Mathilde’s guidebook
Neighborhoods
For the traveler who wants to pedal a bike away from the bustling French Quarter and head for a leisurely ride along Esplanade Avenue, this guide is for you. Rent a bike (or a kayak) and spend a day of your trip checking off this must-experience list of things to do in Bayou St. John.
238 locals recommend
Bayou St John
For the traveler who wants to pedal a bike away from the bustling French Quarter and head for a leisurely ride along Esplanade Avenue, this guide is for you. Rent a bike (or a kayak) and spend a day of your trip checking off this must-experience list of things to do in Bayou St. John.
“Won’t bow down. Don’t know how.” A place of pride and refuge for New Orleans’ free people of color who could buy property here, the Faubourg Treme – as far back as its founding in the 18th Century – served as cultural rendezvous between the worlds of white and black while its back streets birthed a music that conquered the world. Bulldozed but not forgotten, the infamous Storyville red-light district flourished in the Treme’s upper stretches while St. Augustine Church remains the centerpiece for the oldest African-American Catholic parish in the country. Jazz today is honored by Armstrong Park, named in tribute to Louis Armstrong and Congo Square – where slaves once gathered to make music. Similar beats are heard today seeping from tiny clubs, booming out in a joyous second line or in the eerie drumming of the skeleton krewe emerging from the Backstreet Museum at dawn Mardi Gras Day to wake the sleeping. “Live!” is their command. And that’s exactly what the Treme always does.
63 locals recommend
Tremé / Lafitte
“Won’t bow down. Don’t know how.” A place of pride and refuge for New Orleans’ free people of color who could buy property here, the Faubourg Treme – as far back as its founding in the 18th Century – served as cultural rendezvous between the worlds of white and black while its back streets birthed a music that conquered the world. Bulldozed but not forgotten, the infamous Storyville red-light district flourished in the Treme’s upper stretches while St. Augustine Church remains the centerpiece for the oldest African-American Catholic parish in the country. Jazz today is honored by Armstrong Park, named in tribute to Louis Armstrong and Congo Square – where slaves once gathered to make music. Similar beats are heard today seeping from tiny clubs, booming out in a joyous second line or in the eerie drumming of the skeleton krewe emerging from the Backstreet Museum at dawn Mardi Gras Day to wake the sleeping. “Live!” is their command. And that’s exactly what the Treme always does.
A vibrant art scene - with local artisans' galleries, funky live music venues, and art markets, embodies the essence of these adjacent neighborhoods. The food scene here is mixed with trendy spots and locally founded, casual digs - take your pick. Explore the St. Claude Arts District, Crescent Park on the riverfront, and more.
130 locals recommend
Marigny
A vibrant art scene - with local artisans' galleries, funky live music venues, and art markets, embodies the essence of these adjacent neighborhoods. The food scene here is mixed with trendy spots and locally founded, casual digs - take your pick. Explore the St. Claude Arts District, Crescent Park on the riverfront, and more.
What details capture a community? In the Warehouse Arts District it’s 19th century paving stones and 21st Century rooftop swimming pools, grilled Gulf redfish and warm baguettes, a B-17 Flying Fortress called “My Gal Sal”and an African-American self-taught artist named Clementine Hunter. This urbane neighborhood is where New Orleans’ past and present meet up for drinks while the future texts “I’m on my way.” Famed for institutions like the National WWII Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and events like the First Saturday Julia Street art walk, it also offers smaller delights: Watching young ballerinas en pointe framed in a plate glass window; sharing a pizza beneath the stars or brunching on coconut French toast. Vital and alive, the Warehouse District glows like those old school Edison light bulbs. Delight in the art on its walls and celebrate the life in its streets.
