SAA in New Orleans: Summer Weather & Where to Eat and Drink

I moved to New Orleans at the start of 2025, so I am very excited that Society of American Archivists (SAA) is holding their annual conference (ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2026) in my new home city! I love living here, so decided to share tips with conference visitors much like I did back in 2018 when SAA held their conference adjacent to my old DC neighborhood.

Bob Dylan Quote on a wall in Bywater
Bob Dylan Quote on a wall in Bywater.

SAA’s website and publications already have some great tips, city overviews, and recommendations – check out their guide on getting to New Orleans, the host committee’s blog, and the host committee’s pieces in Archival Outlook issues March/April 2026 and May/June 2026.

GENERAL NEW ORLEANS ADVICE

Packing Suggestions

  • New Orleans summer is very hot and very humid. During the day when you’re inside the conference hotel and going to sessions etc., you will be in a very air conditioned zone, but if you go outside for lunch or after the conference day is over, definitely keep in mind fabric breathability. You may even want to bring a little rechargeable personal fan – I have one that was a Muses Mardi Gras parade throw that I throw in my bag when I will be outside for longer stretches. My body has not yet adjusted to the heat here!
  • Evenings after sundown the temperature will likely go down a few degrees, but not enough to need a jacket or light layer if you’ll be outside. It’s still gonna be hot after dark y’all.
  • Sun protection – sunscreen and/or hats if you’ll be outside.
  • I would definitely suggest packing an umbrella and/or very lightweight (unlined!) rain jacket or poncho since it does often rain for at least part of the day during the summer. Check the weather each day, but know that sometimes rain isn’t predicted and yet it comes, and vice versa.
  • Shoes – I personally do not like to wear open-toed shoes in the French Quarter and CBD, particularly if you’re going to be anywhere near Bourbon Street. Your personal preference, but to me it’s akin to wearing flip flops in Times Square. If you are going with sandals, a small platform might be your friend here. You’ll also want comfortable shoes for any walks around – the sidewalks can be very uneven in New Orleans. Consider rain resistance in this category as well.
  • Bring a bathing suit – the conference hotel has a pool, but if you’re staying elsewhere, check out ResortPass to get day passes to other hotel pools. Two pools I would recommend that are not on ResortPass are the Garden District Hotel (New Orleans’ only swim up bar, a hot ticket in town), and the Country Club (an experience on its own – if you’re free on Sunday morning, grab a reservation for drag brunch and then go to the pool afterwards). Also see Sip + Dip in the events section below.

Travel Suggestions

  • MSY airport is small but I really like it – some great food options there if you have time on your way in or out. There’s an airport location of Cafe Du Monde so you can get your beignet and cafe au lait, there’s Lucky Dog for my fellow hot dog lovers, Angelo Brocato for ice cream, Emeril restaurants, airport standards like Vino Volo and Chili’s , and even an airport location of celebrated cocktail bar Cure. You can get nice local souvenirs at the airport locations of Dirty Coast and Fleurty Girl too.
  • The conference hotel is the Central Business District (the CBD), which has a ton of closely walkable restaurants and bars. It’s also walkabout to the French Quarter (FQ), so many of my recommendations will be based in those two neighborhoods – these are the tourism heavy hitters, but locals go out to eat and drink there too (just not on Bourbon if it can be avoided, lol), so don’t feel like it’s only for tourists. Some of the best restaurants, cocktail bars, and museums are in these two districts.
  • That being said, if you have the time, I highly recommend getting out into the other New Orleans neighborhoods – you’ll see some great architecture, more amazing restos and bars and museums, and get a better sense of what living in New Orleans is actually like for most folks. Lower Garden District is the easiest neighborhood to walk to from the CBD and also a very popular one since this has the grand houses on tree-lined streets. Marigny and Bywater are also very fun – lots of colorful houses, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. Oak Street is also a cute area to wander around with lots of shops. Irish Channel is another strollable neighborhood with great food and shopping options. If you love to see local college campuses, Tulane and Loyola are right next to each other, making for a convenient campus stroll.
  • Go see live music! Again, this is based on having enough free time, but New Orleans is a music city – lots of American cities claim the title of the music city, but for my money it’s actually NO. Music is everywhere in this city and you are likely to hear street performers (especially in the FQ), but it’s very worth going to see a gig. Frenchmen Street, on the other side of the French Quarter from the CBD, is a very popular place to see jazz in particular – lots of little bars and venues, and if you’re there at night, the Frenchmen Art Market is fun to check out too. I recommend checking out the performance calendars of Preservation Hall, Tipitina’s, Saenger Theater, Gasa Gasa, Siberia (they have a science talk about bats on the SAA Thursday!), Saturn Bar, and Le Bon Temps.
  • Come back! IMO the summer is the worst season in New Orleans – fall and Thanksgiving are lovely times, Mardi Gras is of course a must, and Jazz Fest is both a great festival and a nice time of year (and you can catch the jasmine bloom!). Saints games are super fun as well.
Three women pose in front of Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans, LA.
With friends outside of the Superdome! I became a football fan after moving to New Orleans.

