THINGS TO SEE & DO IN NEW ORLEANS
We chose to get married in New Orleans because we feel it's a place everyone needs to experience at least once in their lifetime! The city has amazing food, nightlife, cultural activities and sightseeing. We hope you get the opportunity to see and do some of the fun things listed on this page while you are visiting.
Tours
If you have never been to New Orleans, please consider taking one the many tours that showcase the uniqueness of the city. There is a tour for every kind of visitor and interest, we promise!
On foot: literary tours, history tours, above-ground cemetery tours, architectural tours, ghost tours, and more
By carriage: tour the cobblestone streets of the famous French Quarter
By streetcar: take the St. Charles Avenue line to the Garden District to view southern mansions, Tulane, and Audubon Park
By bus: go back in time to antebellum New Orleans on a plantation tour
By water: discover live alligators on a swamp tour or take a jazz cruise on an authentic paddlewheeler on the Mississippi River
Neighborhood Walking Tours
Free Walking Tours
French Quarter Walking Tour
Tremé Walking Tour
Bicycle Tour (504) 400-5468
We strongly urge you to explore the city by bicycle in a leisurely bike tour led by the Confederacy of Cruisers.
Airboat Swamp Tour (888) 467-9267
Less than one hour from downtown New Orleans, and just minutes from the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Airboat Adventures offers visitors a fun ride on an airboat and a chance to see the beauty of the swamp up close. Highly recommended!
Carriage Rides (504) 943-8820
Take a carriage ride while you're in New Orleans ... and enjoy a tour of the French Quarter (garden district tours available, too!) Quaint mule-drawn carriages take you past many landmarks of New Orleans, including Bourbon Street, the mighty Mississippi, and Jackson Square.
Plantation Home Tour
Visitors to New Orleans enjoy touring Louisiana's beautiful plantation homes located outside the city.
Haunted History Tour
A fun way to see the French Quarter in the evening. The tour guides will regale you with stories of New Orleans' creepy past.
Cemetery Tour
Learn all about the famous "cities of the dead" – sprawling cemeteries filled with ornate above-ground tombs – one of the most unique sights in New Orleans.
If you have never been to New Orleans, please consider taking one the many tours that showcase the uniqueness of the city. There is a tour for every kind of visitor and interest, we promise!
On foot: literary tours, history tours, above-ground cemetery tours, architectural tours, ghost tours, and more
By carriage: tour the cobblestone streets of the famous French Quarter
By streetcar: take the St. Charles Avenue line to the Garden District to view southern mansions, Tulane, and Audubon Park
By bus: go back in time to antebellum New Orleans on a plantation tour
By water: discover live alligators on a swamp tour or take a jazz cruise on an authentic paddlewheeler on the Mississippi River
Neighborhood Walking Tours
Free Walking Tours
French Quarter Walking Tour
Tremé Walking Tour
Bicycle Tour (504) 400-5468
We strongly urge you to explore the city by bicycle in a leisurely bike tour led by the Confederacy of Cruisers.
Airboat Swamp Tour (888) 467-9267
Less than one hour from downtown New Orleans, and just minutes from the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Airboat Adventures offers visitors a fun ride on an airboat and a chance to see the beauty of the swamp up close. Highly recommended!
Carriage Rides (504) 943-8820
Take a carriage ride while you're in New Orleans ... and enjoy a tour of the French Quarter (garden district tours available, too!) Quaint mule-drawn carriages take you past many landmarks of New Orleans, including Bourbon Street, the mighty Mississippi, and Jackson Square.
Plantation Home Tour
Visitors to New Orleans enjoy touring Louisiana's beautiful plantation homes located outside the city.
Haunted History Tour
A fun way to see the French Quarter in the evening. The tour guides will regale you with stories of New Orleans' creepy past.
Cemetery Tour
Learn all about the famous "cities of the dead" – sprawling cemeteries filled with ornate above-ground tombs – one of the most unique sights in New Orleans.
Must See
A first time visit to New Orleans must AT LEAST include the following sites
French Quarter
Made up of about 90 square blocks, this section of the city is also known as the Vieux Carré ("Old Square") and is enclosed by Canal Street, North Rampart Street, the Mississippi River, and Esplanade Avenue. The Quarter is full of clubs, bars, stores, residences, and museums; its major public area is Jackson Square, bounded by Chartres, Decatur, St. Peter, and St. Ann streets. The most historic and best-preserved area in the city, a survivor of two major fires in the 1700s in addition to Katrina, it's likely to be the focal point of your stay.
Garden District
Live oaks, wrought iron, pillars, and porticos are some of the aristocratic details of the Garden District, a neighborhood of spectacular 19th-century mansions built in styles ranging from Greek Revival to Gothic. Accessible from downtown via the St. Charles line streetcar, the Garden District is made for exploring. Take time to tour Lafayette Cemetery #1, quite possibly the most photogenic cemetery on the planet. You can get to the Garden District from the French Quarter via the Streetcar, city bus or bicycle. Riding the Streetcar is a fun adventure itself and allows you the see the gorgeous tree-lined St. Charles Street.
