The Garden District: A New Orleans Bachelorette Guide for the Bride Who Wants a Quieter Weekend

Why the Garden District for a Bachelorette

Let the other bach groups fight over the sidewalks on Bourbon. The Garden District is where you stay when you want the actual New Orleans: oak trees, streetcar stops, and mansions that look like they belong in a Tennessee Williams play.

You are 15 minutes from the French Quarter by car and 25 by streetcar, which is exactly the buffer you want. Your group can spend Saturday afternoon at a rooftop pool and still be on Frenchmen Street by 10 p.m.

Where to Eat

Commander''s Palace

Best for: The bride''s big lunch | Price: $45 to $85 per person

The most famous restaurant in New Orleans and the reason a lot of groups come to the Garden District in the first place. The weekday lunch with the 25-cent martinis (limit three per person, and yes, they are real) is the best value in the city.

Order the turtle soup at $13 with the sherry poured tableside and the pecan-crusted fish at $38. The bread pudding soufflé at $15 is not optional.

"We did the 25-cent martini lunch for the bride. Ended up staying three hours and got the chef to come out and sign our menu. Do this." (Reddit, r/NewOrleans)

Hot Tin Rooftop

Best for: Friday sunset cocktails | Price: $14 to $18 per cocktail

The rooftop at the Pontchartrain Hotel. Views over the Garden District, a fireplace on the deck, and a cocktail list that takes itself seriously.

The Hot Tin Sazerac at $16 is the one everyone orders. Go at 6 p.m. for the best sky, and no, you cannot reserve a table, so get there early.

Coquette

Best for: A quieter group dinner | Price: $70 to $110 per person

A two-story Magazine Street restaurant that does contemporary Southern food better than almost anywhere in the city. The six-course tasting menu at $95 is the move if your group is the food-focused type.

District Donuts Sliders Brew

Best for: Hungover Sunday morning | Price: $5 to $12 per person

Technically on Magazine Street, technically the best donut and slider shop in the city. The maple bacon donut at $4 and the fried chicken slider at $8 are the perfect combination for a group that needs to eat and keep moving.

Stanley (on Jackson Square, walking distance from the streetcar)

Best for: Big brunch day that ends in the French Quarter | Price: $18 to $28 per person

Not technically in the Garden District, but it is the brunch stop you take the streetcar to on your way downtown. Order the Eggs Stanley at $18 and the Breaux Bridge Bloody Mary at $12.

Where to Drink

The Bulldog

Magazine Street''s beer garden. Outdoor patio, 50 beers on tap, and the kind of casual crowd that is perfect for a group that wants to pre-game without a cover charge.

Jack Rose

Inside the Pontchartrain, right below Hot Tin. The bar is gorgeous, the cocktails are $14 to $18, and the velvet booths were made for group photos.

Garden District Pub

The dive of the neighborhood, and a great one. Cheap cocktails, a jukebox, and a clientele that is more locals than tourists.

What to Do

Walk the Mansions and Lafayette Cemetery

The Garden District is one of the best urban walks in America. Start at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and wind through Prytania Street to see the Anne Rice house, the Manning house, and Sandra Bullock''s house.

Book a guided Garden District tour at $25 per person if your group wants the history. Two hours, and worth it.

Ride the St. Charles Streetcar

It is $1.25 and absolutely necessary to ride at least once. The streetcar goes from the Garden District through the oak tunnels of St. Charles Avenue to the French Quarter.

Magazine Street Shopping

Six miles of boutiques, antique shops, and local restaurants. The bride-specific stops are Perlis for vintage and Fleurty Girl for New Orleans-themed gifts (do not leave without a custom tee).

Where to Stay

The Pontchartrain Hotel: Hot Tin and Jack Rose are in the building. Rooms from $280 a night.

The Chloé: A 14-room boutique mansion on St. Charles that feels like staying at a very rich friend''s house. Rooms from $350.

Airbnb or VRBO: A shotgun double or a historic mansion rental between Magazine and Prytania. Groups of 6 to 12 can find whole houses with a courtyard for $400 to $700 a night.

Planning Tips

• Book Commander''s Palace four weeks out for Saturday lunch. The 25-cent martini lunch is Monday through Friday only.
• The streetcar runs late, but it also runs slow. For Friday and Saturday nights, budget Ubers to the French Quarter instead.
• Dress code is real at Commander''s Palace (collared shirts, no shorts). Go cocktail-casual and you will fit in.
• The Garden District is quieter than you think. Do not expect a 2 a.m. scene in the neighborhood itself, which is the point.
• If your group rents a house, ask about a private chef dinner. Several local chefs do in-home dinners for $75 to $125 per person, which is a better use of one Saturday night than another restaurant.

The Garden District is the version of a New Orleans bachelorette for the bride who wants the food and the soul of the city without the Bourbon Street production. Oak trees, streetcars, and a 25-cent martini with your name on it.