My husband and I have an ongoing love affair with the city of New Orleans. One of our first trips to the Big Easy was back in 2002, when we first started dating. Ryan, an appellate attorney here in San Antonio, had an oral argument at the Fifth Circuit in NOLA, and I went along for the ride. Individually, we had both been several times before, but in Ryan I found someone who shared my passion for the city. Who could possibly imagine that in just a few years we would be married and introducing our four children to New Orleans on an old fashioned road trip family vacation? That was the summer of 2010. And now it’s time to us to return. Our blended family of six is flying to New Orleans this Friday to enjoy the first weekend of Mardi Gras, which got me to thinking: where in San Antonio can we find a little family friendly NOLA flavor? Because don’t we all need something to do between the rodeo and Fiesta in this city?
Food Fun
My family has enjoyed several of New Orleans chef John Besh’s restaurants in NOLA. Now we don’t have to travel any further than the Riverwalk to sample Besh’s signature Cajun and Creole dishes with a decidedly Texas Hill Country twist. Our gumbo-loving older daughter Eleanor chose Lüke as the spot for her 9th birthday dinner, and she proclaimed the chargrilled oysters to be excellent!
Another great spot for authentic New Orleans cuisine in San Antonio is the Where Y’at Food Truck, which is regularly parked at the Alamo Street Eat Bar. When I returned from a recent work trip to New Orleans, my daughters were woefully disappointed that I didn’ t bring them back any “bendy a’s”–beignets are the powder sugar dusted fried donuts that put Cafe du Monde on the map, and my kids love them! Propelled by the look of disbelief and utter disappointment in their eyes, we promptly headed downtown to the Alamo Street Eat Bar so the girls could savor fresh beignets while Ryan and I sipped cold Shiner Bocks from the bar. The Where Y’at Food Truck has po boys, bbq shrimp, and a variety of other authentic offerings, and if Cajun/Creole isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty other food trucks to choose from at this urban food truck park.
It wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without King Cake, and our local HEB grocery stores have them in stock this time of year. They now come in all sorts of different flavors, like pineapple and apple. My kids are obsessed with ending up with the slice of cake containing the tiny plastic baby!
Bud Light Mardi Gras River Parade and Fest
This year, the Mardi Gras River Parade will be held on March 1, 2014 from 3pm to 5pm, with music at the Arneson Stage from 11am to 7pm. The festival, with food, arts, crafts, activities and more, will be held at La Villita. This event is free and open to the public and sounds like a great way to catch a little Mardi Gras spirit right in our own back yard.
South Texas Jazz presents: Mardi Gras!
NOLA wouldn’t be NOLA without its wonderful music. One of the coolest things we did on our family vacation to New Orleans was stop at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park in the French Market. We saw some professional jazz musicians teach local New Orleans children to play a variety instruments, preserving this great heritage. Wrap up your San Antonio Mardi Gras festivities on Fat Tuesday, March 4, 2014, with a great Mardi Gras jazz concert at the Charline McCombs Empire Theater at 7:30pm. Tickets are now on sale for $30 – $50: South Texas Jazz presents: Mardi Gras!
Taste of New Orleans
Need a little NOLA love after the Mardi Gras festivities are over? Mark your calendars for the Taste of New Orleans Fiesta event at the Sunken Garden Theater, now in its 29th year, which will be held this year from April 11 to April 13, 2014. It’s family-friendly Fiesta fun with New Orleans-themed food and entertainment. Bonus: kids 12 and under get in for free!
Do you know where to find any other bits of the Big Easy in the Alamo City? Share in the comments below!
Thank you for writing this! I’m from the NOLA area and just moved to SA. It’s good to know where I can find a taste of home here!
My husband is from Louisiana, so we make the trip back there quite often. I have a love/hate relationship with mardi gras, but we do love King Cake!
Aw we love that you love NOLA as much as us!!
Love this Kelly!! Thanks for reminding me about Taste of New Orleans…I just put it on our calendars. Nik & I also have an ongoing love affair with New Orleans. So much so that we got married there! The kids absolutely loved NOLA and are constantly asking to go back. While NOLA is not the first place to pop in your mind as family friendly, but with a little thought and care there are plenty, plenty of things for the kids. And if you don’t want to make that trip, your ideas right here in SA are a great substitute. They will at least hold us over until we head back!