Girls Trip

Girls Trip: Uptown New Orleans

The ultimate girls trip guide for Uptown New Orleans — Magazine Street shopping, Garden District brunch, spa options, and the best bars for a group night out.

Last updated: May 2026

Uptown is where the city goes when it’s not performing. No Bourbon Street energy, no tourist crush — just some of the best restaurants in the country, a neighborhood built for walking, and a bar scene that knows how to have a good time without trying too hard.

For a girls trip, Uptown delivers on the things that actually matter: excellent brunch options that don’t require fighting through a crowd of tourists, independent boutiques on Magazine Street that you’ll actually want to shop, day spas where you can get a group booking, and nightlife that runs on the Frenchmen Street model rather than the Bourbon Street one.

Here’s the playbook.

Quick Checklist

Book accommodations 6-8 weeks out (large group options in this area fill up)
Make brunch and dinner reservations before you arrive
Coordinate Magazine Street shopping vs. spa day for the group early
Check the Maple Leaf Bar and other live music venues for show schedules
Build in at least one afternoon at the pool — it’s never a waste
Assign a logistics lead who isn’t responsible for everyone’s moods
Confirm dietary restrictions and restrictions before booking restaurants

Why Uptown for a Girls Trip

Most New Orleans girls trips anchor in the French Quarter or the Bywater/Marigny. Both are great. Uptown is different.

What Uptown has that the Quarter doesn’t:

Slower pace, genuinely residential feel — you’re inside the city, not at its most performative
Magazine Street: 6+ miles of independent boutiques, vintage shops, galleries, and great restaurants that the Quarter cannot match
The Garden District: one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the South — the walking is its own activity
Brunch institutions that don’t require tourist-level waits
A nightlife scene built around live music, cocktail bars, and places that run late without being chaotic

What Uptown gives up:

The concentrated bar energy of Bourbon Street (by design, mostly)
Instant walkability to the French Quarter’s tourist sites
The most concentrated live music (that’s Frenchmen Street — but it’s only a short drive)

Our read: For a girls group that wants to do more than party — that wants great food, actual shopping, beauty treatments, and a neighborhood they could imagine living in — Uptown is the best version of New Orleans.

Magazine Street: The Shopping

Magazine Street runs 6 miles from the CBD through multiple neighborhoods into Uptown. It’s not a mall. It’s not a strip. It’s a street that’s been home to independent businesses for generations, and the density of good boutiques and shops is genuinely remarkable.

What You’ll Find

Category	What to expect
Women’s fashion	Independent boutiques, local designers, vintage stores
Home goods	Antique shops, design stores, locally made goods
Jewelry	Local jewelers, estate pieces, handmade
Art	Galleries throughout, printmaking shops, folk art
Beauty	Local beauty retailers and skin care
Books	Octavia Books (one of the best independent bookstores in the South)
Food/coffee	Cafes, chocolate shops, specialty food stores scattered throughout

How to Do Magazine Street with a Group

The wrong way: everyone walking together in a pack, waiting for each person to decide on every item.

The right way: agree on a stretch (the blocks between Louisiana and Napoleon are the densest) and a meeting spot, and let people go at their own pace. Reconvene at a café, then do another stretch.

Pro timing: Magazine Street shops open around 10-11 AM and the best hours are 11 AM-3 PM. Do this before dinner, not after.

Garden District: The Walk

The Garden District is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in America. We say this with confidence. The antebellum mansions, the live oak canopy, the ironwork fences, the azaleas in spring — it photographs well and it’s even better in person.

How to Do It

This is a walk, not a tour. You don’t need a guide to appreciate the Garden District, though a guided tour will add historical context.

The route: Start at Washington and Prytania and walk roughly 6-8 blocks in any direction. The main sights are on Prytania Street, First Street, and Coliseum Square. Commander’s Palace is at Washington and Coliseum — if you’re here, you’re close.

Duration: 1-1.5 hours for a leisurely walk with stops for photos.

