DO: It never seems like Halloween until you and a group of friends go to a haunted house. We know they can be corny sometimes, but it’s such a tradition and one that certainly can’t be passed up here in New Orleans. Round-up a group of friends and head down to Mortuary, one of the oldest haunted house in the city. Get scared. Scream. Take funny pictures and then talk about how lame it was (even though you were really scared)! Open daily 7:00pm – 12:00AM. Admission is $25.
SEE: Opera season just opened and for longtime enthusiast and newcomers there is Opera on Tap. Join the New Orleans Opera in the fourth season of bringing you the finest young local and regional singers in casual, 90-minute concerts of opera. This weekend head out to the Abita Springs Brew Pub for this free event. October 27 7:00pm-8:30pm. 72011 Holly Street | Abita Springs, LA 70420.
EAT: Cheekily-named for the copious amounts of water it took in during Katrina, the Mid-City Yacht Club does not want for a sense of humor nor for delightful, garden-fresh cocktails. The superb bloody mary comes with home-pickled green beans from one bartender’s backyard, and their peppery take on a mojito pops with cucumber-infused gin. Join them for their Saints game potlucks on Sundays, where whoever bring the favorite dish receives $20 worth of complimentary bar tab, and the less popular cooks console themselves with a bucket of six beers for just $10. The Yacht Club is a kickback joint where you can drink on the cheap but feel like you’re treating yourself. 440 S. St. Patrick. Open noon to 2:00am Monday – Thursday, noon to 4:00am Friday, 11:00am-4:00am Friday and 11:00am-2:00am Sunday.
EAT: Picture this masterpiece: a gooey, melty cheese quesadilla loaded with juicy grilled shrimp, applewood smoked bacon, and sweet, spicy pineapple salsa. Drooling? Then get your yearning taste buds over to Juan’s Flying Burrito Creole Taqueria, where the aforementioned Luau Quesadilla and a ton of other messy, mouthwatering inventions await you. Juan’s is the perfect fusion of fresh mexican flavor and New Orleans quirk, serving up fun creations like Mardi Gras Indians tacos, Gutter Punk burritos, and The Lowrider margarita. The dining space, popping with vivid paintings and bright pinatas, has the badass attitude of a barrio fiesta with the bracing, mind-boggling tastiness you’d expect when New Orleans does South of the Border. $5.50-$12.95. 2018 Magazine Street. Monday-Thursday, 11:00AM – 10:00PM, Fridat & Saturday until 11pm, and Sunday 12:00PM – 10:00PM.
EAT: As a rule, any establishment offering two full bars, a pool table, live music, and dancing, will inevitably provide a menu of greasy, gutbombing disgraces that cannot be stomached sans gratuitous inebriation. Mimi’s in the Marigny doesn’t play by those rules – follow the narrow staircase to the second floor of this spectacularly dingy watering hole to find its cozy dining space, which on any given night could be featuring acoustic singer-songwriters on the mic, locals dancing lindy hop to a traditional jazz band, or a rump-shaking funk set from DJ Soul Sister. The kitchen serves up both hot and cold tapas delivered to the table by the chef himself. 2601 Royal Street. Kitchen closed Mondays. Open Tues-Thu,Sun 4:00PM – 5:00AM; Fri-Sat 4:00PM – 6:00AM.
Too low on dough to buy Voodoo tickets but still hankering for a taste of the Experience? Check out some of the most hype-worthy after parties, happening all over New Orleans as a part of Voodoo After Dark:
- Thursday, October 28 – KICKOFF PARTY with Finger 11, Taddy Porter, and The Sleeping. House of Blues. 225 Decatur St. 7:00pm doors, 8:00pm show. $16.50 advance, $18.50 at the door.
- Friday, October 29 – Vtech & Filter Magazine Official After Party featuring Eagles of Death Metal, Fitz & The Tantrums, and Cary Ann Hurst at One Eyed Jacks. 615 Toulouse St. 11pm. Free with RSVP.
- Saturday, October 30 – Dance After Dark featuring BoyzNoize, Savoy, Ana Sia, Vaski, and Wildchild + guests at the Contemporary Arts Center. 900 Camp St. 7:30pm. $20 general, $60 VIP.
- Sunday, October 31 – chill out and wind down with Jenny & Johnny (featuring Jenny Lewis & Johnathan Rice) at the House of Blues. 225 Decatur St. 8:30pm doors, 9:30pm show. $16.50.
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Sloane Berrent is a cause-based marketing and social branding consultant, nonprofiteer and budding social entrepreneur. She uses social media, product evangelizing, fundraising and community development services to help for-profit and nonprofit companies with a focus on social action campaigns. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she has lived in Burlington VT, Boston MA, Rome Italy, and Los Angeles, CA. She spent 2009 as a digital nomad, traveling the world experiencing life and volunteering including stints in South America, New Orleans and three months in the Philippines as a Kiva Fellow.
She co-created “Cause It’s My Birthday” a campaign to raise money (over $19k to date) and awareness for malaria prevention in Ghana. Sloane moved to New Orleans as her new home at the end of 2009 and co-launched NOLAlicious, a weekly newsletter of events in New Orleans. She was recently named the citizen journalist to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for the MySpace and The Wall Street Journal communities. Her consulting practice, Answer With Action, focuses on strategic integrated marketing consulting. She speaks frequently on building community and blogs at The Causemopolitan.
