The city of New Orleans has a reputation for being one of the most exciting of American cities, brimming with a vibrant cultural heritage unique to the Gulf Coast. Famous as the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans brings the excitement throughout the year with amazing live music, delicious Creole and Cajun food, numerous arts and cultural events, and a style of architecture unique to the city and its blend of cultures. The question for those visiting New Orleans is how best to tap into all that New Orleans has to offer. How can you fit as much local taste and color as possible into a New Orleans travel experience?

If you chose this week to travel to New Orleans, you’re in luck! Vacation Crashers, a new Travel Channel series, is going to be shaking up the vacation experience for a lucky family staying in New Orleans between November 14-17. The aim of the show is to give the participating family a taste of the authentic New Orleans experience, taking you beyond the typical tourist spots and into the heart of the city. If you’ve got your New Orleans accommodations picked out and you have some space on your itinerary, let Vacation Crashers know you are interested in having some fun – and being on TV to boot!

Imagine the places you can go in New Orleans with the right guide and the right frame of mind. New Orleans has hundreds of bars and clubs, not all of them on Bourbon Street (although at 1 am it surely feels like it!). Find the ones with locals’ favorite performers, or everyone’s favorite po-boy. Then go beyond that and get your muffaletta, bananas foster, and of course, some delicious gumbo (in fact, you may want to stop by a local grocer before you leave, because popular Creole ingredients like file can be hard to find outside of the state). Explore not only jazz but zydeco, a genre of music that was also born in Louisiana. Get your fill of colonial history, and then check out voodoo history, including the tomb of the Voodoo Queen. And if you’re in the mood for a bit of a day trip, expand your New Orleans travels to the real heart of Cajun country, Acadiana, and learn more about the differences between Creole and Cajun culture.

New Orleans has something for everyone so if you have a few days off this week, don’t hesitate to call up one of the many New Orleans hotels, book a room, and take in New Orleans during this fantastic time of year. If you can’t make it to New Orleans in time for Vacation Crashers, be sure to check out the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) web site to learn more about the city and ongoing events and festivals.