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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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Playing in the Big Easy
Published December 25, 2008
The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans next week offers families and die-hard football fans a unique getaway destination.
Resurrected since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has, for the most part, been rebuilt and reopened to tourists, say officials with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Destruction is still visible in many neighborhoods, but the shopping and entertainment areas are alive and well.
“We have been getting a number of calls from fans asking about the condition of the city,” said Mary Beth Romig, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau director of public relations. “We are more than happy to tell them that New Orleans is alive and well and thriving. All the great tourist attractions are back. The only parts still in recovery are some of the neighborhoods.”
New Orleans residents have returned and continue to offer award-winning service at the numerous restaurants, attractions and destinations within the city.
According to The Times-Picayune, Orleans Parish currently has about 321,466 residents. Pre-Katrina, this number was 437,186. Post-Katrina, the metropolitan New Orleans area has 1,165,440 residents. Pre-Katrina, this number was approximately 1.3 million.
The expected economic impact to New Orleans and surrounding metropolitan area for the Sugar Bowl is $164 million during game week.
“We can’t give recommendations on what hotel to stay at or where the best place is to eat, but we have been directing them to our Web site for assistance,” Romig said. “We have a huge section devoted to just the Sugar Bowl and the Fan Fest with all the times and other information a visitor might need.”
New Orleans boasts 18,000 motel rooms within walking distance of the Louisiana Superdome and a total of some 33,000 rooms citywide.
But if you plan to take part in the bowl game and surrounding activities or attractions, make reservations now. The rooms are filling fast and tickets to the game are scarce.
Alabama has sold out its tickets, and a limited number remained available through the University of Utah.
Tickets are available on Internet sites like StubHub. An upper deck, terrace corner seat will cost you $65 each – be sure to bring binoculars – while a few luxury box seats are available along the sidelines for $41,178 each.
Motel rooms found on www.neworleanscvb.com ranged from $68 per night at the America’s Best Inn, five miles from the Superdome, to $95 per night at the Canal Street Hotel, six blocks away from the stadium.
Other, more luxurious hotels had rooms available for hundreds of dollars per night, but convention officials say those rooms are few and far between.
The Fan Fest will be Wednesday and Thursday near Jax Brewery on Decatur Street in the French Quarter.
Sugar Bowl visitors can also ring in 2009 with a number of New Year’s Eve festivities planned in the city.
Additional suggested tourist activities surrounding the bowl game include:
• The Old New Orleans Rum Distillery tour. For a $10 per person admission fee, patrons receive a full factory and distillery tour and, if they are one of a lucky few, a taste of a soon-to-be-available rum variety in testing prior to release to retailers.
The tours are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 504-945-9400 for more information.
• The Palm Court Jazz Band, with Topsy Chapman, will perform through Dec. 31 from 8 to 11 p.m. Authentic Creole cuisine and live jazz music will be available at the Palm Court Cafe. Visit www.palmcourtjazzcafe.com for more information.
• The New Orleans Museum of Art will offer free admission daily through Jan. 18 as part of the Prospect 1 of New Orleans project. Various exhibits are set up throughout the city as part of the project.
The museums are open Wednesdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 504-659-4100 or visit www.prospectneworleans.org for more information.
• The Audubon Zoo features an aquarium, insectarium and IMAX theater. The facility is open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Combination passes are available. For more information, visit www.auduboninstitute.org.
• For those who prefer shopping as a way to pass the time or those who received a wad of Christmas cash from Santa, consider visiting Magazine Street or the Riverwalk shopping areas.
Magazine Street is filled with contemporary stores offering everything from art and paintings to baby items, clothing, rugs, accessories and restaurants. The Riverwalk is home to more than 100 shops and eateries and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
• Gaming and casinos are another way to play away the days on your vacation. Harrah’s Casino is family-friendly and offers the “Miracle on Fulton Street,” through January. The free family experience features periodic snowfall coupled with a dazzling light and decoration show transforms the street into a winter wonderland.
Children can visit with Santa and his reindeer, sip cocoa or cider and eat at one of the facility’s many eateries.
Getting around the city is uncomplicated. Where else can you hop a moving piece of history as you ride one of the city’s streetcars? The RTA bus system offers fares as low as $1.25. Riverboats and guided tours are available.
See your hotel clerk or visit the convention and visitors center Web site at www.neworleanscvb.com for more information. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau can be reached by calling 800-672-6124.
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