Ok so I know a lot of people were mad about the seemingly last minute changes that were made to…read morethis event due to Covid, but I think Rock n Roll handled it well and we were still able to have a successful and fun event. I know the race was supposed to be run through downtown and French Quarter, and while that's also why I signed up, the location change to Lake Pontchartrain/University of New Orleans was also a pretty race course. Less potholes too! My only complaint was that the only shuttles available from downtown to the start line were at the Convention Center which is quite a hike from most French Quarter hotels. Maybe next time, if the race has to be moved again, we could have shuttles departing 2 or 3 different locations downtown? Otherwise many if us had to decide between walking 1 to 1.2 miles each way to/from the Convention Center vs a $40 Uber/Lyft each way!

My entry into Rock 'n' Roll Marathon New Orleans came after a few deferrals starting with 2020…read moreChicago, 2021 Nashville, and 2021 Seattle due to circumstances in those particular cities. The date of Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon New Orleans fit perfectly with my work schedule, plus a visit to New Orleans has been on my bucket list for a few years now. So, seeing it on my deferral list was an opportunity I could not pass up. The expo venue was at the New Orleans Ernest N Morial Convention Center within walking distance of my hotel. With all of the deferrals that came before me running New Orleans, the staff was very organized and took care of me during the process of registering. During the expo, I adored the New Orleans culture-themed outfits decorated on manikins along with the Rock 'n' Roll series displays. A huge shout out to all of the volunteers who gave the time to help out on course; it is very appreciated! There were a few water stations along the run course that were short-handed. It was to the point where many runners had to stop just to wait for drinks to be filled with water. On course, every mile was marked in spite of there being a 5k, 10k, and half marathon going on at once. It was easy staying on course being that there were signs that kept all three races on its course. And the course had medical support all throughout it; it warmed my heart seeing the 'Biofreeze' set-up going into the final mile of the course. I must say the rough part for me was the final three miles of the course. My body at that point was ready to check out, but my mind pushed me through every cruising step to the finish. The course had many spread-out rolling hills, but none that were brutal enough to make me walk up them. The dullest part of the course was from mile 10 to mile 12 because there was little support, given the fact that it was further out. The scenery was beautiful along this course which started on the University of New Orleans campus. I kept thinking to myself is this really New Orleans. Gorgeous! Oddly I had Huey Lewis And The News 'Stuck With You' stuck in my head, as I ran along the coast of Lake Pontchartrain which distracted me by taking my mind off how many more miles are left. I enjoyed the jazz bands along the course! Even though they were not rock bands, they were yet another reminder that this is the city of New Orleans. It was relieving to see the finish line which was followed by a tunnel where volunteers handed out medals, and there were tables that were filled with drinks and snacks. I loved the event shirt! It is yet a solid reminder not only of Rock n' Roll New Orleans, but the culture of the city. Very Mardi Gras like design as like the medal which is in the form of a Mardi Gras mask with necklace beads. You best believe I would do Rock n' Roll New Orleans again because it is an excuse to visit New Orleans as the city builds up for Mardi Gras. Doing it again I would plan wiser because I had planned for it starting at Lafayette Square. However, it ended up starting on the University of New Orleans campus which was five miles away from my hotel. After having dealt with so many deferrals, it feels good to be done with Rock 'n' Roll Running Series in the meantime. I was amazed at how responsive Rock 'n' Roll Running Series was with deferral replacements. For that, I ended this experience on a good note. ~Blessings~   Thomas G

Definitely get here early! Besides the tailgate parties. The…read moreDome has so much music entertainment, photo ops and giveaways! Free pics, free koozies, sunglasses, tequila samples, chopsticks, towels,football player cards, key chains,etc. Inside there are plenty of local food favorite s, alligator, jambalaya, poboys and i think i saw beignets. Great atmosphere! Great crowd participation activities! Very entertaining even though they are losing! I would definitely come back to see another game!

Built in 1975, this windowless domed stadium is in pretty good shape…read more Capacity of 73,208 for football, I saw my J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS lose to the Saints here last week. The temperature inside the dome is typically set around 70-74°F (21-23°C) for major events. Plenty of beer vendors on the 100 level to help you drown your sorrows. Be advised, women's purses must be clear see through.

