A guide to having a great time in New Orleans at night while staying sober
10 minute read
Are you thinking of visiting New Orleans sober? New Orleans is such a party town the city motto is “Laissez les bons temps rouler”—Let the Good Times Roll. Images of Mardis Gras mayhem inspire millions of tourists to flock to the French Quarter each year to drink at Bourbon Street bars, and in the streets. But what if you don’t want to drink? Good news: the vibrant culture, architecture, history, food and music of New Orleans makes it one of America’s most incredible cities to visit, with or without alcohol.
Personally, I was scared off New Orleans for a long time. Not because of city’s reputation for vampires—I like that stuff! As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol at all, I assumed it would be one giant party around every corner, and that I wouldn’t fit in. When I decided to finally take the plunge I went all in – on New Year’s Eve! I’m so glad I finally went and discovered so many things to do in New Orleans sober. And I’m excited to share them with you.
This list focuses on things you can do in New Orleans at night without alcohol, and would fit nicely into a long weekend or 3-night trip.
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Why travel sober?
I don’t know what it’s like to travel on a buzz because I’ve never been a drinker. But I do know that alcohol is expensive! So just for a start taking a sober vacation means you’ll have more of your budget to spend on shopping, seeing shows, nicer hotels, etc.
And I hate to say this because it shouldn’t have to be this way but if you are a woman travelling alone, not drinking can be a safety precaution to keep your wits about you.
I was lucky to visit New Orleans with another friend who doesn’t need to drink alcohol to have a good time. We were on the same page and determined to squeeze the most adventure out of our trip. And no time wasted on hangovers!
Things to do at night in New Orleans Sober
Drink New Orleans best mocktails
Shop the Frenchmen Street night market
Watch the Sunset over the Mississippi
Embrace Wellness at Dream House
See a traditional jazz band
My top recommend for enjoying New Orleans sober is to snag a ticket to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The best local musicians jamming on classics of traditional New Orleans jazz in a historic space that is completely alcohol-free!
We loved kicking off our New Year’s Eve in this beautiful, intimate room in the heart of the French Quarter. They’ve been hosting jazz here since the 1950s, and it feels like a step back in time. No bar. No phones or camera. No cushy seats. We shared a bench with other visitors and settled in for a joyous performance. The sets are pretty short, and you can choose from 5pm or 7pm, which leaves you the rest of the night for the other fun things on this list. Tickets start at $25.
Peek at Bourbon Street
When you come out of Preservation Hall, you are very close to Bourbon Street. This is a very boozy, bar crawl strip, famously so. But I had to see it. Even on New Year’s Eve, it wasn’t as crazy as I had worried and I was entertained by the busking musicians and roving street performers. But if you are triggered by drunkenness you may need to give it a pass. Either way, go early while the vibe is still friendly.
Drink New Orleans best mocktails
Like most great cities, New Orleans has a growing number of cocktail bars serving delicious and creative non-alcohol drinks. I always say any good bartender can make you something, but I prefer to support the establishments who have given it thought and attention and have a zero-proof section on their menus.
Here are a few of the top spots New Orleans to find top-notch mocktails and other options.
The Carousel Bar inside Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter actually rotates, making it one of the most unique and Instagram-worthy places to grab a drink in New Orleans. I love their extensive menu of classic cocktails made with Lyre’s zero-proof spirits instead of booze.
Bar Marilou was a highlight of my trip. Tucked down the side of Maison Métier Hotel in the Warehouse District, this former library has red walls and fully stocked bookshelves, zebra-striped carpet, and plush velvet chairs. Basically, my dream living room. The mocktails were delicious and the live music (Tuesday and Thursday nights) was cool harp-electronic ambience. Small space, reservations highly recommended.
Cure is considered the original New Orleans craft cocktail bar and it regularly appears on top bars of the world list. It’s located in Uptown, but worth the taxi ride. Their mocktails are original creations using top-shelf zero-proof spirits.
Tiki bar fan? We had dinner at Beachbum Barry’s Latitude 29 at the edge of the French Quarter and I appreciated their affordable and yummy N/A pina coladas and zombie drinks. There is also a new hot spot called Tiki Tok on Frenchmen Street serving tropical N/A concoctions.
