![The wrought iron lace of a French Quarter Balcony in New Orleans.](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2021-10/The wrought iron lace of a French Quarter Balcony in New Orleans Peter Unger GettyImages-678716875 rfe.jpg?auto=format&w=1920&h=640&fit=crop&crop=faces,edges&q=75)
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New Orleans
With a vivacious community spirit and deep-rooted cultural fusion, New Orleans breathes the things that make life worth living: eating, drinking and celebrating.
Attractions
Must-see attractions for your itinerary
French Quarter
Whatever happens in the French Quarter usually begins here in Jackson Square, at Decatur and St Peter Streets. It's a gentle, carnivalesque scene,…
New Orleans
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…
French Quarter
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…
New Orleans
Of all the cemeteries in New Orleans, Lafayette exudes the strongest sense of subtropical Southern Gothic. The stark contrast of moldering crypts and…
French Quarter
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…
French Quarter
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…
New Orleans
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
New Orleans
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…
Attractions
Top picks from our travel experts
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
Hip-hop, punk, brass bands, dance parties, live storytelling events and Mardi Gras Indians regularly pop up at Hi Ho, one of the most eclectic venues in…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
From the front, it’s a well-decorated Bywater house. Walk inside and there’s a restaurant, sauna, leafy patio with bar, heated outdoor pool, 25ft…
New Orleans
Back in the day, this was a true bayou – an overgrown morass of Spanish moss and prowling alligators. Native Americans, fur trappers and smugglers would…
French Quarter
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…
New Orleans
It may look like a bog standard strip-mall Vietnamese joint when you walk in, but we'd happily contend that Tan Dinh is one of the best restaurants in…
New Orleans
This educational museum is like a high-tech kindergarten where the wee ones can play in interactive bliss till nap time. Lots of corporate sponsorship…
New Orleans
The Pitot House, perched prettily beside Bayou St John, is an excellent example of classical French New Orleans architecture. Constructed circa 1799, it's…
New Orleans
Inside City Park, this elegant museum was opened in 1911 and is well worth a visit for its special exhibitions, gorgeous marble atrium and top-floor…
New Orleans
The Fly is a popular spot for river viewing, picnics, Frisbee tossing, or just plain lazing about. Joggers trot by, families push strollers or release…
New Orleans
This lovely spot, riverside of St Charles Ave, is home to Audubon Zoo. A 1.8-mile multi-use paved trail loops around the central golf course, unfurling…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
The Cat might just be your sexy dream of a New Orleans jazz club, a thumping sweatbox where drinks are served in plastic cups, impromptu dances break out…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
Swank d.b.a. consistently schedules some of the best live-music events in town. Listening to John Boutté’s sweet tenor is one of the best beginnings to a…
French Quarter
At this smart-looking spot inside the historic Hotel Monteleone, you'll find a revolving circular bar, canopied by the top hat of the 1904 World’s Fair…
French Quarter
Whatever happens in the French Quarter usually begins here in Jackson Square, at Decatur and St Peter Streets. It's a gentle, carnivalesque scene,…
New Orleans
This wonderful zoo contains African, Asian and South American landscapes and fauna, as well as the ultra-cool Louisiana Swamp exhibit, full of alligators,…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
In the solar system of New Orleans bars, Saturn is planet odd. Originally it was an eclectic neighborhood bar where regulars appreciated the outsider art,…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
This waterfront park is our favorite spot in the city for taking in the Mississippi. Enter over the enormous arch at Piety and Chartres Sts, or at the…
New Orleans
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…
New Orleans
Esplanade is one of the most beautiful streets in New Orleans, yet barely recognized by visitors as such. Because of the abundance of historical homes,…
Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
New Orleans
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…
New Orleans
This oak tree near Big Lake in City Park stands festooned with chimes, some up to 14ft in length. Standing under the tree during the slightest breeze is…
New Orleans
Esplanade is one of the most beautiful streets in New Orleans, yet barely recognized by visitors as such. Because of the abundance of historical homes,…
Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
New Orleans
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…
New Orleans
Of all the cemeteries in New Orleans, Lafayette exudes the strongest sense of subtropical Southern Gothic. The stark contrast of moldering crypts and…
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?…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
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…
French Quarter
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…
New Orleans
This lovely spot, riverside of St Charles Ave, is home to Audubon Zoo. A 1.8-mile multi-use paved trail loops around the central golf course, unfurling…
French Quarter
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,…
French Quarter
At St Philip St, Bourbon shifts from a Dante’s Inferno–style circle of neon-lit hell into an altogether more agreeable stretch of historical houses,…
French Quarter
Whatever happens in the French Quarter usually begins here in Jackson Square, at Decatur and St Peter Streets. It's a gentle, carnivalesque scene,…
French Quarter
The lovely Presbytère building, designed in 1791 as a rectory for the St Louis Cathedral, serves as New Orleans’ Mardi Gras museum. You’ll find there’s…
Faubourg Marigny & Bywater
This waterfront park is our favorite spot in the city for taking in the Mississippi. Enter over the enormous arch at Piety and Chartres Sts, or at the…
French Quarter
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…
New Orleans
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…
Planning Tools
Expert guidance to help you plan your trip
Best Neighborhoods
Find the most beautiful mansions, the best restaurants and top hotels in the beautiful Garden District neighborhood of New Orleans.
Read articleDay Trips
A world of low prairies, deep swamps, good music and delicious meals awaits you just outside New Orleans.
Read articleTransportation
Some visit New Orleans's French Quarter and never leave. But those that want to go beyond will need some public transportation.
Read articleFree Things to Do
New Orleans is a good value-for-money city, and not just because the drinks are cheap. Here are the 20 free things to do there.
Read articleTraveling with Kids
Be entertained in NOLA no matter your age with our guide to visiting as a family.
Read articleArticles
Latest stories from New Orleans
![85652328
outdoor, restaurant, day, two people, couple, adults, young adults, young adult man, young adult woman, 18-19 years, 20-25 years, caucasian, full-length, brunette, looking away, standing, usa, louisiana, new orleans, togetherness, hat, coffee, cappuccino, leisure, travel, tourism, smiling, beverages, railing, drinks, decorative, straw hat, tourists, balcony, wrought iron, hipsters, french quarter, panama hat](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-04/GettyImages-85652328.jpg?auto=format&w=780&h=425&fit=crop&q=75)
- Budget Travel20 free things to do in New Orleans: experience the city on a budget
Dec 3, 2022 • 8 min read
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