NOLA! I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Rising Tide Leaders Retreat in New Orleans this past weekend! I was so excited because I will be co-leading our Amelia Island Rising Tide group with Destiny of Let Destiny Design. We were blessed to be given valuable information to help us as leaders before we even have to lead a group! I thought I’d share a few things I learned at the retreat as well as share my favorite spots from around NOLA.
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The Food:
Go. Just make it happen and go. This is a small restaurant and you actually walk by the kitchen on the way to your table. We went for brunch and I had chicken and waffles for the first time in my life. It was SO GOOD! We also had the French Toast bites, a waffle sandwich and mini-biscuits with sausage gravy. Everyone agreed that this was our favorite spot for brunch!
If you’re going all the way to NOLA you need to fit it in your plans to stop by this New Orleans staple. The most famous spot for beignets. (I call them beign-YAYs!!!!) I could eat them until I was stuffed! It’s open 24/7 and we found that the lines in the afternoon were much better than the morning crowds! There’s usually someone playing Jazz on the corner so you feel like you are getting the full NOLA immersion. Just be prepared to be COVERED in powdered sugar when you leave. A local actually called us “sugar britches” when we left because we all had white powder on our pants! Just make sure you bring cash because it’s cash only (they do have an ATM inside.)
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Ok, hear me out. This place is a GEM. It’s a chicken and fries joint with frozen daiquiri machines and THUMPING music. There are several around the French quarter and the chicken is really, really good. Imagine being in a club with amazing music and daiquiris and then throw in fired chicken as a bonus. They don’t look like anything special, but as a chicken lover it was pretty special to me!
If you want an upscale dinner in the heart of the French Quarter add Galatoires to your list! We went to the steakhouse side of the restaurant and it’s like a local version of Ruth’s Chris. Keith has Lobster Thermidor and loved it and the Lyonnaise potatoes are divine!
The Spots:
French Quarter
The French Quarter is some of the best people watching in the world. As a non-drinker, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the drinkers trip all over themselves! The architecture is gorgeous and you really do feel like you’re out of the states. Lots of great spots for live local music on Frenchman Street. Our favorite street was Magazine Street. It’s a mix of local restaurants, antiques and boutiques.
Garden District
We didn’t have a lot of free time to explore, but we did make time to drive through the Garden District. The homes were beautiful and most of the streets are lined with massive oak trees. It looks like a tree lined plantation, but with paved streets and multiple homes. I could have walked around for hours just checking out the homes!
The Learning:
I’m failing at words on summarizing the amazing opportunity the Rising Tide Leaders Retreat provided me. I was surrounded by Rising Tide leaders from all over the country and hearing them discuss what works for them as a leader was worth its weight in gold! If you’re a creative or own a business that meshes with what the Rising Tide Society is all about then you are MISSING OUT if you’re aren’t a member. The community that is forged as these monthly meetings is impressive. Also, Rising Tide connects you with people who share your same interests. if you’ve ever felt alone in your business you know how invaluable that is! The spirit of the Rising Tide is Community over Competition and it was so evident that every person who attended this retreat believed in those core values! The Rising Tide has a “lifts all boats” policy and
We are starting local meetups in Amelia Island that will take place the second Tuesday of every month! You can ask to join the local Jacksonville / Amelia Island chapter of Rising Tide HERE. Once you’re in the group you’ll get access to all the meet-ups and education!
Vendors:
Huge Shout Outs to all of our Rising Tide Leaders Retreat Sponsors! HoneyBook, Travelbank and Weebly for making this retreat possible.
Want your own amazing Honeybook account: click here for 50% off!
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