BUDGET

Getting there: One-way, midweek airfare rates of $89 are available and are valid on trips taken through Nov. 12. It's about 500 miles from downtown Atlanta or a seven-hour drive.

Associated Press / 2001 photo (ENLARGE)

Visit majestic St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square.

CARL PURCELL / New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (ENLARGE)

St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line makes a 13-mile loop.

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Stay: The House on Bayou Road is a lovely bed-and-breakfast 12 blocks from the French Quarter on 2 acres with ponds, patios, gardens and a pool. Rooms have beamed ceilings and Audubon prints and are fitted with period antiques. Stay for $100 a night during the summer, with an additional night(s) for $85. Stays include a plantation breakfast and off-street parking. 2275 Bayou Road, 504-945-0992, www.houseonbayouroad.com.

Eat: Don't miss a visit to the home of the traditional muffuletta, the Central Grocery Co. This tiny, old-fashioned Italian grocery store with a creaky floor serves a round of crusty Italian bread filled with Genoa salami, ham and sliced provolone and topped with olive salad, about $8, but enough for a picnic for four. 923 Decatur St., 504-523-1620.

Experience: A classic Big Easy recipe: Mix comfy shoes with slow walking. Peek through lacy iron gates into courtyards with fountains and charming gardens. Stroll through Jackson Square and visit the majestic St. Louis Cathedral before enjoying chicory coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde. Take a self-guided walking tour of the city with this free map with attraction descriptions: www.neworleanscvb.com/docs/walktour.pdf.

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MODERATE:

Getting there: Fly fast to New Orleans, but savor the slow route home to Atlanta aboard Amtrak's Crescent service. The train departs the Big Easy just after 7 a.m. and pulls into the Peachtree Street station minutes before 8 p.m. A private bedroom for two adults, including the rail fare, is $186.

Stay: Find peace from raucous Bourbon Street with a stay at the International House Hotel. This boutique property is two blocks from the French Quarter in a 1906 beaux-arts-style building. Rooms with two double beds start at $159 a night on stays through Sept. 30. Included are a continental breakfast and a free bar drink along with zoo or aquarium tickets for two. 221 Camp St., 800-633-5770, www.ihhotel.com.

Eat: Originally a clapboard grocery store, Dick & Jenny's is a casual restaurant run by a former waiter and waitress, now husband and wife. A la carte menus change every two months to highlight seasonal specialties. Entrees $19-$35. Reservations not accepted (chill at the bar or on the outdoor patio). 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-894-9880, www.dickandjennys.com.

Experience: Fun and adventure beyond the French Quarter are $1.25. That's the cost of the 90-minute, 13-mile loop ride on the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line, a National Historic Landmark. The route passes gorgeous Garden District mansions, Tulane and Loyola universities along Audubon Park, and through Riverbend, where you can hop off and eat, shop or relax at a coffee shop. Cars operate every 10 minutes weekdays, every 15 minutes on weekends. Board at Carondelet at the intersection of Canal Street. www.norta.com.

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SPLURGE:

Getting there: Business class rates on AirTran are $308 one-way, advance purchase not required. www.airtran.com.

Stay: Tucked away in a quiet spot of the French Quarter is the elegant Soniat House, a collection of 1830s townhomes that is now a boutique hotel with fine antiques and a delightful courtyard. The Romance package, $1,500 per couple and valid through Sept. 25, includes being met at the airport with private car, champagne on arrival, a three-night stay in a suite, daily breakfast and dinner one evening at Gautreau's. 800-544-8808, www.soniathouse.com.

Eat: Who can choose? Have it all over the course of one wonderful Southern evening. Start with cocktails at Arnaud's French 75 (www.arnauds.com) and then head to Brigtsen's for appetizers (www.brigtsens.com). Take a main course at Bayona (entrees $40, www.bayona.com) followed by dessert at Brennan's, home of the famous bananas Foster (www.brennansneworleans.com).

Experience: Visit two of the most wonderful Mississippi River antebellum mansions with the Old River Road Plantation Adventure. About an hour beyond the city are Oak Alley, known for its famous giant oak canopy, and the San Francisco "steamboat" mansion. Both are included with a riverboat jazz cruise at $95 per adult, $75 child. The morning tour visits both historic plantation homes followed by a two-hour Mississippi River cruise back to the city aboard the Steamboat Natchez with a buffet lunch (returning to Jackson Square at 4:30 p.m.). 866-671-8687, www.plantationadventure.com.

Maerz is a retired travel consultant. Look for her daily deals on www.ajc.com/travel.

Have a city you want to read about? E-mail ajmiller@ajc.com, and put "weekend in" in the subject line.