Plan the Perfect Spring Getaway in New Orleans

If you can bear waiting in a long line (it moves quickly) for the best sandwich of your life, head over to the casual Turkey and the Wolf in the Irish Channel neighborhood (739 Jackson Ave.), dubbed the best new restaurant in America by Bon Appétit in 2017. The chefs, expats from some of the best restaurants in the city, left their pressure-cooker kitchens to create outside-the-box dishes and have a little fun. Try the famous collard green melt, served on rye with pickled cherry pepper dressing and slow-cooked collard greens, swiss cheese and coleslaw.

Ready for something lighter at dinner? Yes, you are. A favorite among health conscious locals, visit Carmo (527 Julia St.) for tropical sustainable seafood and plant-based options. With its Afro-Caribbean influences, Carmo offers a different kind of NOLA fare that includes a Peruvian version of sashimi and rum-cured, cold-smoked yellowfin tuna. Don't miss the crunchy Broken Noodle Salad made from rice noodles, bean sprouts, cabbage, tofu, cucumber, peas, carrots, mushrooms, scallions, cilantro and peanuts with a citrus-ginger-chili vinaigrette.

At cocktail time, don't be like the other tourists and wander down smelly Bourbon Street with a bright red frozen drink. Instead, visit the city's more unique places to imbibe. These include the Carousel Bar inside Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St.), where the barstools are part of an antique carousel that makes one rotation every 15 minutes while you sip; the Hot Tin-Rooftop Bar at the Pontchartrain Hotel (2031 St. Charles Ave.), fashioned after a 1940s artist loft with 270 degree views of the city; and Bacchanal Wine (600 Poland Ave.), a wine-and-cheese shop that opens into a romantic backyard music venue with live jazz seven days a week.

Lodging

If you're coming for Jazz Fest, big-box hotel rooms are upwards of $300 a night, if you can even find one. Try the boutique Catahoula Hotel (914 Union St.) in the Central Business District, which recently had rooms for $200. Formerly a private home, this property was converted to a 35-room hotel in 2016 with small-but-comfortable rooms, an industrial-chic vibe and a rooftop bar and restaurant.

If you can't find anything at that time in the city, consider staying less than 8 miles away in Metairie or Harahan and take a car service to the fairgrounds for the day. In Harahan, the Hampton Inn & Suites New Orleans-Elmwood/Clearview Parkway Area (5150 Mounes St.) has an outdoor pool, spacious rooms and free breakfast starting at $122 during Jazz Fest.

Midweek, or on a weekend without a festival, check out the Canal Street Inn in Mid-City (3620 Canal St.), with rooms starting at $150 a night. Known for its lavish three-course breakfasts, which are included in the rate, this Greek Revival mansion is surrounded by towering live oaks and blooming azaleas and there's a streetcar stop out front.

If you're a WWII buff, the Higgins Hotel & Conference Center (1000 Magazine St.) in the Arts & Warehouse District is the brand-new official hotel of the National WWII Museum, located across the street. Filled with artifacts, this newly opened property has two bars and a French-inspired restaurant. Built in an art deco style with 1940s-inspired guest rooms (starting at $200), the hotel offers guest packages that include guided tours of the museum's private collections.

Renée Bacher is a Louisiana-based freelance writer who covers travel, pets and medicine; check out her blog about fostering shelter dogs.