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Louisiana
Louisiana runs deep: a French colony turned Spanish protectorate turned reluctant American purchase; a southern fringe of swampland, bayou and alligators dissolving into the Gulf of Mexico; a northern patchwork prairie of heartland farm country; and everywhere, a population tied together by a deep, unshakable appreciation for the good things in life: food and music.
New Orleans, its first city, lives and dies by these qualities, and its restaurants and music halls are second to none. But everywhere, the state shares a love for this joie de vivre. We're not dropping French for fun, by the way; while the language is not a cultural component of Northern Louisiana, near I-10 and below, the French language – or Louisiana's particular version of it – is a cultural touchstone.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Louisiana.
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Jackson Square
Why you should go Whatever happens in the French Quarter usually begins here in Jackson Square, at Decatur and St Peter Streets. It's a gentle, carnivalesque scene, sprinkled with lazing loungers and surrounded by fortune tellers, sketch artists and traveling performers. Overlooked by cathedrals, offices and shops plucked from a Paris-meets-the-Caribbean fantasy, Jackson Square is one of America’s great town squares and the heart of the Quarter. Lovers lanes and trimmed hedges surround a monument to Andrew Jackson, but the real stars here are the magnificent French-style St. Louis Cathedral, flanked by the Cabildo and Presbytère. The former houses a Louisiana state-history museum; the latter a permanent exhibition on Mardi Gras. Nearby are steps leading up to the Mississippi River, where long barges evoke days of old. The prime time to visit is on weekends just after brunch. As you meander through the square, observing the street performers and artist booths, be sure to tip, even if it's just pocket change. That's why people perform here. Tarot card readers and fortune-tellers stay well into the evening, and some are open to bargaining when the foot traffic thins. History The square was part of Adrien de Pauger’s original city plan and began as a military parade ground called Place d’Armes (Place of Weapons). Madame Micaëla Pontalba, a 19th-century aristocrat, transformed the muddy marching grounds into a trimmed garden and renamed the square to honor Andrew Jackson, the president who saved New Orleans from the British during the War of 1812. In the middle of the park stands the monument to Andrew Jackson – Clark Mills’ bronze equestrian statue of the seventh US president, unveiled in 1856. The inscription, "The Union Must and Shall be Preserved," was added by General Benjamin Butler, Union military governor of New Orleans during the Civil War, ostensibly to rub it into the occupied city’s face. The gesture worked. Butler was dubbed "Beast Butler" by locals, and eventually his face was stamped on the bottom of city chamber pots. During his tenure as military governor of New Orleans, Butler instituted health quarantines that drastically reduced yellow fever outbreaks. Nearby hotels and restaurants Hop into Stanley, at the square's north corner; it's an iconic spot for brunch, lunch or drinks. Across Decatur St from the square lies Café du Monde, where you can grab a bag of beignets (square, sugar-coated fritters) to go and picnic on a park bench. Pigeon camaraderie is free. Prefer to sit back and people watch? Just across St Ann St from the Presbytère is Muriel's, a large restaurant with a pleasant balcony overlooking the square. Nearby hotels in the French Quarter include the gorgeous, deceptively spacious cottages at Audubon Cottages and the historic Soniat House Hotel.
