Travel

Garden District

Establishment neighborhood
The Columns Hotel
3811 St. Charles Ave., Garden District
As the humidity drops and temperatures cool, it’s New Orleans’s time to shine. Visitors who stay at the Columns, an iconic and eclectic Victorian mansion in the Garden District, will take a front row seat overlooking St. Charles Avenue’s centuries-old oaks. It’s wholly possible to hang on the veranda all day, but it behooves you to visit the bar, which draws a crowd. In the bedrooms: antique furniture, Parachute linens, and Aesop by the sink.
Coquette
2800 Magazine St., Garden District
Coquette’s seasonal dishes flit between Southern classics and more-contemporary interpretations of regional favorites. While the menu may be short, it’s never boring. Case in point: the catfish dip that’s paired with pickled beets, speckled trout, and preserved kumquats and the local grilled Gulf shrimp. The space is beautiful, too. It’s grand but not fussy, with brick walls, the original 1880s ceiling, and elegant chandeliers that make an afternoon lunch feel special. If you’re in town during the summer months, Coquette’s special fried chicken and champagne nights are a fun (and delicious) time.
Historic Cemeteries
New Orleans cemeteries—or cities of the dead as they’re often referred to—are predominantly above ground. And architecturally speaking, they’re nothing short of breathtaking. There are dozens scattered throughout the city, with some dating back to the late 1700’s. As the oldest of the bunch, Lafayette Cemetery has found its way into numerous films (Interview with a Vampire, for one), and St. Louis Cemetery is supposedly the final resting place of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. For lots more info and to book a cemetery tour, go to Saveour Cemeteries.
Sucre
3025 Magazine St., Garden District
The macaron craze sweeping the nation is undeniably best represented in New Orleans by Sucre, a burgeoning local chainlet that turns them out in every conceivable shade and color. They haven't abandoned their local heritage, though, because they also do a mean King Cake, made from Creole cream cheese and Danish pastry. If you need more of an incentive to stop by, little ones go nuts for their gelato, and they make great coffee. There's also a location in the French Quarter.