3 timeless Southern getaways that feel like New Orleans without the Bourbon Street chaos

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If you’ve been to New Orleans, exploring the vibrant French Quarter can turn from what feels like a European dreamscape to an impromptu block party, only to become more chaotic by the hour.

The world famous Bourbon Street is one of those places that you have to see (or smell) to believe.

While the aromas of Creole cuisine are one thing, hints of old beer and who knows what else…

With Mardi Gras scandals just around the corner, New Orleans is either a destination you plan to visit all year round, or you’re an old man like me who has graduated from such madness.

So where can you experience NOLA’s best delights without the ugly crowds and late-night rager atmosphere?

Our team of experts here at Travel Off Path put their heads together and came up with 3 other southern getaways that fit the bill perfectly.

3) Conyers: French Quarter with movie set in Georgia

Look – with over 1200 articles to my name, we’re running out of superlatives and clever phrases. So when we say Conyers, Georgia looks like a movie set, because it literally is a movie set.

According to Southern lifemore than 70 films and TV programs have brought this picturesque cityscape to your living room.

Think historic facades, ornate facades, and color wheel architecture in this small town just 24 miles from Atlanta. an easy escape.

But it’s not just Olde Town’s ‘French Quarter’ dupe that sets this city apart and plucks New Orleans’ hearts – it’s the fact that you can freely wander the streets with a cocktail in hand (as long as it meets certain requirements). criteria).

While you may be a bit eye-catching throwing beads here, this map-dot charmer is full of surprises and features everything from old-fashioned soda fountains to a postcard monastery.

The ‘New Orleans’ of Georgia is truly a hidden gem and one of the least suspect places to emulate the best of NOLA.

Conyers does host Mardi Gras events, but nothing on the level of New Orleans.

2) Natchitoches: Louisiana’s oldest city

If you guessed the oldest city in Louisiana, you’d probably choose New Orleans, right?

No! Little-known Natchitoches takes the cake.

This time capsule city offers its own ‘French Quarter’, matching the slogan ‘Where History Lives’.

Unlike Bourbon Street, Natchitoches is family-friendly, with plenty of space to roam freely.

You can enjoy the centuries-old allure of downtown and savor the taste of traditional Creole cuisine, which is also typically cheaper than New Orleans.

Better yet, unlike Conyers, Natchitoches is a destination in itself – not just a day trip.

Stay in one of many historic innslike Judge Porter House Bed & Breakfastwith an impressive, near-perfect Google rating from over 100 guests.

of Natchitoches Mardi Gras season lasts from now through March 4 of this year, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy a similar environment to NOLA without sensory overload, for better or worse.

1) Mobile, Alabama: The OG of Mardi Gras

Just as we asked if you could guess Louisiana’s oldest city, you might assume the roots of Mardi Gras are also obvious.

Once again, it’s a Fat Tuesday no.

Mobile, Alabama is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. Don’t believe us? View the Mobile Carnival Museumshowcasing over 300 years of wild history of this tradition.

With the recently relaunched Amtrak Mardi Gras, this route lives up to its name for good reason. It connects Mobile to New Orleans and vice versa, with beautiful coastal towns in Mississippi in between.

Even if the OG, Mobile gets loud because of their Mardi Gras revelry, but it’s the next best thing to partying without getting too crazy.

If you, like me, have been to New Orleans on Fat Tuesday, you know exactly what I’m talking about…

Sorry mom, for the unclear phone call…

Hurricanes…

Mobile’s ‘Bourbon Street’ is Dauphinstraatwhich is smaller, more navigable and much less crowded than New Orleans next month.

Think of it more as a celebration of its roots than an excuse to be erased. If only the young me got that memo…

Mobile Mardi Gras festivities takes place this year from January 30 to February 17.

Sam Sears

Sam, our lead writer and San Diego-based journalist, has visited 36 countries and written more than 1,000 articles with an emphasis on sharing his own travel experiences and highlighting lesser-known gems.