New Orleans Christmas Decorations: Free fun

Where to see the best hotel decorations in New Orleans with the KIDS – and kids at heart!

New Orleans is a fun place to visit with the kids. This post is one of my favorites that I update every year during our holiday trip to New Orleans. Unfortunately the weather was nasty this year so I spent most of my time indoors (Be sure to see the upcoming posts on the Ogden Museum and the Civil War museum) but I did get to enjoy more magical decorations from the Roosevelt Hotel.

I love visiting during the holidays and make the rounds to hotels to check out the magical decorations!

New Orleans Christmas Decorations – Roosevelt Hotel

Holiday decorations from Christmas past: 2016 

The first stop on any Christmas decoration tour in New Orleans must be the Roosevelt Hotel. It looks fabulous in photographs and somehow manages to be even more spectacular in person. The lobby spans an entire block and walking down this path lined with Christmas trees and tall lit boughs will bring out the Christmas spirit in anyone.

Stop for a drink or snack at the cafe just off the lobby to see this year’s wonderful gingerbread creation!

I did and spotted a table near a Christmas tree in the back. When I reached the table I noticed the 8 foot Christmas tree was made entirely of gingerbread.

By ‘entirely’ I mean…the tree, the lights, the ribbons, and the decorations were all made of gingerbread. I loved the themed ornaments according to the song The 12 days of Christmas. The ornaments included symbols of the city like doors from shotgun houses (LOVE)

and powdered sugar shakers and streetcars. SOO cute and just amazing they are made entirely of edible sugar treats.

Holiday decorations from holidays present – 2017

The smell of these FRESH trees really adds to the magic!

Each year the coffee shop has a NEW gingerbread decoration! This year it was an iconic shotgun house – named because they were long and skinny and a shotgun fired through the front would pass all the way through the house and out the back.

This wonderful gingerbread creation took 300 hours to make the edible part and another 50 hours to construct the wooden frame.  The details are so much fun! I love that the back steps are made to look like marble! Notice the little hanger on the door…like the ones in the hotel.

It takes a LOT of sugar to create such a fabulous decoration – 300 pounds of gingerbread, 30 pounds of candy, 170 pounds of Royal icing, 31 pound of fondant and 22 pounds of cereal treats.

New Orleans Christmas Decorations – The Ritz Carlton

Now since word ritz has come to mean ‘something really fancy’ I just knew the Ritz Carlton hotel would have a great display. Walking out of the elevator and seeing this magical centerpiece in the lobby just took my breath away. Standing under the lights makes you think of fairy princesses and magical kingdoms.

But, not far from that spot was the entrance to a little room.

I walked in and thought, “Wow! This smells really good!! Some of the gingerbread decorations on the wall must be real!”

Upon closer inspection I realized the entire room was made of gingerbread and sugar. The walls were painted in icing, the fireplace was made of gingerbread bricks and the paintings on the wall were…you guessed it! …painted in icing. The smell was enough reason to linger, but there was also a display case along one wall.

In this display case was a walk down memory lane. Old toys (some are new again) like Raggedy Ann and the popcorn machine that kids love but drives parents crazy and the pull along telephone brought smiles to the faces of onlookers. Each and every one of the items in the display case is made of sugar, mostly marzipan.

New Orleans Christmas Decorations – Sheridan Hotel

High above the front glass window in the Sheridan hotel is a large hanging decoration of Santa and, in true New Orlean’s style, his sled is pulled by alligators!!

Walk all the way to the check in counter in the back to find the gingerbread display. I lOVED this display of Jackson Square with the church, Presbytere and Calido museum.

Kids will especially like the marshmallow man on horseback as the statue in the middle.

Every detail is included. Check out the teeny street art for sale! What fun it must be to work on this project ever year!

The Sheridan hotel is proud to host some pieces of Blue Dog artwork by George Rodrigue.

I love the piano and Blue Dog Hog! If you love the blue dog, too, be sure to read the post on George Rodrigue.

New Orleans Christmas Decorations – Harrah’s Hotel

After I spoke to a local lady, who told me in her wonderful accent to be sure to check out the Harris Hotel, I had trouble finding this hotel on google. She told me where it was so off I walked and found…Harrah’s hotel not Harris. LOL! I’m so glad I mushed on to the address she gave me instead of giving up because I found the biggest gingerbread house I’ve ever seen in the lobby!!

Kids would love taking time to admire ingredients chosen….gummy candies for stained glass windows for example.

What ideas can you use on your own gingerbread house at home? Are yours pretty? We usually eat most of the decorations and end up with a house that looks like is should be condemned. LOL! But, it is lots of fun.

New Orleans Christmas Decorations – Hotel Monteleone

This hotel has classically beautiful decorations. I love the exquisite detail in the Hotel Monteleone lobby. HUGE Christmas trees really dazzle.

Visiting during the day and seeing such lovely decorations might even make you forget that this hotel is haunted.…dare you spend the night?

New Orleans Christmas Decorations – Omni Royal

The collection of traditional Christmas trees glistened in every main area. The traditional, classic and lovely decor at the Omni Royal will inspire the Christmas spirit in anyone!

Happy holidays,

Natalie, The Educational Tourist