UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 13: Blues band guitarist drums playing Vaso live jazz club, Decatur Frenchmen Street, Marigny, French Quarter New Orleans USA (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

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Frenchmen Street

Faubourg Marigny & Bywater


The ‘locals' Bourbon St’ is how Frenchmen St is usually described to those who want to know where New Orleanians listen to music. The predictable result? Frenchmen St is now packed with out-of-towners each weekend. Still, it's a ton of fun, especially on weekdays when the crowds thin out but music still plays. Bars and clubs are arrayed back to back for several city blocks in one of the best concentrations of live-music venues in the country.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Faubourg Marigny & Bywater attractions

1. Art Garden

0.04 MILES

Art Garden is an arts-bazaar space filled with painters working on their projects while you shop. It's a good spot to find unique or limited-edition work…

2. Palace Market

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Independent artists and artisans line this alleyway market, which has built a reputation as one of the better spots in town to find a unique gift to take…

3. Washington Square Park

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Also known as ‘Marigny Green,' this park is a popular spot for locals to play with their dogs, toss Frisbees and, based on the frequent smell, smoke…

5. French Market

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This long shopping arcade was once the great bazaar and pulsing commercial heart for much of New Orleans. Today the French Market is a bustling tourist…

6. Gallier House Museum

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Many New Orleans buildings owe their existence, either directly or by design, to James Gallier Sr and Jr, who added Greek Revivalist, British and American…

7. Ursuline Convent

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One of the few surviving French Colonial buildings in New Orleans, this lovely convent is worth a tour for its architectural virtues and its small museum…

8. Beauregard-Keyes House

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This 1826 Greek Revival house is named for its two most famous former inhabitants. Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard commanded the…