Fun Things To Do In New Orleans For Couples | The Top 6
While New Orleans might not have the most romantic reputation, it turns out this charming city has so much to offer for married couples and those in relationships. My husband and I found that there are endless fun things to do in New Orleans for couples, but there are a few that stand out as the best that NOLA has to offer. Experience the city together and make memories with these six fun and romantic activities for your next trip. Enjoy!
- Discover the Best Jazz in New Orleans
- Picnic at a Beautiful New Orleans Park
- Night Swimming at a Heated New Orleans Pool
- Have Dinner at the Most Romantic Restaurant
- Have a Relaxing Couples Massage In New Orleans
- Experience the Best Brunch In NOLA
Map of the Best Things To Do In New Orleans For Couples
Use this map to navigate New Orleans while you hangout with your significant other! You can bring it up on your phone for easy access.
Discover The Best Jazz In New Orleans On Frenchman Street
Experiencing the best jazz in New Orleans makes for a perfect date night, so you can relax and dance away your troubles together while discovering the local culture. You’ll find the most authentic jazz music on Frenchman Street, which is lined with jazz clubs that play every night of the week!
You can stroll the street and find the one that sounds the best to you. We had a great time bouncing from bar to bar, and a few highlights were Spotted Cat and D.B.A. We also loved Cafe Negril for not only the music but the fact that they had tables, so if you want to sit – this place is your best bet.
Fritzel’s European Jazz Club in the French Quarter is an excellent choice off of Frenchman. This little bar has a unique atmosphere and great music in an intimate setting. We especially liked the little bar-style seats they had lining the walls, where you can sit and put your drink while you watch the musicians.
Overall, live jazz is top of our list for the most fun thing to do in New Orleans for couples, and I recommend you try it even if jazz isn’t your thing. It isn’t our favorite style of music, but the New Orleans jazz and inspirational musicians won us over! It’s also great to support the local bands.
Have A Picnic At A Beautiful New Orleans Park
Pick a sunny evening and head to one of the beautiful New Orleans parks for a sunset picnic date night. This was one of my favorite things we did during our time in NOLA and it’s free! We recommend Audubon park so you can experience sunset over the water at The Fly, but City Park is great too. At each you’ll find countless sprawling oak trees, perfect for lounging under and soaking in the peace of nature.
For our New Orleans picnic we packed a cooler backpack with a few drinks and snacks, along with these unique, lightweight picnic folding chairs, and a blanket. All of these things we bought on Amazon a week or so before!
At Audubon, we started right near the famous and beautiful Tree of Life. There weren’t too many people there and it really felt like a private place to enjoy nature together and unwind. About an hour before dark we drove a few minutes over to The Fly which is the waterfront section of the park, to watch the sunset.
We especially liked the contrast of visiting one of the New Orleans parks for a peaceful afternoon after a few nights out in the city. Getting out in nature is good for the soul! Between the romantic sunset and relaxation of nature, this is definitely one of the best and most fun things to do in New Orleans for couples.
Have A Couples Massage In New Orleans
What could be more romantic than a couples massage in New Orleans, to loosen up your muscles after a night of dancing to jazz? Rejuvenate your bodies together at one of the many amazing spas in NOLA. Spa Atlantis and NOLA Bliss both offer couples massages in New Orleans French Quarter. They have reasonable prices and a calming atmosphere, which is confirmed via the hundreds of great reviews for each.
Outside of the French Quarter you’ll find the Woodhouse New Orleans Day Spa, which we had multiple recommendations for. This spa seems to be more high end, of course offering couples massages along with more unique services like a meditative mood soak and salt therapy.
Go Night Swimming At A Heated New Orleans Pool
The Country Club New Orleans is a hidden gem and as someone who loves to swim, I’m slightly obsessed with this place. This social club has a brunch/dinner restaurant and the best part, a large pool and tropical hot tub open year round! For access there’s a small daily fee per person.
