New Orleans

Some suggestions: definitely check out the WWII museum - it is fantastic. It's also colossal, so allow plenty of time to see the whole thing. Also, a short cruise on the Mississippi is fun, and it allows you to experience how the city is below sea level. And definitely ride the streetcars (especially the St. Charles line).

Two food/drink favorites from my trip earlier this year: Evangeline, a great little restaurant on Decatur St. that has a nice patio in the back. Also, the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone- it's a revolving bar and they serve terrific cocktails. Definitely sit at the bar; it's easier to get a seat earlier in the day. Enjoy!

Take a walking/house tour in the Garden District, also tours of the cemeteries. Ride the ferry over to tour Madri Gras World warehouse where they keep all the parade floats and costumes. St. Louis Cathedral is in the French Quarter. Don't forget to eat beignets at Cafe du Monde everyday. There is plenty to do to keep you occupied for the week.

On Peters Street, about a block off Bourbon St., is a "hole in the wall" called Preservation Hall. It was founded in the early 1960s to preserve the original, pure, authentic New Orleans Jazz. They don't serve any food or drinks at all.
And most folks have to sit on the floor as there are very few chairs. But they do serve up some of the greatest music anywhere. The first set starts at 8 p.m. but you need to get in line at 7 p.m. to be sure you get in. Google it and see what you think. You can probably listen to a sample of the music somewhere on the web.

check this out

https://www.nps.gov/jela/french-quarter-site.htm

take a ghost tour. i have lived in nola for years and just took one. fascinating. eat at galatoires on bourbon st. explore the garden district during the DAY. check out pat o briens bar. the WW II museum is a must see as noted above. a st charles avenue street car ride during the day is neat as well. no need to rent a car. if you want an alligator swamp tour they will pick you up. if you like music visit frenchman street on the north end of the quarter. Watch where you wander!!!!!!!! the fringes of the quarter are no mans land!!!!!!

I would add that Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse is amazing! Also, you might consider going on an alligator/wildlife tour and going out to one of the plantations for a tour.

yes, brennans steakhouse is good. mr johns steakhouse on st charles and jackson may be better but not as convenient. couchon by the WWII is very good too for something different. if you read the confederacy of dunces novel try a lucky dog on bourbon street preferably after downing a couple of hurricanes from pat o briens!!!! check out Lafittes Landing. historical watering hole on bourbon st.

correction. lafittes blacksmith bar.

You do not want a car for most of your trip as you'll have to pay for parking and it's expensive. Just rent for the day you need it.

There's a museum to the right as you face St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere. There's a terrific Katrina exhibit. Very moving.

The WWII museum is worth your time. If you had family in the war, look up their unit and where they served in advance of your trip. It will help you focus your time.

Look up WWOZ radio. They have a good calendar. I just spend some time looking up bands on youtube to find what I want to see. Frenchmen Street is worth at least one night. And they don't have to be late nights as some of the music starts pretty early.

I haven't been to Preservation Hall, as I like a seat and a beverage with my music. Fritzel's on Bourbon has great traditional jazz. Since you'll want to walk Bourbon at least once, that's a good place to stop.

Morning is a great time to wander around the French Quarter. Well, anytime is. That's mostly what I do there! Enjoy. It's a wonderful place. I need to go back soon.

Senior discount on local transit.

Plantation tour (or rent a car and do it on your own.)

Plantations: Reduce expectations here somewhat. A lot of the Lower Mississippi is an industrial area of refineries and chemical factories with historic plantations sandwiched in between. Earthen dikes prevent views of the river while at the plantations. You need a fair amount of imagination to make the history work.

Try Snug Harbor in the Marigny district. Great jazz "up close and personal" for a couple of shows a night. I would recommend reserving a ticket, it's a small venue. I've been twice and Ellis Marsalis was playing the trombone each time along with several other outstanding musicians. The Maison, just down the street from Snug Harbor also has good music and an interesting and eclectic menu. You could have a leisurely meal at the Maison and then move to Snug Harbor for more music.

A special attraction at the WW2 museum is BB's Stage Door Canteen. It recreates the atmosphere of a wartime club with revues reviving music of those days. A couple of years ago I saw a tribute to the hippest of hepcats, NOLA's own Louis Prima – and on a cemetery tour I spotted his imposing tombstone. This fall the show is devoted to those sweethearts of the swing era, the Andrews Sisters. Tickets can sell out so book well in advance.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

Another thumbs up for Snug Harbor. Great jazz music and very cosy and intimate. I tried to see the Preservation Hall Band but it proved too difficult (oversubscribed).

Also, the New Orleans Museum of Art is worthwhile and has a wonderful and interesting sculpture garden.

I would recommend this:
A ride on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, which takes you from the bustling, Caribbean-looking French Quarter to the quiet, elegant Victorian Garden District out to the former suburb of Carrollton and back again is just about the best thing $1.25 can buy you in this day and age.
You board the streetcar /trolley at Bourbon and Canal Street.

I second the WW11 museum. Amazing, wish I had allotted more than two hours to see it.
We loved our foodie tour with Dr. Gumbo. Fantastic!
You didn't say when you were going to be there, but another thing we enjoyed was touring the mansions in the Garden District. They were open to the public for this one weekend out of the year, but you did have to buy tickets.

Also I recommend doing a swamp tour! I've done two...........one kayaking and one on a fast boat. Both were great.

This reply is probably much too late to help Sara. But I will offer these thoughts for those with a car and an extended period of time:

--Check the calendars for the ton of festivals in New Orleans and south Louisiana in the fall but specially in the spring. The French Quarter Festival shortly before the Jazz Fest is becoming increasingly popular.

--There are any number of plantations between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and then outside Baton Rouge in the St. Francisville area. St. Francisville is nice, and a drive to Natchez is possible as well.

--There are areas of the city other than the French Quarter worth spending time in--the nearby Warehouse District, the Garden District, the University District, Marigny and Bywater.

--The WW 2 museum is worth half a day. On weekends, go early.

--You could spend a month eating and dining out in the city.

Lesson borne of personal experience: Before you go to New Orleans, know whether or not you're allergic to raw oysters.