The good, the bad, and the ugly of New Orleans-tell me!

The French Quarter- you can hear music on almost any street corner any time of the day
Ride the street cars and enjoy the beautiful architecture
Take the Mardi Gras Museum tour
Eat beignets
Tour a plantation

Be warned, it will be hot and humid

Check out this website
www.neworleansonline.com/

And yes, summer will be very hot and humid.

We found this hoteln on groupon our last trip. It was inexpensive and we LOVED it. The street car goes right out front.

Eat At mother's, the gumbo shop, and they have a killer peanut butter burger at yo mamas. Desire on bourbon had the absolute best bbq shrimp I've ever had. I had it 3x the last time we were there.

Go to Jackson square and talk to the artists, their stories are intriguing. Take a horse and carriage ride. Go to lafittes and check it out, it's not a bourbon street style bar...it's really cool! I love the plantations and just walking around, we talk to as many locals as we can.

Uber or cab it to Frenchmen street. There is a little alley with artist space rented, don't hire the artist that paints portraits that is in the left side as it opens up....he's awful. I literally cried, threw it in the trashcan, then pulled it back out and brought it home because if I saw that horrid painting of a stranger in the trash I would've brought it home and giggled every time I looked at it. Just awful.
The spotted cat music club is a fun jazz place on Frenchmen that has multiple bands every night. You'll find more classic New Orleans than obnoxious tourist on Frenchmen...impromptu concerts and parades on street corners. I say when you have a chance to be in a parade or dance in the street you do it.
There are also people doing little things to earn some cash. If you see a pretty for hire, give them a few bucks and hire them! You give them a word and then come back in a few minutes and they write a poem about whatever it was. My word is always Ostrich because that is what popped in my mind the first time. I think I've got 7 ostrich poems now and they're all so different. Eventually I'll have them framed and put them with my travel art.

We always walk around the French market too. Last time we ended up in an episode of CSI and a few years ago brad Pitt bought me coffee.

Oh, breakfast At refuel...best ever! I love their grits!

I just got back from NOLA yesterday, I worked a couple of days, but my BFF met me there and we had two days to explore. I've been several times and always find little areas to explore.
Freetourbyfoot.com offer great walking tours, I've done several: garden district, cemetary, ghost, voodoo and Bourbon St. they have all been great and you give a donation at the end. Check them out!
There is an abundance of great places to eat, Commanders Palace 25 cent lunch martini's are fun!
Magazine Street is an awesome place to explore and find fun shops
Treme and Marigny districts are fun to explore.
So much to do! enjoy and take it all in.

I agree with eating at Mother's. Also try Deanie's in the FQ and Cafe DuMonde for breakfast.

Same here! The only touristy stuff I had done was whatever we did on field trips when I was a kid.
However, I took DS back home last year for a family reunion, so I took him to do a couple of touristy things and it was awesome! We did a cemetery tour and the WWII museum. Which were both amazing. I have been to the aquarium a bunch, but we went back, and we really enjoyed it.

It is very hot there in summer. DH & I have been there 2x and can't wait to go back. So much to see & do, and eat. We love traveling just for the food
We did a city pass which included a few tours and admission to many attractions. One of the tours was a city bus tour. I think it was about 2.5 hours long. Went through all major areas of the city, and we learned a huge amount of history. It stopped at a few places (cemetery, garden/park). We actually liked it so much that we did the tour both times we went. We did a haunted history tour of the French quarter, and a tour through the garden district, and a walking food tour. I'd recommend any of them.

We're not big into nightlife (the stereotypical Bourbon St kind), but we do enjoy music, food & drinks. So we walked down Bourbon St during the day, when it was less rowdy, and stayed mostly on Decatur in the evenings. Frenchman St is great too for just wandering and listening to music. Door after door of live music (all types). Most don't have a cover charge, they only request that you buy at least 1 drink. And drinks can be taken to go (at bars and at restaurants). Wander through the French Market and find some quirky souveniers. Tour the Mardi Gras museum.

Definitely eat at Mother's (for breakfast). Yo Mama's for a good burger. Soooo many places to eat and we were happy with all (Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, Original French Market for a seafood boil, Coop's Place for good local bar food/atmosphere, Drago's for char-grilled oysters).

I recommend NOT staying at a hotel in the French Qtr. Both times, we've stayed in the business district to stay a little away from the rowdy nightlife. It was close enough to walk most everywhere. And if we didn't feel like walking, the trolley's are very cheap ($3 all-day pass).

So glad to hear you are coming to my city - you will love it! You've gotten some great suggestions here. The French Quarter is a very different place during the day. You can stroll in and out of shops. You should also see St. Louis Cathedral - just stop in and visit. Stroll along Decatur to the French Market. You will love the Street Car ride - stop at The Columns on St. Charles and have a drink on the big front porch. The WWII museum is a must. A few other places to eat (We have tons!) - Stella for breakfast, Muriel's and Irene's - all in the Quarter. The cemetery tour will be something different - in fact, you have probably never seen cemeteries quite like the ones we have here! ENJOY! It's a great city!

FYI- do not wear a dark color shirt when eating beignets

On our most recent trip, we stayed at the Monteleone and LOVED it. Highly recommend it.

My dad and his whole family are from NOLA proper and I still have done all the touristy things. Maybe because I didn't grow up there?  Anyway. I love NOLA. I loved it when I was young and single and into bar hopping and I love it now as a grown up because it's such a beautiful city. Sometimes it's a little jarring to go down a street now and remember, "Oh, yes, I think I peed in an alley near here that one Mardi Gras in 1991 where my friends came from Illinois to visit."  

My uncle has a house on Esplanade and he stayed during Katrina. His bottom floor flooded but his main floor did not. He stayed with a room full of supplies and a shotgun and waited it all out even when they told him he had to leave. So stubborn. 

It's a beautiful place but yes, the French Quarter has a distinct, um, aroma, that is impossible to describe. I think it's why everyone drinks. Which of course, makes the smell worse. So they drink more.  And if you go in the summer, it will be more humid than you ever thought it possible to be without it actually raining. It's like wading through air. I'd give up on your hair now because there is nothing to be done.  

I agree that if you're not into night life, that the Quarter may not be the best place to stay, but most of the noise is on Bourbon Street. Cafe Beignet has live music and beignets. Go to the National Jazz Park, also known as the old US Mint. WW II Museum is a must see. We enjoyed Mardi Gras World.

Ride the streetcars aimlessly. Get a pass so that you can hop on and off.

Be prepared for unrelenting humidity.

Food - excellent suggestions so far. We also like The Ruby Slipper in the CBD for brunch. For fine dining, lunches are your best value. Many restaurants accept reservations, and you should probably have them in advance for your must-do choices. Also, many restaurants in NOLA have dress codes.

I live in Central Florida, my children were born and raised here. As you can imagine, it is hot and humid in the summer time. My older son moved to Baton Rouge. He SWEARS that it is hotter and more humid there than it ever was here.

So that should tell you something.