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Welcome to New Orleans
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Getting Here & Around
Neighborhoods & Districts
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Neighborhoods and Districts
No matter the size or interests of your traveling contingent, New Orleans provides a cornucopia of conventional and non-traditional attractions and activities. But the colorful neighborhoods that give the city its character provide plenty of entertainment on their own.
The compact and walkable Downtown is the center of the New Orleans experience. Canal Street is the main drag that connects the French Quarter, Arts District, Central Business District and Mississippi riverfront. At the south end of Canal sits Harrah' s Casino, offering nonstop gaming, excellent restaurants and a wealth of entertainment just steps from the French Quarter. Nearby, you will find the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, home to African black-footed penguins, sea otters, white alligators and a populated Caribbean Reef, and the Audubon Insectarium (opening Summer 2008).
The Aquarium is flanked by two of Downtown' s most popular shopping destinations. The multilevel Shops at Canal Place offers popular national retailers and the Riverwalk Marketplace' s half-mile of shopping, dining and entertainment‹constructed on the site of the 1984 World' s Fair and adjacent to the Convention Center‹can keep any serious shopper occupied and provides magnificent views of passing cruise ships and riverboats.
New Orleans' most famous neighborhood, the French Quarter, or Vieux Carre (meaning old square), is one of the oldest and best-preserved neighborhoods in the country. The Quarter begins on the downriver side of Canal Street, which provides a subtle entrance to a world apart. In the city' s earliest days, the Quarter housed French and then Spanish colonists, while the American settlers occupied the upriver side of Canal Street. Originally known as the American Sector, today this area is known as the Warehouse Arts District. A relic of the divided city, street names change as they cross Canal Street. Historically, the median of Canal Street has been affectionately referred to as the "neutral ground," a nod to its de facto status as a cultural divide between the Creole colonists and the newly arrived Americans. The term has given rise to all medians in the city being called "neutral grounds."
French Quarter architecture is a mix of French, Spanish, Creole and American styles. Walled courtyards and wrought-iron balconies, perfect for French Quarter parties, are a gift of the Spanish influence. Decorative wrought-iron balconies add European-style ornaments to the already beautiful homes. These lacy galleries, along with plentiful stoops and porches on newer buildings, make the Quarter a great place for people-watching.
While the variety of sites attracts visitors, the Quarter itself is the featured act. Enjoy leisurely strolls down Chartres and Royal streets to absorb the local flavor. Marvel at the beautiful homes, often decorated for the season at hand. Enjoy the local music and sounds that emanate from all corners. And don' t settle for window-shopping. Stepping into a charming art gallery or antiques shop may lead to an enchanting courtyard or out onto another street. Follow your whims to explore the Quarter on your own terms.
The picture-postcard center of the Quarter is Jackson Square, where St. Louis Cathedral rises above the neighborhood. The Square is a jamboree of street performers, artists and palm readers, various souvenir shops, art galleries and restaurants, as well as the oldest community theater in America, Le Petit Theater Du Vieux Carre. Just off the Square begins the historic French Market, which today features fresh produce and meats, craft stands and a flea market throughout the week.
Once you have absorbed the culture and history of the Quarter, you may wish to find less intellectual pursuits along Bourbon Street. An international icon for travelers and revelers, Bourbon Street is an awesome display of nightlife, music and celebration. While it is difficult not to have a good time along the entire strip, the gay nightlife begins in the 800 block at St. Ann.
Just downriver and adjacent to the Quarter, the eclectic and gay-friendly Faubourg Marigny thrives. (Faubourg is a French term meaning "suburb" or "neighborhood".) The Marigny is divided into the Triangle (between Esplanade and Elysian Fields avenues) and the Rectangle (downriver from Elysian Fields), both of which offer diverse architecture, dining and nightlife. The Marigny is generally a quiet neighborhood, bohemian in character with resident artists, writers, actors and musicians. Bed & breakfast guesthouses dot the streetscape, allowing a visitor to experience New Orleans' distinctive lifestyles firsthand. At night, the Triangle' s hip Frenchmen Street springs to life with its well-known eclectic restaurants and a variety of grassroots music clubs, popular with many locals and tourists who are in the know. Area coffee shops invite conversation and are excellent vantage points to survey the passing street scene.
