I Took My Teen To Bourbon St.
As long as I can remember I have traveled alone with my girls. Whether it was a flight back home to visit family, a quick trip for spring break or even summer vacation. As a single mom with 2 girls, I became a pro at juggling diaper changes, sharing one iPad, and packing light-ish. Oh and
This summer, my youngest daughter was invited to go to Lake Tahoe with her best friends family and she was so excited! This opportunity left my oldest, Abbie, and I with a little bit of time on our hands and I decided maybe it would be a good opportunity for some mother and moody teenager bonding. What we gained was more than I could have ever imagined.
I decided a “girls trip” could be fun and I gave my teenager the option to choose anywhere she wanted to go “within my travel parameters.” Her guidelines were within an 8-hour drive of Dallas, TX or flights under $300 each. For her, it was a very easy decision…We were going to New Orleans!
Now, I’ve been to New Orleans a few times and quite honestly had only experienced “night time” New Orleans. I was at a loss to what “day time” New Orleans with my girl would actually look like. Here is what we found!
I’m a bit of a foodie (it’s in my DNA) and have always encouraged both of my girls to eat healthy, real and exciting food. (yes, we still eat chicken nuggets too) But when it comes to New Orleans one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the culture is through the food. I prepped the teenager a little bit and gave her a challenge before we ever landed…”try at least one new food or dish every day!” Imagine how my heart sang when she put down 3 of these raw oysters at Felix’s! Don’t worry the cold beer was mine…it was July in New Orleans after all. Throughout our trip, Abbie continued to accept the mealtime challenge over and over. She fell in love with red beans and rice, etouffee, and even tried gator bites!!
The one place we stopped at a couple times was the tried and true staple of any New Orleans trip, Cafe Du Monde. It was crowded, loud, and hot…but as always a very nice sweet treat!
So where does Bourbon Street trip come into this story? Well, inadvertently on our way to a new restaurant for lunch, we made a left turn onto Bourbon Street. I personally felt it would be fairly harmless for just a couple of blocks since it was noon. Immediately I realized I was wrong. Her face twisted into a horrible grimace as soon as the smell hit her and being accosted by someone “raising money” for the church and ripping beads off her neck was an experience she’ll never forget! Looking back now, it led to an amazing conversation between us and it reminded her that she still needs her mama for guidance and protection sometimes. That my friends
One of the reasons I knew Abbie chose New Orleans for this trip was her love of history and music. Without that little trip down Bourbon Street, we wouldn’t have run across these amazing boys, which made her face light up and sent us on a nightly quest to find local musicians and culture.
One of the best decisions we made, at the urging of my Aunt who traveled with us on this girls trip, was the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour! They took us all over this beautiful city and we had an amazing history lesson along the way. Two of the best stops were to our walking tour of the Garden District, which I highly recommend for real estate nerds like me!
take the walking tour to find out the difference.
And of course the walking tour of Lafayette Cemetery.
It’s a must see when you visit New Orleans.
By the end of the 5 days, Abbie could tell us everything about the history of New Orleans from the fires that burnt the city down multiple times, to why the medians are called “neutral ground” and the Spanish building codes that were enforced during the rebuilding of New Orleans after the fires.
In the evening before we headed back to the hotel, (I gave us a 10:30 curfew) we would head to Frenchman Street. We were told by the friendly staff at The Andrew Jackson Hotel (most haunted hotel in the French Quarter we learned later) that this would be the best place for her to hear live bands play while we had dinner. It fit right with our curfew because as a minor she was allowed in most of the restaurants and clubs until 10:30 pm.
Lastly, on our way back to the hotel every night we would pass so many ghost tours and listen to them a bit as they stood outside “haunted” houses and buildings in New Orleans. We’re pretty sure we even caught a picture of a ghost at the LaLaurie Mansion which was a block or so away from our hotel!
Without a doubt, I can tell you this was the trip of a lifetime for us. We learned so much, stretched ourselves out of our comfort zones, had amazing conversations and tons of laughs. And in the end, it reminded me of how important one on one time with each of my children is. I learned more about the person she was becoming in those 5 days than I probably would have in months or even years at home with our day in and day out schedules. My goal is to make it a tradition in our family going forward. Each girl will have their own gettaway with me and we will take a trip as a family together too.
He made me your mama!