Hello Hot July! I hope your weekend was filled with summer fun and you are excited to have hump day off for The 4th of July.

We made it home from our family cruise and we are already planning next year’s family vacation. Omgoodness, we had so much fun and I can’t wait to share all the details soon but first let me catch you up on our weekend get-a-way to New Orleans last month. We teamed up with our travel group and drove the long eight hours to the Big Easy. We had four drivers for the road trip which made the drive bearable.

Most folks like to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras but if you love oysters and you’re looking for a more relaxed venue in this historical city, check out their annual Oyster Festival held every June. We arrived a day early and checked into our Airbnb row house located less than eight minutes from Canal St. and two blocks from the trolley.

We got our foodie fix with every kind of oyster you can imagine. Fried, grilled, baked, Rockefeller, so many varieties of oysters I can’t name them all.

Each oyster dish was served with plenty of southern French sides to nibble on. Honestly, the best thing about the Big Easy is their delicious cuisine and live music found in every nook and cranny throughout the city.

Here are some of my favorite places to dine if you are a foodie like me. Daisy Dukes is great for a down home southern breakfast.

The Praline Connection located on Frenchman Street, has one of best bowls of gumbo and peach cobbler in the city.

Have a cup of chicory coffee and three melt in your mouth beignets at Café Du Monde the original French Market Coffee Stand on Decatur Street. Tip: Eat the beignets while they are hot from the oven for the best yum ever.

Be sure to mark your calendars for next years Oyster Festival in June 2019.

Until next time,

Enjoy!