New Orleans Entertainment

  1. Abbey

    The riffraff congregating in this atmospheric Decatur St dive tend to dress in black. The place has a faded and jaded port of call feel to it, with blasé female bartenders, transient hipsters and shifty-eyed characters. You needn't be pierced or tattooed to fit in, but a little Joe Strummer/Suicide Girl swagger won't hurt.

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  2. Apple Barrell

    This roughshod local seats about eight people, but good folks congregate here, so rubbing elbows isn't an unpleasant experience. Somehow the joint makes room for live musicians. Usually it's someone reliving Dylan's acoustic period. Upstairs is the casual Italian eatery Adolfo's, and this is a good spot for a drink before dinner.

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  3. Big Top Gallery & Three King Circus

    An arts and education center that offers workshops for kids and adults. The center also shows films and has art exhibits and music shows that should appeal to the entire family.

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  4. Bombay Club

    The most cultured place for a drink in the Quarter, they specialize in high-priced martinis.

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  5. Bourbon Pub & Parade Disco

    Smack dab on Bourbon St is this gay bar with a very popular happy hour. At night, it's a loud and bawdy scene that spills out onto the street. You can head to the upstairs dance club and watch the scene from the balconies.

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  7. Cafe Brasil

    On the corner of Frenchmen St, a hip, bohemian crowd dances to reggae, Latin jazz and acoustic bands.

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  8. Canal Place Cinemas

    New Orleans' best all-around multiplex in a convenient downtown location. The cinema features first-run art and mainstream movies.

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  9. Carousel Bar

    At this smart-looking hotel bar, inside the historic Monteleone, everyone's a comic until they realize the barkeeps have heard 'em all before. No, you don't get to sit on a painted horse. Hey, how come the stools don't go up and down? What!? No blaring mechanical orchestra?! The circular bar does revolve and it is canopied by the top hat of the 1904 World's Fair carousel, complete with running lights, hand-painted figures and gilded mirrors.

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  10. Carrollton Station

    An old stalwart on the Riverbend club scene, Carrollton station has the tumble-down exterior you'd expect from a Mississippi Delta juke joint. The club's musical offerings don't really deliver on that promise. You'll generally encounter a very young, white crowd shakin' it to bluesy bar bands. Just a good co-ed party atmosphere.

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  11. Circle Bar

    In an old house between an empty lot and a vacant office building, the Circle Bar looks a little forlorn from the street. Inside, however, the dimly lit former bedrooms and parlors are jam packed with smartly dressed hipsters who come for live music and cocktails. The musical line-up is an ecclectic mix of alt rock, punk, jazz, funk and ironic blends of all the above. It's on Lee Circle, just around the corner from the Ogden Museum. You can look at some art and be here in time for happy hour.

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  13. Coffea

    For a great cup of joe in a laidback, artsy hang, try Coffea, owned by a local painter and harmonica virtuoso.

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  14. Cooter Brown's Tavern & Oyster Bar

    Cooter's is a Riverbend local that takes its beer seriously, serving over 40 draft brews and hundreds of international bottled brews. College kids, local characters and Uptown swells drop in for a few brews, freshly shucked oysters, or to shoot pool or watch sports on TV.

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  15. Country Club

    There's no golf course here. Down in the Bywater, this historic mansion has been converted into a gay frat house, replete with a large swimming pool in the back yard. It's a low-key hangout by day and more of a clubby scene by night. Clothing is not altogether forbidden on the patio, where guys and dolls tend to strip down and erase those tan lines. Indoors things are a bit more refined, with frequent shows.

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  16. d.b.a.

    Mellow until it fills up for live music and late-night partying; the extensive drinks menu and window seats will keep you busy while you wait.

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  17. Donna's Bar & Grill

    Shoulder up to the bar, grab a plate of red beans and rice and groove to jazz, blues or brass bands in this homey room on the edge of the Quarter.

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  19. Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar

    Long touted as one of New Orleans' better venues for modern jazz, Dos Jefes is also a great spot for a smoke. Patrons can select from a list of 40 fine cigars, light up and puff plumes of sweet-smelling smoke into the room. The club has broadened its appeal of late with the addition of blues and roots performers. Coco Robichaux makes frequent appearances.

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  20. Dungeon

    Got to admit, this place made us a little nervous at first. It doesn't open till the witching hour, and some of the bouncers have filed their teeth into pointy Dracula fangs. Then we observed the words 'Ye Olde' in small type on the sign out front. So this is really just 'Ye Olde Dungeon,' which doesn't sound so threatening afterall. Having descended into the club's basement chambers, we found actual Goths outnumbered by yuppies and bikers.

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  21. Entergy Imax Theater

    Part of the Audubon Institute complex at the foot of Canal St. IMAX stands for 'image maximum,' and its films are shown on a 74ft by 54ft screen. It's all about the size of the image, and indeed cinematography at this scale can be very impressive. Films such as The Living Sea and Antarctica are guaranteed to capture your attention. Shows begin on the hour between and .

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  22. Ernie K-Doe Mother-In-Law Lounge

    R&B singer Ernie K-Doe passed away in 2001, but his nightclub lives on. A visit is an unforgettable experience for anyone who remembers the inimitable K-Doe. His life was a remarkable up-and-down ride from the 1960s, when he recorded his number-one hit 'Mother in Law,' to the 1990s, when he pronounced himself 'Emperor of the World.' His widow, Anoinette, keeps the K-Doe spirit alive by designing and sewing flamboyant suits for the life-sized statue of her late husband that presides over the room.

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  23. F&M Patio Bar

    It's remote and not particularly impressive looking, but lots of locals take the trouble to work F&M into their Saturday night plans. It's an all-around fun spot with a very laid-back atmosphere. College kids and restaurant workers come for the lively back patio scene and good jukebox, and to shoot casual games of pool.

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  25. Good Friends Bar

    The crowd of regulars really are good friends, partly because the bar stools are so damn comfortable. Easy-on-the-eye bartenders make the bar's famous drink, the 'Separator' (Kahlúa ice cream, milk, brandy and coffee liqueur). The upstairs piano area, the 'Queen's Head Pub,' heats up with show tunes on Sunday night. The balcony is a good spot to chill.

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  26. Half Moon

    On an interesting corner, just half a block from Magazine St, the Half Moon beckons with a cool neighborhood vibe. The place is good for a beer or short order meal or an evening shooting stick.

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  27. Harrah's Casino

    The national casino chain arrived in New Orleans in 1999, and while one would think all manner of vice would be welcome in the Big Easy, Harrah's, near the foot of Canal St, was not popularly received. In spite of its best efforts to fit in, with a stately new brick home and a perfunctory Mardi Gras parade every night, Harrah's still manages to make its guests feel like they're in Sparks, Nevada - not -exactly what tourists usually have in mind when they come to New Orleans.

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  28. Hookah Cafe

    The hip Hookah is a swank-looking bar/supperclub with a gimmick, which is that patrons can smoke hookahs at their table. For the uninitiated, a hookah is a groovy Middle Eastern water pipe that looks like an extra-terrestrial musical instrument, or something pulled out of a goat. A full tobacco menu features shisha blends from far-off Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE.

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  29. House of Blues

    Specializing in big-name, touring acts, the main hall can be cavernous. The smaller upstairs Parish room offers a little more soul.

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