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City Park
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 bridges and home to a captivating art museum, City Park is bigger than Central Park in NYC and it's New Orleans ’ prettiest green space. In many ways, City Park is a near-perfect expression of a local "park," in the sense that it is an only slightly tamed expression of the forest and Louisiana wetlands (Bayou Metairie runs through the grounds) that are the natural backdrop of the city. Golf courses mar this narrative, but there's still enough wild to get lost in. Art- and nature-lovers could easily spend a day exploring the park. Anchoring the action is the stately New Orleans Museum of Art, which spotlights regional and American artists. From there, stroll past the whimsical creations in the Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, then check out the lush Botanical Gardens. Kids in tow? Hop the rides at the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park or climb the fantastical statuary inside Storyland. History City Park occupies the site of the former Allard Plantation; much of the infrastructure and improvements, including pathways, bridges and art deco flair, were built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. The arboreal life is magnificent and includes strands of mature live oaks – thousands of them, some as old as 600 years – along with bald cypresses, Southern magnolias and other species. During Hurricane Katrina, nearby canals flooded and inundated more than 90% of the park in up to 8ft of salt water. Though the ground has recovered, many priceless trees were lost. One tree that wasn’t was the Singing Oak (or Singing Tree), which stands festooned with chimes, some up to 14ft in length. Standing under the tree during the slightest breeze is pretty magical. New Orleans Museum of Art Looking like a vague cross between Lenin’s tomb and a Greek temple, the New Orleans Museum of Art is one of the finest art museums in the South. There’s strong representation from regional and American artists, but the work of masters, such as Edgar Degas, who have passed through the city is also prominent. Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden Three of George Rodrigue's "Blue Dogs" – in red, yellow and blue – await your arrival in the pleasant Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which sits beside the New Orleans Museum of Art. The garden opened in 2003 with pieces from the world-renowned Besthoff collection and today holds more than 60 pieces, dotted across 5 acres. Most are contemporary works by artists such as Antoine Bourdelle, Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois. The Botanical Gardens and Peristyle The Botanical Gardens have been the site of many a New Orleans wedding, and in their green depths you'll find examples of flora from both around the world and across the backyard of Louisiana. Overlooking Bayou Metairie like a Greek temple is the Peristyle, a classical pavilion featuring Ionic columns, built in 1907. Four concrete lions stand watch, while weddings, dances, recitals and curious tourists meander through. Theme Parks Anyone who doesn’t like the charmingly dated Carousel Gardens must surely have a heart of stone. The lovingly restored antique carousel is housed in a 1906 structure with a stained-glass cupola. In the 1980s, residents raised $1.2 million to restore the broken animals, fix the squeaky merry-go-round and replace the Wurlitzer organ. The results are spectacular in a tweedy, tinkly kind of way. You can board the tiny City Park Railroad here as well, plus a little Ferris wheel, bumper cars and a tilt-a-whirl. Storyland doesn't have rides, just fun statues of fairy-tale heroes and villains. If the characters seem strangely similar to Mardi Gras floats, it’s because they were created by master float-builder Blaine Kern. During the Christmas season it’s lit up like a Christmas tree and all very magical. Louisiana Children's Museum The Louisiana Children’s Museum recently built new digs in City Park. It's kind of a theme park for kids (albeit more educational). There’s giant bubble-blowing exhibits, play loading cranes, a book forest, a play shopping area, and plenty of other stuff that should appeal to any kid under 10. Couturie Forest The wildest section of the park is this scad of hardwood forest, where live oaks shade leafy underbrush and mushrooms peek out of the moist soil. Park your car in the lot off the Harrison Ave traffic circle, and you'll see a road that extends back into the forest; take any branching trail and get pleasantly lost. Popp Fountain The Popp Fountain is wonderful, and another impressive example from the Works Progress Administration. Promenades planted with perennials and 26 Corinthian columns surround the centerpiece of water erupting from a bronze base of cavorting dolphins. Tips for visiting City Park The best spots for parking in City Park include the area in front of the New Orleans Museum of Art and the lot near Morning Call. There are alligators here! If you're walking your dog or are near the water, keep an eye out. We're not kidding – local gators aren't common, but they're not unheard of. The waters in the park aren't suitable for swimming. See the above tip about alligators. Nearby restaurants A few steps from the sculpture garden, take a break for coffee, beignets and gumbo at Morning Call, conveniently open 24/7. Want a picnic lunch? Head to Canseco's on Esplanade Ave and grab something from their hot bar.
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Cabildo
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 particular. It’s also a magnificent building in its own right; the elegant Cabildo museum marries elements of Spanish Colonial architecture and French urban design better than most buildings in the city. The diverse exhibits include Native American tools, "Wanted" posters for enslaved Africans who escaped, and a gallery’s worth of paintings of stone-faced old New Orleanians. Give yourself at least two hours to explore. History Fire has played an important role in this building's story, both in its 1795 construction (after the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788, which tore through much of the Quarter, cleared this site of its existing structure) and two centuries later, when the Cabildo was burned in 1988. Painstakingly restored, and returned to its original glory, the building is a treasure in its own right – not to mention the treasures that are on display inside its halls. Exhibits The exhibits do a good job of reaffirming the role the building and the surrounding region have played in history. Highlights include an entire section dedicated to the Battle of New Orleans, anchored by an enormous oil painting by 19th-century French artist Eugene Louis Lami; a historical Plan de la Nouvelle Orléans from 1744, showing a four-block-deep city; and the death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte. The magnificent Sala Capitular (Capitol Room), a council room fronted by enormous windows giving sweeping views onto Jackson Square, was the most important room in Louisiana for decades. Civic functions and legal action were conducted here; this was the courtroom where Plessy v Ferguson, the 1896 case that legalized segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, was tried. The Sala now includes a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the Louisiana Purchase. American author William Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It’s not even past." That quote only begins to hint at the troubled history of race relations in the South. The wing of the Cabildo dedicated to post–Civil War Reconstruction is as even-handed and thorough an attempt at explaining this difficult period and its consequences as we’ve seen, and should be of interest to both history enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. Tips for visiting the Cabildo Although the Cabildo is closed on Mondays, Friends of the Cabildo still offers walking tours, which are excellent. Be sure to take a peek at Jackson Square out of the large windows on the 2nd floor. Check online for current listings of events including concerts, yoga and more. Nearby restaurants Make a day of it and have brunch at Court of the Two Sisters, a few blocks away on Royal St. A little further on, grab a well-earned drink at Toulouse Dive Bar and shoot a game of pool.