This amazing New Orleans pool is heated in the winter to be the perfect temp (and cooled in the summer of course!) and when we went at night we were the only ones there. Even if there had been others there, there was plenty of space to spread out. The Country Club New Orleans also has a bar inside that offers drinks you can bring outside, and during the day the outdoor tiki bar is open. I’ve heard that during daytime, especially on weekends, it’s more of a party scene so it may be better to go as a couple during non-peak times.
We got dinner, which was so good although a little pricy, and then headed to the pool. It was the perfect date night and I wish there were more places like this in the US! When it comes to the most fun things to do in New Orleans for couples, what could be better than a night swim with cocktails in a giant heated pool?!
Dine At A Romantic New Orleans Restaurant
NOLA has some of the best food in the United States and you’ll have no trouble finding great dinner date spots all throughout the city. The best and most romantic New Orleans restaurant we found is Adolfo’s, an intimate Italian restaurant with a creole twist on Frenchman street.
You can’t really go wrong with any of the menu items. Everything looked SO good! You can see photos of all entrees on their menu page. I got the cannellini combo which was delicious. What makes this one of the best things to do in New Orleans for couples is that the restaurant has such a romantic atmosphere. It’s a small dimly lit single room with a small number of tables, but enough that you feel like you have your own space.
We showed up around 7:00 on a Sunday night and had a long wait, which we didn’t expect but also didn’t mind because they sat us at the cute downstairs bar which had live music at the time. The food ended up being well worth the wait! Show up early or on a week night if you want to try and avoid the wait, or call ahead.
Experience The Best Brunch In New Orleans
Get a bright start to your day with a delicious brunch. If you want to find the best brunch in New Orleans, I have two recommendations that are really unique to the area.
The first is Bearcat New Orleans. This eclectic cafe has locations in Uptown and CBD, and some of the best brunch food I’ve ever had! Their food could be described as a spin on traditional favorites and they have a good cat and bad cat section, that splits the entrees between healthier options and heartier options. The food was very instagrammable and well displayed, but more importantly every bite we had was delicious. My recommendations are the Biscuits with Pepper and Blueberry Jelly (obsessed!) and the Brisket Hash which I’m still dreaming about. We went during peak brunch time on a Sunday and waited a little over an hour. We like to avoid a long wait as often as possible but this place was worth every minute.
The second is Ruby Slipper, which has locations all throughout the city! The menu is extensive and although they have all the traditional options you’d expect for a brunch restaurant, the food has a unique flare and feels fancier than traditional breakfast food – but not too fancy. I highly recommend the Loaded Tots and the Chicken St. Charles!
The location in Marigny is a beautiful sun-filled space that feels so uplifting and like the perfect way to start the day. As an added bonus, they have lots of different mimosa flavors and it was fun to taste a few of them. Ruby Slipper does not take reservations but they do offer the option to Join The Waitlist, so if you aren’t able to show up early and don’t want to wait, this might be your best bet.
If you’d like to check out another place – there are lots of great brunch restaurants in NOLA but not many that take reservations, so make sure to either go early or expect a wait (on hot days plan accordingly!). If there’s a high quality brunch place that takes reservations that I’m missing, make sure to comment!
Even More Fun Things To Do In New Orleans For Couples
Although these six ideas are our favorites for the most fun things to do in New Orleans for couples, there are more than enough options for an exciting, relaxing and romantic time out with your special someone in NOLA. If you have any other recommendations, make sure to leave a comment! For more tips and ideas for the best things to do in New Orleans during your next visit to the Crescent City, read my full guide to New Orleans for Digital Nomads.
Lauren Kessel
Lauren Kessel is the author of this blog and the creator of the Inspired Backpacker Blog. She is a passionate digital nomad, with the mission to make slow travel a more accessible way of life for everyone. Lauren believes travel is an important means of education and more importantly, a way for people of different cultures to come together and understand each other better. She has a BS in Tourism and has planned countless domestic and international trips for herself, her family and friends, having visited over 12 countries and 30 states so far.
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