We had so much fun in New Orleans yesterday we decided to drive across the bridge and be tourists again. Word is there’s a tropical storm headed this way so we figured we might as well get as many outside activities in before we batten down the hatches. It must truly be the calm before the storm because we enjoyed blue skies almost all day. I think we walked about 10 miles just taking it all in. We walked along the Mississippi River, thru various districts, wards and neighborhoods. NOLA is one of the best places for people watching and appreciating the quirky.
There’s a saying in New Orleans, “If you don’t eat a beignet then you’ll never come back.” Well that must explain why we seem to always be coming back! Delish I might add.
One of our stops was visiting Old New Orleans Rum Distillery, the oldest rum distillery in the U.S. What a great tour. If you’re ever in New Orleans, I would definitely add this to your list of fun things to do. It takes a couple of hours, but well worth it. When you enter the distillery you are greeted with a rum drink. We had an ice tea spiked with Cajun Spiced Rum. Bob, our tour guide, started out by playing a trivia game about all things rum. Every person who gets a correct answer gets to take a shot of rum. Ned and I both got several correct answers and were on our way to having even more fun.
We learned what’s in rum, how to make it, how it’s aged and stored. After the tour you are brought back to the tasting room and get to sample 5 different rums. We only ended up buying 3 bottles - hey we hear this storm is gonna be a doozy so we might as well be prepared.
We also visited the jazz museum, housed in the old mint building. I wasn’t that impressed. My recommendation, forego the jazz museum and instead just wander the streets and take in the live brass bands. Nothing beats the real thing. The one thing in the museum I did enjoy was the Black masking as Indians exhibit, also known as Mardi Gras Indians. These suits made of feathers and beads were so intricate, colorful and stunning.
We ended up the day in Treme, 7th Ward under an overpass rocking out to live bands and street food. We both settled on some homemade fried chicken, collard greens and red beans & rice. Everyone was dancing and singing. No one can party like New Orleans.
P.S. Looks like we might have another day of good weather tomorrow before we have to make some decisions on where to go next. The state parks in Alabama and Florida that we were booked to stay next week have called us. They are under a mandatory evacuation so we won’t be staying there. Mmmm, time to have some rum and think on it.
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