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Lafayette Cemetery No 1
Of all the cemeteries in New Orleans, Lafayette exudes the strongest sense of subtropical Southern Gothic. The stark contrast of moldering crypts and gentle decay with the forceful fertility of the fecund greenery is incredibly jarring. It’s a place filled with stories – of German and Irish immigrants, deaths by yellow fever, social societies doing right by their dead – that pulls the living into New Orleans’ long, troubled past. The cemetery is divided by two intersecting footpaths that form a cross. Look out for the structures built by fraternal organizations such as the Jefferson Fire Company No 22, which took care of its members and their families in large shared crypts. Some of the wealthier family tombs were built of marble, with elaborate detail rivaling the finest architecture in the district, but most tombs were constructed simply of inexpensive plastered brick. Take a tour with the nonprofit Save Our Cemeteries, and the entire proceeds are used for cemetery restoration and documentation. Reservations are recommended because spots are limited, but tours need three people or more to depart. Tours meet at the Washington Ave entrance. During the summer months, don't underestimate how big the cemetery is, and how hot the area can be. Take some water with you. Editor's Note: As of this article's latest update in May of 2021, the cemetery is currently closed to the public while repairs and improvements are made. Call to check for details. History The cemetery was built in 1833 by the former City of Lafayette and filled to capacity within decades of its opening, before the surrounding neighborhood reached its greatest affluence. Indeed, not far from the entrance is a tomb containing the remains of an entire family that died of yellow fever. By 1872 the prestigious Metairie Cemetery in Mid-City had opened and its opulent grounds appealed to those with truly extravagant and flamboyant tastes. In July 1995, author Anne Rice staged her own funeral here. She hired a horse-drawn hearse and a brass band to play dirges, and wore an antique wedding dress as she laid down in a coffin. The event coincided with the release of one of Rice’s novels. Nearby restaurants Perched on the corner of Prytania St and Washington Ave, Still Perkin' is a great place to start or finish a visit to Lafayette Cemetery No 1. In addition to lattes and iced coffees, there’s a decadent selection of scones and other treats plus a few sandwiches and wraps. It’s in the Rink mini-mall. Or, consider the legendary Creole restaurant, Commander's Palace, which is just across the street. You could also wander up to the old-school Verret's Lounge for a quick drink.
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St Louis Cathedral
Why you should go 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 sainted in 1297. The St Louis Cathedral, located in the heart of New Orleans ' French Quarter overlooks Jackson Square. It's an attractive bit of Gallic heritage in the heart of an American city. Throughout the year, St Louis Cathedral hosts events that are at the core of New Orleans’ Catholic community. If you’re in town during any of the following holidays, try to attend. Christmas services are packed, including a 5 pm vigil on December 24 and midnight Mass on December 25 (doors open at 11:15 pm). On Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter), the transfixing Blessing of the Palms ceremony begins at 10:50 am. Come on Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras; ashes, a symbol of mourning and penitence, are distributed at 12:05 p.m. during mass and in St. Anthony Garden from 2-3 pm. History In 1722, a hurricane destroyed the first of three churches built here by the St Louis Parish. The second was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire. Architect Don Gilberto Guillemard dedicated the present cathedral on Christmas Eve in 1794. Pope Paul VI awarded it the rank of minor basilica in 1964. Besides hosting African American, white and Creole congregants, St Louis has attracted those who, in the best New Orleanian tradition, mix their influences. Voodoo queen Marie Laveau worshiped here during the height of her prominence in the mid-19th century. Nearby Restaurants Head to Spitfire Coffee, on St Peter, for a jolt of joe that will keep you awake for the rest of the day. Or, duck over to Pirate's Alley Cafe, which is steps away from the cathedral and a nice spot for a beer or, if you're feeling adventurous, a sip of the "Green Fairy." Tips for visiting the St Louis Cathedral St Louis is a working cathedral, so be respectful when you visit. Loud noises and obtrusive picture-taking are frowned upon. Don't overlook the interior stained glass and French wall inscriptions, which offer a peek into New Orleans’ Catholic heritage. Get there early if you want to attend a ceremony on a major holiday.
