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New Orleans Guys Weekend Guide

The complete playbook for a guys trip to New Orleans: golf, fishing, sports bars, Saints gameday, and the bars that actually work for large all-male groups.

Last updated: May 2026

New Orleans is one of the best cities in the country for a guys weekend. The activities are genuinely good—golf, fishing, swamp tours, sports bars. The bar culture is built for groups. And nobody’s going to rush you out anywhere.

The problem most guys trips run into: they show up without a plan and spend most of the weekend arguing about what to do next. This guide gives you the plan.

Quick Checklist

Book accommodations at least 6-8 weeks out (large private rentals fill up)
If golf is on the agenda, book tee times before you leave home
Make at least one dinner reservation — yes, even for a guys trip
Identify which bar you’re watching the game at before gameday
Designate a trip planner — one person makes final calls
Cash in everyone’s pockets before going out
Pack for heat and humidity if you’re going May through October

The Core Activities

Golf

New Orleans is a legitimate golf city. You’re not roughing it.

Course	Type	Notes
TPC Louisiana	Championship, tour-level	Host of the PGA Zurich Classic; best course in the region
Audubon Golf Course	Public, scenic	In Audubon Park, walkable from Uptown; great for a morning round
City Park Golf Course	Public, affordable	Multiple courses; laid-back, easy booking
English Turn Golf & Country Club	Semi-private	Strong course, suburban location

The move: Tee off early to beat the heat. TPC Louisiana is the obvious choice if you want the bucket-list round. Audubon works if you want a shorter trip and something walkable.

Logistics note: Golf shoes and heat don’t mix well in July and August. If your trip is summer, plan the round for 7 AM. Still going to be warm by the back nine.

Fishing

The Gulf Coast fishing around New Orleans is legitimate world-class stuff. Red drum (redfish), speckled trout, and flounder in the marsh. Offshore for larger game.

Types of trips:

Inshore marsh fishing — Charter a boat for half-day or full day in the coastal marshes. Redfish and specks on light tackle. Great for groups of 4-6 per boat.
Offshore — Half-day or full-day trips into the Gulf. Deeper water, different species. More serious commitment.
Lake Pontchartrain — Bass fishing, different experience. More accessible, no open-water crossing.

How to book: Use a licensed charter guide. Don’t try to figure it out yourself. The marshes are a maze and you won’t know where the fish are. A good guide puts you on fish; a bad one doesn’t. Ask locals for recommendations or look for guides with recent reviews.

What to bring: Sunscreen, sunglasses with polarized lenses, hat, water. The guide provides gear. Tips are standard and expected.

Swamp Tours

If some guys want the fishing experience but not the full charter commitment, a swamp tour is a solid half-day option.

Airboat tours get you into the cypress swamps and bayous south of the city. You’ll see alligators. You’ll see cypress trees draped in Spanish moss. It’s genuinely impressive.

Most tour companies run group departures out of the Bayou Segnette area, about 30 minutes from the city. Some offer private tours for large groups — worth the premium if your group is 12+.

Sports Bars and Gameday

New Orleans is a Saints city. When the Saints are on, the bars fill up and the energy is real.

Best bars for watching sports with a large group:

Bar	Neighborhood	Notes
Broken Arrow	CBD	Multiple screens, big space, built for crowds
WIllie’s Chicken Shack	French Quarter	Multiple locations, rowdy, no pretense
Bud’s Broiler	Uptown	Classic dive, cheap drinks, good food
The Avenue Pub	Lower Garden District	Strong beer selection, 24/7, relaxed
Finn McCool’s	Mid-City	Irish pub, big Saints crowd, neighborhood regulars

For Saints home games at the Superdome: Check the NFL schedule before you book. A Saints home game is a completely different level of energy. Get tickets in advance (resale sites work fine). Tailgating outside the Dome starts hours before kickoff.

Note: The venue name has changed over the years but locals still call it the Superdome. Look for “Caesars Superdome” on official ticketing.

Bachelor-Adjacent Activities

Not a bachelor party officially, but the group is in that range. Here’s what works.

Cooking class — The New Orleans School of Cooking does group classes. Sounds like a soft activity until you’re making gumbo and drinking Abita at 11 AM. Surprisingly great for a big group.

Kayak Bayou St. John — Flat water, no experience needed, 2-3 hours. Good morning activity.

Axe throwing — A few venues in the area. Works fine for groups, no setup required.

Poker night at the house — If you have a big private rental, one night just playing cards and ordering delivery hits different. Not everything needs to be a scheduled activity.

Private second line — Hire a brass band to lead your group through the streets. This is genuinely one of the most fun things you can do in New Orleans with a large group. See the second line guide for how to book.

The Nightlife Plan

Night 1: Get Your Bearings

Don’t go hard on night one. You’ve been traveling. Half the group is already tired.

Dinner somewhere good. Head to Frenchmen Street for live music. Drink at a comfortable pace. This is a reconnaissance night — figure out where things are, what your group wants to do on nights two and three.

Night 2: The Real Night

This is your big night. Build toward it.

Start with a proper happy hour or cocktails. Make a dinner reservation (yes, seriously — one dinner at a real restaurant). After dinner, hit Frenchmen Street when it’s at full energy (10 PM and after). Stay as late as you want — New Orleans has no last call.

