Louisiana
Small-Town Weekend Getaways from New Orleans
Piney-woods springs, river-parish plantations, and a Gulf Coast arts colony within 90 minutes of the French Quarter.
At a glance
New Orleans has 3 small-town weekend escapes, each with a full 48-hour guide to where to stay, what to do, and where to eat. Drives run from 45 min to Abita Springs and 1 hr 30 min to Ocean Springs. The headline draws: Abita Brewing Company, Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site, Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Most of these towns are at their best March-May or October-November.
- Escapes
- 3 towns
- Drive range
- 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
- Closest
- Abita Springs, 45 min
- Best months
- March-May or October-November
Pick your trip
Three ways to start planning a weekend from New Orleans.
Shortest drive
Abita Springs
Abita Springs is 45 min from New Orleans. Piney-woods springs town on the North Shore, with a brewery, a bike trail, and a folk-art museum made of bottle caps.
Worth the drive
Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs is the longest haul at 1 hr 30 min. A Gulf Coast arts colony of Walter Anderson watercolors, Shearwater pottery, and a walkable beachfront downtown.
The short version
Small towns near New Orleans worth a 48-hour trip
New Orleans weekend trips split between the piney North Shore, the river-parish plantation country upriver, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Within two hours you reach a springs-and-brewery town, a bluff-top plantation village, and a Gulf Coast arts colony. These are weekend trips from New Orleans built on springs, river bluffs, and the Gulf.
Abita Springs (45 minutes north across Lake Pontchartrain) is the piney-woods town built around artesian springs, the Abita brewery, and the Tammany Trace bike trail. St. Francisville (1.5 hours northwest) is the river-parish seat on a bluff above the Mississippi, with plantation homes and the woods where Audubon painted. Ocean Springs (1.5 hours east on the Mississippi Gulf Coast) is the arts colony of the coast, Walter Anderson watercolors, Shearwater Pottery, and a walkable beachfront downtown.
Compare the New Orleans escapes
Drive time, character, best season, and the one thing to do first, for every town within reach of New Orleans.
| Town | Drive | Character | Best time | Do first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abita Springs | 45 min | Like Marfa, wetter and greener | March-May or October-November | Abita Brewing Company |
| St. Francisville | 1 hr 30 min | Like Savannah, small and mossy | March-May or October | Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site |
| Ocean Springs | 1 hr 30 min | Like Carmel, on the Gulf | March-May or October-November | Walter Anderson Museum of Art |
On the calendar
Coming up in the New Orleans escapes
Events happening in the small towns themselves, not the city.
Refreshed weekly
Nov 7 to 8
Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival
Ocean Springs · Downtown Ocean Springs
Mississippi's largest fine arts and crafts festival fills downtown with over 400 artisans, food vendors, and live entertainment. Visitors can plan a weekend to shop unique coastal artwork under the live oaks and sample Gulf Coast culinary treats.
Nov 7
Crafters at Oakley
St Francisville · Audubon State Historic Site
Watch heritage artisans showcase historic trades like blacksmithing, woodworking, and candle making across the Oakley grounds. It makes a scenic cultural weekend excursion paired with exploring the historic plantation site.
Dec 16
Budweiser Clydesdales Parade
Ocean Springs · Downtown Ocean Springs
The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales make a special holiday appearance marching through downtown Ocean Springs. Visitors will enjoy the festive spectacle alongside the town's holiday shopping and dining atmosphere.
All New Orleans escapes
3 weekend trip ideas from New Orleans, sorted by how far you have to drive. Vibes covered: nature, food.
Under 1 hour
1 escape from New Orleans
1 to 2 hours
2 escapes from New Orleans
What to do
The top attraction in each New Orleans escape town, pulled straight from the 48-hour guides.
Abita Springs
Abita Brewing Company
$5 tasting. Tour the brewhouse, 30 minutes, then pour flights of Purple Haze and Andygator in the tasting room. Open 7 days. The brewery that put Abita Springs on the map.
St. Francisville
Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site
$10. An 1835 Greek-Revival home with 28 acres of original 19th-century formal gardens. The gardens are the draw, walk the allees of live oaks and camellias. House tour 45 minutes.
Ocean Springs
Walter Anderson Museum of Art
$15. Walter Anderson's watercolors of Gulf Coast wildlife, the cosmic Little Room, and the Community Center murals he painted floor to ceiling. The cultural heart of the coast. 1-2 hours.
Questions & Answers
New Orleans weekend FAQ
Abita Springs (45 minutes), St. Francisville (1.5 hours), and Ocean Springs (1.5 hours) are the strongest small-town escapes from New Orleans, covering a piney-woods springs town, a river-parish plantation village, and a Gulf Coast arts colony.
Abita Springs, about 45 minutes north across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, is the closest true small-town escape, built around artesian springs, a brewery, and the Tammany Trace bike trail.
St. Francisville, about 1.5 hours northwest of New Orleans, has Rosedown and The Myrtles plantations in their original gardens, plus the Audubon State Historic Site where John James Audubon painted in 1821.
Abita Springs (45 minutes, a piney-woods springs town), St. Francisville (1.5 hours, a river-parish plantation village), and Ocean Springs (1.5 hours, a Gulf Coast arts colony) are the best weekend getaways from New Orleans.
Abita Springs is 45 min from New Orleans; St. Francisville is 1 hr 30 min from New Orleans; Ocean Springs is 1 hr 30 min from New Orleans.
Abita Springs: March-May or October-November; St. Francisville: March-May or October; Ocean Springs: March-May or October-November.
The escapes split by mood: nature (Abita Springs, St. Francisville, Ocean Springs); food (Abita Springs, St. Francisville, Ocean Springs). Every one is a 48-hour trip with specific places to stay, visit, and eat.
Abita Springs, about 45 min away. Like Marfa, wetter and greener Start with Abita Brewing Company.