2009-12-05

Culturally diverse and shaped by a unique history, New Orleans is a mixture of Old World simplicity and modern luxury. A confluence of African-American, Native American, and European traditions, New Orleans is unlike any other city in America. From art and architecture, to museums and parks, to shopping and live music, the city is sure to please any and all who visit. The following is a guide to some of the best sites, sounds, and events that New Orleans has to offer.

Free of Charge

City Park

1 Palm Drive, www.neworleanscitypark.com 

Once the site of Allard Plantation facing Bayou St. John, City Park is distinguished by its large variety of recreational activities, including fishing, birding, boating, and golf. At 1,300 acres, it is one of the largest urban parks in the country.

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

1 Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park, www.noma.org/sgarden 

Hours: Wed.-Sun. from 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

A world-class collection of modern and contemporary sculpture presented in an exquisite natural setting. Visitors will find more than 50 sculptures spread over five acres.

Jackson Square

Decatur Street, between the Jax Brewery Shopping Mall and the French Market, in front of the St. Louis Cathedral, www.jackson-square.com 

Also known as Place d’Armes, Jackson Square is a historic park and National Historic Landmark in the French Quarter. In 1803, the American flag was raised here for the first time to mark the newly purchased Louisiana Territory.

St. Louis Cathedral

615 Pere Antoine Alley, www.stlouiscathedral.org 

Few cities in the world are so closely identified by a building. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States.

Woldenberg Park

1 Canal Street

Named after philanthropist Malcolm Woldenberg, the Riverfront was opened to the public before the 1984 World’s Fair. It offers some of the best views of the Mississippi from wide, bricked walkways lined by lush landscape and public art.

The Algiers Ferry

Canal Street at banks of Mississippi River, www.friendsoftheferry.org 

Hours: Daily, 6:00 a.m. to 12:15 a.m.

Admission: Free for pedestrians, $1 for cars

Take a ride across the Mississippi and find out why New Orleans is called the Crescent City. The ferry drops riders off in the historic Algiers Point neighborhood. Founded in 1719, Algiers Point is the second- oldest neighborhood in the city with a rich history of music and French and Spanish influence. www.algierspoint.org/neighborhood.htm 

Frenchmen Street

Esplanade Avenue at Decatur Street, www. frenchmenst.com 

A two-block-long entertainment district where, on any given night of the week, you can hear live sounds and a wide variety of music from jazz to Latin to blues to reggae and just about everything in between.

Lafayette Square

Poydras Street and St. Charles Avenue, across from Gallier Hall, www.lafayettesquare.org 

Relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the city right in the heart of the Central Business District.

Magazine Street

Uptown, near Audubon Park, to downtown, at Canal Street

Magazine Street Merchants Association: 504-342-4435, www.magazine street.com  

For shopping, dining, or just casual strolling, no place outside the French Quarter beats Magazine Street. A six-mile-long stretch features some of the best antique stores, art galleries, craft shops, and classy boutiques to be found anywhere in the city.

Spanish Plaza

1 Poydras Street

Spain dedicated this plaza to the City of New Orleans in 1976 in remembrance of their common historical past and as a pledge of fraternity in the future. The focal point is a fountain surrounded by the seals of the provinces of Spain.

Piazza d’Italia and The American Italian Renaissance Foundation Museum and Library

537 South Peters Street, www.americanitalianmuseum.com/pages/piazza.html 

The piazza is a monument to the Italian-American community and their contribution to the City of New Orleans. Designed in 1978 by renowned architect Charles Moore, it is a gathering place for the New Orleans Italian community, as well as a symbol of cultural architecture. The Museum chronicles Italian Americans in the Southeast and their contributions through photographs, articles, family histories, and memorabilia.

French Market

1008 North Peters Street, www.frenchmarket.org 

This market has existed in this French Quarter site since 1791 and has remained true to its authentic mission for 200 years. It is America’s oldest public market and is a great place to find one-of-a-kind souvenirs.

Take Yourself on a Literary Tour

Go see where famous authors lived:

Tennessee Williams (722 Toulouse), William Faulkner (624 Pirate’s Alley), Truman Capote (711 Royal), Thornton Wilder (623 Bourbon), Walker Perry (1820 Milan), and Anne Rice (1239 First)

Preservation Resource Center

923 Tchoupitoulas Street, 504-581-7032, www.prcno.org 

Hours:Mon.-Fri. from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Center features both permanent and rotating exhibits on New Orleans architecture and historic neighborhoods. Stop in to pick up helpful walking tour brochures highlighting neighborhood restaurants, churches, theaters, and much more.