I have wanted to sky dive for so many years and I finally did it! Gold Coast Skydivers is an…read moreINCREDIBLE company!

Had an amazing first dive. Totally thinking of doing this again and working towards an A-License…read more They make you feel very safe and make sure that you have a good time while you do it.

New Orleans venues are all loads of fun! Even though their teams are losing, it feels like they are…read morewinning! The music and events within the events makes for a fun experience from beginning to end! Lots of crowd participation! Lots of happy music! Good food and drinks! Would definitely attend more events!

I go to a good bit of events at the smoothie king center every year. Most recently I went to the…read morepelicans game for HBCU night. Lately the pelicans games have still been pretty empty especially at the top. For it to be HBCU/ Divine nine night it would've been nice to see them give some free or discounted tickets to the HBCUs in the state and local divine 9 chapters. This way you fill the seats, and I'm sure those attendees would've spent money at the concession stands. The pelicans played the bucs that night but the bucs were missing Giannis and the Pels were missing Trey Murphy. Pels could've won the game but of course at the end they fell apart. Throughout the game there were performances from members of HBCUs and diving 9 groups. Xavier University Band was there but they had them at the top in the stands. It would've been nice if they let them perform on the floor so everyone could've seen and heard them better. They had HBCU trivia game that I thought was a nice touch. I think next year it'd be nice if they showed pictures on the big screen highlighting some of the distinguished alumni from the Louisiana HBCUs. The giveaway for this game was a bucket hat. They did not hand it to you when you entered the game like they usually do. You had to wait in a long line after the game to get it. This line led to the Courtside club where there was an after party. Once we made it there this man said it was at full capacity and no one else could go in. I was disappointed as I was looking forward to the dj. My uncle also went to the game and he was able to get in the Courtside club and said how they had kids in there which he thought was weird since there's also a bar in there. For the future I think they need to hand out the hats in the beginning and either make the Courtside club entry 21+ or just have the party outside of the arena where everyone can enjoy the music and step shows from the Greeks.

I love this fest!! I only got to go Sunday (2017)…read more Saw a couple of awesome bands, and had some great food. Antoine's had an Oysters, baby scallops, and peas penne pasta in a white wine sauce topped with a two cheese mix and panko. Let me say, for $8, it was a generous portion ....but even more importantly, it was generous on flavor! I have been saving up to go to Antoines, but I'm going to have to go anyway (lol). I was completely satisfied. I also had a Fried Oyster Po boy from Acme Oyster House. I think it was ok, but the bun to oyster ratio was not in the oyster's favor. The Brass-O-Holics are an awesome group, and their unique twist on classic R&B and hip hop had the crowd dancing, and grooving. Excellent musicians, soloists, and very tight. I will look for them again. Although I didn't get to hear/see Bag O Donuts, I've seen them before and they are also, and excellent, entertaining group.

This was my first time going to oyster fest and I was only there for 30 minutes because of the…read moredreadful Summer heat! Other than the heat, the food was delicious! (Fave to least) Red Fish Grill Oyster BBQ Po-boy This was probably my top favorite out of all the vendors! I mean you get some mad flavor from the crystal bbq and the blue cheese dressing cool down some of the spice - perfect combo! Trennese Oyster Ceviche Oh this was great especially being in the heat. This came with 4 total and each topped with shrimp chunks, white fish, and bell peppers - very delicious and fresh. Mac n' Cheese with Boudin The shell pasta was perfectly cooked and the cheese was the perfect consistency. I can't recall oyster being in this dish but it was defiantly seafood mixed in. DTB Oyster and Grits Nice texture in the grits with pickled veggies on top! Corn meal oysters were a bit small, but the overall flavors were on point. Little Korea BBQ Ice Pops - (Mango, Vietnamese Coffee, Cherry & Chocolate Chips) My favorite had to be the mango! It had a nice and smooth texture, very refreshing. My only request is changing the date to a cooler season. I wasn't able to enjoy my time at the festival because I spent my time complaining about the heat. I'm apologizing for not having the prices because it was too hot and I was too lazy to take a photo of each vendor. I will do better next year!