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Royal Street
Why you should go 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 Bourbon Street's debauched yang. Stroll or bicycle past Royal's patina beauty and fading grace; chat with locals as they lounge on their porches; and get a sense of the fun – with a dash of elegance – that was once the soul of the Vieux Carré (Old Quarter). Consider a guided walking tour to open your eyes to much of the area's hidden history. With blocks and blocks of the strip dedicated to antique stores and art galleries, Royal Street is a sort of elegant 19th-century (and very long) outdoor shopping arcade. From 11 am to 4 pm, most of the street turns into a pedestrian-only mall. Musicians, performers and other buskers set up shop; you may see some teenagers shill for pennies, or accomplished blues musicians jam on their Fenders. Either way, the show is almost always entertaining. Nearby hotels and restaurants Start off your Royal Street adventure with coffee and pastries at Croissant D’Or Patisserie. End your evening at the rotating Carousel Bar at the street's upper end. The revolving circular bar is located inside the historic Hotel Monteleone. Canopied by the top hat of the 1904 World’s Fair carousel, it's adorned with running lights, hand-painted figures and gilded mirrors. In 15 minutes, the 25-seat bar completes a full revolution. Other restaurants to consider are: Court of the Two Sisters Café Beignet And speaking of the Hotel Monteleone, it's perhaps the city's most venerable hotel, and also the Quarter's largest. Not long after it was built, preservationists put a stop to building on this scale below Iberville Street. Since its inception in 1866, the hotel has lodged literary luminaries including William Faulkner, Truman Capote and Rebecca Wells. You might also consider a stay at the Hotel Royal, a boutique hotel with lace-like ironwork balconies, gas lanterns and decorative topiaries – everything an 1833 New Orleans home should be. Other hotel options include: Nine-O-Five Royal Hotel Cornstalk Hotel
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Ogden Museum of Southern Art
The South has one of the most distinctive aesthetic cultures in the US artistic universe, a creative vision indelibly influenced by the region's complicated history and deep links to the land. Few museums explore the throughlines of Southern art like the Ogden, which boasts lovely gallery spaces, an awesome gift shop and kicking after-hours performances. Although the Ogden Museum sits just a few steps away from the pedestal that once enshrined Robert E Lee, this vibrant collection of Southern art is not stuck in the past. It’s one of the most engaging museums in New Orleans, managing to be beautiful, educational and unpretentious all at once. The glass-and-stone Stephen Goldring Hall, with its soaring atrium, provides an inspiring welcome to the grounds. The building, which opened in 2003, is home to the museum’s 20th- and 21st-century exhibitions as well as the Museum Store and its Center for Southern Craft & Design. "Floating" stairs connect the different floors. Start at the top floor and work your way down to get the most out of the experience (and make it easier on your legs). History The collection got its start more than 30 years ago when Roger Ogden and his father began purchasing art as gifts for Roger’s mother. Ogden soon became a passionate collector and by the 1990s, the New Orleans entrepreneur had assembled one of the finest collections of Southern art anywhere. Today his namesake museum and its galleries hold pieces that range from impressionist landscapes and outsider folk art to contemporary installation work. The Ogden is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, giving it access to that bottomless collection. Nearby restaurants Grab a beautiful tropical meal at Carmo. For excellent cheese and sandwiches, head to St James.
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Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
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 course, sculpture, mainly of the modern and contemporary sort. During spring and summer, theatrical productions are often put on here, but it's a lovely spot for a stroll any time of year. Three of George Rodrigue's "Blue Dogs" – in red, yellow and blue – await your arrival in the garden, which opened in 2003 with pieces from the world-renowned Besthoff collection. Today, it holds more than 60 pieces, dotted across 5 acres. Most are contemporary works by artists such as Antoine Bourdelle, Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois. More to explore in City Park Art- and nature-lovers could easily spend a day exploring the park. Anchoring the action is the stately New Orleans Museum of Art, which spotlights regional and American artists. From there, stroll past the whimsical creations in the sculpture garden, then check out the lush Botanical Gardens.