Jackson Square
The historic Jackson Square, originally known in the 18th Century as 'Place d'Armes' and later renamed in honor of the Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson, is a featured attraction in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans. This famous landmark facing the Mississippi River is surrounded by historic buildings including the St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytère and Cabildo (Louisiana State Museums), the Lower and Upper Pontalba Apartments (the oldest apartment buildings in the U.S.) with retail shops, museums, galleries and restaurants on the ground level. For well over a half century, there has been an open-air artist colony at Jackson Square, with artists painting and displaying their work on the outside of the iron fence.
St. Louis Cathedral
Few cities in the world are so identified by a building as is New Orleans. The city is instantly recognized by the cathedral and its position overlooking Jackson Square. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States.
The Streetcar
Streetcars are more than just an inexpensive and convenient way to get around New Orleans. A trip on one is an event in its own right. New Orleans streetcars, described as romantic, historic, and quaint, rock along their tracks at a relaxed pace that's in tune with the laid-back city. Streetcars once were everywhere in New Orleans. In the 1920s, more than 200 miles of street railway lines were interlaced throughout the metropolitan area. Like elsewhere in the country, bus routes gradually began to displace New Orleans streetcar lines. Luckily for residents and visitors alike, three streetcar lines still operate in the city. The St. Charles Avenue line, represents the nation's only surviving historic streetcar system. All of its electric cars manufactured between 1922 and 1924 are still in use and are included in the National Register of Historic Places. New Orleanians revere them as a national treasure.
Mississippi River
Take a stroll down the Moonwalk, the park and pedestrian walkway that runs along the river, stopping to notice some of the curious public art installations and local cultural monuments along the way. Ol' Man River will keep rolling along, and you can watch riverboats, cruise ships, and cargo vessels sail by, much like they have for centuries.
Bourbon Street
The best known street in New Orleans is Bourbon Street, a carnival of sights and sounds where people from all walks of life come to let their hair down. The party starts at the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon, where brass bands gather almost every night, filling the street with dancers. Down Bourbon's thirteen blocks running to Esplanade Avenue, the revelry continues beneath beautiful cast-iron balconies, with a seemingly endless row of bars, music clubs, restaurants and gentlemen's clubs.
Cafe Du Monde, Open 24 hours a day
No trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to the original Cafe Du Monde location. Since 1862, Café du Monde has been selling café au lait and beignets (and nothing but) on the edge of Jackson Square.
New Orleans Cemeteries
The above-ground tombs in New Orleans cemeteries are often referred to as "cities of the dead." Not only do the tombs look like buildings, but the cemeteries are organized with streets (and street signs) much like the cities of the living. Most of the city's deceased are interred above ground, a situation forced on the area because of the city's high water table and below sea-level elevation as well as due to old French and Spanish tradition. The unique cemeteries are worth a close up view, but only visit during the day and do not go alone. Bonus points if you find Marie Laveau’s tomb in St. Louis #1 cemetery a few blocks north of the French Quarter.
A first time visit to New Orleans must AT LEAST include the following sites
French Quarter
Made up of about 90 square blocks, this section of the city is also known as the Vieux Carré ("Old Square") and is enclosed by Canal Street, North Rampart Street, the Mississippi River, and Esplanade Avenue. The Quarter is full of clubs, bars, stores, residences, and museums; its major public area is Jackson Square, bounded by Chartres, Decatur, St. Peter, and St. Ann streets. The most historic and best-preserved area in the city, a survivor of two major fires in the 1700s in addition to Katrina, it's likely to be the focal point of your stay.
Garden District
Live oaks, wrought iron, pillars, and porticos are some of the aristocratic details of the Garden District, a neighborhood of spectacular 19th-century mansions built in styles ranging from Greek Revival to Gothic. Accessible from downtown via the St. Charles line streetcar, the Garden District is made for exploring. Take time to tour Lafayette Cemetery #1, quite possibly the most photogenic cemetery on the planet. You can get to the Garden District from the French Quarter via the Streetcar, city bus or bicycle. Riding the Streetcar is a fun adventure itself and allows you the see the gorgeous tree-lined St. Charles Street.
Jackson Square
The historic Jackson Square, originally known in the 18th Century as 'Place d'Armes' and later renamed in honor of the Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson, is a featured attraction in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans. This famous landmark facing the Mississippi River is surrounded by historic buildings including the St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytère and Cabildo (Louisiana State Museums), the Lower and Upper Pontalba Apartments (the oldest apartment buildings in the U.S.) with retail shops, museums, galleries and restaurants on the ground level. For well over a half century, there has been an open-air artist colony at Jackson Square, with artists painting and displaying their work on the outside of the iron fence.