Events

  • If you’re still in town the evening of August 1, it’s White Linen Night. It’s an art gallery wander, spanning the 300-600 blocks of Julia Street (walking distance from the conference hotel), with lots of food and drink options. The dress code, as you may guess, is white linen. However if you didn’t pack a white linen outfit, don’t worry – you can get away with wearing white of any fabric, just a white top or white bottoms instead of both, or check out the white linen sales at Dillard’s in the Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie (the big mall in the suburbs). It’s white linen preferred, not required.
  • If you’re free on Friday night (the 31st), Sip + Dip at the Audubon Zoo is a very fun time! The music theme on the 31st is Afrobeats. IMO the VIP ticket is worth the upgrade – comes with two drink tickets, better food ordering options, and nicer seating areas. Don’t sleep on the waterslides and splash zone section, which is surprisingly fun for adults.
  • Starting August 1, it’s Coolinary month – like restaurant week in many cities, but it lasts the entire month of August. It’s a great way to try out some of the pricier restaurants in New Orleans – you’ll get a smaller set of menu options, but a cheaper three course meal.

RECOMMENDED EATS & DRINKS

Below are some recommendations by neighborhood, but I’ve also made a Google Maps list with lots of places I recommend tagged – you can check that out here.

CBD

  • Peche. I took my mother here on her first day of her very first visit to New Orleans. My mom is a Bronx native who has never lived more than an hour away from NYC, and after having one cocktail and one bite of gumbo at Peche, she said “this is a better city than New York.” Strongly recommend making reservations since otherwise it is generally hard to get into, but one of my favorite places.
  • The Daily Beet. Local chain for smoothies, juices, salads, and bowls, with gluten free and vegan options. The Girod Street location is close to the SAA hotel. My go-to is the Pretty in Pink smoothie.
  • Copper Vine. Very close to the SAA hotel, Copper Vine has tasty food and good drinks. On the SAA Thursday evening, this is where LSU will be hosting our alumni mixer.
  • Kira. I actually haven’t been here yet, but it’s been on my list since it opened early this year! Menu looks great – it’s a Mediterranean and Japanese fusion place.
  • Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel. If you want to do a classic New Orleans cocktail crawl, this is a great place to start or end. Birthplace of a Sazerac cocktail (naturally), this bar was a favored hangout of Huey P. Long (his reported favorite cocktail? Another New Orleans classic, the Ramon Gin Fizz – I actually prefer these to Sazeracs as well). Beautiful Art Deco bar in an equally beautiful hotel. If you are doing a cocktail crawl, remember that you can get your drinks in go cups to walk to your next location (some bars/restaurants have very cute go cups – collecting these are a great souvenir as well).
  • LUFU. Very well regarded Indian restaurant, and a close walk to the SAA hotel. As with most restaurants here, you’re better off getting a reservation – July and August are slower months for tourism in NO, but reservations are always a safe bet.
The Cajun Fried Chicken Biscuit from Palm & Pine.
Crabmeat Crusted Redfish with asparagus and a lemon slice on a plate at Antoine's restaurant in New Orleans.
Crabmeat Crusted Redfish at Antoine’s.

French Quarter

  • Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29. Great tiki bar in the FQ, definitely worth a visit.
  • Palm & Pine. Delcious food and drinks, another one of my favorite places.
  • Jewel of the South. One of my favorite places to get a cocktail, it’s ranked one of the best 50 bars in the world. The cocktails are why you get in the door, but the food is great too.
  • Erin Rose. My personal favorite frozen Irish coffee in the city. Get it in the plastic design go cup!
  • Antoine’s. If you’re looking for a classic New Orleans dinner, this is a good one. It can be touristy, but I love the food here. Family-owned since 1840, this is one of several New Orleans restaurants that is known as the birthplace of famous dishes.
  • Arnaud’s French 75 Bar. Arnaud’s is another New Orleans old school classic restaurant that is a great choice, but if you’re doing your cocktail crawl, pop into the French 75 bar for, what else, a French 75.
  • Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone. Another good stop on a classic New Orleans cocktail crawl, the preferred seat is of course at the bar, which rotates like a carousel.

Beyond the CBD & FQ

  • Commander’s Palace. Go for the 25 cent martini lunch (Wednesday, Thursday or Friday only) – they just dropped a new martini flavor! Very classic New Orleans experience; reservations strongly recommended.
  • Columns. I love going to the bar here for a cocktail, burger, and doing some work on my laptop.
  • Lillette. In my opinion, the best burger in New Orleans. Get the potato gnocchi and one of the excellent cocktails too (are you seeing a pattern? This is a cocktail city). Good location to wander around Magazine Street for some shopping, and grab a sno-ball before or after from Imperial Woodpecker.
  • Atchafalaya. Pricy, but fantastic food. Also located in a cute neighborhood for wandering around (Irish Channel).
  • Francolini’s. This may be my New York roots showing, but I’m obsessed with this New Jersey-style Italian deli’s sandwiches. They are massive! Get whatever you order on the focaccia.