In case you missed it this past week on Instagram, I got to travel to New Orleans to photograph a gorgeous anniversary shoot (more on that tomorrow!) and attend a leaders’ retreat.  It was a whirlwind few days, and I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t still recovering ;)

The first two days we were there (I went with my amazing co-leader and partner in crime, Adriana), we made sure to see the city.  We ate our weight in gumbo and all things creole and regretted nothing about it.

When I travel, I like to be pretty laid back and play our plans by ear.  I was grateful that Adriana was also down for this too, and we made sure to ask each of our Uber drivers the places that we need to go! It was great because we got a mix of typical touristy things as well as some local favorites, too!

We saw the French Quarter, listened to amazing musicians on Frenchmen Street, checked out Cafe Dumonte and Jackson Square…

We also walked almost 20 miles in two days… killin’ it!  So enjoy a tiny peek into our trip. I’m also attaching a little guide to the recommendations we got this week!

We also got to enjoy an amazing leadership retreat thrown by Honeybook, Rising Tide Society, Weebly and Travelbank.  It was such a great event, jammed pact with great information, speakers, and a gorgeous setting! We didn’t stay in the Pontchartrain where the conference took place, but it was beyond amazing!

Thanks to my last minute planning, I actually *accidentally* booked us one of the rooms at Walker Mansion!  I really had no idea it was within blocks of the conference or in a gorgeous mansion — I just was late to the game and panicking.  This time, this time only, it worked out!

Anyways, enjoy a peek at one of my new favorite Southern Cities – New Orleans!

Plus, here’s my recommendation guide for New Orleans

What to do:

Walk around Jackson Square in the French Quarter, explore City Park, listen to music at the Blue Nile, Spotted Cat / Snug Harbor (though bring cash for the covers), shop along Magazine Street, walk the streets

Where to eat:

Cochan (get their oysters… they’re fantastic!), Peche, Dragos, Cafe du Monde, Napoleon House, Ralph’s on the Park, Sucre, Atchafalaya, and more! You can’t go wrong…

Recommended Tours:

Horse tours, ghost tours, and cemetery tours!

Happy traveling, friends!