New Orleans Louisiana Travel Guide

New Orleans Louisiana

The giant and historical Mississippi River empties into the luxurious Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans, the capital of Louisiana and of Dixieland jazz and known fo its wrought-iron architecture. If you head across the state line to Mississippi, you'll be sure to find miles of bucolic shoreline, including the world's longest man-made beach in Harrison County, Mississippi. It stretches for 26 soft, sandy eye-appealing miles and is protected by beautiful barrier islands, including Ship Island where good swimming conditions are complemented, from April through October, with interesting historic tours around Fort Massachusetts.

Things To Do in New Orleans Louisiana

Due to the city’s history of hurricanes and its miraculous ability to come back livelier than ever before each tragedy, the city has a new mission statement, “Soul Is Waterproof.”  The city has a walkable historic center including Faubourg Marigny, The French Quarter, The Warehouse and Arts District, Magazine Street, the Garden District, Audubon Park, and Zoo and St. Charles Avenue.  All of these things are once again flourishing and are welcoming visitors for another season of success.  Whether your visit is for the jazz, the nightlife, the hopping happy scene, the food, the culture, or for that distinctive joie de vivre, it’s time to head back to Crescent City, New Orleans.  

This welcoming city will always have the ability to provide what your visit requires.  The accommodations are endless.  On any given day, you will be able to easily find anything from hotels to lively rental vacation homes in the area.  Come and visit this joyful city and get the “New Orleans experience” once and for all.  You will find yourself craving the lively culture and environment and in turn re-visiting year after year.

Explore and Take Pictures at the New Orleans City Park

The 1,300-acre City Park of New Orleans offers several tourist attractions, including the Sculpture Garden, the New Orleans Botanical Garden, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. 

Families with their children can enjoy the games and rides at Storyland, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, and City Splash Water Park. If you want to play golf or tennis, there’s an 18-hole golf course and a few tennis courts on the premises of City Park. 

For people who want to have a good round of physical exercise, there are picturesque walking areas in City Park. While walking, you can see live oak trees and other plants in the area. 

Experience the Mississippi River Aboard Steamboat Natchez

The Mississippi River is the second largest river in the whole of North America and by this merit one of the most visited spots in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Now, the best way to explore this magnificent river is through a cruise aboard the Steamboat Natchez. While cruising the Mississippi River, you can enjoy Creole cuisine lunch and a sumptuous dinner featuring a live jazz band on this paddle steamer. 

Explore the Famous French Quarter

The New Orleans French Quarter is one of the most popular areas of the city. Many tourists go straight to this place to see its beauty and experience the things it’s known for, such as the restaurants, entertainment establishments, and old architecture. 

The French-inspired old buildings in this area are said to be over 300 years old. The architecture features magnificent courtyards, red-tiled roofs, wrought-iron balconies, and arcades. Today, most of these old buildings are turned into galleries, restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops, and jazz houses. 

Bourbon Street is the most well-known street in the French Quarter. During the day, Bourbon Street is a pretty ordinary street, but it turns into a vibrant pedestrian area at night. If you want to try the food delicacies of New Orleans or learn a bit of the history of the city, head to Royal Street. 

Moreover, Frenchmen Street is a spot in the French Quarter that’s frequented by jazz enthusiasts. You can also find many restaurants here that serve delectable eats. 

Staying near the French Quarter offers travelers the convenience of being close to many of New Orleans' most iconic sights with historic streets, live jazz venues, restaurants, and local shops are all within easy reach. Having a centrally located base makes it easier to explore on foot and fully take in the atmosphere of the city. Hotel Perle is one example of a boutique stay that offers this kind of access while also providing a quieter space to return to after a busy day. Its location strikes a balance between proximity and peace, which many visitors find ideal for experiencing the best of New Orleans. 

Attend the Mardi Gras Celebrations

Mardi Gras is a big event in New Orleans with festivities running for two weeks until the day before Ash Wednesday. Visitors can enjoy all types of fun and entertainment during the event, including balls, parades, and masquerades. 

On sidewalks and balconies, you can see onlookers enjoying the celebrations. Many of them are dancing, singing, and shouting with joy on their faces. Folks from heavily decorated floats toss strings of beaded necklaces to the crowd. It’s an amazing sight to behold! 

The entire French Quarter is usually filled with people during the Mardi Gras celebrations. The first French settlers in New Orleans introduced this tradition to the city, and it became a huge event by the end of the 19th century. 

Visit the National WWII Museum

If you want to see historical documentaries and exhibits about the Second World War, visit the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The museum has three sections, one dedicated to the war in Europe, another to the battles fought in the Pacific, and one section housing the aircrafts used in WWII. 

There’s also a 4D Theater inside showing films like Beyond All Boundaries that give viewers a full sensory experience. Moreover, a Stage Door Canteen offers visitors dinner shows, matinees, and entertainment dating back to the 1940s.

 

 

History of New Orleans

In 1718, the Frenchmen Sieur de Bienville came across an area near the juncture of the Mississippi River and central to the Gulf of Mexico.  Because of the area’s location and the fact that it was five feet below sea level, Sieur de Bienville claimed this strategic port city for Phillippe, Duc d’Orleans, the Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723.  When he found this new port city, he named loyally named the area after his French Ruler, and it was then called La Nouvelle Orleans.  The city was centered around the Place d’Arms which was later known as and still is today, Jackson Square.  Originally, the city was isolated to the area that we now call the French Quarter or Vieux Carre (Old Square).  Eventually, the New Orleans territory was passed from generation to generation within the family o Phillippe, Duc d’Orleans. 

The year 1762 would be the last year that Phillippe’s direct family would hold possession of this land.  The reason why the land was lost is debated but scholars’ research leads them to believe that it was either because Louis XV lost a bet to his Spanish cousin or simply because the French royal coffers were exhausted.  Regardless of the reasons leading to the result, the land of New Orleans was ceded to the rule of the Spanish king, King Charles the third.  Although the Spanish rule would leave a timeless imprint on New Orleans, Spanish rule was relatively short lasting only until 1801.  In 1788, the city was engulfed in flames, for exact reasons still unknown, in turn destroying over eight hundred buildings.  A second fire in 1794 demolished another two hundred structures even as the city was recovering and making progress from the previous fire.  The fires left French buildings to be very scarce across the city today, although it did leave the Old Ursuline Convent which is 1100 Chartres.  Completed in 1752, it is believed to be the oldest building in all of the Mississippi River Valley.  This means that most of the buildings in modern New Orlean today, are most likely of Spanish descent.  In the year 1801, the entire state of Louisiana was ceded back to being French territory, being ruled by the famous French king, Napoleon Bonaparte.   

Only two years later, once again being juggled between owners, Napoleon sold the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.  The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States Territory and was sold at a cost of fifteen million dollars, an extremely good deal for the United States considering that the Louisiana Territory consisted of 828,000 square miles only costing the United States less than forty-two cents per acre.  This sale is still to this day considered to be one of the greatest real estate bargains in all of history.

Map of New Orleans Louisiana

Additional New Orleans Articles

---