For anyone visiting New Orleans, there are tons of places you should visit if you’re a fan of a chill, relaxing time. Whether you’re taking in the city’s love of jazz, historic gambling culture, or just some fine Louisiana cuisine, here’s a rundown of all the best slow-pace attractions the Big Easy has to offer.

The Gretna Bingo Palace

As far as games go, bingo is right up there with some of the most laid-back and relaxing games to play, and there’s been a home for it in New Orleans for almost 30 years now. Gretna Bingo Palace runs video bingo, although don’t expect anything as fancy as something like an online casino. The experience is quite different than if you’re playing something like Paddy Power’s free bingo rooms or special bingo variant titles, due to the variety of options on offer.

Gretna is much more old-school in everything shy of actual paper cards, with tables and chairs laid out across a huge hall. A big plus of the close-knit environment is that it’s a great way to meet some of the local folks as well as learn about some of the many charities that the hall regularly works with.

Steamboat Natchez

An absolute icon of the great Mississippi, this grand old lady has been open for visitors for almost 50 years and is a must-see for any fans of jazz. It isn’t just the music either, as the Natchez is an amazing floating venue for great local food and just learning about the rich history of the region, not least about the steamboats themselves which were home to some of the biggest casinos of the era.

For the best results, the evening dinner cruise comes highly recommended. Music is provided by the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland, there are options for both a la carte and buffet meals, and everything is topped off with incredible sunset views across the river. If you’re looking for a special event location, they can even accommodate that, as they cater for parties and even weddings.

Witches Brew Ghost Tours

This one may stretch your definition of ‘chill’ a little, but even though the spook factor is way up, it’s still a great low-energy option. New Orleans has a rich history of ghost tales, not to mention zombies and vampires mixed in there as well, and these highly-rated tours take you on a walk through all of them in one evening.

You get an expert guide to take you through all the most notable haunted locations across the city, as well as hearing all about voodoo and the spirits that roam the infamous French Quarter. How relaxing and entertaining you find it will obviously depend on how much you personally believe, but for the cost, it’s still a fascinating night whether you end up sleeping with the lights on or not.

Plenty of Options

This is obviously a very small selection of ideas that you might not otherwise think of, but remember that New Orleans is called the Big Easy for a reason. Despite what Mardi Gras may tell you, the city is as much laid back as it is bouncing, and there are always more quiet nooks to check out with gambling playing a strong part in this.