St. Louis Cathedral
Few cities in the world are so identified by a building as is New Orleans. The city is instantly recognized by the cathedral and its position overlooking Jackson Square. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States.
The Streetcar
Streetcars are more than just an inexpensive and convenient way to get around New Orleans. A trip on one is an event in its own right. New Orleans streetcars, described as romantic, historic, and quaint, rock along their tracks at a relaxed pace that's in tune with the laid-back city. Streetcars once were everywhere in New Orleans. In the 1920s, more than 200 miles of street railway lines were interlaced throughout the metropolitan area. Like elsewhere in the country, bus routes gradually began to displace New Orleans streetcar lines. Luckily for residents and visitors alike, three streetcar lines still operate in the city. The St. Charles Avenue line, represents the nation's only surviving historic streetcar system. All of its electric cars manufactured between 1922 and 1924 are still in use and are included in the National Register of Historic Places. New Orleanians revere them as a national treasure.
Mississippi River
Take a stroll down the Moonwalk, the park and pedestrian walkway that runs along the river, stopping to notice some of the curious public art installations and local cultural monuments along the way. Ol' Man River will keep rolling along, and you can watch riverboats, cruise ships, and cargo vessels sail by, much like they have for centuries.
Bourbon Street
The best known street in New Orleans is Bourbon Street, a carnival of sights and sounds where people from all walks of life come to let their hair down. The party starts at the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon, where brass bands gather almost every night, filling the street with dancers. Down Bourbon's thirteen blocks running to Esplanade Avenue, the revelry continues beneath beautiful cast-iron balconies, with a seemingly endless row of bars, music clubs, restaurants and gentlemen's clubs.
Cafe Du Monde, Open 24 hours a day
No trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to the original Cafe Du Monde location. Since 1862, Café du Monde has been selling café au lait and beignets (and nothing but) on the edge of Jackson Square.
New Orleans Cemeteries
The above-ground tombs in New Orleans cemeteries are often referred to as "cities of the dead." Not only do the tombs look like buildings, but the cemeteries are organized with streets (and street signs) much like the cities of the living. Most of the city's deceased are interred above ground, a situation forced on the area because of the city's high water table and below sea-level elevation as well as due to old French and Spanish tradition. The unique cemeteries are worth a close up view, but only visit during the day and do not go alone. Bonus points if you find Marie Laveau’s tomb in St. Louis #1 cemetery a few blocks north of the French Quarter.
Places of Interest
Old Ursuline Convent, Open Monday-Saturday 10:00AM until 4:00PM, closed Sunday
Located in the French Quarter at 1100 Chartres Street, the convent dates from 1752 and is the only remaining building from the French colonial period in the United States and the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. It was a rare survivor of the disastrous 18th-century fires that destroyed the rest of the French Quarter. Despite great interior alterations and decay, the Convent is considered one of the most important historical and religious monuments in the United States and is one of the few remaining physical links with the French capitol in Louisiana. The adjoining St. Mary's church is the site of Matt and Sarah's wedding ceremony!
New Orleans Botanical Gardens, Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00AM-4:30PM, closed Monday
Located within City Park, the garden's collections contain over 2,000 varieties of plants from all over the world set among the nation's largest stand of mature live oaks.
New Orleans City Park
Stretching from Bayou St. John to Lake Pontchartrain, the 1,300-acre New Orleans City Park is one of Orleans Parish’s two green jewels. (The other is Audubon Park in Uptown.) The entire city united to restore the park after Hurricane Katrina shredded its landscaping, downing many of its 600-year-old live oaks. The cleanup is transcendent, with new walking and biking paths, a great lawn for concerts, and a revival of beloved attractions. It holds botanical gardens and a conservatory, four golf courses, picnic areas, lagoons for boating and fishing, tennis courts, a bandstand, two miniature trains, and Children's Storyland, an amusement area, including fairy-tale figures upon which one can climb and carouse, and an antique carousel. You'll also find the New Orleans Museum of Art at Collins Diboll Circle, on Lelong Avenue, in a building that is itself a work of art as well as the New Orleans Botanical Gardens.
Audubon Park
Audubon Park is tucked away in the quaint neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, six miles from downtown New Orleans. Visitors can find a quiet place here in a beautiful park setting away from the hustle of the city. Enjoy picnics, bird watching, relaxing, walking, running, cycling and special events during the Park’s operating hours of 5 am-10 pm. The Park features numerous live oak trees, lagoons, expansive green space and a 1.8 mile paved jogging track.
Mardi Gras World, Open 7 days a week, 9:30AM to 4:30PM. Tours are offered every 30 minutes, with the last tour starting at 4:30PM
Mardi Gras World is a unique attraction, a world of wonders, created by the people who bring Mardi Gras to life every year—the artists of Blaine Kern Studios. The colors, the lights, the music, the joie de vivre. It’s all here in one magical place where you can peek behind the curtain and see Mardi Gras in the making.