What to look for:

Greek Revival, Italianate, and Victorian architecture, some of the finest examples in the South
The Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 on Washington Avenue — free entry, historically significant, genuinely beautiful
Street signs indicating which historic district you’re in
The garden plantings, especially in spring and fall

Practical note: This is a residential neighborhood. The people who live here are politely tolerant of tourists. Don’t wander into private gardens or climb fences for a photo.

Brunch in Uptown

This is the move. Uptown brunch is better than French Quarter brunch in almost every way: less crowded, shorter waits, better food, better vibe.

Options by Vibe

Restaurant	Vibe	Group size	Notes
Atchafalaya	Garden patio, Bloody Mary bar, upscale	10-20	Call for large groups; popular on weekends
Patois	Refined, French-influenced, excellent	10-15	Smaller space; reserve in advance
Dat Dog	Casual, gourmet hot dogs and brunch items	Any size	Walk-in friendly, good for big groups
Willa Jean	Biscuits, pastries, excellent coffee, Downtown adjacent	15-20	Very popular; reservations essential
Slim Goodies Diner	Classic diner, massive portions, no reservations	10-15	Expect a wait on weekends

For groups over 15: Call ahead and ask about a reserved section or semi-private dining. Most Uptown restaurants will accommodate if you give them notice.

Spa and Beauty Day

This is the activity that separates a good girls trip from a great one.

Booking Tips

Call to book a group appointment, not an online one — you’ll get better coordination
Ideal booking: 6-10 people in simultaneous appointments (you want overlapping time, not staggered)
Book 2-3 weeks ahead; popular day spas fill on weekends
Ask specifically: “Can you accommodate a group of [X] at the same time?”

Service Options Worth Considering

For a full day of pampering with a group:

Service	Duration	Notes
Massage (Swedish or deep tissue)	60-90 min	Most popular; most spas accommodate multiples
Facial	60-75 min	Good pairing with massage
Mani/pedi combo	90-120 min	Look for nail salons that take group bookings
Body treatment/wrap	60-90 min	Less common but excellent

Practical note: Beauty and spa options in New Orleans, as in any city, vary in quality and availability. Research specific providers, read reviews, and call to verify group accommodations before booking.

Budget: Plan for $100-200+ per person depending on services. Tip in cash is standard (20%).

Afternoon at the Pool

Don’t underestimate this. A dedicated afternoon at the pool — with no agenda, nowhere to be, good music, and drinks — is consistently one of the highest-rated parts of any girls trip.

Build one in. Don’t treat it as the default when you have nothing planned. Make it intentional.

What makes a great pool afternoon:

Good playlist (assign someone ahead of time)
Stocked cooler: prosecco, seltzers, citrus, snacks
Sunscreen applied before anyone gets in the water
No phones in the pool
No plans until dinner

Night Out: Uptown Bars

Uptown’s bar scene is for people who live here. Less performance, more actual fun.

The Best Options

Maple Leaf Bar — Live music every night, mostly local acts. Laid-back crowd, roots music focus, great sound. This is the Uptown alternative to Frenchmen Street: smaller, more neighborhood, less tourist.

The Columns Hotel — Victorian mansion turned hotel bar. The front porch is one of the best spots in the city for drinks. Sophisticated, pretty, and great for groups who want to talk over cocktails.

Cure — James Beard-nominated cocktail bar on Freret Street. Serious drinks, knowledgeable bartenders, excellent for a group that takes cocktails seriously.

Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge — Divey, dimly lit, Christmas lights year-round. The perfect late-night spot for when you’ve been classy all day and want to shed it.

F&M Patio Bar — Large patio, high-energy, good for big groups. Later-night crowd.

Route for the Night

One option that works well:

Dinner at a great restaurant (reservation)
Drinks at The Columns Hotel (porch, atmosphere, wind-down)
Maple Leaf for live music (if there’s a good show)
Cure for a round of proper cocktails
Late night wherever the group lands

This gives you three different energies — refined, musical, serious cocktails — without requiring transportation between all of them (though you’ll need a rideshare or two).

Frenchmen Street: The Backup Plan

Frenchmen Street in the Marigny isn’t Uptown, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s always the right answer when you’re not sure what to do at night.

