, it is held in Louisiana, just as the Rose Bowl is held in California. Plus, there is the incredible fact that for the last couple of years it has been held exclusively in the city's Superdome, one of the most impressive sports stadiums in the world.

Plus, you have the opportunity to book your New Orleans Saints ticket and enjoy American football to the fullest - an experience you won't forget!

Interesting details

• Prices: Usually around $130 (€120), but can be purchased for less or more depending on the website.
• Duration: An American football game lasts 60 minutes in 4 blocks of 15 minutes. However, scoreboard stops for timeouts and player changes can take up to 3 hours.

St. Patricks Day is a date that is celebrated all over the United States and the festive identity of New Orleans has lent a great deal of mysticism to the day, even though the Irish community is not as large in this part of the American South.

Drinking beer and wearing green are activities that characterise the day. If you're interested, you can plan to make the March 17th festivities in the historic city centre one of your things to see and do in March in New Orleans. My recommendation is to book a pub crawl around New Orleans so you can check out the best venues.

There is also a festival full of music, decorations and tourists. So, if you happen to be in town on this date, it's not a bad idea to pack a couple of green clothes that are good for dancing. Keep in mind that the parade will see floats throwing carrots, lettuce and all sorts of other foods associated with Irish culture.

Useful information

• Price: The parade is completely free to watch and, in fact, it's a holiday that is known for being full of discounts when it comes to drinking alcohol in pubs and restaurants.
• Duration: The celebrations go on until midnight, but the parade usually takes place in the mid-afternoon.
• Location: Canal Street just like Mardi Gras, but the most festive activity will be concentrated on Bourbon Street.

Speaking of food, you'll find Cajun cuisine especially delicious during your winter stay, especially since it's the coldest time of year in New Orleans and the food is spicy, hot and spicy.

To cope with these temperatures, which are mild compared to other parts of the country, you can eat jambalaya or a typical and tasty Gumbo. Both recipes have humble origins, dating back to colonial times, when thousands of slaves throughout the territory needed to make the most of every ingredient:

• The first, the Jambalaya, consists of rice with vegetables and meat or fish, spaced well apart.
• Gumbo is an even more watery stew, full of seafood, although it can be prepared with pieces of chicken and fish. It often includes andouille, a French sausage that has a strong influence on the food of this region.
• Muffuletta, southern fried chicken and cornbread are other items to include on your list of local foods to try in winter.
• And don't forget some begniers fresh from the fryer - the quintessential local pastry dessert.

The King C ake is another imported tradition that is very much a part of the cultural identity of New Orleans. The big difference is that there it is called Kings Cake and it is still eaten from Kings Day until the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday.

It is decorated with the typical Mardi Gras colours of purple, green and gold. The flavour also changes a little, as it does not have orange blossom, it includes lemon zest, orange juice is usually added and nutmeg is added. It is not supposed to be filled, but restaurants and cafés have decided to push its interpretation to new limits over the years. The bakeries that have made a name for themselves when it comes to the best Kings Cake each season are the following:

• Haydel Bakery.
• Breads on Oak.
• Bywater Bakery.

However, it's also highly recommended that you try some of the food tours of New Orleans that take place during this time of year. They will almost certainly take you to less touristy spots that have won the palates of all connoisseurs of good local food.

For most people, winter is synonymous with the end-of-year festivities. More specifically, Christmas and everything associated with it. So it may come as no surprise to learn that a dinner, a party or a night out on the eve of the 25th of this month are among the top 10 things to see and do in New Orleans in December.

A very unique and special thing to do this holiday season is to go to Jackson Square to sing Christmas carols, or at least listen to them being sung by the St. Louis Cathedral Choir.

The typical holiday dinner is known as the Reveillon Dinner and most restaurants, whether gourmet or touristy, will offer a menu that includes the most iconic dishes of the holiday. The Mississippi riverfront will be filled with free concerts, street performers and a festive atmosphere. In addition, Canal Street will be lined with lights accompanying a 50-foot Father Christmas.

Your first thought might not be to include a Three Kings Day celebration on your list of 10 things to see and do in New Orleans in winter, as it's a holiday that isn't usually celebrated in the United States. However, in this particular city, it represents the start of the countdown to the most important time of the year, Mardi Gras.

So you can be sure that more than one establishment will be hosting a celebration related to what is known there as Three Kings Day.

Plus, it's a little reassuring as a parent to know that you can continue your traditions when planning things to see and do in New Orleans with kids.

The highs in New Orleans during the winter season are usually between 19 and 18 degrees Celsius. At the same time, minimum temperatures can drop to as low as 7 or 6 degrees on a cold night.

You have to seriously consider that the weather is very changeable, but at the same time the American South is characterised by being a bit warmer than the rest of the country.

So it wouldn't hurt to take some coats with you, but never expect snowfall and never expect the temperature to drop into the minus degrees.

February is definitely a busy time for tourism in Louisiana and especially in New Orleans because of Mardi Gras.

However, it is also true that it is not comparable to the flow of tourists that can develop in some summers. So you can comfortably enjoy all the activities to see and do on your visit to New Orleans. Mardi Gras represents just one week of peak season and summer attracts huge crowds for three whole months.

So the best thing to do if you don't enjoy the crowded events is to wait until the Mardi Gras weekend is over. The week of 25 December to New Year's should also be avoided to ensure the conditions you like.