The Sazerac House on Canal & Magazine

Rainy days in New Orleans are some of our favorite days in the city (when we’re not hosting a private event outside, of course). Here is a list of great spots to visit when it’s raining. Each of the places listed below are ideal for a leisurely visit. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Here are some great ways to spend a rainy day in New Orleans.

• The Sazerac House, 101 Magazine Street (corner of Canal & Magazine) – This is a brand new “museum” dedicated to the Sazerac, it’s history, and it’s connection to New Orleans. Admission is free! Those 21 and over get to sample a few different cocktails and the museum itself is quite a high tech exploration into this libation.

• The Historic New Orleans Collection, 410 Chartres – what an amazing space this is to learn about the history of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the United States in general. The exhibit takes about 1 hour to view – there’s a lovely courtyard and the building itself is absolutely gorgeous. Check out the built-ins on the first floor!! The cherry on top is their museum gift shop, with lots of great gift options at all different price ranges. And the best part is that this exhibit is FREE.

• Erin Rose, 811 Conti – Yes, lately we’ve been slightly obsessed with this great little bar in the Quarter. It’s on Conti, right off of Bourbon Street. You get a great mix of people who come in, the staff is really nice & friendly, and they’ve got Killer Poboys in the back which are some of the most inventive poboys in town.

• The Aquarium, 1 Canal- Overlooking the river, the Aquarium is a great spot particularly if you’ve got kids. By the way, the Insectarium is definitely within walking distance. Grab an umbrella and hit them both!

• The streetcar – Another great thing to do with your kids is just hop on the streetcar and take a nice ride. Maybe consider taking it downtown to the Insectarium>Aquarium.

• NOMA – The New Orleans Museum of Art is out at City Park so you’ll enjoy the beautiful artwork on display at the museum and the icing on the cake are the sights and sounds of a gorgeous park.

• Carousel Bar, 214 Royal – in the Hotel Monteleone. It’s a bit pricey for their cocktails, but they’re certainly delicious. Our favorite is a Pimm’s Cup.

• Toups Meatery, 845 N Carrollton – Need to spend a rainy day in New Orleans? Why not head to Toups and order their meat or cheese board (or both) with a glass of wine? It’s close to NOMA on Carrollton so you might want to hit up NOMA first and then Toups to finish up a perfect rainy day.

• Finn McCools, 3701 Banks – This is a great locals bar in Mid City with plenty of televisions to broadcast your favorite sporting event. Saints games can get pretty exciting here, as well as international soccer. The added bonus is Bookoo BBQ in the back – so you can spend HOURS at Finn’s drinking and eating and cheering on your favorite team. Rumor has it, they have free wifi!!

• The Prytania Theatre, 5339 Prytania – This is New Orleans’ locally owned indie movie theatre on, where else, Prytania. On most days, they start showing movies at 12 noon. For a special treat – go to the Cheese Shop listed next, get a bite to eat; then visit Creole Creamery on the next block for some ice cream before heading to The Prytania.

• St. James Cheese Shop, 5004 Prytania and now with a second location downtown at 641 Tchoupitoulas – For the cheese lover, this place is absolute heaven. Our favorites include the Smokey Blue Sandwich (blue cheese & roast beef with Worcestershire mayo), the Hooks Cheddar (cheddar & turkey with basil and avocado), and the Manchego Salad (baby arugula, manchego, pears & almonds). Grab a bite at St. James and then to the Prytania Theatre for the latest indie hit.

• The Chart Room, 300 Chartres – This nondescript bar is on Chartres in the Quarter. The cool thing is that it opens up to the street so you can sit at the bar or at a table and watch the rain pour down right in front of you. It’s great for people watching, the selection in the jukebox rocks, and we’ve seen a few friendly dogs here too so bring Fido if she’s good at chilling at your feet. **cash only**

• Cafe du Monde, 800 Decatur – It’s already on your list, why not grab a table and sit there while it rains. Enjoy a few beignets and some delicious chickory coffee. Ignore the snarky service – you’d be snarky too if you were paid less than minimum wage and had a quota to meet.

• Satsuma Cafe – If it’s raining and you’re hungry, looking for something relatively healthy & delicious AND you need wifi – head over to Satsuma. There are three; the one in the Bywater is at 3218 Dauphine, the Uptown location can be found at 7901 Maple, and the Lower Garden District shop address is 1320 Magazine. We love this place – everything’s delish and kudos to the designers – each one is perfectly suited for their respective location.

• Molly’s at the Market on Decatur Street (1107 Decatur) – why not grab a cocktail and spend some time getting know the locals who frequent this great little bar?

• Cane & Table, also on Decatur (1113 Decatur) – Our final way to spend a rainy day in New Orleans is a mashup between Company Burger & Cure produces this rising star in the Quarter.