Ringing in the New Year in NOLA

Just about every year Ken and I like to do something fun for my birthday. Some years we stay in the city and have a night out and others we go somewhere new. This year we packed up the whole family and made our way down to New Orleans to close out 2019 and ring in the roaring 20's.

It was an awesome road trip for the family, filled with fun adventure, and time to catch up with friends and family along the way. The first leg of our trip was from Charlotte to Montgomery to meet up with good friends for dinner. So on the way down we took about a three hour respite in ATL.

So the running joke in my family is how much I have hated driving through Atlanta to get anywhere {FYI that hasn’t changed} which is unfortunate because there is a lot to see and do once you get there. Here is another fun fact, as much as I have driven through Atlanta and have stopped in and around there I have never been to Varsity. That changed this year. Ken remembered me telling him that the last time we drove through there so he planned for us to have lunch there.

I loved my burger. I think I ate it in like 10 seconds flat. However, the thing I really loved was the inside. it was cool to see the various seating areas they had and I found the room with school desks the most entertaining. I have watched my students over the years struggle to sit in those same type desks and to see them as part of the dinning experience amused me greatly. I did think it was genius considering how much table room you lose when one person takes a table for four.

After our Varsity detour we headed over to Centennial Park to go to the Georgia Aquarium or so we thought. The last time we went to the Aquarium we were able to walk up, get tickets and head right on in. We were not really prepared for the changes that have been made since then. We knew they were letting people in at specific times but what we had not counted on was the Peach Bowl and how many people would also be planning to go to the Aquarium. So we opted to go to the World of Coca-Cola, which we had never seen.

While this may have not been our first choice, it ended up being the best choice for us. It was as crowded as the Aquarium but it had more room so to speak when you got in. I loved the opening video they have watch before you go in. It was sentimental and made you feel joy and yes I cried a few times. After the video you get access to all the rooms and exhibits.

Abbie loved the experience. She enjoyed looking at the memorabilia as well as looking a holding an Olympic torch from the London games. She was fascinated by the bottle process. However her favorite part was trying all the different types of soda. It has hit me so many times over the last year that she is growing up. I love seeing her confidence in herself grow and watching her get her own cup and fill it up and taste the different flavors, was just one more reminder of that.

After our respite, we piled back in the car and drove to Montgomery to meet up with our friends. They suggested a place that had originally started in Tuscaloosa, Dreamland BBQ. The original was known for only one thing their ribs. Since then they have added to their menu and we were excited to try what it had to offer. The ribs were all that was promised and then some.

The next day we continue our trip to NOLA. The second leg had us pass by where my mom is from in Oceans Spring, Mississippi and it was the perfect place to stop not only for lunch but also to catch up with my family. I spent almost every summer of my life heading down to spend a week or two there. Some of my favorite memories are the times I spent there. Whenever I go home I have to have a po-boy. We met my family at my favorite place, The Po-boy Express. They have the best shrimp po-boys. Nothing compares to it in my opinion and I have tried to find a better one believe me!

We ended up in New Orleans by late afternoon. After getting into our first hotel, we went to dinner at SoBou. It was a unique place with an intriguing menu. We were not overwhelmed by it. They weren’t really slammed and the service was underwhelming, but the desert was yummy. After our dinner we went back to the hotel and got a great night sleep to take on French Quarter the next door.

The next morning we went to The Ruby Slipper. It’s a great breakfast joint and always packed, and there are several locations in the downtown area. It had a pretty straightforward breakfast menu, eggs, bacon, hash browns and there were even a few seafood options you could select from. From there we went to a different hotel called The Higgins.

The Higgins is the official hotel of the official WWII Museum. The hotel is owned by the Hilton company. It has been designed to have a 1940's vibe and decor, with a modern touch. It was such a neat place. Pictures on the walls were from the home front during the war. Nostalgia was everywhere and I loved it. Abbie was very impressed with our accommodations. The hotel had a bar downstairs, with a dinning room as well as a take and go. Up on the top floor they had Rosies on the Roof which you could walk out and have a great view of downtown New Orleans.

That afternoon we did a pedicab tour of the Garden District which we booked through Viator. This was an interesting tour. Local guides took us a round to look at various house and explain how the city came up. We saw house owned by Anne Rice, John Goodman, Sandra Bullock and The Manning home place, and many more. You saw the homes that had the beautiful metal terraces, as well as a house that looked like a Swiss ski house. The tour ended with a visit to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which is currently closed but you can see the outside.

That night we had dinner at a local establishment Mothers. This place has some of the best Cajun food. They have all different types of poboys, gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, red beans and rice as well as seafood platters. We tried the The Famous Ferdi Special. It was a roast beef poboy cover with a brown gravy. It was delicious. Ken also got to have some gumbo, that was amazing.

That night we visited City Park, Celebration in The Oaks. The park is about 15 minutes from downtown, which is easy to get too. Celebration in the Oaks is one of the most spectacular holiday lights festival in the country with over a million lights and displays scattered throughout 25 acres of the Park, including the Botanical Garden, Storyland, and Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. The best part I missed, but Ken took Abbie to see - a train ride around the park which we didn't realize included even many more lighted attractions. The Amusement Park is also huge and the kids enjoyed riding several of the fair rides.

The next day our group split up to maximize our time, I took my mother-in-law with me to see the WWII Museum and Ken took the kids to the Audubon Zoo. The zoo is located in historic Uptown New Orleans and offers an exotic mix of animals, hands-on animal encounters and lush gardens. It also home to many unique natural habitat exhibit including the Louisiana Swamp, with an albino alligator. We've been to a lot of zoos around the country and the kids ranked this as one of the best.

As a history teacher I couldn't miss seeing the WWII Museum, which offers a wonderful narrative of the war along with poignant personal detail. My favorite part of the museum are the multimedia experiences that take you through the stories of the war that changed world. They've done an excellent job connecting visitors to history, while honoring the generation that sacrificed so much.

That evening we walked around the French Quarter. You can’t go to New Orleans without going to Cafe du Monde. I love a good beignet and this place is tops. I remember when I had my first one from here and thought the where amazing. Now taking my girls for their first time was an awesome experience. Abbie loved it and Ellie looked like I put the best thing she had ever had in her mouth. She devoured it.

We ate dinner at Landry's Seafood House near Jackson Square. It had your standard fare for New Orleans. The food was good and it was a good choice for us as the girls were tired from all the activity and the wait staff were great with them.

New Year's Eve was an action packed day. We woke up and headed to the Louisiana Children's Museum for its Celebrate the New Year with the kids. The museum had live music, a colorful countdown, confetti toss and even a balloon release. After the museum, we headed back downtown to the Audubon Aquarium. While it's not the same caliber as the Georgia Aquarium, they have some neat exhibits and the kids were excited to see another albino alligator.

Ken and Abbie love parades and made sure we made it to the Sugar Bowl parade that afternoon. Abbie was thrilled to catch some authentic NOLA beads from the floats and was grinning ear to ear. We grabbed some room service for dinner while getting the kids down to sleep and then headed back to Jackson Square for a fun night at New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest in NOLA, with performances by Sheryl Crow and Usher. They both put on a great show and Usher still has those killer dance moves, so it was fun to see him perform in person on my birthday.

We spent New Year's Day on the long road trip back home, but luckily I had the rest of the week off with the kids to relax before the the winter term began. You may not think NOLA is a family city, but it has a great culture and a lot of fun activities. We will be back soon!