20251012_091100Architecture in the Garden District (October 2025)

The city of New Orleans has many nicknames: NOLA, The Big Easy, and even “N’awlins,” reflecting the local’s accent. Regardless of what you call it, it has a long and rich history that blends French, West African, Creole, and American cultures into one. Despite enduring multiple hurricanes and hardships, NOLA continues to rebuild and revive itself over and over again, demonstrating its tenacity to keep moving while still celebrating life.

Following my first afternoon in town, I woke up early the next morning to catch an Uber to the Garden District, where I would spend the first half of the day in. I started with breakfast at Lagniappe Bakehouse, located inside one of the neighborhood’s historic buildings– it was like having a meal inside someone’s home! I’d heard of this bakery through social media, as it’s black and women-owned and combines traditional West African/Creole flavors into its baked goods.

20251012_084457Lagniappe Bakehouse

There was already a small line outside the bakery just before opening at 8h00. I ordered a few pastries to try, including a sausage roll, a cardamom bun, and a poppy seed alligator claw. Also got a spiced fig latte to wash them all down. I especially enjoyed the sausage roll, which was beautifully-latticed and extremely flaky, as well as the poppy seed alligator claw (think “bear claw” pastry, but just a different animal!), which was rich with praline filling inside. The spiced fig latte was aromatic and subtly sweet, and overall, it was a delicious way to start the day!

20251012_081409Cardamom bun and sausage roll (with spiced fig latte)


20251012_082946Alligator claw

Next, I took the historic streetcar ($1.25 USD per ride) over to the meeting point of the architecture tour at 10h00. Although the streetcar went slowly, it was a nice way to see NOLA from a unique perspective. Soon enough, I reached the meeting point, located in the heart of the Garden District, where along with 24 other tourists, we spent the next two hours walking around to learn about the district’s history and the various architecture throughout it.

20251012_090058Streetcar approaching…


20251012_085935Riding the streetcar

The Garden District is touristy, but residential; it felt very peaceful strolling the streets and coming across stately, impressive homes in Victorian, Gothic Revival, even Italianate design. We even saw a few celebrity homes, including those of actor John Goodman, actress Sandra Bullock, and author Anne Rice (RIP), a NOLA native and famous for her Gothic-horror stories.

20251012_110046Sandra Bullock’s house


20251012_115319John Goodman’s house


20251012_120059Anne Rice’s house (RIP)

We also got a glimpse of the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 through its iron-bar gates, as it’s not open to the public. Our tour guide was very informative and, besides offering a lot of history and architectural knowledge, dipped a bit into the supernatural lore of the cemetery and NOLA’s ghosts. Although the ghost tours are a completely-separate kind of tour, it was nice to get a bit of it in our architecture tour! Overall, it was enjoyable, and thankfully not too crazy hot, as we’d started in the morning and mostly walked under shade.

The tour concluded at 12h00, and I grabbed lunch in the area. I really wanted to try gumbo and étouffée, so I found a restaurant that served both. Unfortunately, both dishes were not very good: they were way too salty, and because of that, I couldn’t finish them. It was a bit disappointing, but in any case, I’m glad I got to try some of the famous Cajun and Creole dishes from the area!

20251012_124528Seafood gumbo


20251012_131705Étouffée

That concluded my first morning in NOLA; I’ll recap more of my time soon, as well as my afternoon trip to the swamp. Stay tuned! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

51 thoughts on “Destination: New Orleans, Louisiana (Fancy Breakfast Pastries, Architecture Tour in the Garden District, & Eating Gumbo– PART 2)”

  1. What an excellent start to the day. The pastries looked wonderful. The exterior of Sandra Bullock’s house is so cute. My dad would call it gingerbready. : ) Sorry about the too salty gumbo. I think sometimes the food prep folks forget about the preparation of a soup or stew, it’s already spiced and salted just right.