Three blocks of live music venues, open bars, no cover at most, music starting around 9 PM and running until 2 AM or later. For girls trips especially, it’s excellent: you can walk between venues, the music is the entertainment (no pressure to talk over a DJ), and the crowd is mixed locals and visitors.

From Uptown accommodations, it’s a 15-minute rideshare. Worth it.

The 3-Day Uptown Girls Trip

Day 1: Arrivals and Settle In

Time	Activity
Afternoon	Check in, grocery/supplies run, pool
Evening	Low-key dinner nearby or at the house
Night	Early drinks at The Columns Hotel porch

Day 2: The Full Day

Time	Activity
Morning	Group brunch at Atchafalaya or Patois
Late morning	Magazine Street shopping
Afternoon	Spa/beauty appointments
Pool hour	Decompression between spa and dinner
Evening	Big dinner (reservation)
Night	Maple Leaf for live music, then wherever

Day 3: Garden District and Wind Down

Time	Activity
Morning	Slow start, coffee at the house
Late morning	Garden District walk + Lafayette Cemetery
Afternoon	Final Magazine Street pass or pool
Evening	Dinner, then either early night or Frenchmen Street run

Budget Breakdown (3 days, per person)

Category	Budget	Mid-Range	Splurge
Accommodation	$75-100	$125-175	$175-250
Food & drinks	$150-200	$250-350	$400-500
Spa/beauty	$75-125	$150-250	$250-400
Shopping	Personal	Personal	Personal
Transportation	$25-40	$40-60	$60-100
Total (excl. shopping)	$325-465	$565-835	$885-1,250

Flights excluded. Accommodation per person assumes group of 12-18.

Pro Tips

One spa, one reservation. Don’t try to have half the group at one spa and half at another. Book a salon or spa that can take your whole group at the same time or in close windows.
Do Magazine Street in two passes. One before lunch, one after. The street is long and your feet will give out if you try to do it all at once.
Book Commander’s Palace if it’s in the budget. It’s technically Garden District, but it’s one of the greatest restaurants in the city. For the right occasion — milestone birthday, bachelorette dinner, final night — it’s worth every penny.
The Columns Hotel porch. Always say yes to drinks here. It’s one of those rare spots that actually matches its reputation.
Frenchmen Street vs. Bourbon Street. For a girls trip, Frenchmen wins decisively. Music you actually want to hear, manageable crowd, no aggression, easy to move between venues.
Protect the pool morning. Whatever happened the night before, protect the next morning pool time. That’s where the best conversations of the whole trip happen.
End the trip on a slow note. Don’t book flights that force a rushed departure morning. The trip isn’t over until the last person is home.

Where to Stay for Groups of 10-25

The Syd — Multiple villas in the Lower Garden District, each sleeping up to 22. This is the natural home base for an Uptown girls trip. One block from the St. Charles Streetcar puts you within easy reach of Magazine Street, Garden District, and Uptown restaurants. The shared heated pool, hot tub, sauna, and outdoor kitchen mean your between-activities decompression time is excellent. Every room is designed by a different local New Orleans artist — which creates a level of aesthetic detail you don’t find in a hotel or a standard rental.

Castleday Retreats — Three private villas in the Bywater, each sleeping up to 30. If your group’s priority is maximum privacy — a completely private pool, your own space, no shared amenities — Castleday is the answer. The Bywater location puts you closer to Frenchmen Street and the Marigny than to Magazine Street, but a short rideshare connects you to all of Uptown easily. The private pool is the best anchor for a girls trip pool day in the city.

Both are the right answer depending on your group’s priorities. Private-pool-as-anchor or central-location-plus-shared-amenities. Neither is wrong.

The Trip That Actually Delivers

Uptown New Orleans is the version of the city that residents love most. Magazine Street doesn’t get old. The Garden District is always worth the walk. The brunch here is better than anywhere else in the city.

For a girls trip that balances doing things with actually being somewhere rather than always rushing to the next stop, Uptown is the move.

The Syd – Lower Garden District, shared pool/hot tub/sauna, up to 22/villa
Castleday Retreats – Bywater, private pools, up to 30/villa