Headed to NCSC26? Here Are Our Staff’s Top 5 Stops to Add to Your Visit in New Orleans

New Orleans is the kind of city where every block seems to have a story, every meal has a fan club, and every “quick walk” can somehow turn into a full afternoon of music, food, history, and “wait, should we stop in there?”

So, in honor of the 2026 National Charter Schools Conference, we asked the SchoolMint team a very important question:

If someone is visiting New Orleans for the first time, what’s one place they should check out that isn’t the most obvious tourist stop?

The responses came in fast. Restaurants. Sandwiches. Museums. Art experiences. Breweries. Crawfish. Po’boys. Wine. Civil rights history. More sandwiches.

Clearly, our team has thoughts. So before you pack your conference bag and make your way to New Orleans, here are five recommendations from the SchoolMint team to add to your list!

 1. For the “I Need a Fun Patio and a Flocktail” Person

Recommended by: Hannah Steckler (Customer Solutions Specialist)

• Address:
  • 869 Magazine Street
  • New Orleans, LA, 70130
• Phone: 504-577-2202
• Website: Flamingo A-Go-Go

Flamingo A-Go-Go is bright, playful, casual, and very committed to the flamingo theme.

It’s a great pick if you want an easy spot for brunch, drinks, or a casual meal with a group after a long conference day. There’s a big outdoor patio, a colorful atmosphere, and enough personality to make it feel like a proper New Orleans stop without requiring a full itinerary spreadsheet.

Go here if your ideal post-conference plan is to sit outside, order something fun, decompress, and forget about your email inbox.

2. For the Sandwich Loyalists

Recommended by: Jamie Parker (Customer Experience Manager), Allie Rust-Flowers (VP of Customer Experience), and Ian Cary (Customer Experience Manager)

We asked for recommendations, and sandwiches became a major theme.

Percy made a strong case for Stein’s Deli, noting that even though it’s not exactly unknown, he can’t go back home without stopping there. That feels like the kind of endorsement that should be taken seriously.

Jamie and Allie also called out Turkey and the Wolf, a sandwich spot with a big personality and a loyal following. Allie added Domilise’s for po’boys, while Ian recommended Parkway Bakery and Tavern, another classic po’boy stop.

3. For the Art, Culture, and “Let’s Do Something Different” Crowd

Recommended by: Zach Hollwedel (VP of Business Operations)

If you want something beyond the usual walk-and-eat-and-repeat routine, Zach came through with several great options:

• JAMNOLA is an immersive art experience that celebrates New Orleans culture through colorful, joyful exhibits. It’s a good choice if you want something memorable, visual, and easy to do with colleagues.
• For a slower-paced option, Zach recommends checking out the galleries on Julia Street or Royal Street. Both are great for wandering, browsing, and accidentally convincing yourself that you are now an art collector.
• He also recommended the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, which is exactly the kind of niche, fascinating stop that makes New Orleans so fun to explore. It’s historic, a little unexpected, and very much not your standard conference activity.

Add one of these to your list if your travel style is less “follow the crowd” and more “what’s the weirdly interesting thing around here?”

The good news is New Orleans has plenty of that.

4. For Those Who Want a Meaningful History Stop

Recommended by: Will Juarez (Account Executive)

• Address:
  • 3811 North Galvez Street
  • New Orleans, LA 70117

Will’s recommendation is especially meaningful for those of us working in education.

He suggested visiting the site of William Frantz Elementary, where Ruby Bridges attended school in 1960 as one of the first Black students to integrate an all-white public school in New Orleans.

There may not be a lot to “do” there in the traditional tourist sense, but the site carries deep historical significance. For educators and school leaders, it’s a powerful reminder of the courage, resistance, and progress woven into the history of American public education.

Will also mentioned the marker for the site of Homer Plessy’s arrest, another important civil rights history stop tied to the long legal path from Plessy v. Ferguson to Brown v. Board of Education.

5. For the “One More Stop Before We Call It a Night” Group

Recommended by: Ian Cary (Customer Experience Manager) and Zach Hollwedel (VP of Business Operations)

Some of the best New Orleans experiences are less about one destination and more about giving yourself time to wander.

Ian recommends exploring the French Quarter and Marigny by foot, especially if you enjoy live music, bar hopping, and letting the evening unfold a little. He also called out Kermit Ruffins’ Mother-in-Law Lounge and Bacchanal for wine, food, and live music.

Zach added Sazerac House, which is a fun option if you want a polished New Orleans cocktail-history experience that’s easy to fit into a conference schedule.

And for anyone keeping one eye on the World Cup, Ian also recommended Miel Brewery, which has been showing games, hosting food pop-ups, and serving World Cup-themed beers.

In other words, whether you want live music, cocktails, a brewery, or just a good walk through a lively neighborhood, New Orleans has you covered.

Honorable Mentions From the SchoolMint Team

Because five recommendations weren’t enough, here are a few more staff picks:

• Molly’s Rise & Shine for breakfast or lunch
• Neyow’s for dinner
• Paladar 511 for a great restaurant option in the Marigny
• Antoine’s for fine dining in the French Quarter
• Budsí’s for Thai food
• The National WWII Museum for a bigger museum experience
• Crawfish, even though we’re nearing the end of the season, this is a great option if it’s in stock

The main takeaway: come hungry, leave room in your schedule, and don’t be afraid to ask someone local where they would go.