New Orleans

Why New Orleans for a Bach Trip

New Orleans is the bach trip destination for groups who want the loosest, weirdest, most unrepeatable weekend possible. Drinks are legal in the street, music plays out of every doorway from noon to 3 AM, the food is unlike anywhere else in the country, and the entire French Quarter operates on a different set of social rules from the rest of America. There is no other US city quite like it for a long weekend.

The trade-offs are real. Bourbon Street is dirtier and more chaotic than anywhere else in this guide. The city is hot and humid most of the year. Cabs and rideshare are slower than they should be. But the upside is enormous: every meal is memorable, every bar has live music, and the bachelorette circuit here goes back generations and feels organic, not commodified.

Where to Base Your Group

French Quarter is the obvious pick: walk to everything, cabs not needed, live music outside your window. Hotels: Hotel Monteleone, Royal Sonesta, The Roosevelt. For groups, the Marigny and Bywater (just east of the Quarter) have French-Quarter-style guest houses that sleep eight to twelve. The Garden District is gorgeous and quieter; lodging is nice but you will Uber to the Quarter every night. Skip Mid-City and the Warehouse District; both work for some trips but not for a bach weekend.

Pro tip: stay one block off Bourbon Street, not on it. The noise level on Bourbon proper is genuinely sleep-disrupting. One block over (Royal, Dauphine, Chartres) is quiet enough to actually rest.

When to Go (and When to Avoid)

Best months: October through April. Weather is mild, the heat is gone, and rooftops and patios are open. Summer (June through August) is brutally hot and humid; expect 95 degrees and 90 percent humidity daily. Winter is mild and pleasant. Avoid Mardi Gras week and the two weeks leading up to it (the city completely changes character; if that is what you want, go for it, but it is not a normal bach weekend). Also avoid Jazz Fest weekends in late April / early May; lodging triples and rooms book a year out.

The Day Scene

Mornings start with beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde or Cafe Beignet, both touristy and worth it. A walking ghost tour, voodoo tour, or Garden District tour is the structured morning option (Free Tours by Foot is the budget pick, French Quarter Phantoms the more atmospheric one). Afternoon options: a swamp tour to see actual alligators (Cajun Encounters, Honey Island), a private cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking, or a half-day at the WWII Museum if your group skews older. The Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium are family-friendly fillers if needed.

The Night Scene

Bourbon Street is the cliche and worth one night. Hand grenades at Tropical Isle, three-for-one shots at Cat's Meow, and live music at Maison Bourbon. Frenchmen Street (just east of the Quarter) is where locals go for live music: The Spotted Cat, dba, Snug Harbor. Drag shows at Oz are bachelorette gold. Rooftop bars at Hot Tin (Pontchartrain Hotel) and Above the Grid (Higgins Hotel) are the upscale options. Pat O'Brien's Hurricane is a rite of passage. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is the oldest bar in America and worth seeing.

Food and Drink Worth Planning Around

New Orleans has more iconic restaurants per square mile than almost anywhere. Top splurges: Commander's Palace (the bachelorette brunch staple, book the jazz brunch), GW Fins, August, Brennan's. Local classics: Cochon, Coquette, Cane and Table, Compere Lapin. Po'boys: Parkway Bakery and Tavern, Domilise's, Killer PoBoys. Brunch: Atchafalaya, Elizabeth's, Stanley. Late-night: Camellia Grill is open until 2 AM and worth the wait. Cocktails: Sazerac at the Sazerac Bar (Roosevelt Hotel), Carousel Bar at Monteleone, Cane and Table.

Pro Tips

Open container is legal in the Quarter; you can carry a drink from one bar to the next in a plastic go-cup. Use this. Cab service is slower than expected; pre-book or use the Lyft scheduled-ride feature for late-night returns. Book Commander's Palace brunch six weeks out for weekends. Bring shoes you can throw out; the Quarter sidewalks are notoriously gross. The streetcar to the Garden District is a $1.25 way to feel like you escaped the Quarter for an afternoon. And do not eat dinner on Bourbon Street; walk one block over for any meal that is not a hand grenade.