when to visit

2 couples frrom Canada want to visit NO, but not during mardi Graw. How is the weather in Oct, Nov or Dec?

As well, are interested in suite with 2 b/r%26#39;s. Looking at Staybridge Suites or Country Inn and Suites.

Any input would be great. We have moderate budget, but want to be close to French Quarter, Riverwalk, etc. Thanks in advance.

when to visit

In my opinion, for the best weather, come in October. December can be cold. If you want to come for a fun atmosphere, come for Halloween. It is not nearly as big as Mardi Gras, but a fun atmosphere with a lot of costumes. In December, they have %26#39;Christmas New Orleans Style%26#39; and many hotels have special %26#39;Papa Noel%26#39; rates. There are many free events during December, it is a wonderful time of year to visit as long as you realize that it might be cool, or even cold. You can check out the website fqfi.com, scroll down to the bottom and see Christmas New Orleans Style. It hasn%26#39;t been updated yet with events for 2007, but you can see the listing of last years events to give you an idea of how much there is to do - a lot. My least choice of time to visit would be November.

when to visit

Halloween or the weekend leading up to it is a great time to visit. Beware the 3-night hotel minimum during special event or holiday weekends. We%26#39;re currently looking for a room that Thur.-Sun. Weather was great the halloween we went. Shorts during the day, %26amp; evening. Lots of custumes on Bourbon St. that Sat. prior. There are lots of N.Orleans tourism websites, search around and I bet you can find one that will tell you the avg. temps for each month. My wife reminded me last night that if she dresses-up, she%26#39;s going for a %26#39;cool%26#39; costume. We hung-out w/ 2 ex-college football players who were both my age (all celebrating our 40th) %26amp; I remember them both sweating profusely on Bourbon St. in their heavy costumes. One was dressed like a pimp w/ a very heavy velour coat %26amp; matching hat.

Have a good trip!

';Can be cold'; is a relative term for folks coming down from Canada! :) 65 degrees centigrade in the day, maybe 55 at night, is just perfect for me.

Although it did snow one Xmas day I was there ..... for about 15 minutes.

I agree with the October recommendation, especially the Halloween weekend time. Halloween here is a blast - and the weather will be perfect. If you can%26#39;t do October, November could be nice too - but don%26#39;t come over Thanksgiving - it might be a little dead....

Whoops! Sorry. Re weather in December, I meant typical daytime temps of 65 degrees Farenheit! I get muddled translating currency, too. I%26#39;m there each December. Yo canspot the locals -- wearing

parkas and gloves, while I%26#39;m in shorts. ;-Q

NOLA.com, the newspaper, has a weather forecast, and then a link to average temps for months of the year.

And as to suites, I don%26#39;t know ehger Staybridge is. Check online maps. Often a suite can be more costly than simply two connecting rooms. But I guess depending on if you also want a central sitting room and private bedrooms. The main concern should be location. You probably want something right in the Quarter, not way out and have to travel each day. Also some B%26amp;B%26#39;s have nice rooms, and then a living room where people can meet and plan the next outing.

I would plan for October because November is often rainy. Hotel taxes are high so plan for that in your budget.

curmudg, one year when we were there in December, it was just plain cold, not cool!! We arrived there on a Saturday and it was a beautiful 72 degrees...the next morning it was 36 and never got much above that for several days. It was a different experience that what we were used to down there, and rare for them I%26#39;m sure.

I think that the most pleasant weather is in April and October- the humidity is usually lower then. I would definitely suggest coming in for Jazz Fest if you enjoy great music and food. I love JF- would definitely do that over Mardi Gras. Check nola.com for the date for French Quarter Fest which is fun as well.

Yes, jltr, your word: it was rare. It rained one Xmas day there, as well. Weather is changeable all over. Last week in Chicago it was in the mid-high 90%26#39;s (along with much of the country) while the July average is 15-20 lower. One exception experience doesn%26#39;t change the averages.

curmudgeon, sorry, didn%26#39;t mean to offend...you are sure living up to your name! I%26#39;m simply stating that I have been there at a time when it was cold, not cool, but cold. And yes that was probably a rare instance but it does sometimes happen. I was there once in March for Mardi Gras a few years ago and we thought the weather would be perfect, and it was very cold, the type of cold that makes your eyes water and your nose run..the very same type of weather that you and I experience in Illinois in the cold months.

I was stating this fact because there are a lot of people who think that because New Orleans is on the gulf, that it is hot all year round, which is not true.