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The fun doesn’t end when jazz stops; 5 things to do in New Orleans once the Jazz Festival ends
Once Jazz Fest is over, New Orleans isn’t done. Explore 5 insider experiences, from hidden live music spots to bayou day trips and local neighborhoods.
A New Orleans trip during Jazz Fest can be expensive, so you might be tempted to fit everything into a few short days. But the key to ensuring your experience is worth every dollar?
Staying a little longer.
Because while the Jazz Fest may be the headliner of your trip, the city carries its own energy. And this becomes most apparent just as the post-festival calm sets in.
So instead of rushing back after the final headliner leaves, stay for these 5 experiences that open up once the crowds thin and the stages go quiet.
1. Walk the neighborhoods the festival crowds never reached
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is not a city-wide event. The action is contained at the Fair Grounds Race Course in the Mid-City area. As it’s a central location, everything is close by, and so, most attendees don’t wander far.
While this is great in terms of convenience, it means many people miss out on seeing New Orleans’ iconic districts, like:
- French Quarter: This historic district is home to much of New Orleans’ jazz heritage. So if you want to continue the party after the festival ends, you’ll find plenty of hidden courtyards with jazz spilling out of doorways around Bourbon Street. There’s also the Jazz Museum, the French Market, and the lively Jackson Square, which is always full of street performers.
- Tremé: Neighboring the French Quarter, this is one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in the US. It has a strong local vibe, and brass bands still play in the streets here most evenings.
- Marigny: Just downriver from the French Quarter, Marigny is a small district that oozes creativity. It’s famous for Frenchmen Street, which has a vibrant live music scene, ideal for bar-hopping and discovering local talent.
- Bywater: Next to Marigny, this waterfront district is quieter than its neighbor, but just as artsy. The bohemian streets are lined with shotgun houses and independent coffee shops, ideal for a relaxed brunch the morning after a night out in Marigny.
- Garden District: The elegant neighborhood is ideal for a relaxed stroll. There are many beautiful and historic mansions to admire, and the district carries a real lived-in vibe.
By combining Jazz Fest with a day or two of exploring these districts, you’ll soon see how New Orleans makes one of the best USA weekend trips.
2. Find the live music that never needed a festival to exist
New Orleans is the home of Jazz Fest for a reason. It’s where the genre was born and continues to evolve. So after the festival ends, the music doesn’t stop.
You can experience the city’s year-round music culture all over New Orleans, but here are the most notable places:
- Frenchmen Street in the Marigny: When the tourists are at Jazz Fest, the locals come here. You can watch live jazz, blues, and brass bands in the bars and taste authentic Cajun food that’s so delicious you’ll realize why New Orleans Jazz Fest is a food lover’s paradise.
- The Maple Leaf Bar in Uptown: This bar has hosted a weekly brass band jam for decades. It’s not on any tourist map, but locals know about it. The jam happens at 9 pm every Tuesday, but if you can’t make it that day, there’s live music every other night of the week.
- Second line brass band parades (city-wide): A huge part of New Orleans’ culture is the second line brass band parades. They happen every Sunday in neighborhoods across the city. You can check the schedule online to see where to find them.
And if Jazz Fest and New Orleans leave you wanting even more, there are plenty of music festivals happening in June that you might be interested in, like CMA and Bonnaroo in Tennessee.
3. Get out on the water or into the bayou
If you need to unwind from all the festival energy, head out to the nearby bayous. These wetlands are an ideal place to slow down, connect to nature, and do a spot of kayaking.
| Distance from New Orleans | What you can do there | |
|---|---|---|
| Bayou St. John | In the city center | Kayaking, nature strolls, picnics |
| Bayou Sauvage | 20-30 minutes | Alligator spotting, birdwatching, nature trails |
| Lake Pontchartrain | 20-30 minutes | Long walks, picnics, sailing |
| Honey Island Swamp | 45-60 minutes | Guided swamp boat tours, wildlife viewing (alligators, turtles, birds) |
- Bayou St. John: If you don’t want to travel, this is the best option as it’s close to the Jazz festival grounds. This urban waterway is ideal for kayaking, picnicking, and nature walks.
