Jackson Square

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  • Address
    bounded by St Ann, St Peter, Decatur & Chartres Sts, French Quarter
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  • Phone
    504 568 6968

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Lonely Planet review

Lively, bustling Jackson Square is an impeccably landscaped traditional public square with a cathedral overlooking it. With its surrounding architecture and concentration of artisans, fortune tellers and entertainers who share the stone paved walkway with pedestrian traffic, it's one of the USA's finer public spaces.

The identical, block-long Pontalba Buildings overlook the square, and the nearly identical Cabildo and Presbytère structures flank St Louis Cathedral, the square's centerpiece.

The square began its life as a military parade ground called Place d'Armes. Madame Micaëla Pontalba transformed the muddy grounds into beautiful groomed gardens and renamed the square to honor Andrew Jackson, who led the American forces in the Battle of New Orleans before serving two terms as the seventh president of the USA (1829-37).