New Orleans Map

Airports :

• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
• Lakefront Airport
• Nas Alvin Callendar Airport

New Orleans Tourist Attractions :

• Mardi Gras / Carnival
• Audubon Park
• Frenchmen Street
• St. Louis Cathedral
• Garden District
• Jackson Square
• Audubon Zoo
• Metairie Cemetery
• St. Charles Streetcar
• Ogden Museum of Southern Art
• Audubon Insectarium

New Orleans is a city with unique character and charm, influenced by its French and Spanish heritage, and the creation the Creole and Cajun cultures. Music and food are two of the most significant cultural aspects of New Orleans (also known as NOLA), where lively jazz plays on the streets, and flavorful foods are found in restaurants around town. As the birthplace of jazz music, New Orleans music history is honored by traditions like parades and jazz funerals, and events like Jazz Fest, that show the importance of music in the local culture. The historic architecture like that of the French Quarter and the plantations as well as the city’s culture reflects the it’s long history as a French settlement before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

A great destination for a wild weekend trip or even a family vacation so the whole family can experience a culture unlike any other, New Orleans has music, art, and architecture that are a blend of French, Spanish, Creole and Cajun, as well as American cultures. Fun and flamboyant, New Orleans is known internationally for its Mardi Gras celebrations as well as its penchant for voodoo and the occult, and visitors often visit a cemetery or take a haunted history tour.

When to go :

Hurricane season is from June through November, and at its worst in September. Summer in New Orleans is also usually hot and humid with rain and thunderstorms. During spring, visitors will enjoy warmer weather and many events.

New Orleans is host to several big festivals every year, most famously Mardi Gras, which is the largest in the country. Mardi Gras takes place in February on “Fat Tuesday,” right before Ash Wednesday, but celebrations begin weeks before. NOLA’s other big celebration is Jazz Fest, which occurs in late April or early May, and honors the music created right there in the city. Other springtime festivals include Spring Fiesta, St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day weekend events. With the traces of voodoo and the macabre all over New Orleans, Halloween an important celebration, with elaborate costumes, parades, and parties, as well as the Voodoo Experience music festival around the same time.

Getting around :

Regional Transport Authority (RTA) – NOLA’s bus service, RTA runs buses and streetcars around town.

Streetcar – There are three streetcar routes in New Orleans: Riverfront, Canal Street, and St. Charles. The St. Charles Avenue streetcar is the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the country. Though it does take longer than driving, it travels through many of the touristy parts of town.

Car – Renting a car is not necessary if visitors choose to stay in the French Quarter, Garden District, or Central Business District, and parking is difficult to find and expensive in these areas. The tourist areas of New Orleans are generally within walking distance or accessible via public transportation.

Cruise or Ferry – For a different view of the city, take a trip along the Mississippi River. Riverboat cruises often feature live jazz music and local food.

Carriage – Horse-drawn or mule-drawn carriages are available from the French Quarter (Jackson Square) or the Garden District.

Bicycle – New Orleans is fairly flat and therefore possible to explore on a bike. Bike rental agencies can be found in tourist areas, or visitors can choose to take a bike tour of NOLA.

Shopping, Dining, and Lodging :

Upscale boutiques are found in the French Quarter, where visitors will find designer clothes, home decor, gifts and souvenirs. The French Market and many local shops downtown self hand crafted goods and art as well touristy souvenirs. Antique shops with unique finds are located in the French Quarter and around Magazine Street.

The restaurants of New Orleans are one of its biggest attractions, with many specialties and respected chefs. French, Creole, and Cajun cuisines are the highlight of the New Orleans food scene, with seafood specialties like crawfish, catfish, and oysters, along with gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. Two sandwich specialties of Louisiana are po’boys (often made with shrimp) and the Italian Muffuletta sandwich.

Cafe au lait (coffee with hot milk) is a French-influenced treat of New Orleans, and can be found served with beignets, French doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar, at the famous Cafe du Monde, across from Jackson Square.

Most visitors to NOLA stay in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. For easy access to the nightlife scene, the best lodging option is the French Quarter, which is where many visitors spend most of their time. In the Garden District, guests can stay at a bed and breakfast in the antebellum mansions. other hotles include Omni Royal Orleans ,Hotel Monteleone , The Inn on Bourbon.

Sightseeing in New Orleans

Jackson Square –Located in the French Quarter, Jackson Square includes the gardens around the cathedral, a statue of Andrew Jackson on his horse, Faulkner House and other historic buildings. The fence is usually lined with local artists who set up shop and sell paintings, street performers and marching jazz bands.

St. Louis Cathedral –At one end of Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest active cathedral in the US, though it was rebuilt after a fire.

French Market –Once a trading post for Native Americans, the French Market is an open-air market for handcrafted goods, a flea market, and farmer’s market, souvenirs

Bourbon Street –Known for its party atmosphere, Bourbon Street is lined with bars, and is a great place for drinks, music and people watching (but not a good place to bring your children).

Metairie Cemetery –Experience another side of New Orleans culture by visiting one of the city’s cemeteries, which feature ornate above-ground tombs, mausoleums and statues, and is the final resting place for some famous people, like the Voodoo Queen. Free maps are available at the office, which will point visitors to the “Weeping Angel” statue, and the impressive “Millionaire’s Row.” Visitors can drive through this large cemetery, but will need to get out for access to many areas.

Garden District –View the historic Victorian and antebellum mansions of the Garden District, and stop by the George Washington Cable House, a National Historic Landmark.

New Orleans Mint Museum –Now decommissioned, the New Orleans Mint produced gold and silver coins from 1838 to 1861, and again from 1879 to 1909. Today the U.S. Mint is the oldest surviving former U.S. Mint, and houses a museum.

Canal Street –This historical street is now lined with hotels, restaurants, and shops. Original plans for Canal Street were to build a canal between the Mississippi River and the nearby Lake Pontchartrain, but instead the street became the widest main street in the country. At the time of the Louisiana Purchase, the Americans settled up-river from Canal Street, and the French Creoles kept control of the French Quarter, making Canal Street the dividing line and neutral ground between them.

Nightlife :

Lax liquor laws that allow people to bring their alcohol out onto the street combined with the city’s musical and fun-loving culture, New Orleans is a prime location to experience nightlife. The French Quarter’s Bourbon Street is one spot to grab a hurricane and have some fun.

Harrah’s casino, located in the Central Business District has slot machines and table games, as well as Vegas-style buffets.

Live music, one of the highlights of New Orleans nightlife, can be found nearly every day, and there are often free shows in some public spaces.