8.30am: Devour Doughnuts

Whoever said save the best for last hadn’t been to New Orleans. Locals dive straight into dessert, with the finest beignets (dougnuts) found at Cafe Beignet (334 Royal St). Dunk them into a cafe au lait and stroll to Jackson Square to watch steamboats roll in on the Mississippi.

10am: Vintage and Voodoo

The vintage shops on picturesque Royal Street hoard everything from Southern-belle gowns to antique guns. Off the tourist trail, F&F Botanica and Candle Shop (801 N Broad St) deals in authentic voodoo, Cuban santeria, wicca candles and jinx removers. Enter at your own risk!

11.30am: Seafood Stop

Everything’s bigger in the US, even the shell fish. Desire Oyster Bar (300 Bourbon St) serves up plates of large, clean-tasting Gulf oysters. Order them raw with a side of crab mac ’n’ cheese and see why in the south, size matters.

12.30pm: Garden Stroll

Uber it to historic Garden District to gawk at romantic Antebellum mansions, iconic of the Deep South. The leafy neighbourhood is ideal for strolls, and the homes of stars from Beyonce and Sandra Bullock to Interview With a Vampire author Anne Rice rub rooftops here.

1.30pm: Southern Charm

Settle in for haute Creole, including turtle soup and Louisiana shrimp, at James Beard-awarded Commander’s Palace (1403 Washington Ave, Garden District). There’s an anecdote in every room (ask where George W. Bush liked to sit) and moustachioed waiters tend the tables.

6.30pm: Bar Crawl

Sazeracs at the rotating Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St) are a rite of passage, but seats are a hot commodity, so try a cocktail at The 21st Amendment (725 Iberville St) then stroll to Preservation Hall (726 St. Peters St), founded in the ’60s, for live New Orleans jazz.

8.30pm Celebrity Bites

Luminary US chef Emeril Lagasse pays homage to Louisiana with NOLA (St. Louis St), dishing out mod-southern bites. Indulge in Creole gumbo, fried chicken with gravy and pepper jelly, or shrimp and grits with applewood smoked bacon.

11.30pm Uptown Funk

While Bourbon Street (pictured) in the French Quarter can be a hoot, the place to shake it off is at the jazz clubs. Try d.b.a (618 Frenchmen St) for upbeat tunes from live bands, or The Spotted Cat (623 Frenchmen St) for intimate gigs.