Annie,

I've visited New Orleans at some point during hurricane season for 29 years now. Thankfully, I've never been there during dangerous storms. That being said, I do pay plenty of attention to the weather forecast.

Summer in my hometown is hot and humid so I don't mind summer visits to the deep south. The temps keep some people away from New Orleans in summer. My advice to you is to go if you have the chance.

Being a first time visitor, the French Quarter is my recommendation for location. This is an easy neighborhood to navigate. When you go back and visit in the future (and I bet you will), you can get to know the other neighborhoods.

To narrow it down to more detailed advice, it would help to know if you prefer a large hotel, small hotel, or B&B. There are great summer rates to be found.

I hope you decide to go for it.

While July is "hurricane season" it's rare for a July storm to affect Louisiana. Hurricanes are much more active (and generally stronger) in the Atlantic Basin during late August and September, when the water temperature is at its highest.

Royal Street Courtyard is very nice and very budget friendly. It's a 15 minute walk in some pretty extreme heat to the French Quarter's attractions, though, so keep that in mind.

Come on down and enjoy!

NO is a fantastic tourist location. It will be quite hot and humid for northerites...just grin and bear it. Great tourist sites in daylight...great party sites after dark. Let your hair down and have fun.

Hey Ani00, I'm a fellow Canadian, and I definitely think if this is your only time to go, then you gotta go!! Yes, it will be very hot and humid, and yes, it probably will rain a bit...just take an umbrella for those unexpected daytime showers and get used to popping in and out of the many stores in the Quarter for a nice air conditioned break...you will be a little hot..but it's not like you've never felt hot, humid weather before...just think of our really hot days, and that's what it'll be like in New Orleans. Aside from the heat, you will have an amazing time day or night!!!

I also suggest that you stay in the French Quarter...you can find some great summer rates at some pretty good hotels.

While July is pretty hot and humid, there are some perks for visiting the city during this time. For example, many of the pricier hotels will have excellent deals for the summer (you should be able to find a nice hotel for $80 or less), and many of the finest restaurants in the city are offering discounted menus and meals for the July-August months. There are better places than Royal St Courtyard. I'd use Bookit.com and see what pops up.

I'd also recommend staying in the French Quarter; if not there, then the CBD/Warehouse District. There are a ton of hotels from which to choose. These are also the safest areas of the city. Plus, as long as you use common sense, you'll be just fine.

In July, there might be a tropical storm or two, but as mentioned earlier, the hurricane season doesn't get into high gear until August.

Thanks everyone for you input, it is really reassuring to hear that it is still okay to visit NO during this time since I kinda had my heart set on it. About the humidity, I am from Canada so warm weather is always welcomed.

About accommodation, I prefer less touristy settings. For example, my last trip to Paris and Barcelona, I rented an apartment off the more touristy areas. So if possible, I would like to do that for this trip but if necessary, a hotel will do as well. Again, any recs for hotels or guesthouses or B&B's would be greatly appreciated.

Another thing I was wondering, what do locals do in NO? For example, live music bars, restaurants, local watering holes, etc.

Thanks again,

Annie

Generally we like to be in the less touristy areas too, but I love the French Quarter and stay there when we are in New Orleans. If you look at a map of the FQ, it is bordered by Canal and Esplanade streets and Jackson Square is basically in the middle. My favorite area of the FQ is the area between Jackson Square and Esplanade - away from Canal. This area is more residential than commercial and you have a higher concentration of creole townhouses, iron lace, etc. that NOLA is known for.

Last year in June, we stayed at the Place d'Armes hotel on St. Ann near Jackson Square. The hotel is made up of several townhouses around a central courtyard. We got a balcony room for about $90/night.

Other hotels on that side of the FQ that we looked at were the Hotel Provincial and Le Richelieu. I don't know what the rates are like these days, but check them out - you might get a nice deal since it is the offseason.

On the otherside of Esplanade is the Fauburg Marigny neighborhood, which is neat - this was the second neighborhood to be developed in New Orleans, after the FQ. I don't have any hotel reccommendations though.

Good deals on hotels abound during this time of year.

Stick to places with a lot of people. Don't go in alleys or down side streets. If in doubt, take a United.

Hang out on Frenchman Street - lots of tourists and locals - it's a great place for music and food.

My family and I just returned from NO from our late June trip. We are from the southeast and are accustomed to hot summers, but it is hotter than Hades in NO in the summer. Truly, the temperatures weren't remarkably high, but the humidity was oppressive. You can get such a tremendous bargain on hotels during this time of year, braving the heat is worth the great travel deals. My advice is to book a hotel with a pool! (Trust me, you will thank me!) You can get a decent hotel room w/ pool and breakfast for around $50. (Try the Lamothe House or the Frenchmen.) As a post script, the great thing about the humidity is that my husband and I ate ourselves silly, and both LOST WEIGHT from all of the walking around in the scorching heat! It has a sauna-like effect! ;)

Try bookit.com and check out the Frenchmen Hotel and the Lamonthe House on Esplanade. They are both on the edge of the Quarter in a safe area. Rates are really good and the hotels or nice.