34 locals recommend
Warehouse District
What details capture a community? In the Warehouse Arts District it’s 19th century paving stones and 21st Century rooftop swimming pools, grilled Gulf redfish and warm baguettes, a B-17 Flying Fortress called “My Gal Sal”and an African-American self-taught artist named Clementine Hunter. This urbane neighborhood is where New Orleans’ past and present meet up for drinks while the future texts “I’m on my way.” Famed for institutions like the National WWII Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and events like the First Saturday Julia Street art walk, it also offers smaller delights: Watching young ballerinas en pointe framed in a plate glass window; sharing a pizza beneath the stars or brunching on coconut French toast. Vital and alive, the Warehouse District glows like those old school Edison light bulbs. Delight in the art on its walls and celebrate the life in its streets.
The South Market District, a micro-neighborhood of the CBD, transformed asphalt lots into urbanity where award-winning bakers and chefs serve up cuisine to visitors and locals in trendy restaurants. Restored theaters – the Saenger, the Orpheum and the aptly named Joy – host incredible acts and Broadway shows. And, everywhere, hotels to accommodate your stay. With close proximity to both the French Quarter and the Garden District, a stay in the CBD is a win-win.
32 locals recommend
Central Business District
The South Market District, a micro-neighborhood of the CBD, transformed asphalt lots into urbanity where award-winning bakers and chefs serve up cuisine to visitors and locals in trendy restaurants. Restored theaters – the Saenger, the Orpheum and the aptly named Joy – host incredible acts and Broadway shows. And, everywhere, hotels to accommodate your stay. With close proximity to both the French Quarter and the Garden District, a stay in the CBD is a win-win.
Often called the Crown Jewel of New Orleans, the French Quarter is one of NOLA's most historic neighborhoods. But you'll find plenty of new mixed in with the old. There’s a reimagined French Market, modern boutiques and artisan cocktails mix with beloved antique stores and old restaurants. (Antoine’s. Arnaud’s. Galatoire’s. Brennan’s – the world would be far less flavorful without you!)
Like the Creole aristocrats lining the galleries of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the French Quarter is a timeless portrait – especially come dusk when swallows glide above the fortunetellers on Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral’s butter-crème-colored walls reflect the fiery sunset. Ghost tours troop past mad Madame LaLaurie’s mansion while neon signs stutter to life on Bourbon Street where syrupy red Hurricanes, slosh in famed ‘go cups’– those plastic tumblers responsible for uncountable curbside parties. Night falls. Horse hooves clop, music throbs and gaslights flicker in a place full of long-told legends and those waiting to be born. Create one of your own.
790 locals recommend
French Quarter
Often called the Crown Jewel of New Orleans, the French Quarter is one of NOLA's most historic neighborhoods. But you'll find plenty of new mixed in with the old. There’s a reimagined French Market, modern boutiques and artisan cocktails mix with beloved antique stores and old restaurants. (Antoine’s. Arnaud’s. Galatoire’s. Brennan’s – the world would be far less flavorful without you!)
Like the Creole aristocrats lining the galleries of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the French Quarter is a timeless portrait – especially come dusk when swallows glide above the fortunetellers on Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral’s butter-crème-colored walls reflect the fiery sunset. Ghost tours troop past mad Madame LaLaurie’s mansion while neon signs stutter to life on Bourbon Street where syrupy red Hurricanes, slosh in famed ‘go cups’– those plastic tumblers responsible for uncountable curbside parties. Night falls. Horse hooves clop, music throbs and gaslights flicker in a place full of long-told legends and those waiting to be born. Create one of your own.
Everyone agrees. Uptown’s got the looks in the family, bless its heart. Those handsome neighborhoods, like the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, trundle upriver, unfolding as a series of distinctive names: Oretha Castle Haley, The Garden District, Irish Channel, Riverside, the Black Pearl, Carrollton. Uptown’s homes -- gleaming white and tiered like wedding cakes or shot-gunned into long, narrow lots – are the place’s glory and sheltered by canopies of leafy green or family trees as branched and blossoming as any ancient magnolia. The air’s opulent with the scent of jasmine and a slower, grander age. Uptown, where white tablecloths still cover two-tops. The waiter knows both your name and your preferences. A gin fizz? The crabmeat salad? Satsuma orange ice cream? They’re all on offer, as are the dazzling array of goods. The smart shops on Oak and Maple, Freret and Magazine, rival anything anywhere else. But this is Uptown, sugar. Once you’re here, there’s no reason – not ever – to leave.