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National WWII Museum
One of New Orleans’ most distinctive tourism attractions has nothing to do with food, music, or having a good time. Rather, it is a museum dedicated to the contributions of the USA to the Allied cause in the largest armed conflict in history. The National World War II Museum, which takes up several blocks of the Warehouse District, was deemed the nation’s official World War II museum by an act of Congress in 2003. Enormous pavilions are filled with refurbished planes, tanks, interactive displays, cases of weapons, uniforms, and medals, movies, newsreels, and immersive recreations of bunkers, ship bridges, forests, and jungles. You’ll want to give yourself at least half a day to explore the whole campus. The Campaigns of Courage The museum is divided into several pavilions, themselves subdivided into different sections, but the main draw for most visitors are the two Campaigns of Courage exhibits, which focus on the European and Pacific theaters of the war - respectively, the ‘Road to Berlin’ and the ‘Road to Tokyo.’ The museum’s focus is aimed at American involvement in the war, and while some exhibition space discusses other Allied nations, the contributions of these countries is cast as strictly supporting the main American narrative. Highlights from the Road to Berlin include a recreation of the Tunisian desert, which includes sand, gravel, an actual 1943 jeep and a 105mm Howitzer. In another room you’ll enter the wintry Ardennes forest, the backdrop for an exhibit on the Battle of the Bulge, which precedes the bombed out cityscapes of Cologne and Hamburg during the final push into Nazi Germany. The Road to Tokyo includes a shark-faced P-40 Warhawk aircraft, a recreation of the bridge of the USS Enterprise, where visitors can learn about the naval combat and island hopping of the Pacific campaign, and a recreated jungle of towering palms meant to evoke the battlefields of Guadalcanal. The Arsenal of Democracy This section of the museum is devoted to the war outside of the battlefields. ‘Gathering Storm’ tells the saga of the geopolitical tensions that preceded the war, and explains how fascism was the ideological engine of the Axis cause. ‘A House Divided’ goes into the deep domestic divisions that split Americans between isolationists and interventionists. Other exhibitions explore the massive mobilization of resources that was required to fight a war on two fronts on opposite sides of the world. ‘United but Unequal’ is a particularly powerful gallery that explores the racial tensions on the American homefront; even while fighting ethnic nationalists, the American military was segregated, and Japanese American civilians were rounded up into internment camps. The D-Day Invasion & Bayou to Battlefield Before it was the National World War II Museum, this was the National D-Day Museum. The core of the former museum’s holdings are now displayed in this space, dedicated to the Jun 6, 1944 landings that kicked off the liberation of France. Within the D-Day galleries visitors can find parts of the Nazi ‘Atlantic Wall’, sand from landing beaches, and reams of smaller artifacts sourced from in and around Normandy. So why was this museum originally the D-Day museum? And why is the National World War II Museum located in New Orleans? These two questions require one answer: New Orleanian Andrew Jackson Higgins and Higgins industries. Higgins was a boatbuilder by trade, and worked on shallow draft vessels for use in local wetlands. He was able to modify these designs into the Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCPV), the iconic landing boat used at D-Day landing and countless other operations. A restored LCPV is located on the museum grounds. Beyond All Boundaries & Final Mission Visitors will often begin their visit to the museum by watching this 45-minute movie experience, narrated by Tom Hanks and replete with the sort immersion the museum prides itself on: falling ‘snow’, seats that shudder under explosions, etc. In the same interactive vein is Final Mission. This exhibit recreates the final mission of the USS Tang, a submarine that was sunk by one of its own torpedoes following attacks on Japanese shipping lanes. Final Mission takes place in the US Freedom Pavilion, which is itself filled with resorted aircraft, tanks, and uniforms from the war. Art Wager /Getty Images" data-embed-button="images" data-entity-embed-display="media_image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"","image_link":""}" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="19fda2b0-8ed4-4be1-b7a5-86ad535991dc" data-langcode="en" title="The National World War II Museum"> Tickets, dining & entertainment The National World War II Museum is located at 945 Magazine Street. There is dedicated paid parking at 1024 Magazine St, but if you are staying in the Warehouse District or Central Business District, you might want to consider just walking here. Hours are 9am-5pm daily; admission adult/student/under-5 $29.50/18/free. Beyond all Boundaries and Final Mission are $7 each. If you want to avoid crowds, try visiting on a weekday outside of summer. The museum can get very crowded on weekends. There are two restaurants located onsite: the Jeri Nims Soda Shoppe (8am-3pm, mains $7-11), which - as the name implies - goes for an old school soda fountain counter-service vibe, and the more traditional American Sector (11am-2pm Sun-Fri, to 3pm Sat, mains $8-13). Both serve sandwiches and similar fare, with the soda shop more focused on coffee and lighter meals. BB’s Stage Door Canteen puts on exceedingly peppy 1940s-era stage shows, which includes the female vocal trio the Victory Belles, who perform morale boosting songs from the era.
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