Harrah's Casino, Open 24 hours a day
Located near the foot of Canal Street a block away from the Missisippi River. It is a 115,000 sq ft casino with approximately 2,100 slot machines, over 90 table games and a poker room.
Old Ursuline Convent, Open Monday-Saturday 10:00AM until 4:00PM, closed Sunday
Located in the French Quarter at 1100 Chartres Street, the convent dates from 1752 and is the only remaining building from the French colonial period in the United States and the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. It was a rare survivor of the disastrous 18th-century fires that destroyed the rest of the French Quarter. Despite great interior alterations and decay, the Convent is considered one of the most important historical and religious monuments in the United States and is one of the few remaining physical links with the French capitol in Louisiana. The adjoining St. Mary's church is the site of Matt and Sarah's wedding ceremony!
New Orleans Botanical Gardens, Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00AM-4:30PM, closed Monday
Located within City Park, the garden's collections contain over 2,000 varieties of plants from all over the world set among the nation's largest stand of mature live oaks.
New Orleans City Park
Stretching from Bayou St. John to Lake Pontchartrain, the 1,300-acre New Orleans City Park is one of Orleans Parish’s two green jewels. (The other is Audubon Park in Uptown.) The entire city united to restore the park after Hurricane Katrina shredded its landscaping, downing many of its 600-year-old live oaks. The cleanup is transcendent, with new walking and biking paths, a great lawn for concerts, and a revival of beloved attractions. It holds botanical gardens and a conservatory, four golf courses, picnic areas, lagoons for boating and fishing, tennis courts, a bandstand, two miniature trains, and Children's Storyland, an amusement area, including fairy-tale figures upon which one can climb and carouse, and an antique carousel. You'll also find the New Orleans Museum of Art at Collins Diboll Circle, on Lelong Avenue, in a building that is itself a work of art as well as the New Orleans Botanical Gardens.
Audubon Park
Audubon Park is tucked away in the quaint neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, six miles from downtown New Orleans. Visitors can find a quiet place here in a beautiful park setting away from the hustle of the city. Enjoy picnics, bird watching, relaxing, walking, running, cycling and special events during the Park’s operating hours of 5 am-10 pm. The Park features numerous live oak trees, lagoons, expansive green space and a 1.8 mile paved jogging track.
Mardi Gras World, Open 7 days a week, 9:30AM to 4:30PM. Tours are offered every 30 minutes, with the last tour starting at 4:30PM
Mardi Gras World is a unique attraction, a world of wonders, created by the people who bring Mardi Gras to life every year—the artists of Blaine Kern Studios. The colors, the lights, the music, the joie de vivre. It’s all here in one magical place where you can peek behind the curtain and see Mardi Gras in the making.
Harrah's Casino, Open 24 hours a day
Located near the foot of Canal Street a block away from the Missisippi River. It is a 115,000 sq ft casino with approximately 2,100 slot machines, over 90 table games and a poker room.
Museums
Cultural:
Backstreet Cultural Museum, Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:AM-5:00PM, Closed Sunday and Monday
The museum is located in the historic Tremé neighborhood at 1116 Henriette Delille Street between Ursuline Avenue and Governor Nichols Street. It holds the world’s most comprehensive collection related to New Orleans’ African American community-based masking and processional traditions, including Mardi Gras Indians, jazz funerals, social aid and pleasure clubs, Baby Dolls, and Skull and Bone gangs.
New Orleans African-American Museum, Open Wednesday-Saturday, 11:00AM-4:00PM, closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
Located in the historic Tremé neighborhood at 1418 Governor Nicholls Street, the NOAAM of Art, Culture and History seeks to educate, preserve, interpret and promote the contributions that people of African descent have made to the development of New Orleans and Louisiana culture, as slaves and as free people of color throughout slavery, and during Emancipation, Reconstruction and contemporary times.
Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum, Open 7 days a week, 6:00PM-10:00PM, Sunday 10:00AM-2:30PM
Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras "Museum" is located on the second floor of Arnaud's Restaurant in the French Quarter. On display are many of the ball gowns, costumes and accessories worn by Germaine Cazenave Wells who was crowned queen of 22 carnival balls for 17 different krewes during a 31-year period (1937-1968). The entrance is through the restaurant during restaurant hours and admission is free.
Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Open Monday-Saturday, 10:00AM-7:00PM, Sunday Noon-6:00PM
The SoFAB museum is dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of the food, drink and the related culture of the South. In addition, the Museum of the American Cocktail is housed within SoFAB. It chronicles the extensive history of the cocktail in America and provides a wealth of information regarding the social and cultural impact of alcohol. The museum is due to relocate to the Central City area in the Spring of 2013, so please check its website to find its current location.
Historical:
The National World War II Museum, Open 7 days a week, 9:00AM-5:00PM
The museum is located in the city's Warehouse District, at 945 Magazine Street and the corner of Andrew Higgins Boulevard. It focuses on the contribution made by the United States to victory by the Allies in WWII and the Battle of Normandy in particular. The museum's exhibits emphasize the American experience in WWII.
