Day Trippin' › Louisiana › From New Orleans › Best small towns
Our picks for the best small towns within 3 hours of New Orleans: 14 places, 2 under an hour away, 4 between 1 and 2 hours and 8 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 70112.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is Covington, 44 min north of New Orleans.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: Zach123abc, CC BY-SA 3.0
#1 · Small town · 1 hr 27 min east
Artsy, walkable downtown under live oaks, with galleries, cafes and shops. One of the best small towns on the coast.
Heads-up: Busy during festival weekends. Park and walk Washington Ave.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
#2 · Small town · 2 hr 47 min northwest
Historic river town with antebellum homes, river bluff views and great food.
Heads-up: Book home tours ahead during Pilgrimage seasons.
Photo: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0
#3 · Small town · 57 min northeast
Laid-back beach town with Old Town shops, a harbor and local restaurants.
Heads-up: Hurricane season runs June to November.
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
#4 · Food town · 1 hr 39 min northeast
College town with a walkable downtown, a brewery scene and nearly 200 local places to eat.
Heads-up: USM event weekends are busy.
Photo: Michlaovic, Public domain
#5 · Small town · 2 hr 4 min northeast
Pretty historic downtown plus the free Lauren Rogers Museum of Art.
Heads-up: Weekends are busy downtown.
Photo: Dudemanfellabra, CC BY-SA 3.0
#6 · Small town · 2 hr 53 min northeast
Downtown full of museums, historic theaters, shops and breweries.
Heads-up: Railfest runs each November.
Photo: Frankbp, CC BY-SA 3.0
#7 · Small town · 44 min north
A walkable Northshore town with shops and cafes, the west end of the Tammany Trace, and the Abita Brewery taproom just outside town.
Heads-up: Town details not confirmed on a town page.
Photo: Hank5720, CC BY-SA 3.0
#8 · Small town · 1 hr 47 min northwest
A pretty hill-country river town with historic homes, cafes and shops, close to Rosedown, Audubon and other plantation sites.
Heads-up: Town page not confirmed.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public domain
#9 · Food town · 2 hr 1 min west
The crawfish capital, with a small downtown on Bayou Teche, antique shops and Cajun food and dancing.
Heads-up: Town page not confirmed.
#10 · Small town · 2 hr 29 min east
A walkable bayside town full of shops, flowers and cafes, with a municipal pier, rose garden and beach park at the end of Fairhope Avenue.
Heads-up: Parking downtown fills up on weekends. The Welcome Center on North Section Street has maps.
Photo: Dudemanfellabra at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
#11 · Family fun · 2 hr 55 min northeast
A rare antique hand-carved carousel in Meridian's Highland Park.
Heads-up: Check hours before you go.
#12 · Family fun · 2 hr 52 min north
Hands-on play museum in Jackson built for young kids, with outdoor gardens.
Heads-up: Sunday closing time varies by source.
#13 · Family fun · 1 hr 16 min northeast
Big hands-on children's museum in Gulfport with a storybook-style outdoor play area.
Heads-up: Best for kids 12 and under. Monday hours vary by season.
#14 · Family fun · 2 hr 59 min east
A waterfront shopping and dining district in Orange Beach with a tall Ferris wheel, marina and summer concerts.
Heads-up: Busy on summer evenings. Ferris wheel hours.
Our top picks are Ocean Springs (1 hr 27 min), Natchez (2 hr 47 min), Bay St. Louis (57 min), Hattiesburg (1 hr 39 min) and Laurel (2 hr 4 min). The page lists 14 places in all.
14: 2 under an hour away, 4 between 1 and 2 hours and 8 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 70112.
Covington, about 44 min north of New Orleans.
10 need no pass or fee, including Fairhope, Breaux Bridge and Covington. Fees change, so check each place.
12 of the 14 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.