77 locals recommend
Uptown/Carrollton
Everyone agrees. Uptown’s got the looks in the family, bless its heart. Those handsome neighborhoods, like the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, trundle upriver, unfolding as a series of distinctive names: Oretha Castle Haley, The Garden District, Irish Channel, Riverside, the Black Pearl, Carrollton. Uptown’s homes -- gleaming white and tiered like wedding cakes or shot-gunned into long, narrow lots – are the place’s glory and sheltered by canopies of leafy green or family trees as branched and blossoming as any ancient magnolia. The air’s opulent with the scent of jasmine and a slower, grander age. Uptown, where white tablecloths still cover two-tops. The waiter knows both your name and your preferences. A gin fizz? The crabmeat salad? Satsuma orange ice cream? They’re all on offer, as are the dazzling array of goods. The smart shops on Oak and Maple, Freret and Magazine, rival anything anywhere else. But this is Uptown, sugar. Once you’re here, there’s no reason – not ever – to leave.
North of the noise and saturated color of the Quarter is a New Orleans neighborhood that’s perfected the art of living. “Welcome to Mid-City,” read the signs on the neutral ground. And that’s truth in advertising. It’s the kind of place where your auto mechanic invites you to a crawfish boil and a total stranger may buy you a drink at an Irish pub or a cannoli at an Italian bakery. Take the red streetcar line up Canal to the Cemeteries (Mid-City’s dead neighbors are as interesting as the live ones) or bike the new 2.6-mile-long Lafitte Greenway that stretches from Basin Street to Carrollton Avenue and, conveniently, past a po’ boy shop or two – or 17 – with a sno-ball shop and a micro-brewery thrown in for good measure. Buttermilk biscuits. Live music. A bowl of Vietnamese pho. Who wouldn’t want to visit? Eat. Drink. Get up here.
73 locals recommend
Mid-City
North of the noise and saturated color of the Quarter is a New Orleans neighborhood that’s perfected the art of living. “Welcome to Mid-City,” read the signs on the neutral ground. And that’s truth in advertising. It’s the kind of place where your auto mechanic invites you to a crawfish boil and a total stranger may buy you a drink at an Irish pub or a cannoli at an Italian bakery. Take the red streetcar line up Canal to the Cemeteries (Mid-City’s dead neighbors are as interesting as the live ones) or bike the new 2.6-mile-long Lafitte Greenway that stretches from Basin Street to Carrollton Avenue and, conveniently, past a po’ boy shop or two – or 17 – with a sno-ball shop and a micro-brewery thrown in for good measure. Buttermilk biscuits. Live music. A bowl of Vietnamese pho. Who wouldn’t want to visit? Eat. Drink. Get up here.
Known for its colorful street murals, the Bywater neighborhood has a bohemian vibe, with plenty of outdoor cafes, boisterous dive bars and hip restaurants. Quirky boutiques selling handmade goods dot the area, while buzzy St. Roch Market offers southern gourmet specialities in a stylishly updated Victorian food hall. Trails, picnic spots and sweeping city views are the draw at riverside Crescent Park.
106 locals recommend
Bywater
Known for its colorful street murals, the Bywater neighborhood has a bohemian vibe, with plenty of outdoor cafes, boisterous dive bars and hip restaurants. Quirky boutiques selling handmade goods dot the area, while buzzy St. Roch Market offers southern gourmet specialities in a stylishly updated Victorian food hall. Trails, picnic spots and sweeping city views are the draw at riverside Crescent Park.
Irish Channel is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the New Orleans City Planning Commission are: Magazine Street to the north, First Street to the east, the Mississippi River to the south and Toledano Street to the west.
29 locals recommend
Irish Channel
Irish Channel is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the New Orleans City Planning Commission are: Magazine Street to the north, First Street to the east, the Mississippi River to the south and Toledano Street to the west.