The Cabildo, Tuesday-Sunday 10AM - 4:30PM, closed Monday
The former seat of colonial government in New Orleans is now a museum that displays exhibits about the history of Louisiana from its settlement up through the Reconstruction era, and the heritage of the ethnic groups that live there. The Cabildo is located along Jackson Square in the French Quarter, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.
The Presbytère, Tuesday-Sunday 10AM - 4:30PM, closed Monday
One of the showcase units of the Louisiana State Museum, the Presbytère houses an elaborate and exquisite collection of Mardi Gras artifacts and memorabilia as well as the new interactive multimedia exhibit "Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond". The Presbytère is located along Jackson Square in the French Quarter, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Open Tuesday-Friday 10:00AM-2:00PM, Guided Tours: Thursday and Friday at Noon
The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum at 514 Chartres Street in the French Quarter is housed at the site of the 1823 apothecary shop of Louis Joseph Dufilho, Jr.'s, America's first licensed pharmacist. The museum is widely believed to be the largest and most diverse pharmaceutical collection in a single location in the United States, containing old patent medicines, books, and pharmaceutical equipment dating back as far as the early 1800s.
Confederate Memorial Hall Museum, Tuesday-Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM, closed Sunday and Monday
The museum is located in the city's Warehouse District at 929 Camp Street at the corner of Andrew Higgins Boulevard. It is not only the oldest continually operating museum in the state, but represents the second largest collection of Confederate memorabilia in the United States.
Art:
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Wednesday-Monday, 10:00AM-5:00PM, closed Tuesday
The museum is located at 925 Canal Street adjacent to Lee Circle within the Warehouse District. Its collections of paintings, photography, and ceramics from below the Mason-Dixon Lines focuses on the visual arts and culture of the American South within the context of the region's history and culture. The collection is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world and embodies the visual heritage and history of the American South from 1733 to the present. The art neighborhood is a brisk stroll or short cab ride from the Quarter. Go late on a Thursday for the chance to enjoy Ogden After Hours, when local musicians play while patrons dance, drink, and mingle in the galleries. It’s the best regularly scheduled cocktail party in town.
New Orleans Museum of Art, Tuesday-Sunday, 10:AM-5:00 PM, closed Monday
The oldest fine arts museum in New Orleans, its permanent collection features over 40,000 objects, from the Italian Renaissance to the modern era. It is situated within City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue, and near the terminus of the Canal Street-City Park streetcar line, The museum includes the beautiful Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, featuring fifty modern sculptures set among live oaks, pines, magnolias, camellias, lagoons, several bridges, and a walking trail.
Cultural:
Backstreet Cultural Museum, Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:AM-5:00PM, Closed Sunday and Monday
The museum is located in the historic Tremé neighborhood at 1116 Henriette Delille Street between Ursuline Avenue and Governor Nichols Street. It holds the world’s most comprehensive collection related to New Orleans’ African American community-based masking and processional traditions, including Mardi Gras Indians, jazz funerals, social aid and pleasure clubs, Baby Dolls, and Skull and Bone gangs.
New Orleans African-American Museum, Open Wednesday-Saturday, 11:00AM-4:00PM, closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
Located in the historic Tremé neighborhood at 1418 Governor Nicholls Street, the NOAAM of Art, Culture and History seeks to educate, preserve, interpret and promote the contributions that people of African descent have made to the development of New Orleans and Louisiana culture, as slaves and as free people of color throughout slavery, and during Emancipation, Reconstruction and contemporary times.
Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum, Open 7 days a week, 6:00PM-10:00PM, Sunday 10:00AM-2:30PM
Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras "Museum" is located on the second floor of Arnaud's Restaurant in the French Quarter. On display are many of the ball gowns, costumes and accessories worn by Germaine Cazenave Wells who was crowned queen of 22 carnival balls for 17 different krewes during a 31-year period (1937-1968). The entrance is through the restaurant during restaurant hours and admission is free.
Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Open Monday-Saturday, 10:00AM-7:00PM, Sunday Noon-6:00PM
The SoFAB museum is dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of the food, drink and the related culture of the South. In addition, the Museum of the American Cocktail is housed within SoFAB. It chronicles the extensive history of the cocktail in America and provides a wealth of information regarding the social and cultural impact of alcohol. The museum is due to relocate to the Central City area in the Spring of 2013, so please check its website to find its current location.
Historical:
The National World War II Museum, Open 7 days a week, 9:00AM-5:00PM
The museum is located in the city's Warehouse District, at 945 Magazine Street and the corner of Andrew Higgins Boulevard. It focuses on the contribution made by the United States to victory by the Allies in WWII and the Battle of Normandy in particular. The museum's exhibits emphasize the American experience in WWII.