- Bayou Sauvage: This national wildlife reserve is close to the city center but full of life. You’ll spot plenty of alligators and bird species as you wander along the boardwalks.
- Lake Pontchartrain: This estuary is the 2nd-largest inland saltwater body in the USA. Here you can rent boats to enjoy a relaxed afternoon on the water.
- Honey Island Swamp: A range of guided tours is available in this vast swampland, including boat tours and kayaking adventures through the cypress forests. Most tours include hotel pickup and drop-off, making it a fun and convenient day out.
The Louisiana bayou is a must-visit if you’re renting a car and venturing beyond the city after the festival ends. With the dramatic wetlands, historic plantations, and the world’s longest continuous bridge over water, it makes for a truly scenic road trip.
4. Slow down on the Mississippi Riverfront
Once the last band has played, the Mississippi Riverfront is the ideal place to come and decompress.
You can easily spend an afternoon here just sitting and people-watching. However, it’s well worth walking along the Crescent Park trail. This 1.4-mile paved trail runs along the river through Bywater and Marigny, offering one of the best views in the city.
Steamboat Natchez, a historic steamboat company in New Orleans, also runs lunch and dinner cruises along the Mississippi River with live Jazz bands. And if you’re all jazzed out, you can opt for the short sightseeing boat tour instead, which cruises past iconic French Quarter landmarks and historic riverfront sites.
5. Take a day trip to somewhere only locals know about
So many stunning destinations surround New Orleans, but most festival-goers and tourists miss them. This is such a shame, as within just an hour or two of leaving the city, you’re in a completely different version of Louisiana. Not just the landscapes that change, but the whole vibe.
So, if you have some extra time and are traveling by car, consider adding one of these half-day or full-day trips.
- Historic plantations along the River Road: You’ll find a stretch of visually striking plantations between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Many of these beautiful estates are open to the public, and visiting them can be a wonderful way to learn more about the land’s complex history.
- Breaux Bridge: About 90 minutes west of New Orleans is the crawfish capital of Louisiana (one of the must-try dishes at New Orleans Jazz Fest). You’ll experience some of the freshest and tastiest Cajun cooking here, and if you time your visit right, you’ll get to join in the Crawfish Festival (May 1-3).
- Lake Pontchartrain Towns: The towns around Lake Pontchartrain, like Covington and Abita Springs, are a short drive from New Orleans, but the vibe is quieter and seriously more local. You’ll find some wonderful indie restaurants as well as the famous Abita Brewery.
Want an even bigger trip? This easy travel itinerary template will help you piece together the ultimate Louisiana or Deep South adventure.
Is it too late to extend your trip or plan for next year?
Jazz Fest runs across two long weekends (Thur-Sun) from April 23 to May 3. For more last-minute availability and to see the city at its best, plan your trip for the final weekend, then extend your itinerary by a day or two to explore the city and its surroundings.
While you will likely have to pay high rates for accommodation during the festival, hotels significantly drop their prices the days after Jazz Fest. So extending your stay by 2 extra nights will balance out the costs and even make New Orleans feel like a cheap place to travel.
Most international visitors fly in and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), so flight prices can be pretty competitive during the festival window. So if you schedule your return flight a few days after the festival ends, you’re more likely to catch a good deal.
Don’t forget this travel essential
Whether you’re just in town for Jazz Fest or you’re on a wider Louisiana adventure, there’s one small detail that makes a big difference: staying connected.
Instead of dealing with roaming charges or hunting for WiFi, set everything up in advance with a Holafly eSIM. It gives you instant, unlimited data as soon as you land, so you can navigate neighborhoods, check Second Line schedules, and plan day trips without the stress.
Unlimited data. Peace of mind.
Make sure you have travel data that's there when you need it most.
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Hi, I'm Mika, a South Korean writer living in the US. I cover travel and live events, focusing on the practical stuff that makes your trip smoother, whether you're navigating a new city or heading to a major international event.I'm also the founder of <a href="https://search-seoul.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Search SEOul</a>, South Korea's leading SEO conference, bringing together search marketing experts and speakers from around the world.