Shop the Frenchmen Street night market
Frenchmen Street is a hip stretch of live music venues, restaurants and shops and where you’ll also find a vibrant night market for local arts and crafts that’s open late (up to 1am in the summer). It has moved to a cool indoor garage since my visit but Frenchmen Night Market’s website for the latest location and news.
Sign up for a Walking Tour
There are So. Many. Haunted. Tours. In New Orleans. One of the most popular unusual things to do in New Orleans is a haunted walking tour. If you like to walk around a city at night, and hear creepy stories about legends, there’s surely one that will suit your interests, schedule and budget. Try one of these: The Bad Broads Tour of New Orleans, New Orleans Evening Small-Group Haunted Walking Tour, New Orleans Vampire Walking Tour, New Orleans Ghost Adventure Walking Tour.
Ride the Canal Ferry
For a great view of New Orleans from the water, hop aboard the local ferry to Algiers on the other side. At just $2, it’s a much more affordable option than a tourist cruise. Board at the foot of Canal Street near the Aquarium. The journey takes 30 minutes each way. If you have time, you likely want to check out the neighbourhod on the other side but we just hopped back on and returned to the city.
Watch the Sunset over the Mississippi
If you’d rather watch the sunset in a nice restaurant, Observatory 11 bar at the top of the Westin Hotel is one of the best places to watch the sun set over the Mississippi river over a N/A cocktail, beer or seltzer.
Check out a Vampire Café
Any Vampire-themed establishment worth its fangs should have Virgin drinks, right? Right. We were drawn to The Vampire Café by a “Blood Bag Cocktails” cart outside. It’s what it sounds like—a novelty drink served in a medical IV bag with straw. The Virgin version was basically a very sweet, thick juice, but it was a fun experience. They also serve Vampire Tea company teas with names like Stake This and Nosferatea.
Read more about my fave Vampire locations in New Orleans
Indulge in some Sweets
Just because you’re in New Orleans sober, doesn’t mean your mouth can’t have a full sensory experience!
Beignets at Café du Monde are a Must-Do thing on anyone’s first time in New Orleans and the most popular location is open late. The beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. At Café du Monde they are served in orders of three. Do expect to be covered in powdered sugar after eating. If you’re lucky, you might catch a live jazz band busking outside.
Don’t like line-ups? I also had beignets at Café Beignet and they were equally delicious. Their Bourbon Street location is especially interesting for visitors— the garden patio has live music and life-size bronze statues of famed local musicians like Antoine “Fats” Domino, Louis Prima, Allen Toussaint, and Irma Thomas.
Bananas Foster was created in New Orleans and is a quintessential desert for your fancy dinner. It is not completely alcohol-free, as the bananas are flambéd in rum or brandy. But the alcohol is burned off in the process, so if that’s OK with you, run don’t walk to order this: bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon then set alight tableside, then served over vanilla ice cream.
We tried Bananas Foster at Court of Two Sisters, a fine dining restaurant in the French Quarter. The environment is lovely and the desert was a-mazing. (Sadly, the menu is not vegetarian-friendly though.)
Brennan’s restaurant created Bananas Foster in 1951 so you know they do it right. They also serve spirit-free cocktails and sparkling wine so you can really indulge!
See Jackson Square all lit up
Jackson’s Square’s iconic St. Louis Cathedral looks beautiful after dark. And you need to burn off those deserts so go for a walk around this National Historic Landmark to appreciate it lit up. You’ll find visual artists painting and vending all around the square.
Try your luck at the Casino
It might surprise you that a casino is a fun and comfortable place to hang out after hours in New Orleans sober. Because of the nature of gambling, they don’t tolerate drunkenness the way a bar would. And if you’re sitting at a slot machine or game table you can get complimentary soft drinks—tip well though! We didn’t spend a lot of time or money playing slots, but it was high-energy, colourful fun. Long-time New Orleans casino Harrah’s is now a Caesar’s.
Embrace Wellness at Dream House
Last but definitely not least is The Dream House a holistic, alcohol-free space offering various workshops and classes and what they call “conscious cocktails.” They sometimes have dances or check out Wellness Wednesday, their evening programme designed to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul.
In a city known for indulgence, there’s still so much to do sober. I hope these tips are helpful for your trip and if you have more to add let me know!
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