Marcus & Ashley

A discounted room block has been reserved for our guests at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. You may begin making room reservations after January 29, 2021.

We love your kids, but we also want our wedding reception to be a night off for you and time for you to kick back and laissez les bon temps rouler! If you are traveling with kids from out of town and need to make arrangements for a sitter, we encourage you to coordinate through Care.com below.

The Sazerac House, next door to the Sheraton, is a distillery and museum offering free tours on the iconic New Orleans classic cocktail.  At the Sazerac House, you can partake in a free tour to learn about the Sazerac legacy and enjoy complimentary samples. You must book your complimentary tour tickets in advance. Tours are approximately 75 minutes. 

The Old New Orleans Rum Distillery is the oldest still-operating rum distillery in the continental United States. When you book your tour, make sure to select the tasting with complimentary shuttle service from the French Quarter as your option. 

A historic house museum and one of the country's few attractions dedicated exclusively to preserving the material culture of and telling the story of free people of color.

Tours are by appointment only. 

Tremé was originally settled by Free People of Color; often referred to as Creoles, whose unique experience helped shape the civil rights movement. It is the hallmark of African-American history not to be missed. Today, Tremé is home to artists, musicians, and craftsmen and is a living, breathing, joyful piece of New Orleans history.

The walking tour is available on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM and is walking distance (or a short ride) from the hotel. Purchase your tickets in advance, using the link below.

The Mardi Gras World  tour allows you to see firsthand what it takes to bring Mardi Gras to life year after year. Walk through the hard work and extensive planning that goes into this grand event when you tour Blaine Kern Studios, an operating workshop that has created breathtaking floats for Mardi Gras and other parades around the world since 1947.

60 minute tours are offered daily. Each tour includes a display of Mardi Gras costumes, a video presentation, and a free slice of King Cake.  A free shuttle is provided with ticket purchase and provides pickups from 20 convenient downtown locations.

Studio Be is home to local artist, Brandan 'Bmike' Odums' first solo project. The visual art housed in this 35,000 sq. ft. warehouse depicts the stories of revolutionaries, heroes and everyday New Orleanians. Guided or independent tours are available. Studio Be is equipped with an in-house merchandise shop selling all original works and pieces from the collection. Keepsakes such as prints, pins, apparel and skateboards can be purchased.

While strolling through the Quarter, make sure to check out the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, after you grab beignets at Cafe du Monde. Next to the St. Louis Cathedral you will find one the Louisiana State Museums - the Presbytere.  The Presbytere has a permanent exhibition dedicated to Mardi Gras and carnival costumes, as well as Hurricane Katrina and Rita. 

The New Orleans African American Museum of Art, History and Culture (NOAAM) was founded in 1996 under the guidance and extensive support of the City of New Orleans Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development.

NOAAM is located in the Tremé section of New Orleans, a neighborhood that was once home to the nation’s largest, most prosperous and politically progressive community of blacks by the mid-1850s.

In addition to its famously delicious cuisine, and its matriarch the late Chef Leah Chase, Dooky Chase’s restaurant played a vital role in the Civil Rights Movement. At the corner of Orleans Avenue and North Miro Street, Dooky Chase held and fed countless numbers of Civil Rights activists and revolutionaries. Today, the family-owned restaurant remains at its original intersection serving award-winning cuisine to a host of locals, visitors, politicians and public figures. Don’t just make President Barack Obama’s mistake of adding hot sauce to the gumbo before you try it–the iconic chef famously scolded the 44th president for doing just that during a 2008 visit to the restaurant.

Dooky Chase is open for lunch Tuesday - Friday, and dinner on Friday nights.     

Snug Harbor is a jazz bistro on Frenchmen Street, featuring Creole cuisine in the dining room, along with a bar and music room. 

If you are interested in checking out one of the shows in the music room, purchase your tickets in advance. The limited cabaret type seating guarantees an intimate musical experience. The room occupies two floors. Downstairs is the stage & seating; upstairs is a mezzanine with seating that overlooks the stage. Snug Harbor has two shows nightly. All seating is general admission.

Jay-Z and Beyonce dined here! This Garden District restaurant serves Creole favorites. Black love is black history and the Munch Factory has and shares plenty of it. 

Compere Lapin is a black and woman owned restaurant led by top chef star Chef Nina Compton, featuring Caribbean and Creole-influenced cuisine. 

Meril is a casual Emeril Lagasse restaurant featuring a variety of small plates that are great to share, along with cocktails and local beer. Reservations are suggested. 

Frenchmen Street -- crowded, buzzing and vibrant -- might just be the most consistently musical stretch of asphalt in New Orleans. Its venues offer an array of live performances ranging from traditional jazz to blues to reggae and rock and are, themselves, famous, attracting audiences from all over the world.

The crowd on Frenchmen is very eclectic, and there's something for everyone. 

Ashley recommends d.b.a, Negril, Maison and the Blue Nile. The atmosphere is very casual and most bars have a very minimal cover charge. You can walk in one, jam for a little bit, and then walk next door to the next stop for a night of fun.

Bar Marilou is a posh new bar located in the Maison de la Luz Hotel. The Hotel was formerly an office building, and home to Ashley's first law firm, Stone Pigman, where she spent her first two years practicing law. Bar Marilou can get packed, but the cocktails are worth the wait. Get there early to get a nice spot.

Victory is a black-owned bar for connoisseurs of craft cocktails. 

Nestled in the heart of Downtown New Orleans lies the city’s most eclectic and unique place for pleasant conversation, an array of delectable morsels and an impeccably prepared cocktail. The spirit of Victory is in its team’s pledge to preserve the elegance of a past era when cocktails were fashioned with pride and artistry. With a tremendous selection of spirits, a variety of house-made syrups and a talented crew with a relentless streak of creativity, cocktails here never disappoint.

Bacchanal is a wine laboratory where food music and culture collude with Holy Vino to create the most unique evenings you will ever experience in New Orleans Ninth Ward.  Bacchanal features live music in the courtyard every day, weather permitting.