Some of the best free things to do in New Orleans are the ones locals do every week: follow a second line on a Sunday, sit on the levee at sunset, wander a sculpture garden under the oaks and listen to a brass band on a street corner. You don't need a ticket for most of what makes this city great. You need a free afternoon and comfortable shoes.
That's not a line we're using to sell you something. Behind the counter on Magazine Street and Chartres Street, we get asked for budget tips all the time, and our answers rarely cost a dime. Here are the ones we give most.
Follow a Second Line
On many Sunday afternoons, a social aid and pleasure club takes to the streets with a brass band, and anybody can follow. The club members are the first line, in suits and sashes they've spent the year planning. The people dancing behind them are the second line. That's you.
It's free to join, but it isn't free to put on. Clubs pay for the permits and the band themselves. Buy a cold drink from the vendors along the route, and if you're not sure what you're looking at, read what a second line actually is before you go. WWOZ posts the weekly route schedule.
Watch the Ships From the Fly
Uptown, behind Audubon Park, the riverbank locals call the Fly is where half the neighborhood goes to watch the sun set over the Mississippi. People bring blankets and their dogs. Big ships come around the bend close enough to wave at.
There's no admission and no schedule. That's the appeal. If you bring a drink, a reusable cup like our Fairgrounds Go-Cup beats a glass bottle on the grass.
Wander the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
Inside City Park, next to NOMA, the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and open seven days a week, with sculptures tucked among lagoons and old live oaks. It's one of the most peaceful places in the city.
City Park itself doesn't charge you to walk in, either. Bring a sandwich and spend a morning under the trees. A few attractions inside the park charge admission, but the park is yours for free.
Step Into The Historic New Orleans Collection
On Royal Street in the French Quarter, The Historic New Orleans Collection runs galleries full of maps and paintings from the city's history. Admission is free. You'll need a ticket, which you can reserve online or pick up at the front desk.
It's a smart stop on a hot afternoon, and it'll make the rest of your walk through the Quarter make more sense.
Listen on Frenchmen Street
Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is one of the best music streets in the country, and some of the best music happens on the sidewalk. Brass bands set up on the corners. Musicians play in the doorways. You can stand there for an hour and not spend a cent.
Here's the catch, and it's a fair one. Those musicians are working. If you stop and listen, put something in the bucket. A few dollars keeps the music on the corner. Our Do Watcha Wanna shirt was made in honor of exactly these folks.
Louisiana Music Factory, the record store on Frenchmen, also hosts free in-store shows from time to time, especially around festival season. Check WWOZ's calendar for listings.
Visit St. Roch Cemetery
New Orleans' oldest cemetery requires a paid tour, but St. Roch Cemetery in the St. Roch neighborhood is quieter and stranger, and walking the grounds doesn't cost anything. The chapel has a small room full of offerings left by people who prayed for healing. Be respectful. People are buried here, and families still visit.
Catch a Mardi Gras Parade
The biggest free show in the city rolls every Carnival season. Mardi Gras 2027 falls on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and parades roll for weeks before it. Grab a spot on St. Charles and settle in. Krewes spend all year building the floats and paying for the throws. You just have to show up.
First-timers should read our guide on what to do during Mardi Gras before claiming a spot, and then what not to do in New Orleans, which covers parade-route manners.
Almost Free: The Algiers Ferry
We'd be lying if we put this one in the free column. The ferry from the foot of Canal Street to Algiers Point costs a couple of bucks each way. According to the ferry's Wikipedia page, the cash fare has been $2 one way since the RTA took it over in 2014.
For the price of a coffee, you get the best skyline view in town and a few quiet blocks on the other side. We've covered the Algiers side in tourist traps locals quietly skip, so we'll just say this: go at sunset.
Spend the Money You Saved
You'll probably spend the money you saved on a long lunch, and we fully support that. If you want a souvenir that only makes sense to people who've been here, our Listen To Your City shirt is made for people who find the music on their own.
Then come say hey on Magazine Street or Chartres Street. Our advice is free too.
Free Things to Do in New Orleans: FAQ
What can you do for free in New Orleans?
Follow a Sunday second line, watch the sunset from the levee at the Fly, walk City Park and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, and hear street musicians on Frenchmen Street. The Historic New Orleans Collection's galleries on Royal Street are free with a ticket.
Are Mardi Gras parades free?
Yes. Parades are free to watch from the public route. Krewes pay for the floats and throws, so the only cost is getting there early enough to find a good spot.
Is the Algiers ferry free?
No, but it's close. The fare is a couple of dollars each way, and the ride across the Mississippi has one of the best views of the downtown skyline.
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