In the charming Garden District, oak-shaded streets are lined with a diverse mix of homes, from single-story cottages to the grand historic mansions and lavish gardens of St. Charles Avenue, on the Mardi Gras parade route. Leafy Lafayette Cemetery is filled with ornate, 19th-century tombs. Boutiques and antique shops sit alongside fine-dining restaurants, casual cafes and local bars on and around Magazine Street.
260 locals recommend
Garden District
In the charming Garden District, oak-shaded streets are lined with a diverse mix of homes, from single-story cottages to the grand historic mansions and lavish gardens of St. Charles Avenue, on the Mardi Gras parade route. Leafy Lafayette Cemetery is filled with ornate, 19th-century tombs. Boutiques and antique shops sit alongside fine-dining restaurants, casual cafes and local bars on and around Magazine Street.
Up-and-coming Central City is a working class area known for its Mardi Gras parades and unpretentious Cajun eateries. Exhibits, performances and film screenings at Ashé Cultural Arts Center celebrate African-American culture, while the Southern Food & Beverage Museum has displays on regional gastronomy and hosts tasting events. The New Orleans Jazz Market is a sleek modern venue for concerts and cocktails.
8 locals recommend
Central City
Up-and-coming Central City is a working class area known for its Mardi Gras parades and unpretentious Cajun eateries. Exhibits, performances and film screenings at Ashé Cultural Arts Center celebrate African-American culture, while the Southern Food & Beverage Museum has displays on regional gastronomy and hosts tasting events. The New Orleans Jazz Market is a sleek modern venue for concerts and cocktails.
