New Orleans with a Teen (Chalmette, Jackson: rent, crime, hotels)

[captaindes]

Hey all. Visiting New Orleans the weekend before Christmas with my 15 y/o foreign exchange student from Brazil. We will be there Sat. - Tues. and I am looking for some things we can do together. Seems like a lot of the music spots are 18+. Would be fun for me, but I hate to ditch him in the hotel room. We are staying in the Quarter, so kinda looking for things there or nearby.

Thanks, CaptainD

[Noladave]

Captain:

I have a 15 year old and he loves living here. Depending on what yours is into will depend on what you can do.
Yes, most (all) bars are 18 and even some 21+. You may be lucky and catch some live music on the street. Eating in any one of the many funky weird restaurants in the Quarter is always fun. There are museums, streetcar rides into uptown, river cruises, the Aquarium of the Americas, shopping in some of the funky stores in the Quarter......lots to do and lots to see.

For Food:

Ride the street car up to the Riverbend area and eat at a New Orleans institution.....Camelia Grill. You can see a lot of old homes, Tulane and Loyola Universities as well as Audubon Park along this route. Walking through the park toward the river will bring you to the Audubon Zoo. Our Zoo is world class and is like the third best zoo in the Country.
The Aquarium of The Americas at the edge of the Quarter is a good time and there is IMAX theater in that location. You can catch jazz brunch in any number of hotels or restaurants on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Court of Two Sisters on Royal Street is a very old restaurant and they have a Jazz brunch on Sunday morning. You may want to call ahead. There are other places to eat like Gumbo Shop on St. Peter, Eat New Orleans on Dauphine and Dumaine, Mona Lisa on Royal Street, Cafe Maspero on Decatur.....or you can walk around and find something you feel comfortable about just walking in and trying out. Don't leave without beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde on Decatur at Jackson Square.

You may have heard in the news that New Orleans has a crime problem. It does. Walk where there are people. Avoid walking outside of the Quarter into any of the adjacent neighborhoods. Some of them are dangerous. There is public housing just outside of the Quarter. Try to avoid walking on dark streets at night....take a cab. If you find yourself in a situation where you are far from your hotel at night, call a cab. United Cab is the largest and oldest in the City. Take this number down....504-522-9771. Just call them and they will come get you and take you where you want to go. The airport is about a $30 cab ride, but you should be able to get around most other places of interest in the city for $10-12 or less, depending on where you want to go. Do not rent a car. Parking in the Quarter is tricky and expensive and you really won't need it. Most everything is accessible at or within walking distance from your French Quarter Hotel.

Enjoy your trip.

Dave
In

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Take a river cruise down to the Chalmette battlefield - very interesting to walk around and the old house is now a museum. Ride the boat back to the foot of Canal St. Take one of the walking tours of the French Quarter. Have coffee and beignets at Jackson Square and watch the world go by.

[miserylovesco.]

Besides, 15 years olds can drink here too pretty much hahahahah.
Welcome to Bourbon Street!

[Drouzin]

I would recommend Rock-N-Bowl, (homepage.jpg (http://www.rockandbowl.com/index.htm - broken link)). It looks like ya'll could catch something on Saturday night or Tuesday night. You'll have to pay a cover charge for the band, but ya'll can bowl or not, dance, eat, drink and be merry and your teen will be able to experince NOLA night life without the worry of being under 21. We used to take our son and his friends, rent them a lane and then we'd hit the dance floor; adults and teens were happy.