Sparkle in a Small Town: A laid-back tour of New Orleans' Garden District + Steamboat Natchez Jazz Dinner Cruise Review

We enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Steamboat Natchez.

St. Charles Streetcar
The best part about not being crazy partiers in New Orleans is the ability to wake up early and catch the St. Charles Streetcar to the Garden District before it gets too packed.

We caught the steetcar just two blocks from our hotel, Le Pavillon, in the Business District. Make sure you have exact change. $6 gets you two all-day passes to ride any streetcar in the city and is a great way to travel if you're exhausted from walking for eight hours the day before.

Waiting for the streetcar to pick us up!

Garden District
The weather was humid and warm this beautiful April day and Darling Husband and I enjoyed the old wooden seats and open windows on the streetcar. We rode through the Garden District past gorgeous homes ogling each one of them. History says the Americans built homes in the Garden District to show the Spanish (who occupied New Orleans from 1763-1803) how wealthy they were. They did a good job and the properties are definitely still cared for and stunning.

Check out this beautiful home in the Garden District. Don't you wish you lived here?

If you like HGTV or driving around neighborhoods looking at houses, don't miss this.

We exited the streetcar at Audubon Park across from Tulane University and Loyola Marymount University. Wow, the schools are grand. The park had a huge path for walkers, runners, cyclists and tourists. We walked for about 30 minutes under the shade of the most gorgeous, huge, live oaks. The park has decent restrooms and a water fountain/water bottle filling station.

Audubon Park has a great shaded walking trail and beautiful trees and fountain.

The Irish House
With tired walking feet, we hopped back on the streetcar, rode it to the end of the line and read THE BOOK to locate a great spot for lunch. Commander's Palace was not right on the line, so we didn't stop there. But, The Irish House was. The chef is well-awarded and the location was right. Irish food in New Orleans? We did not regret it.

Don't overlook the delicious food at The Irish House.

We dined outside in front of the restaurant and ordered a green leprechaun slushy cocktail, beer, bangers and mash and fish and chips. We devoured every bite. Darling Husband said my chips (fries) were among the best he's ever had. Service was great. Don't overlook this place!

WARNING: Catching the streetcar at 2 p.m. on a Saturday to get back to the Business District was tough. Cars didn't stop and pick us up because they were too crowded. When we did get on, we were standing, holding onto an overhead bar, very close to other folks. The earlier you go, the better.

A green leprechaun drink and a huge order of fish and chips? Don't mind if I do!

Steamboat Natchez
Prior to our trip, I worked with our travel agent to book a dinner jazz cruise on the Steamboat Natchez. My husband LOVES boats and water, so anytime we have an opportunity to say bon voyage, we do. They do a lunch cruise too, but I wanted to see the sunset on the Mississippi River.

Fried fish, pasta and pork dinner on the Steamboat Natchez.

We arrived at the ship's dock and took a cheesy, touristy photo before climbing on board. We were greeted warmly and told to pick any table inside for our dinner. We had cocktails, recommended by our server, and dug into the buffet. Darling Husband said the food was better than he expected. I was lukewarm on it. We had salad, pasta, fried fish, pork and beef. The fish and the pasta were my preferences out of all of it.

A sneak peak of a military base ... and the rowdy teens on our dinner cruise.

The crew also warned us that about 200 teenagers would be on board. New Orleans in general is not a very kid-friendly city in the French Quarter and Business District. If I had known I would be listening to teens trying to out-cool each other all night, I would have selected another cruise. The kids needed more adult supervision for their quantity.

I enjoyed touring the engine room, listening to the jazz music, hearing history as we headed down the Mississippi and the sunset. This cruise gave us a special view of New Orleans we wouldn't have had otherwise.

The most beautiful sunset on the Mississippi River.

Sucre
After the dinner cruise, we headed to Sucre for dessert. We stopped here on our foodie tour and I think went every day of our trip. I had two macaroons and Darling Husband had some gelato.

Verdict: Ride the streetcar when you get tired of walking. It was a fun break. DO NOT ride the streetcar after noon unless you're really comfortable with strangers in your personal space. Enjoy the laid-back beauty of the Garden District and book a sunset dinner cruise on the Natchez - but call and confirm the student count and be flexible to switching dates based on teenager field trips.