The Cabildo, Tuesday-Sunday 10AM - 4:30PM, closed Monday
The former seat of colonial government in New Orleans is now a museum that displays exhibits about the history of Louisiana from its settlement up through the Reconstruction era, and the heritage of the ethnic groups that live there. The Cabildo is located along Jackson Square in the French Quarter, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.
The Presbytère, Tuesday-Sunday 10AM - 4:30PM, closed Monday
One of the showcase units of the Louisiana State Museum, the Presbytère houses an elaborate and exquisite collection of Mardi Gras artifacts and memorabilia as well as the new interactive multimedia exhibit "Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond". The Presbytère is located along Jackson Square in the French Quarter, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.
New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Open Tuesday-Friday 10:00AM-2:00PM, Guided Tours: Thursday and Friday at Noon
The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum at 514 Chartres Street in the French Quarter is housed at the site of the 1823 apothecary shop of Louis Joseph Dufilho, Jr.'s, America's first licensed pharmacist. The museum is widely believed to be the largest and most diverse pharmaceutical collection in a single location in the United States, containing old patent medicines, books, and pharmaceutical equipment dating back as far as the early 1800s.
Confederate Memorial Hall Museum, Tuesday-Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM, closed Sunday and Monday
The museum is located in the city's Warehouse District at 929 Camp Street at the corner of Andrew Higgins Boulevard. It is not only the oldest continually operating museum in the state, but represents the second largest collection of Confederate memorabilia in the United States.
Art:
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Wednesday-Monday, 10:00AM-5:00PM, closed Tuesday
The museum is located at 925 Canal Street adjacent to Lee Circle within the Warehouse District. Its collections of paintings, photography, and ceramics from below the Mason-Dixon Lines focuses on the visual arts and culture of the American South within the context of the region's history and culture. The collection is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art in the world and embodies the visual heritage and history of the American South from 1733 to the present. The art neighborhood is a brisk stroll or short cab ride from the Quarter. Go late on a Thursday for the chance to enjoy Ogden After Hours, when local musicians play while patrons dance, drink, and mingle in the galleries. It’s the best regularly scheduled cocktail party in town.
New Orleans Museum of Art, Tuesday-Sunday, 10:AM-5:00 PM, closed Monday
The oldest fine arts museum in New Orleans, its permanent collection features over 40,000 objects, from the Italian Renaissance to the modern era. It is situated within City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue, and near the terminus of the Canal Street-City Park streetcar line, The museum includes the beautiful Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, featuring fifty modern sculptures set among live oaks, pines, magnolias, camellias, lagoons, several bridges, and a walking trail.
Family Fun
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Open 7 days a week, 10:00AM-5:00PM
The Aquarium is located on the edge of the French Quarter, facing the Mississippi River at the foot of Canal Street. Recognized as one of the leading aquariums in the United States, visitors will find 15,000 sea life creatures, representing nearly 600 species, living happily in a state-of-the-art facility.
Audubon Zoo, Open Monday-Friday 10:00AM-5:00PM Saturday and Sunday 10:00AM-6:00PM
Located in Uptown New Orleans within Audubon Park, the zoo can be accessed by the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line, which stops in front of Audubon Park.
Once you exit the Streetcar, you can take a leisurely stroll through Audubon Park walking toward the Mississippi River, where you'll cross Magazine Street and find the zoo, or wait and take a ride on the Audubon Shuttle from St. Charles Avenue to the zoo. The Audubon Shuttle runs every 15 minutes during busy seasons.
Audubon Insectarium, Open 7 days a week, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Located in downtown New Orleans on the corner of North Peters and Canal Street, this is the world's largest free-standing museum in the United States dedicated to insects and their relatives. Visitors will learn how mosquitoes influenced New Orleans’s history and gawp at exotic critters like rare pink katydids or giant hissing cockroaches. Biggest hit with kids: Bug Appétit, a snack bar featuring insects as the main ingredient in dishes like Cajun spiced crickets, chocolate “chirp” cookies, or queen-ant-topped hors d’oeuvres.
Louisiana Children's Museum, Wednesday-Saturday 9:30AM-4:30PM. and Sunday from Noon-4:30PM, closed Monday and Tuesday
The Louisiana Children’s Museum is located at 420 Julia Street in the Warehouse District between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas Streets. This interactive museum is really a playground in disguise that will keep kids occupied for a couple of hours. Along with changing exhibits, the museum offers an art shop with regularly scheduled projects, a mini grocery store, a chance to "build" a New Orleans-style home, and lots of activities exploring music, fitness, water, and life itself.
Across Lake Pontchartrain
Global Wildlife Center, Open 7 days a week, Call for tour schedule: (985) 796-3585
Located 45-50 minutes outside of the city in Folsom Louisiana. Well worth the drive! Enjoy a one and a half hour guided Safari Wagon tour over 900 acres of beautiful Louisiana countryside complete with 12 ponds and a lake. During the tour you’ll come face to face with bison, giraffe, zebra, camels, eland, and much more! The animals roam free and you can feed them from the wagon! It’s Africa, in Louisiana!
