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I love to travel with my corgi, Kuma, wherever I can. On my cross-country road trip from California to Florida, I was looking for places that I could explore with Kuma and found that New Orleans was a fairly dog-friendly city.

There are many pet-friendly hotels, eateries, shops, and even art galleries. Here is how Kuma and I spent our day in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS DOG-FRIENDLY ITINERARY

9AM Photoshoot

Whenever I’m on a solo trip in Europe, I try to always do an Airbnb Experience Photoshoot. They’re generally inexpensive and it’s totally worth it to me. When shooting self-portraits of myself, It’s time-consuming and hard to always get photos in busy cities, so it’s nice to have someone do this for you at a decent price. Plus, a lot of the photographers offer some history and background to the area you’re exploring as well.

I wasn’t sure if the photographer of the Airbnb Experience in New Orleans would allow taking pictures with my dog, but they were totally on board. My photographer was very nice and made sure I got all the shots I wanted with Kuma. We walked to several locations around French Quarter and they were all great spots for photos.

Crystal lifting her skirt sideways dramatically with corgi — Airbnb Experience Photoshoot in New Orleans

Crystal kneeling down and petting Kuma in the street — Kuma all dolled up for our photoshoot

11AM Cafe Amelie

Cafe Amelie is well-known amongst locals and tourists because of its delicious food and beautiful outdoor patio. It’s filled with greenery, cafe tables, light strings, cute benches, and a water fountain. You feel like you’re stepping into a little fairy tale.

I ordered the Chicken and Waffles, which is my go-to at any restaurant that serves brunch. I quite enjoyed their chicken. It was different from other Chicken and Waffle entrees I had in that their chicken was boneless and had a little bit of spiciness to it. There was also a very tasty mushroom gravy on top. The waffles were good, but they were a little burnt.

Sadly, I just learned that this cafe has closed. I’m hoping they reopen, but not sure what’s going to happen. If you’re looking to have brunch outdoors with your pup, Cafe Beignet or Ruby Slipper Cafe are some other options.

Vibrant outdoor eating area at Cafe Amelie — Lovely outdoor terrace at Cafe Amelie

A plate of chicken and waffles with sauce and green onions on top — Chicken and Waffles

Corgi sitting in front of the outdoor fountain — Kuma enjoying the fountain

1PM Cafe Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde is known for its famous beignets. I’ve had beignets at numerous places around the world and I can still say that Cafe Du Monde has the best beignets. It’s no wonder they’ve been around for so many years since 1862 to be exact.

Simple Cafe Du Monde menu — Cafe Du Monde Menu

They are also known for their café au lait which is coffee with warm milk added. The unique thing about their café au lait is that it’s cut with chicory, an endive root, a local tradition that started during the Civil War when coffee was scarce.

Be prepared for long lines because this is one of the stops all tourists make sure to experience. The lines may seem daunting at first, but they go by rather quickly. I waited 10-15 minutes for my beignets and it was totally worth it.

Holding a bag of beignets from Cafe Du Monde — The famous beignets of New Orleans at Cafe Du Monde

1:30PM The Moonwalk Riverfront Park

While you’re devouring your beignets and coffee, I suggest either sitting on a bench at Washington Artillery Park or sitting on one of the stairs at The Moonwalk Riverfront Park. You’ll get a gorgeous view of the Mississippi River and the Huey P Long Bridge.

You can also listen to a variety of street performers around here. Some of them don’t sound too great, but a lot of them are pretty decent.

Corgi laying down with bridge in background — The Moonwalk Riverfront Park

2:00PM Washington Artillery Park

If you were not able to grab a seat at the Washington Artillery Park earlier, I would go back to take in the stunning view of Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. While you’re there, you may even see the talented music performer and his money collecting dog on Decatur St.

View of Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral — View of cathedral from Washington Artillery Park

The music performer’s dog, Robin, walks up to the audience, grabs the tips with his mouth, and brings it back to his owner! I was so impressed by this that I sat here for a good 30 minutes watching this amazing trick.

Not only is the dog impressive, but the musician is equally as talented with his singing and comedic remarks. I could not get enough of this talented duo.

Street performer with his dog — The most talented duo you will see in New Orleans

3:00PM Rodrigue Studio

George Rodrigue is a world-famous artist from Louisiana known for his Blue Dog paintings based on a Cajun legend called Loup-garou, which catapulted him to worldwide fame in the mid-1990s.

There is a small gallery of his work in the French Quarter that you can visit with your dog. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, the gallery was closed due to COVID.

Window display of dog art — Rodrige Studio

3:30PM Gallery Rinard

Right around the corner from the Rodrigue Studio is another art gallery that is dog friendly. Gallery Rinard is owned and operated by artist, Matt Rinard. He features the work of many of the area’s best painters and sculptors.

The woman who greeted us when we walked in was very friendly and Kuma was happy with the attention she was getting.

The gallery is small but full of fun and cute animal paintings, sculptures, and books including Pete the Cat.

Kuma sitting on the floor of an art gallery — Dog-friendly Gallery Rinard

4:00PM Southern Paws

If you love stopping by pet boutique stores, you’ll love this one. There are so many cute treats, toys, collars, leashes, clothing, accessories, and more. The dog toys with high-end brand names with a twist were hilarious like Chewnel (Chanel) and Hairmes (Hermes).

Since Kuma did a lot of walking in New Orleans, I bought her a couple of custom-made treats. I wish I could get her more of these treats, but she has such a sensitive stomach so I have to be careful what I give her.

Shelf of dog toys and collars — Lots of unique dog toys at Southern Paws

Variety of custom-made dog treats being displayed in store — Cute custom-made dog treats

5:00PM Woldenberg Riverfront Park

Woldenberg Park is a gorgeous park with lots of grass for Kuma to roll around in. She absolutely loves grass, so this park was perfect for her.

We took a nice stroll along the Mississippi River and watched the sun slowly come down while the skies started to turn into beautiful pink and purple hues.

The path leads to the Moonwalk where we originally were in the afternoon.

View of bridge with sunset background — Sunset at Woldenberg Riverfront Park

Steamboat parked at the bank of the river — Steamboat Natchez

View of cathedral at Jackson Square during sunset — Jackson square and St. Louis Cathedral

6:00PM Voodoo Authentica

One last thing I had to do with Kuma was check out a voodoo store. New Orleans is known for its voodoo and I had to see what kind of charms and potions they had.

When we first walked into the store, I noticed that there was a private area where someone was getting their fortune told. It would have been fun to do a reading, but you normally have to book in advance.

The store had all sorts of voodoo dolls, herbs, potions, and charms. It was interesting to see what some of these items did. They had a doll called the Traveling Juju that reminded me of one of the charms I always get in Japan when I visit the Narita Temple. You’re supposed to keep the charm hanging in your car so that it protects you.

Inside of Voodoo Authentica store — Voodoo Authentica

Corgi smelling statues in the store — Kuma curious about the weird looking statues

Wall and shelves filled with voodoo dolls in store — Various voodoo dolls

WHERE TO STAY

With so many pet-friendly hotels in New Orleans, specifically in the French Quarter area, it took me a while to choose the right hotel. At first, I was looking to stay at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot since they do not charge a pet fee, but it was a bit further from all the places I wanted to visit with Kuma.

I decided to splurge a little and stay at the historic Hotel Monteleone. They have a special called the Monte’s Pet Package which includes lots of goodies including a bowl, toy, waste dispenser, and more. It’s also in the perfect location where all the sites I wanted to visit with Kuma were less than a mile away.