Night 3: Adjust to the Group

By night three, you know what your group actually wants. Some guys will want another big night. Others will want to post up at the house with drinks. Both are correct.

The bars that handle large all-male groups well:

Bar	Why It Works	Notes
Maison (Frenchmen St)	Three floors, good capacity, great bands	Best for large groups on Frenchmen
d.b.a. (Frenchmen St)	Excellent music, more elbow room than Spotted Cat
Pat O’Brien’s (French Quarter)	Massive venue, famous Hurricanes, courtyard	Tourist central but built for large groups
Cane & Table (French Quarter)	Rum drinks, good vibe, less chaotic than Bourbon
Snake & Jake’s (Uptown)	Legendary dive bar, cheap beer, Christmas lights year-round	True late-night NOLA

Bourbon Street strategy: You’re going. Accept it. Get walk-around drinks, do Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop while it’s still atmospheric, hit Pat O’Brien’s for the courtyard experience. Don’t spend the whole night there — transition to Frenchmen Street by midnight.

Eating: The Non-Negotiables

A guys trip where nobody eats well is a waste. New Orleans is one of the best food cities in the country. Prioritize at least two real meals.

Meal	Recommendation	Why
Lunch	Domilise’s Po-Boys (Uptown) or a local po-boy shop	You’re in New Orleans, eat a proper po-boy
Nice dinner	Cochon, Pêche, or Compère Lapin	Make the reservation
Late night	Dat Dog, Killer PoBoys, Café Du Monde at 2 AM
Breakfast / hangover food	Camellia Grill, Slim Goodies	Counter service, fast, exactly what you need

Sample 3-Day Itinerary

Thursday (Arrival Day)

Afternoon arrivals, settle in
Grocery run: beer, mixers, snacks
Early dinner nearby
Low-key drinks by the pool, catch up

Friday (Activity Day)

Morning: Golf or fishing (booked in advance)
Lunch: Po-boys or wherever the guide drops you off
Afternoon: Pool recovery, pregame
Evening: Happy hour → dinner reservation → Frenchmen Street
Late night: Let it ride

Saturday (Full NOLA Day)

Morning: Sleep in, coffee, recovery
Afternoon: Swamp tour, or cooking class, or just the pool
Happy hour: Somewhere with outdoor seating
Evening: Bourbon Street first, Frenchmen Street after midnight
Late night: Snake & Jake’s or back to the house

Sunday (Departure Day)

Slow morning
Bloody Marys and brunch (Camellia Grill or the house)
Pack up and head to the airport

Budget Per Person (3 Days)

Item	Budget	Mid	All-In
Accommodations	$100-125	$150-200	$250-300
Golf / Activity	$75-100	$150-200	$250+
Food + Drinks (going out)	$200-250	$300-400	$500+
Transport (Ubers)	$30-50	$50-75	$100
Total	$405-525	$650-875	$1,100+

The golf costs are per-round and vary significantly by course. TPC Louisiana is the premium option; City Park or Audubon are the value plays.

Pro Tips

Book the activity first, plan everything else around it. Tee times go fast, especially on weekends. Charter boats book out weeks in advance. Nail the activity before you do anything else.
One person owns the trip logistics. Not democracy. One guy is the point person — makes the reservations, sends the schedule, keeps the group chat moving. The trip falls apart when everyone assumes someone else handled it.
Frenchmen Street after 10 PM. Showing up at 8 is fine, but the energy doesn’t fully arrive until 10 or 11. Plan your night accordingly.
Cash before you leave the house. Every night. ATM fees in the Quarter are brutal, and you will not find a working ATM at midnight when you need one.
The day drinking trap. New Orleans in summer is hot. If your group starts heavy day drinking, you will not make it to midnight. Pace accordingly or plan a nap window.
Don’t fight about dinner. Assign the restaurant to one person, trust them, show up and eat. Committee dinners on a guys trip are a time sink.
The pool is the trip. Half your best memories will happen in or around the rental’s pool. Don’t overschedule. Leave time to just be there.

Where to Stay for a Guys Weekend

This is where it either comes together or falls apart. Twenty guys in five separate hotel rooms means twenty separate nights, twenty separate bar tabs, and no central place to actually hang out.

You need one place. One kitchen. One common area. Ideally, one pool.

Castleday Retreats — Three private villas in the Bywater, each sleeping up to 30. Private pools, full kitchens, completely private. The Herald has the largest common areas — good for a crew that wants space to spread out. The Cocodrie has the best outdoor setup. No neighbors to worry about, no noise complaints. Walking distance to Frenchmen Street. This is the move for guys trips that want a real base camp.

The Syd — Multiple villas in the Lower Garden District, each sleeping up to 22. Shared heated pool, hot tub, sauna, outdoor kitchen. One block from the St. Charles Streetcar. The artist-designed rooms are a talking point — everyone notices them. Slightly smaller capacity per villa, but multiple villas available. Good location if your group is more sports-and-nightlife focused (closer to CBD, Superdome).

For a true large-group guys weekend — especially if you’re cooking meals, running poker nights, or want pool time built into the itinerary — a private villa is not a luxury, it’s logistics. You need the space.

Book Your Guys Trip

Castleday Retreats — Private villas, Bywater, up to 30 guests, private pools
The Syd — Lower Garden District, up to 22 guests, shared pool and hot tub, streetcar access