Insta-Gator Alligator Ranch & Hatchery, Call for tour schedule: (985) 892-3669
Located 45-50 minutes outside of the city in Covington Louisiana.
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Open 7 days a week, 10:00AM-5:00PM
The Aquarium is located on the edge of the French Quarter, facing the Mississippi River at the foot of Canal Street. Recognized as one of the leading aquariums in the United States, visitors will find 15,000 sea life creatures, representing nearly 600 species, living happily in a state-of-the-art facility.
Audubon Zoo, Open Monday-Friday 10:00AM-5:00PM Saturday and Sunday 10:00AM-6:00PM
Located in Uptown New Orleans within Audubon Park, the zoo can be accessed by the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line, which stops in front of Audubon Park.
Once you exit the Streetcar, you can take a leisurely stroll through Audubon Park walking toward the Mississippi River, where you'll cross Magazine Street and find the zoo, or wait and take a ride on the Audubon Shuttle from St. Charles Avenue to the zoo. The Audubon Shuttle runs every 15 minutes during busy seasons.
Audubon Insectarium, Open 7 days a week, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Located in downtown New Orleans on the corner of North Peters and Canal Street, this is the world's largest free-standing museum in the United States dedicated to insects and their relatives. Visitors will learn how mosquitoes influenced New Orleans’s history and gawp at exotic critters like rare pink katydids or giant hissing cockroaches. Biggest hit with kids: Bug Appétit, a snack bar featuring insects as the main ingredient in dishes like Cajun spiced crickets, chocolate “chirp” cookies, or queen-ant-topped hors d’oeuvres.
Louisiana Children's Museum, Wednesday-Saturday 9:30AM-4:30PM. and Sunday from Noon-4:30PM, closed Monday and Tuesday
The Louisiana Children’s Museum is located at 420 Julia Street in the Warehouse District between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas Streets. This interactive museum is really a playground in disguise that will keep kids occupied for a couple of hours. Along with changing exhibits, the museum offers an art shop with regularly scheduled projects, a mini grocery store, a chance to "build" a New Orleans-style home, and lots of activities exploring music, fitness, water, and life itself.
Across Lake Pontchartrain
Global Wildlife Center, Open 7 days a week, Call for tour schedule: (985) 796-3585
Located 45-50 minutes outside of the city in Folsom Louisiana. Well worth the drive! Enjoy a one and a half hour guided Safari Wagon tour over 900 acres of beautiful Louisiana countryside complete with 12 ponds and a lake. During the tour you’ll come face to face with bison, giraffe, zebra, camels, eland, and much more! The animals roam free and you can feed them from the wagon! It’s Africa, in Louisiana!
Insta-Gator Alligator Ranch & Hatchery, Call for tour schedule: (985) 892-3669
Located 45-50 minutes outside of the city in Covington Louisiana.
Music
New Orleans is a city of artists and entertainers. Be sure to check out some live, local music while you are in town.
Some venues within the French Quarter:
Preservation Hall
Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse
Davenport Lounge
Venues in the Faubourg Marigny neighbohood (close to the Quarter):
The city’s live music scene has shifted to Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny area, a historic neighborhood within walking distance of the Quarter. The vibe is freewheeling and enthusiastic, with locals and tourists alike. At evening’s end there are plenty of cabs to ferry you home after your night on the town.
Snug Harbor (great for Jazz, a quieter venue with a music room separate from the bar)
Apple Barrel
The Three Muses
d.b.a.
Spotted Cat
Cafe Negril
The Blue Nile
Venues in the Central Business District (close to the Quarter):
Howlin' Wolf
Some venues Uptown (taxi ride from Quarter):
The Maple Leaf Bar
Tipitina's
Le Bon Temps Rouler
Below are two music calendars that you should check out as the wedding weekend gets closer. Many venues are located within or close to the French Quarter and don't require transportation.
WWOZ
Gambit - the calendar is on the top right of the page. Fill in the fields and search!
New Orleans is a city of artists and entertainers. Be sure to check out some live, local music while you are in town.
Some venues within the French Quarter:
Preservation Hall
Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse
Davenport Lounge
Venues in the Faubourg Marigny neighbohood (close to the Quarter):
The city’s live music scene has shifted to Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny area, a historic neighborhood within walking distance of the Quarter. The vibe is freewheeling and enthusiastic, with locals and tourists alike. At evening’s end there are plenty of cabs to ferry you home after your night on the town.
Snug Harbor (great for Jazz, a quieter venue with a music room separate from the bar)
Apple Barrel
The Three Muses
d.b.a.
Spotted Cat
Cafe Negril
The Blue Nile
Venues in the Central Business District (close to the Quarter):
Howlin' Wolf
Some venues Uptown (taxi ride from Quarter):
The Maple Leaf Bar
Tipitina's
Le Bon Temps Rouler
Below are two music calendars that you should check out as the wedding weekend gets closer. Many venues are located within or close to the French Quarter and don't require transportation.
