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Howlin' Wolf
This Warehouse District mainstay hosts bigger local acts as well as touring rock and alt-rock bands.
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Igor's Lounge
A good old joint, with a greasy grill, pool tables and washing machines. Igor's constant rotation of characters makes it a good place to drop in if you're making your way up or down St Charles Ave. Or make this your terminus if you're staying nearby.
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Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House
A number of bars in New Orleans, including this one, served absinthe before it was outlawed in 1914. Today, Herbsaint, a locally produced anisette, is a relatively safe stand-in for old absinthe-based drinks. The bar itself is an historic spot, having opened in 1807, but the crowd is generally of the bottom-shelf Bourbon St variety.
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King Bolden's
A smart looking club on Rampart St, King Bolden's mixes it up with DJs spinning soul, hip hop and reggae early in the week, and live jazz and brass bands performing through the weekend.
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Lafitte In Exile
A most venerable and popular gay bar in the quarter, Lafitte in Exile gets a vastly mixed and friendly crowd of all ages and sexes. The upstairs balcony is one of the best and as you'd expect the drink specials just keep coming.
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Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop
This idiosyncratic corner bar always has a steadfast crew of regulars propped up on its stools.
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Le Bon Temps Roulé
A neighborhood bar - a very good one at that - with a mostly college and post-college crowd drawn in by two pool tables and a commendable beer selection. Late at night, high-caliber blues, zydeco or jazz rocks the joint's little back room. The Hammond organist Joe Krown rattles the rafters with his Leslie speakers on Friday night.
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Le Chat Noir
At this smartly accoutred bar and cabaret, the beverage of choice is the martini and the entertainment ranges from Edith Piaf reincarnations to comic stage productions. CBD office workers prevail during 'happy hour' ( to ), and a well-heeled mature audience turns out for the evening shows.
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Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré
One of the oldest theater groups in the US, it offers classic and contemporary Southern plays.
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Loa
Loa is a great place to grab a daytime drink. Huge windows overlook the CBD's streetscape of dedicated worker bees, and watching them while getting drunk is a pleasure akin to munching on donuts amongst people sweating it out at the gym. In the evening, live music runs the gamut of world beats. And everyone looks good bathed in candlelight. If you practice voodoo, or just like the idea of a full-coverage plan, you can leave an offering at the voodoo altar on your way out.
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Maple Leaf Bar
Riverbend's pride and joy - its pressed-tin ceiling and close atmosphere get especially heated late. Rebirth Brass Band plays Tuesdays.
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Mid-City Lanes Rock & Bowl
What we have here is the unlikely marriage of live music and bowling. Owner John Blancher books quality artists to play, and two-stepping to hot zydeco while bowling pins crash is an unreal experience. Add perky teenage bar staff and unusual side acts like lip-synching black Elvis impersonators, and you realise that Blancher is a genius of the absurd.
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Mimi's in the Marigny
Neighborhood joint with pool and tapas .
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Molly's at the Market
A young, bohemian hipster crowd swills the Guinness and mingles out onto the sidewalk.
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New Orleans Ballet Association
Usually runs a few productions annually. The season is very short, and is fleshed out by presentations by visiting dance companies from around the world. Performances are at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in Louis Armstrong Park.
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Okra True Brew Playhouse
In the Warehouse District, the Okra True Brew Playhouse is an added feature of the popular coffee shop. The group performs seasonal classics such as Dickens' Christmas Carol along with original works, which typically explore local themes with a sharp satirical sensibility.
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One Eyed Jacks
This club hips up the heart of the Quarter. The swanky front barroom is no slouch, with the plush wallpaper and lurid paintings of a Storyville parlor. Acoustic bands - gypsy jazz and the like - play early shows. The main theater is a stunner, mid-20th century style to a tee, with chandeliers, an oval-shaped bar and little tables and little table top lamps. The setting is particularly suitable for the retro burlesque shows that take place here.
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Oz
Even Uptown debs have been seen shaking their tail feathers at this mixed dance club. The bump-and-grind area is surrounded by a cast-iron balcony and the bar is manned by buff, shirtless bartenders. In the wee hours, clothing becomes more of a concept than a reality.
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Palm Court Jazz Café
A mature crowd of trad jazz fans enjoy this supper-club alternative to Preservation Hall. No sitting on the floor for the shows in this roomy club. Palm Court has an excellent music calendar, with a regular lineup of local legends. Shows start at .
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Pat O'Brien's
The sugary sweet Hurricane was developed here, where a labyrinthine series of alcoves and courtyards hide many a reveler.
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Preservation Hall
A veritable museum of traditional and Dixieland jazz, Preservation Hall is a pilgrimage to see jazz how it used to be many years ago. But like many religious obligations, it ain't necessarily easy, with no air-conditioning, limited seating and no refreshments (you can bring your own water, that's it).
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Prytania Theatre
An old movie house (since the 1920s) that screens independent and art films. The owner has talked about opening another venue closer to downtown that would screen alternative films.
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R Bar
Sounds like a cattle brand, but merely by coincidence. The R Bar is just a damn good corner spot, several notches above a dive, that actually benefits from being a few blocks apart from the Frenchmen St scene. The regular crowd is generally single and seemingly savvy. The place has a friendly vibe and goofy ironic decor that's worth inspecting while your friends are using the john. For instance, a drum kit hangs upside-down from the ceiling, offering a unique perspective.
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Ray's Room New Orleans
Trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and a partner opened this nightclub/restaurant/art gallery in the Faubourg Marigny during Jazz Fest 2006. Knowing Kerm, this ought to be a fun addition to the Frenchmen St scene.
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Republic New Orleans
In a space formerly occupied by Howlin' Wolf, Republic New Orleans offers much the same fare, with a greater emphasis on regular gigs by local artists. Funk and blues bands - including Walter 'Wolfman' Washington - frequently take the stage.
