Like Vegas and Cancun, the main stretch of Bourbon St is where the great id of the repressed American psyche is let loose into a seething mass of karaoke, strip clubs and bachelorette parties. It's one of the tackiest experiences in the world, but it can be fun for an evening. As one T-shirt here says, 'I'm more wasted than a liberal arts degree.'
©Kris Davidson/Lonely Planet
Upper Bourbon Street
French Quarter
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.48 MILES
Whatever happens in the French Quarter usually begins here in Jackson Square, at Decatur and St Peter Streets. It's a gentle, carnivalesque scene,…
2.41 MILES
Live oaks, Spanish moss and lazy bayous frame this masterpiece of urban planning. Three miles long and 1 mile wide, dotted with gardens, waterways and…
0.44 MILES
The former seat of government in colonial Louisiana now serves as the gateway to exploring the history of the state in general, and New Orleans in…
1.96 MILES
Of all the cemeteries in New Orleans, Lafayette exudes the strongest sense of subtropical Southern Gothic. The stark contrast of moldering crypts and…
0.46 MILES
One of the best examples of French architecture in the country, this triple-spired 18th-century cathedral is dedicated to Louis IX, the French king…
0.07 MILES
Royal Street, with its rows of high-end antique shops, galleries and potted ferns hanging from cast-iron balconies, is the elegant yin to well known…
0.71 MILES
The South has one of the most distinctive aesthetic cultures in the US artistic universe, a creative vision indelibly influenced by the region's…
Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
2.65 MILES
The sculpture garden that sits just outside the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park is a wooded quilt of streams, pathways, lovers' benches and, of…
Nearby French Quarter attractions
0.07 MILES
Royal Street, with its rows of high-end antique shops, galleries and potted ferns hanging from cast-iron balconies, is the elegant yin to well known…
0.14 MILES
If death is your thing, or you have an interest in serial killers, the Museum of Death will not disappoint. Starting with skulls (both animal and human)…
3. New Orleans Cotton Exchange
0.15 MILES
For much of its history, the economy of New Orleans was built on cotton and slavery. The former industry was largely brokered out of this building, where…
0.16 MILES
This pleasant little public square is peppered with statues of some of New Orleans’ great musical heroes: Louis Prima, Chris Owens, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt…
5. A Gallery for Fine Photography
0.18 MILES
This impressive gallery usually has prints such as William Henry Jackson’s early-20th-century views of New Orleans and EJ Bellocq’s rare images of…
0.18 MILES
Michalopoulos has become one of New Orleans’ most popular painters in recent years, in part on the strength of his best-selling Jazz Fest posters. His…
0.21 MILES
A cornucopia of tropical produce graces the entrance to this building. The United Fruit Company, infamous for neocolonial practices in Central America,…
0.26 MILES
We'll be honest: if you're not a fan of bugs and creepy-crawlies, you may be happier elsewhere, because at this lively museum, you'll do more than stare…