A concentration of gays and lesbians has been instrumental in revitalizing the neighborhood, which boasts a Community Center. In the Rectangle there are several gay/lesbian nightclubs that are clustered near the intersections of Elysian Fields Avenue and Rampart Street, and Franklin Avenue and Royal Street. In the adjacent Bywater neighborhood (from Press Street to the Industrial Canal), there is a day resort for outdoor swimming, sunbathing and excellent dining, as well as several gay-friendly restaurants.
Just to the north of the French Quarter and Marigny neighborhoods, Tremé and Esplanade Ridge serve a transitional role in connecting 19th, 20th and 21st century New Orleans. Historic Faubourg Tremé is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and has the distinction of being the main neighborhood for free people of color from early in the city' s history. Today, Tremé remains an important center of the city' s African-American culture, especially the modern brass band tradition. This area is also home to Congo Square and Louis Armstrong Park, soon to be reopened as a National Jazz Park by the National Park Service.
Esplanade Ridge was originally a higher strip of land marking the old Indian portage connecting Bayou St. John with the river. It was developed in stages, beginning early in the 19th century, by prominent French and Spanish families, eager to escape the crowded conditions in the Quarter. Today, the Ridge connects the Quarter, Marigny and Tremé neighborhoods to the newer parts of the city, Gentilly, City Park, Mid-City and Lakeview. Architectural enthusiasts may journey down the beautiful oak-canopied Esplanade Avenue and follow the city' s development from the 1820s into the 21st century. A number of fine bed & breakfasts line the Esplanade, which provides convenient access to the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, home of the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival.
While on Esplanade Avenue, visit the beautifully restored Edgar Degas House, where the French Impressionist master lived from 1872 to 1873, and which offers guided tours by appointment. Then stroll the Esplanade to City Park, one of the nation' s largest municipal parks and home to the New Orleans Botanical Gardens, New Orleans Museum of Art, the Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden, and various recreational activities. When finished, ride the City Park/Canal streetcar through the Mid-City neighborhood back to Downtown. Or stop and have lunch at any one of the wonderful neighborhood restaurants that populate this early-20th century neighborhood.
The old Warehouse District turned Art Museums District extends upriver from Canal Street between St. Charles Avenue and the river. Spend a day touring the treasures of the city' s noted art and history museums as well as dozens of art galleries that line Julia Street. Colorful creations and a full calendar of events fill the district, including a theater of cabaret, just a short walk from most Downtown hotels.
Follow St. Charles Avenue by car, taxi or historic streetcar away from Downtown to where wealthy entrepreneurs moved out of the American Sector beginning in the 1850s into what is now the Garden District. This out-migration was instigated, in part, by the desire of these Americans to keep pace with and even outdo their European counterparts along Esplanade Avenue. The streets of the Garden District are lined with magnificent mansions, including Queen Anne Victorians and Italianate and Greek Revival structures, surrounded by lots of land on which these families could showcase their lovely gardens. Leave time to stop at Lafayette Cemetery for a guided tour of one of New Orleans' famous "Cities of the Dead."
Parallel to St. Charles lies Magazine Street, one of the city' s most vibrant shopping districts. Enjoy a leisurely walk down Magazine to take in the exterior eclectic architecture and the shopping treasures found inside. The six-mile tract of boutiques and cafes is one of the city' s fastest-growing attractions. Magazine leads you to Audubon Park and the Audubon Zoo. Enjoy the lush park setting, where a mix of natural environments converges to create the Louisiana Swamp, Jaguar Jungle, Komodo Dragon' s Lair and Monkey Hill.
Be sure to leave time to take the Canal Street ferry to Old Algiers, where you can walk through the quiet 19th -century neighborhood away from all the hustle and bustle of the city' s east bank. There are a handful of small bed & breakfasts in this neighborhood, a famous glass blowing studio, Rosetree, and it is also home to Mardi Gras World, where you may tour a real float factory and learn about many Carnival traditions.
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