💃 9 Decadent Things to Do Alone in New Orleans (That’ll Ruin You for Other Cities)
— By Scarla Vexroot, Solo Travel Siren & Queen of Rooftop Regret
There are cities you visit.
And then there’s New Orleans — a slow seduction made of jazz, humidity, and powdered sugar sin.
Whether you’re solo by choice (my preferred method) or circumstance (it’s fine, he was boring), this is the city that makes you feel like the main character in a scandalous Southern novel. These are the 9 most indulgent, deliciously dramatic things to do here — alone, unbothered, and possibly barefoot.
🥂 1. Sip Champagne at the Hotel Monteleone Carousel Bar
Yes, it spins. Slowly. Like your ex’s excuses.
Why Go: It's a revolving bar inside a historic hotel. Need I go on?
Scarla’s Move: Order a French 75 and spin until you forget what year it is.
🕯️ 2. Take a Candlelit Ghost Tour Through the French Quarter
History, hauntings, and hot tour guides in suspenders.
Why Go: The city is older than your trust issues.
Scarla’s Move: Ask the ghost questions. Flirt with the tour guide. Same energy.
🛁 3. Book a Soak at The Ritz-Carlton Spa
Private steam room. Marble everything. Cold towels delivered like gossip.
Why Go: You need a recovery arc mid-trip.
Scarla’s Move: Moan dramatically when they bring you cucumber water. It adds to the narrative.
🍽️ 4. Dine at Commander’s Palace (Alone, in Red Lipstick)
Legendary Creole cuisine under chandeliers that have seen things.
Why Go: The turtle soup. The 25¢ martinis. The power.
Scarla’s Move: Order like you own the place. Tip like you robbed a vault.
🎺 5. Get Lost in Frenchmen Street’s Night Music
Live jazz pouring out of every doorway. Zero cover charge.
Why Go: Your ears deserve chaos too.
Scarla’s Move: Pick a band at random. Pretend you’re reviewing them for Rolling Stone.
🧿 6. Visit the Voodoo Museum (and Buy a Tiny Cursed Object)
Dark magic in cramped rooms. My happy place.
Why Go: It's weird. It's tiny. It’s a vibe.
Scarla’s Move: Ask too many questions. Leave with a doll you name Gary.
🥖 7. Eat a Powdered Sugar Crime at Café du Monde
Beignets so messy they require emotional preparation.
Why Go: Touristy? Yes. Still worth it? Also yes.
Scarla’s Move: Get it to go. Eat it dramatically on a bench. Cry if needed.
📚 8. Hide in Faulkner House Books
Tiny, haunting, and crammed with old paper and Southern secrets.
Why Go: It smells like plot twists.
Scarla’s Move: Buy a book with no title on the spine. Judge it by the cover anyway.
🌹 9. Wander the Garden District Like You Belong There
Iron gates. Bougainvillea. The ghosts of rich aunts past.
Why Go: The houses are too pretty.
Scarla’s Move: Walk slow. Pretend you're returning from a scandal.
New Orleans will ruin you for casual weekends.
Come solo. Leave in love — with yourself, the city, and probably the bartender at the bar with the green velvet stools.