Jean Lafitte National Park Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center

419 Decatur Street, www.nps.gov/jela 

Hours: Daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The visitor center features an extensive exhibit on the history and conflict that surrounded the founding and shaping of present-day New Orleans and the French Quarter. Exhibits feature the significance and importance of the Mississippi River, and native plants and wildlife.

The Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum

813 Bienville Street, www.arnauds.com/museum.html 

Hours: Daily starting at 6:00 p.m.

The collection of Carnival court gowns, costumes, and other memorabilia made in France provides a rare glimpse of the private side of Mardi Gras.

Celebration in the Oaks

New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park, www.celebrationintheoaks.com 

Hours: Friday and Saturday from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., Sunday from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.

City Park’s annual holiday lighting exhibit and festival.

Harrah’s Casino

228 Poydras Street, www.harrahsneworleans.com 

Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Harrah’s Casino offers 115,000 square feet of gaming as well as many dining options, a life-sized Mardi Gras float, and French Quarter balconies.

Miracle on Fulton Street

Fulton and Poydras Streets at Harrah’s Hotel

Hours: Friday and Saturday from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., Sunday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Experience a white Christmas this holiday season in New Orleans on Fulton Street. Periodic “snowfalls,” dazzling lights, and decorations transform the street into a winter wonderland! One of the city’s newest holiday traditions, Miracle on Fulton Street brings the magic of the season alive in true New Orleans fashion.

Cost for Admission

New Orleans Botanical Gardens

1 Palm Drive, City Park, www.neworleanscitypark.com/nobg.html 

Hours: Tues.-Sun. from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Admission: $6 for adults

The Botanical Gardens offer a serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)

1 Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park, www.noma.org 

Hours: Wed.-Sun. from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Admission: $8 for adults, $7 for those 65 and older.

The Museum houses a $200 million collection in 46 galleries. It’s the city’s oldest fine arts institution.

The Contemporary Arts Center

900 Camp Street, 504-528-3800, www.cacno.org/about.html 

Hours: Thurs.-Sun. from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors

A multidisciplinary arts center dedicated to the presentation, production, and promotion of art of our time, this award-winning building is dedicated to rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art

925 Camp Street, 504-539-9600, www.ogdenmuseum.org 

Hours: Wed.-Sun. from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for those 65 and over 

The museum strives to broaden the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

1 Canal Street, 504-581-4629

Hours: Tues.-Sun. from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $18 for adults

One of the top-five aquariums in the country, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas features the largest collection of sharks and jellyfish.

Beauregard-Keyes House

1113 Chartres Street, 504-523-7257

Hours: Mon.-Sat. from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Admission: $5 for adults

This stately, 1826 mansion in the French Quarter contains collections from the Beauregard family and from noted author Frances Parkinson Keyes.

The National World War II Museum

945 Magazine Street,

www.ddaymuseum.org 

Hours: Daily, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $14 for adults, $8 for those 65 and over

The Museum is the only museum in the United States that addresses all of the amphibious invasions or “D-Days” of World War II, honoring the more than 1 million Americans who took part in this global conflict.

French Quarter Carriage Ride, Royal Carriages, Inc.

All tours depart from Decatur

Street at Jackson Square

www.neworleanscarriages.com 

Hours: All tours available from 8:30 a.m. to midnight daily, weather permitting

Admission: Half-hour $60 (up to four people), one hour $120 (up to four people)

A New Orleans tradition since 1941, Royal Carriages is America’s oldest continually operating carriage company.

Old New Orleans Rum Distillery Tour

2815 Frenchmen Street,

www.neworleansrum.com/index.php 

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; Sat. 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Admission: $10

Celebration Distillation tours offer an intimate and detailed look at the distillation process from beginning to end. All tours conclude with a visit to the tasting room.

Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World

1380 Port of New Orleans Place

www.mardigrasworld.com 

Hours: Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Check the Web site for ticket prices.

Tour the world’s largest float-building and designing facility. Visitors can celebrate Mardi Gras year-round while donning the elaborate costumes, witnessing the creation of floats up close, and learning about the festival’s traditions and history.

Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts presents: Oprah Winfrey’s “The Color Purple“

December 1–6, 2009

801 N. Rampart Street in Armstrong Park, www.mahaliajacksontheater.com 

Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, “The Color Purple” is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker. It is an inspiring story about hope and the healing power of love.

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