A trip to New Orleans does not have to be expensive. The city has plenty of fun for frugally minded visitors on a budget.
Here are five great attractions for visitors interested in cheap travel:
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1. French Market: This open-air market area provides a perfect cheap travel experience, as long as you can keep yourself from buying too much. The New Orleans French Market boasts 300 years of shopping and includes a farmers market, flea market, specialty stores, craft vendors and the work of local artists.
2. Café Du Monde: Grab a cup of coffee and a plate of beignets and sit for a while in this French Market coffee café. The place is open 24 hours and can provide an entertaining late night or early-morning people watching experience. The food is reasonably priced. The beignets seem to taste better just because of the location, and the people-watching is totally free.
3. Artists at Jackson Square: This historic square named in homage to the Battle of New Orleans hero Andrew Jackson is now home to artists and street performers daily peddling and performing to tourists. Artists display their work on the square’s iron fence. Visitors may admire and buy the art.
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4. Street cars: The street car lines in New Orleans provide a nostalgic and relaxing view of the city at a cheap travel price. A one-way trip costs just $1.25. Transfers are just 25 cents. Better yet, buy a day pass for $3 and ride as much as you like. Children under 2 ride for free and seniors over age 65 get a significant discount.
Take the St. Charles street car line to get a nice view of the Garden District and enjoy the Audubon Park. The Canal route can take you to the city’s historic cemeteries and to the New Orleans City Park. Another cheap travel tip: Try taking the ferry. It gets you out on the mighty Mississippi and only costs a couple of dollars.
5. Clubs on Frenchmen Street: Off the beaten path for many tourists, those interested in a true New Orleans experience at a cheap price can explore the clubs on Frenchmen Street. The 500 and 600 blocks of this street house a variety of live music venues that can be enjoyed often without a cover charge any night of the week. It has one of the highest concentrations of music in the French Quarter and is a cheap travel trick for enjoying the best of New Orleans.
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