Beyond Bourbon St.: An Insider's Guide to New Orleans

by Mark Bologna

New Orleans is so much more than the Bourbon Street scenes you may have seen––it’s a 300-year-old city made up of vibrant neighborhoods, diverse populations, and traditions layered upon each other. World class food is available not only in our famous restaurants, but in corner restaurants across the city. Mardi Gras is the party we throw for ourselves, but invite the world to take part in. If partying with 1,000,000 friends is not your style, there are festivals nearly every week of the year to suit your taste and interests. Join Mark Bologna, host of the popular Beyond Bourbon Street podcast and curator of the Instagram page of the same name, as he explores the people, places, music, history and culture that make New Orleans unique.

Genres: Travel

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better travel guides for New Orleans that I have read. The author isn't a generic travel writer, but a New Orleans native who also hosts a podcast under the same name. His advice is excellent and while I can't agree with ALL of his preferences (He sounds like a 'neutral ground guy'), he's mostly spot on. After the initial introduction and basics (trip planning, transit, geography, and city-wide quirks), the book is mostly organized by neighborhood, each including places to stay, eat, drink, and things to do. There is a separate section at the end "Celebrations" which gives descriptions of our various festivals, going into more details on Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. I'm not a Jazz Fest person, but I will say that his advice on Mardi Gras is excellent. There's also a small bit about day trips (mostly to neighboring plantations* but also Avery Island and swamp tours). Published in 2022, this book is very up to date, although naturally some things have changed: Hubig's bakery finally reopened, Chris Owens passed away later in 2022, Tujaques has completed its move to its new location, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is now at a different address, the Audubon Aquarium and Insectariums have been combined to a single location, and some establishments are now closed (off the top of my head, Tiki Tolteca, Pythian Market, Maypop, Ice Cream 504, and the Zony Mash Beer Project). Solid 4 stars.

* His descriptions of the plantations, while not specifically critical, does clue the reader into which ones tend to gloss over the harsh realities of slavery, possibly for the benefit of high albedo persons who might be butthurt by too much detail in this area.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic guide to my favorite city. Organized in a logical way that makes it user friendly. Filled with tips and recommendations from a native New Orleanian. Useful as a guidebook but also fun to read between trips as a “take me back” respite.

[zarkmoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book
Love the podcast
Love the city

For the repeat visitor who wants to dig deeper and experience the richness of the culture of New Orleans, this is a superb place to start.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference guide for the beautiful, dynamic city of New Orleans. Much more to see than Bourbon Street and every travelers must have guide.

[Mike Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book if you visit the city more than occasionally and to find near things or if you are interested in learning more about the city. Great podcast also.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed for inspiration. Comprehensive without extraneous details. Hits the popular spots. Lots of pictures.