New Orleans for New Years Eve
 

I am looking into a New Years trip using WN and hotel points. Being from Chicago, New Orleans sounds like a nice warm place to be in December.
I can use either Marriott or IHG points for 2 nights. Since I've never been there, should I just concentrate on the French Quarter?
How is public transport there? I do have 2 rental days that I need to use this year or they expire so that is an option.
My plan is to land on Saturday night and fly out on Monday afternoonish.
Is Jackson Square worth it to ring in the new year? Or are hotels better?

If your idea of a good time is running around the streets and getting fall-down drunk, the French Quarter will be perfect. A better option (IMHO, of course) is going to see live music. Galactic at Tipitina's on NYE, for example, will be great fun.

Public transportation is ok but not great. Don't rent a car though. Use uber or lyft or taxi.

Well, just beacuse many others in the Quarter are getting stupid drunk, doesn't mean you have to. Nothing wrong with a nice late dinner, then walking down to the river to watch fireworks...

For a two day trip, there's more than just the final hours of the year, and for the rest of your time, yeah, you'll likely want to be in the French Quarter (with maybe a side trip to the Garden District).

New Years Eve afternoon is the Sugar Bowl parade. There's also a Fan Fest that I'm sure will have music, band not announced yet though.
https://allstatesugarbowl.org/allsta...rs-eve-parade/

If you do want to do the hotel party thing, the biggest one is Big Night New Orleans at the Hyatt.
https://www.bignightneworleans.com

I do agree, no car. I don't recommend it for first time visitors in general, and with holiday crowds, traffic, street closures, and the inevitable drunks, certainly not for a New Years Eve trip.

I think you're missing New Orleans if you spend all your time in the french quarter, even for such a short trip. If you're not the fall-down-drunk type, doing a 2- to 3-hour self-guided tour, easily pulled off the web, strikes me as more than sufficient. Same with the Garden District, although I think an hour is sufficient. I would add a ride on the St Charles streetcar, which for $1.25 offers a great tour. Get off uptown, get a poboy, and then ride back. Have a leisurely lunch or dinner in the courtyard at Bacchanal. Spend an afternoon in the warehouse district. I love the Ogden Museum and people rave about the WWII museum. Go to city park, where beignets at morning call is far more relaxing, imho, than at cafe du monde. And I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting New Years festivities going on.

By the way, be prepared for cooler weather. Don't expect it to be hot over New Years.

I'd recommend the new Crescent Park or taking the ferry across the river for the fireworks. For New Years, the quarter will be very crowded so do not drive and plan on walking a lot - I'd skip the rental. Most of what you'll want to see is accessible by public transportation. One nice tradition is to take in a fancy dinner at one of the old classic restaurants before the countdown, but be sure to make reservations early.

There is plenty of outdoor activities and parks, but depending on the weather, I'd add the WWII museum and surrounding art galleries and museums to the list.

A bunch of good suggestions above and I'll add 2¢ from a lifelong resident.

When I was younger (much), I did the FQ thing until one year when we had a hell of a time getting a taxi to get home. Had to walk out to a hotel on Poydras St. to finally get one with the driver PO'd with having to take us to the Irish Channel. One very important thing to remember for NYE is that mega surge pricing will be in effect for Uber and Lyft, especially for the French Quarter. Unless you're staying in the FQ, I'd avoid it like the plague.

The city and, especially, the FQ, is going to be packed, not only because of NYE celebrations, but early Sugar Bowl arrivals will be there, also.

It would be helpful to know if the OP is on a tight budget as that would affect restaurant and hotel recommendations. It kinda seems like he/she is with all of the point redemptions. If the OP hasn't made hotel and restaurant recommendations by now, good luck with that.

BTW, New Orleans warm in December? Warmer than Chicago - yes. :D

I went to New Orleans on my honeymoon in January, many years ago. It was frigidly cold the entire long weekend.

We had friends visiting from Switzerland this past January. They were miserably cold. I was somewhat amused. ;)

How cold does it get? 40's, 50's, 60's?

It can be any of those. Definitely check the forecast before packing for your trip.

I have been to New Orleans many, many times, and my memory is that it does not get that cold. My experiences have been somewhere in the low to mid 60s, although I recall the humidity was always high.

OP being from Chicago will appreciate the warmer temperature around New Years vs. Chicago, for sure. As a resident of Southern California, I have never, ever experienced "frigid cold" in New Orleans in my many, many visits as someone else had many, many years ago. IMO, the frigid cold was more an anomaly rather than the expected. Simply, I suggest bring a light jacket or windbreaker, and you will be fine.

If OP stays near French Quarter, or even Convention Center area, then walking could be the primary mode of transportation, at least that was what I usually did when I visited.

As a visitor, I would suggest staying and visiting the French Quarter. There are lots to do and see--From sitting and enjoying sipping coffe or hot chocolate and people watch at Cafe du Monde, to taking a river cruise tour, to simply walking the many streets with shops, including Bourbon Street, to enjoying the many, many restaurants in the area.

I am not a drinker at all, yet I have always enjoyed my time visiting New Orleans.

Enjoy your trip.

As a lifelong resident, living in NOLA for many, many years, rather than someone who has visited many, many times, I can safely say that with regards to the temperature at that time of year, Post #10 gives you much better advice than Post #11 .

The record low temp for December was 11 in 1989 and the record high was 84 in 1995. The people I mentioned in Post #8 were here on January 3 and they were freezing. Also, if the wind is blowing, there is a chance that it’ll make you feel colder, I.e., if the wind is coming off the Mississippi or roaring thru the streets in the CBD. Maybe someone who has visited many, many times can also assure you what the wind will be like during your stay. :rolleyes:

Best bet is to check the weather a few days before you leave and pack accordingly.

Normal temperature for Chicago around new years is usually less than 32, so anything above that is fine. I will decide on the trip this weekend, hopefully it will not be too late to book rooms.

No need to debate. I am only a visitor, and memories are not always reliable. However, one can always google historical tempearatures in New Orleans during New Years and make plans based on those. Heck, even weahter forecasts a day before has proven to be wrong on occasion.

Having said that, based on historical empirical data, I venture to predict that this January, the weather in New Orleans will be warmer than in Chicago. Heck, I will even go further and predict that it will hover somewhere in the 50's and 60's (during the daytime, anyway), and I am almost certain that we will not see any temperature below 32 degrees.

In any case, I would suggest that seeking a warmer destination during New Years, New Orleans would be a cool place, although very crowded.

Safe travels.

It’s not a debate. It’s just a matter of providing the OP with accurate information. And the good news is that experts in this area are able to predict the weather with greater accuracy than just looking at what the temperatures happened to be on one particular visit in 2004.