WWOZ
Gambit - the calendar is on the top right of the page. Fill in the fields and search!
Historic Homes
Madame John's Legacy
Longue Vue House and Gardens
Herman Grima House
Gallier House
Beauregard-Keyes House
Degas House - The Degas House is the only home or studio of Degas anywhere in the world that is open to the public. The house is a museum, and hosts guided tours, bed and breakfast guests, and special events. It is also the home of the Edgar Degas Foundation which seeks to preserve the legacy of Degas in New Orleans and provide education and cultural programming.
Plantation Homes outside of New Orleans
Houmas House Plantation and Garden, Open daily, 9:00AM-5:00PM, 40136 Highway 942, Darrow, LA 70725
Oak Alley Plantation, Open daily, 9:00AM-5:00PM, 3645 Highway 18, Vacherie, Louisiana USA 70090
Destrehan Plantation, Open daily, 9:00AM-4:00PM, 13034 River Road, Destrehan, LA 70047
Nottoway Plantation and Resort, Open daily, 9:00AM-4:00PM, 31025 Louisiana Hwy. 1, White Castle, LA 70788
Madame John's Legacy
Longue Vue House and Gardens
Herman Grima House
Gallier House
Beauregard-Keyes House
Degas House - The Degas House is the only home or studio of Degas anywhere in the world that is open to the public. The house is a museum, and hosts guided tours, bed and breakfast guests, and special events. It is also the home of the Edgar Degas Foundation which seeks to preserve the legacy of Degas in New Orleans and provide education and cultural programming.
Plantation Homes outside of New Orleans
Houmas House Plantation and Garden, Open daily, 9:00AM-5:00PM, 40136 Highway 942, Darrow, LA 70725
Oak Alley Plantation, Open daily, 9:00AM-5:00PM, 3645 Highway 18, Vacherie, Louisiana USA 70090
Destrehan Plantation, Open daily, 9:00AM-4:00PM, 13034 River Road, Destrehan, LA 70047
Nottoway Plantation and Resort, Open daily, 9:00AM-4:00PM, 31025 Louisiana Hwy. 1, White Castle, LA 70788
Shopping
Magazine Street
On Magazine Street you will find unique boutiques, vintage stores, art galleries and fun restaurants/bars. Magazine Street runs from the Warehouse District to Audubon Park in Uptown. The shopping hits its peak near Jackson Avenue (in the Lower Garden District), between 1st and 7th Streets (in the Garden District) and between Antonine and Napoleon Streets (Uptown). If you get thirsty, try Balcony Bar (3201 Magazine Street) or The Bulldog (3236 Magazine Street).
The French Market, Open 7 days a week, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Founded in 1791, the New Orleans' French Market is the oldest public market in the country. Shops within the market begin on Decatur Street across from Jackson Square. Currently it's a place where you can get interesting local food (alligator on a stick!), candy, crafts and every kind of New Orleans souvenir imaginable.
Royal Street
If you are looking for antiques and art, don't miss a stroll down Royal Street in the French Quarter. From 11 am - 4 pm each day the street is a pedestrian mall, where the street is closed to vehicular traffic leaving plenty of room for visitors to wander Royal in comfort.
Canal Place Mall, Open Monday-Saturday 10am to 7pm, Sunday Noon to 6pm.
At the foot of Canal Street (365 Canal Street) near the Mississippi River, this shopping mall holds more than 50 shops, many of them branches of upscale retailers like Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Coach. There's also a two-story Anthropologie and a branch of local jeweler Mignon Faget.
Magazine Street
On Magazine Street you will find unique boutiques, vintage stores, art galleries and fun restaurants/bars. Magazine Street runs from the Warehouse District to Audubon Park in Uptown. The shopping hits its peak near Jackson Avenue (in the Lower Garden District), between 1st and 7th Streets (in the Garden District) and between Antonine and Napoleon Streets (Uptown). If you get thirsty, try Balcony Bar (3201 Magazine Street) or The Bulldog (3236 Magazine Street).
The French Market, Open 7 days a week, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Founded in 1791, the New Orleans' French Market is the oldest public market in the country. Shops within the market begin on Decatur Street across from Jackson Square. Currently it's a place where you can get interesting local food (alligator on a stick!), candy, crafts and every kind of New Orleans souvenir imaginable.
Royal Street
If you are looking for antiques and art, don't miss a stroll down Royal Street in the French Quarter. From 11 am - 4 pm each day the street is a pedestrian mall, where the street is closed to vehicular traffic leaving plenty of room for visitors to wander Royal in comfort.
Canal Place Mall, Open Monday-Saturday 10am to 7pm, Sunday Noon to 6pm.
At the foot of Canal Street (365 Canal Street) near the Mississippi River, this shopping mall holds more than 50 shops, many of them branches of upscale retailers like Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Coach. There's also a two-story Anthropologie and a branch of local jeweler Mignon Faget.