Last Updated on August 28, 2024
New Orleans. The vibrant, culturally rich city located in southeastern Louisiana is known for its unique blend of French, Spanish, African and Creole influences, evident in its architecture, food, music and traditions.
New Orleans has much more to offer visitors than just Mardi Gras. Guests can spend their money by taking a riverboat up the Mighty Mississippi, a carriage ride through the historic district, or visiting the renowned National WWII Museum.
Travelers can also find a myriad of free things to do in the Crescent City, many celebrating the essence of New Orleans’ spirit, including signature free festivals.
These are my top recommendations for free things to do in New Orleans.
Stroll through Woldenberg Riverfront Park
This is a lovely way to enjoy the city. From Canal Street to the Moon Walk along the French Quarter, visitors can stroll down the riverfront and watch ships of all kinds on the Mississippi River. Along the riverfront, you’ll find the greenspace of Crescent Park stretching for 1.4 miles along the water, providing unparalleled views.
Picnic in the Park
New Orleans’ parks offer ideal spots for a picnic lunch on the grassy spaces overlooking the river. If you’re looking for the best place to pick up a sandwich or other items, head to Central Grocery. This small, old-fashioned Italian-American grocery store with a sandwich counter was founded in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant.
My favorite sandwich here? The iconic Muffaletta made with layers of olive salad, genoa salami, ham, mortadella, provolone and Swiss cheese on freshly baked bread. Word of warning, however, one is big enough to share!
Take a Self-Guided Tour of Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square
This magnificent church built in 1727 is open to the public and you’re welcome to spend as long or as little as you want oohing and awing over the immense beauty of the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic Cathedral in the U.S.
The stained-glass windows and paintings are extraordinary works of art, as is the Rococo-style, gilded altar that graces the front of the church.
People Watch on Jackson Square
While you’re in Jackson Square, find a comfortable spot to take a break sitting and people-watching. The people-watching in New Orleans is among the best in the world. You’ll see some unique characters here including local musicians and artists along with tarot card readers attempting to convince visitors their “future is in the cards.”
New Orleans Jazz Museum’s Concerts
New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and has produced many greats like Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Harry Connick, Jr.
If you happen to be in the city on a Friday, head to the museum’s performance center located at the Old U.S. Mint built in 1835 right on the edge of the French Quarter. Every Friday afternoon, the museum hosts a free concert and tickets are first come, first served and available at the front desk.
Peruse the French Market
I cannot miss this opportunity when I’m in New Orleans. You’ll find stalls of souvenirs, clever baubles, local produce, specialty art, handmade crafts and more in the five blocks of the market building that originated in 1791. Wednesdays and Sundays bring in the fresh food vendors. Visitors will also find food stands, restaurants and outdoor dining spaces surrounding the market.
Free Walking Tours
Free Tours by Foot offers complimentary walking tours of the French Quarter, the Garden District as well as cemetery, ghost and pub crawls.
NOLA Tour Guide also provides seven different walking tours of New Orleans run by local guides passionate about their city and excited to share the unique culture of the place they call home.
Though these tours are complimentary, both of them leave it up to visitors and guests to determine if they wish to pay or tip (usually $20 or $25 per person suggested) as they guarantee you’ll be back for yet another tour.
Visit the Lower 9th Ward Living Museum
Through collaboration with local residents, this Living Museum tells the history of the Lower Ninth Ward through the perspectives and voices of those who live there. Since the museum opened post-Katrina, more than 60 Lower Ninth Ward residents have shared generations of stories and life experiences included in six rooms of exhibits that also share the history of the Lower Ninth Ward as a place of refuge for enslaved people.
Visit a Cemetery
No visit to New Orleans should happen without at least one cemetery visit to learn about the history and yes, macabre beauty of the Cities of the Dead where the departed are entombed in elaborate marble chambers above ground.
Some cemeteries such as St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 require a guide due to the vandalism and deterioration of the tombs, but others are open to visitors without one. These include St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, Greenwood Cemetery, St. Roche and Metairie.
Learn about the Classic NOLA Cocktail at Sazerac House
New Orleans was where the Sazarac Cocktail (expertly balanced whiskey with sugar, bitters and absinthe) was born in 1838.
Guests can now visit the Sazarac House, a state-of-the-art experience that opened in 2019, and learn about the history of cocktail culture in New Orleans, how the famous drink is made and enjoy some free samples.
Check out Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone
Even if you don’t stay for a signature cocktail, you should definitely check out New Orleans’ only revolving bar at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. Decked out in a classic merry-go-round fashion, this 1949 bar has been a hot spot for locals, visitors and A-list celebrities for years. The 25-seats of the bar slowly rotate at one revolution every 15 minutes.
If you can’t nab a seat at the bar, there is stationary seating surrounding the carousel or you can always just pop your head in for a quick photo op.
Gallery Hop in the Arts and Warehouse District
As an art lover, I believe New Orleans is one of the best cities in the U.S. for art galleries. You’ll find a fun and fascinating mix of eclectic artwork throughout the city, but it’s the Arts and Warehouse District that is vital, alive and delightful.
If you happen to be in town on the First Saturday of the month, don’t miss the Julia Street art walk in the evening.
New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Gardens
Formally titled the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, the site is consistently named one of the top sculpture gardens in the country. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden highlights world-class art from the 19th century to the present day – Renoir through Wangechi Mutu – in a landscape unique to South Louisiana.
NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and open to the public seven days a week.
Visit Congo Square at Armstrong Park
This is where you’ll feel the vibe and good juju of New Orleans!
The historic site is where enslaved people and free people of color would come to celebrate music, dance and culture throughout the 19th century on their only free day each week. Sunday afternoons are still filled with drumming, music, dance, traditional jazz and open markets. Local voodoo practitioners still consider Congo Square a spiritual base and gather at the square for rituals.
Wander Through the Garden District
Honestly, you feel like you’re in another world when you enter the Garden District neighborhood representing a grander age in Uptown, New Orleans. You’ll escape the sometimes madness of the city as you wander past beautiful mansions, wrought iron fences and balconies surrounded by ancient magnolias, scents of jasmine, massive leafy green oaks and perfectly manicured lawns.
If you really want to get into the character and spirit of the area, hop on the historic St. Charles streetcar from the heart of the city to Uptown for just $1.25 one-way.
Restaurant Mardi Gras Collections
Renowned NOLA restaurants not only serve the best classic French and Creole dishes, but did you know they also house iconic collections?
Arnaud’s Restaurant on Bienville Street offers a tour of Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum on an upstairs floor while Antoine’s on St. Louis Street and Brennan’s on Royal Street house classic New Orleans treasures.
Annual Free Festivals
All throughout the year, the Big Easy hosts free festivals to include:
- French Quarter Fest in April
- French Quarter Creole Tomato Festival in June
- Satchmo Summerfest in August
- Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest in October
- Gentilly Fest in October
- Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival in November
The next time you’re planning a trip to New Orleans, be sure to add these free things to do in the Big Easy on your list. Then of course, “Laissez les bon temps rouler!”- Let the good times roll.