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  2. Beautiful post and photos, dear Rebecca, from one of the places I’ve always yearned to visit. All the pastries look very delicious, and the ride in a streetcar looks super fun. I have to say that New Orleans has the most beautiful and distinctive architecture – I’d love to go on a guided tour exploring the city’s historic neighbourhoods. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. There’s nothing quite like the food (minus the gumbo) and architecture in NOLA! Such a beautiful city with a melting pot of cultures and history which makes the place truly one of the most-unique destinations in the world! Thanks for reading, Aiva, and have a great day 😊

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    1. I’m usually good with gumbo, but the one I had in NOLA didn’t do it for me, sadly. Yes, I did try beignets and muffulettas later on in the trip. Stay tuned!

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  9. A well-organised day to see and experience as much as possible in New Orleans. During my stay, whilst wandering around at random, I also visited a cemetery where all the graves were built high off the ground because of the damp soil. That was quite unusual for me.

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  10. This sounds like a great day. Your breakfast at the Lagniappe Bakehouse would be just my sort of thing, as would the architecture tour 😀 And I’m looking forward to hearing about the swamp tour too!

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  14. That’s too bad about the lunch, but I’m glad the breakfast was good. I’m intrigued by the idea of a fig latte; not a flavor I ever considered blending with coffee. The architecture tour looks interesting!

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    1. The two are similar, but I think streetcars move slower and are historic. The humidity in NOLA was pretty intense, but thankfully not so bad when I visited in October!

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  17. The pastries you had look really good, but I’m most intrigued by the alligator paw. I like pralines, so I think I would enjoy this pastry a lot. Unfortunately your lunch was disappointing. There were occasions when I was eagerly anticipating to try some local dishes in my past travels but ended up disappointed because they were too salty. Nothing ruins a dish more than adding too much salt into it.

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    1. Indeed! The pastries were delightful, using some interesting flavors and spices I hadn’t had before. Given that gumbo is an iconic dish of NOLA, it’s a shame that the one I had fell short of expectations. Thankfully, I had better meals in town later on!

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    1. The Garden District was a beauty, especially with all of the various architectural styles! Lunch was a disappointment, but thankfully, the subsequent meals were better!

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  19. Those pastries look good. I’m adding Lagniappe Bakehouse to my list of places to visit the next time I’m in NOLA. I didn’t know Sandra Bullock had a house there! Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

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    1. Thanks, Darlene! Lagniappe Bakehouse was a real treat; just know that hours are limited and sometimes the owner closes shop for vacation. But it’s definitely worth trying if you’re in NOLA!

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  20. I could get on board with breakfast at Lagniappe Bakehouse – those pastries look delicious! I’d never heard of étouffée before, so have just looked it up to fill in that gap in my knowledge! Looks like you had a lovely day for wandering around and admiring the architecture.

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    1. Yes, it was a delicious breakfast! Lagniappe Bakehouse has limited hours (and sometimes closed when the owner goes on vacation), but it’s worth checking out if you happen to be in NOLA when it’s open! A perfect way to start the day before touring the Garden District!

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  24. Rebecca, the Garden District walk sounds like the best part of the day — those raised foundations and wide porches are a direct response to humidity and flooding, which is such a different problem than what we deal with out here. In Salinas our concrete work is mostly about controlling cracking from dry heat and soil shrinkage, not moisture, so it’s interesting seeing how New Orleans architecture basically fights water at every turn, from pier foundations to drainage details along those old streets. Sorry the gumbo didn’t deliver, that’s a letdown after a good morning like that. Mind if I reference this post sometime when talking about regional foundation differences?

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    1. Never thought about infrastructure that way! Given that NOLA is essentially a swamp, the foundation needs to be elevated in order to prevent flooding. You’re welcome to reference my post, so long as you credit me!

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  25. Those pastries look amazing, and I’d never heard of a spiced fig latte but it sounds delicious too! Doing a walking tour is always great to get a local’s perspective and I find that I always learn a lot more from a guide than if I follow the route by myself. Too bad the food wasn’t so good, I hope the next meals were more satisfying!

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    1. The pastries and spiced fig latte were a delicious start to my day! The walking tour of the Garden District was pleasant, and it was good we started early enough to avoid the heat! Lunch wasn’t the greatest, but I assure you the subsequent meals were a lot better 🙂

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