Food scene
Cafe Degas
3127 Esplanade Ave1000 Figs
3141 Ponce De Leon StLiuzza's by the Track
1518 N Lopez StParkway Bakery & Tavern
538 Hagan AveThe Pelican Club
312 Exchange PlGalatoires
209 Bourbon St
Bayona
430 Dauphine StBrigtsen's Restaurant
723 Dante StreetLa Petite Grocery
4238 Magazine StDooky Chase Restaurant
2301 Orleans AveCafe Du Monde City Park
56 Dreyfous DrCafe Du Monde French Market
800 Decatur StreetNapoleon House
500 Chartres StBrennan's
417 Royal StUpperline
1413 Upperline StLa Crepe Nanou
1410 Robert StGautreau's Restaurant
1728 Soniat StreetPêche Seafood Grill
800 Magazine StHerbsaint
701 St Charles AveDomenica
123 Baronne StMimi's In the Marigny
2600 Chartres StreetBorgne
601 Loyola Ave
Cane and Table
1113 Decatur StANNUNCIATION
1016 Annunciation StBrigtsen's Restaurant
723 Dante StreetMeril
424 Girod StMr. B's Bistro
201 Royal StreetRestaurant R'evolution
777 Bienville StIrene's
529 Bienville St
Three Muses
536 Frenchmen StApolline
4729 Magazine StCochon RESTAURANT
930 Tchoupitoulas StEmeril's New Orleans
800 Tchoupitoulas StEmeril's Delmonico
1300 St Charles AveK-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen
416 Chartres StToups Meatery
845 N Carrollton AveToups South
1504 Oretha Castle Haley BlvdGumbo Shop
630 St PeterSylvain
625 Chartres St
Lilette
3637 Magazine StElizabeth's
601 Gallier StToast
1845 Gentilly Boulevard
Saba
5757 Magazine StDrago's - Hilton Riverside
2 Poydras StCasamento's Restaurant
4330 Magazine StCentral Grocery & Deli
923 Decatur StStein's Market and Deli
2207 Magazine StDat Dog
5030 Freret StDat Dog
5030 Freret StFelix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar
7400 Lakeshore DrBars and Nightlife
Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits
600 Poland AveMimi's In the Marigny
2600 Chartres StreetPal's Lounge
949 N Rendon
Frenchmen Street
Carousel Bar
214 Royal StThe Spotted Cat Music Club
623 Frenchmen StBourbon Street
Bourbon StreetSnug Harbor Jazz Bistro
626 Frenchmen StHouse Of Blues
225 Decatur StOz New Orleans
800 Bourbon St21st Amendment Bar at La Louisiane
725 Iberville StBlue Nile
532 Frenchmen StClub Caribbean New Orleans Reggae Club
2441 Bayou Rdd.b.a.
618 Frenchmen StAllways Lounge and Theater
2240 St Claude AveLafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar
941 Bourbon StMimi's In the Marigny
2600 Chartres StreetChickie Wah Wah
2828 Canal StCircle Bar
1032 St Charles AveBayou Beer Garden
326 N Norman C Francis ParkwayBayou Wine Garden
315 N RendonSweet Lorraine's Jazz Club
1931 St Claude AveThe Sazerac House
101 Magazine StChart Room
300 Chartres StNOSH - New Orleans Social House
752 Tchoupitoulas StSightseeing
Stretching six miles parallel to the Mississippi River from Canal Street to Audubon Park, Magazine Street travels from the Central Business District and the Warehouse Arts District through the Garden District and Uptown. Originally named for a warehouse that Spanish Governor Miro built to house Kentucky tobacco and other exports, this retail street’s stores offer a delightful antidote to the typical mall experience. Clusters of shops are interspersed with charming homes, and a mix of renovated warehouses and shops selling housewares, pottery, period furniture, clothing, books, glass, toys, china, soaps and jewelry. Magazine Street is the ideal spot for a leisurely walk-about, with plenty of coffee shops, cafes and restaurants to provide a pit stop and refreshment to the tired shopper. There is a Magazine Street bus that departs from Canal Street, or take the St. Charles Streetcar and walk several block towards the river to Magazine.
396 locals recommend
Magazine Street
Magazine StreetStretching six miles parallel to the Mississippi River from Canal Street to Audubon Park, Magazine Street travels from the Central Business District and the Warehouse Arts District through the Garden District and Uptown. Originally named for a warehouse that Spanish Governor Miro built to house Kentucky tobacco and other exports, this retail street’s stores offer a delightful antidote to the typical mall experience. Clusters of shops are interspersed with charming homes, and a mix of renovated warehouses and shops selling housewares, pottery, period furniture, clothing, books, glass, toys, china, soaps and jewelry. Magazine Street is the ideal spot for a leisurely walk-about, with plenty of coffee shops, cafes and restaurants to provide a pit stop and refreshment to the tired shopper. There is a Magazine Street bus that departs from Canal Street, or take the St. Charles Streetcar and walk several block towards the river to Magazine.
French Quarter
Garden District
Whitney Plantation
5099 LA-18New Orleans Jazz Museum
400 Esplanade AveCabildo
701 Chartres StNew Orleans Mint
400 Esplanade AveTreme's Petit Jazz Museum
1500 Governor Nicholls StBackstreet Cultural Museum
1531 Henriette Delille StCrescent Park
2300 N Peters StMardi Gras World
1380 Port of New Orleans PlEssentials
Canseco's Esplanade Market
3135 Esplanade AveCVS
500 N Carrollton AveRouses Market
400 N Carrollton AveSwirl Wine Bar & Market
3143 Ponce De Leon StThings To Do
City Park
1 Palm DrNew Orleans Museum of Art
1 Collins Diboll CirLouisiana Children's Museum
15 Henry Thomas DrAudubon Zoo
6500 Magazine StAudubon Aquarium of the Americas
1 Canal StAudubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
1 Canal StContemporary Arts Center
900 Camp StOgden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp StSouthern Food and Beverage Museum
1504 Oretha Castle Haley BlvdNew Orleans Botanical Gardens
5 Victory AveArt, Music, Culture
Preservation Hall
726 St PeterArts District of New Orleans
Julia StreetNew Orleans Museum of Art
1 Collins Diboll CirOgden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp StContemporary Arts Center
900 Camp StChickie Wah Wah
2828 Canal St
Frenchmen Street
Sculpture Garden
1 Collins Diboll CirMuseum of the Free People of Color
2336 Esplanade AveThe Historic New Orleans Collection
410 Chartres StThe Music Box Village
4557 N Rampart StCongo Square
701 N Rampart St