This is my favorite spring time festival here in New Orleans. The weather isn't too hot yet, and…read morethe location is perfect. Don't let that fool you, bring a hat and sunscreen. I didn't go looking for a particular band although I enjoyed what I heard. I came for the food!!! I went on Saturday which is day 2 of the festival. We got there around 11:30, it wasn't too crowded but they were definitely in full swing. By 4:30 the crowd had tripled in size. Lines were moving quickly and the options were endless. We tried several things and everything was so fresh and on point. A few standouts were the oxtail melt, the gumbo dumplings, and the must try alligator cheesecake. My only suggestion would be to allow water bottles to be brought in or, at least empty ones and have a fill station. Next, more seating in the sponsor lounge. The venue was large, and had plenty of space for more seating areas. Also the food in the lounge was lacking in variety, although I enjoyed the salad offering. The bartenders up there were great, and I loved the terrace overlooking the festival.

A time was had. The weather was nice. The food and live band was awesome. We enjoyed ourselves…read more There were no fights, just good food, music, and positive vibes and energy.

We went to the "Houston Crawfish & Music Festival" at the "Houston Fair Grounds". 1. Houston had…read morenothing to do with this, it was vendor ripping people off. 2. It was at 4603 Orem Road, not the Houston Fair Grounds. 3. The charged $75 per person for "VIP" all you could eat. Yet all of us who paid VIP stood there and watched as they filled the orders of cash customers and ignored us. Basically they took the money of the prepaid bought the crawfish and sold it to the cash customers. All VIP started complaining as they were running outvof crawfish before we got any. 4. Crawfish was undercooked, potatoes were still raw in the middle. 5. Drinks were $12 to $16 for one. This was a huge rip off stay away from any event that has NOLA FEST GROUP LLC on it. Totally unorganized.

I went to this festival with high hopes. I haven't been to this fest since 2010 and remembered…read moreliking it back then. This yr I was rather disappointed in both the food and the lack of vendors. There were about 30 vendors out there (which I thought to be rather small). I could literally walk the whole area in 5 minutes that's how small it was. I really like Dunbar's food in general and tried their strawberry shortcake. It was a letdown as they used frozen strawberries and it was caked in whipped cream. The ribs from this BBQ place in Memphis was so-so. The guy who was sitting next to me with his ribs said, "These are the best ribs I have ever had." I, on the other hand, thought the ribs were average at best. This is a festival I will probably skip in future years unless I happen to be in the Quarter that weekend during the day. FYI: Prices were reasonable as most items were between $4-7 for decent-sized portions.

The price to enter went up from $20 to $25. They have two time slots for entry. If I'm correct, it…read morestarts from 11am to 4pm and 5pm to closing. Price came up and you can't stay the whole day if you want to. This year has less entertainment for the kids then usually and the snow queen or princess was not active and friendly as pass years character in costume. If this will be the same for the following year, I don't think I would take the kids there.

Had a wonderful time at NOLA ChristmasFest! I'm a sucker for all things Christmas-y so best believe…read moreI was all over this opportunity to attend. This event goes on for a little over 2 weeks but after my first time attending, I can see how packed this place gets on a weekend. If you can attend during a weekday then I highly recommend it. A few of the activities you can enjoy with your ticket purchase are the carnival rides, ice skating rink, sledding, faux snowball arena, gingerbread house, maze, and so much more. I really enjoyed the carnival rides since they have a few that are attractive for teenagers and adults. The carousel is also a great one for social media. For those of us who like to have a drink while enjoying any activities aka me, then rest assured you can purchase alcohol including beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. The Christmas tree area is really photogenic and I love the feel-good vibes you get. As tempted as you might be to try one of the gingerbread houses don't but they're super cool to explore! They even have a local vendor area to support local artisans. NOLA ChristmasFest is a great family friendly activity and hopefully y'all have a chance to explore.