BIG MAMA’s Bywater House: 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths

Big Mama’s is a stylish, Caribbean-influenced, mid-century, single-story, single-family residence, fully surround-gated, mini-compound with a big back yard and smaller front one. Located one block east of St Claude Avenue, it's nestled in ‘St.Roch/Bywater’. Bywater is the trendy NoLa neighborhood, just 2 miles south of the French Quarter, close to the Mississippi River.

Big Mama's features a very favorable floor plan for travelers in groups— above all catering to travelers who cherish PRIVACY LIKE HOME. Most classic NoLa Victorians are "shotgun-style" architecture, going in a single row of rooms from the front to the back of the house, whereby the floor plan makes it so that guests must walk through other guest's bedrooms in order to access common indoor areas (such as bathrooms, living rooms & kitchens). Big Mama's however has a later 20th century floor plan that includes bedroom privacy like you're used to—which comes in handy when you're vacationing with larger groups & for extended stays! Namely, all 3 bedrooms at Big Mama's have their own separate doors with private access from common area hallways. Fully private bedrooms are an unusual amenity for New Orleans. Feel like taking a break from the party scene one night and staying home? Big Mama's has 3 smart TV's, one in each Bedroom, with streaming accessibility for movies and TV shows—free access to Netflix, and many other channels. Our bedrooms are playfully themed, ‘Storyville’, ’Desire’, or ‘Castaway,’ you will find the names of the rooms in the captions of our photo gallery.

While Uber & Lyft offer service to Big Mama’s quickly & efficiently & are the preferred mode of transportation after-dark, or before the drinking begins, guests may opt to rent a car or drive their own while vacationing in NoLa. Big Mama's is fully gated & enclosed with surround-fencing —6 to 7-feet high & this includes off-street gated parking for up to 2 normal-sized vehicles. (No RV's, large trucks, Hummers, etc.) Big vehicles can park on the street for free, no permit required. Off-street gated parking is another unusual amenity for anything this close to the Quarter.

Home to singer Ani Defranco, Bywater is not the very fanciest neighborhood in the Big Easy but it's hands-down THE FASTEST GROWING & definitely the HIPPEST in all of New Orleans. Attributes that contribute to its growth include the influx of film industry professionals, with more & more cutting edge restauranteurs, new bars & micro-breweries popping up every year. The Caribbean-bound cruise ship terminal recently making a home on its shores has stirred further interest with plans in the works to extend the street car line the rest of the way down St Claude. (The closest is currently just 1.6 miles or 2575 meters from Big Mama’s.) Bywater’s burgeoning yet still raw charm has ultimately attracted all types of young artists bringing refreshing diversity & creativity & filling this neighborhood with new purpose. To see some of this in action visit 'The Print Shop', located only 2 doors west of Big Mama's, for a Saturday night art show/bohemian gathering—it has become a community art center known all over NoLa. And some of the best Mardi Gras parades either originate, come through, or end in Bywater. Notably is the adults-only, satirical, Krewe du Vieux. With mule-drawn carriages & bawdy but pertinent political commentary, Krewe du Vieux is considered the most individualistic & traditional of all New Orleans parading krewes. It pulls in locals & tourists alike during Mardi Gras season—like no other parade.

Big Mama's isn't located in the slickest neighborhood in NoLa—but it is very much located extremely CLOSE TO IT ALL. Big Mama’s is just around 2 miles from Jackson Square, Royal Street & Bourbon Street. It's close enough to the French Quarter, the Convention Center, The Super Dome & the Fairgrounds to make it a preferred destination for bar hoppers, foodies, music lovers, & festival goers. It's far enough away "from the madding crowd" for Bywater to be the preferred & well kept ‘niche privee’ by recurring visitors & locals alike.

NoLa is a bike-friendly city & attracts serious cyclists throughout the year. A bike rental place is located on St. Claude, just 0.2 miles from Big Mama's (a 4-minute walk). The ride around the river through Crescent Park directly to the French Quarter is flat, easy & scenic. (It takes about 15 minutes of slow-peddling unless you stop mid-way to enjoy the swings overlooking the river.) Or, you can peddle in another direction down St. Claude to Esplanade & then through the gorgeous bayous of Mid-City over to City Park for coffee & beignets at Morning Call. (City Park is the 2nd largest park in the U.S., 2nd only to Central Park in Manhattan.) Or—cycle or drive over to catch the ferry to get to the film & TV studios across the river, venture to Magazine Street in the Garden District, or go to Uptown to visit Audubon Park for a nature ride/hike or to see the Zoo.

Lastly, it should be noted to future travelers that there are a few free-range chickens flying in & out of Big Mama’s gated compound & its highly likely you will encounter some during your stay. It may be at night that you spy one of our birds roosting in the tall trees that border the back yard. Perhaps you’ll see one or two foraging for morsels in the front garden as you enter or leave the compound during the day. There’s a very strong chance you will hear a rooster crowing in the wee morning hours as you awaken to your first cup of hot New Orleans-style chicory coffee. Or you may very well spy several crossing the street, just as the sun breaks over the horizon as you roll back into Big Mama’s, from a long & lovely late night out on the town.

In closing, a stay at Big Mama’s boasts the following included amenities:

New rooftop HVAC
New tank-less hot water heater
Dishwasher
Full-size fridge
Electric oven
Strong WIFI-2 channels (5 & 2.5 gigs)
Gated front yard
Larger gated back yard
Fully gated compound—7-foot high back fence & 6-foot height in front.
Off-street gated parking, 2 narrow vehicles recommended
Large-sized fully equipped kitchen
Large dining table with seating up to 11
Open floor plan for main room and kitchen
Central Island 5-burner Gas Cooktop with ceiling vent
Butcher block breakfast nook seats 2
Dishes, flat wear & cook wear
Paper towels & toilet tissue
Dish & hand soap
Glasses & Go-cups
Bed linens & Towels
In-house washing machine & dryer
Bedroom #1 ‘Storyville’ has a King-size iron bed & a 32” smart TV
Bedroom #2 ‘Desire’ has a Queen-sized Asian-style wooden bed & a 43” smart TV
Bedroom #3 ‘Castaway’ has a Queen-size bamboo canopy bed & a 32” smart TV
Queen-sized sofa bed in living room sleeps 2
Free streaming Netflix on all 3 TVs
Bathroom #1 has a tub/shower unit & antique marble-topped vanity
Bathroom #2 has a stand alone shower with foot massager & built in radio & antique stone-topped vanity.
Professional Gardener
Professional Management
Professional Housekeeping