Vacation is a time when you can eat whatever you want without feeling too guilty, and the best place to take advantage of this unspoken rule has to be New Orleans. French and Spanish influences come together to create Cajun cuisine, which is incredible and native to this small part of the country. Plus, there’s excellent seafood, loads of Southern fare, and, of course, plenty of places to grab a drink to wash it all down. And, if you stay in the French Quarter, you’ll be within walking distance to some of the country’s best eating!
1905 Idaho Avenue, Kenner, Louisiana, United States
There's inspiration just about everywhere you look in New Orleans, but there's nothing more inspiring than a strong drink. The Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge in the city's French Quarter is proof-- it's been a favorite of writers pretty much since it opened in 1949. Hemingway, Faulkner, Capote, Tennessee Williams, even the guy who wrote Forrest Gump have frequented the establishment. The bar also used to be home to the Swan Room, where famed artists like Liberace would regularly perform (and have a drink after the show, of course). It's not hard to see why people like it so much; the fact that it has an opulent, rotating, carousel-themed bar in the center of the room really sets it apart from other bars in the French Quarter.
The French Quarter (actually, the whole city of New Orleans) has so many museums and restaurants that it would take weeks to explore them all, but as long as you’ve got a hotel nearby and some things to do in between meals, there’s nothing stopping you from eating (and drinking) your way from Bourbon Street to the Mississippi!
