Getting the most out of New Orleans, from grandparents to grandbabies and everyone in between.
New Orleans is a more family friendly city then some visitors may realize. A glut of museums and large green parks cater to young ones, from toddlers to teens, and the city’s many festivals and public performances feature the kind of bright spectacle that is just as appealing to kids as adults. Many of the city’s most storied restaurants are happy to accommodate children, and while many music clubs are 21 and over, there are numerous regular public concerts aimed at all ages.
Located in historic Uptown New Orleans Audubon Zoo offers an exotic mix of animals from around the globe, engaging educational programs, hands-on animal encounters and lush gardens. Unique natural habitat exhibits—such as the award-winning Louisiana Swamp and Jaguar Jungle—showcase the relationship between people and nature. Don't miss the daily animal presentations, chats and feeds; our highly endangered whooping cranes, Amur leopards and orangutans; our white tiger; and our mysterious white alligators. Audubon Zoo is often ranked among the country’s best for innovation and entertainment value!
City Park is as magical and unique as the city of New Orleans. The 1,300-acre outdoor oasis has enchanted New Orleanians since 1854, making it one of the nation’s oldest urban parks. Each year, millions of visitors stroll under the same historic oaks and picturesque moss canopies that served as the backdrop for dances, concerts and even gentlemanly duels or “affaires d’honneur†for generations.
Today’s City Park offers something for everyone. Stop and smell the roses in the Botanical Garden. Enjoy art in the open-air Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Stroll through the sprawling green space or get active on the park’s biking, jogging, and walking paths. Practice your serve on one of 26 tennis courts or hit the links on City Park’s new 18-hole golf course.
The park also offers a host of family-friendly activities, including the one-of-a-kind antique wooden carousel in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park – a hand-carved marvel of “flying horses†that has been a family favorite for nearly 100 years.
In the seemingly never-ending string of festivals New Orleans hosts all year round Bayou Boogaloo (Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19) is one of the standouts. Since its inception in 2006, the fest grew from the post-Katrina scrappy little neighborhood festival to a four-stage, weekend-long extravaganza.….... CONTINUE
Almost any identifiably New Orleans menu item has a corresponding festival, but up until recently, one of the city’s most iconic culinary treats was left without its own party. We’re referring to the beignet: little fried pockets of dough-y goodness ideally dusted with alpine levels of powdered….... CONTINUE
Here are a few Thanksgiving you can enjoy in New Orleans. Beyond the below, don’t forget that on Nov 26 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving), some of the city’s top chefs are coming together to hold a benefit dinner for Puerto Rico. Good cause and good food –….... CONTINUE
If you have a munchkin (or multiple munchkins) who loves Halloween (or dress up in general), you have probably already heard two questions this season: What am I going to be this year for Halloween, and when are we going trick-or-treating?
The answer to the first question….... CONTINUE
Northwestern-based cities like Portland or Seattle have long been meccas for craft beer enthusiasts. But thanks to the work of a burgeoning homebrew community and bars catering to a more discerning drinker’s palette, New Orleans is creeping up many beer-city lists, drawing brewers and drinkers further south.….... CONTINUE
Visitors to New Orleans often make day trips to the old Gold Coast plantations along the Mississippi river, where wealthy landowners made a fortune growing sugarcane harvested with the blood, sweat and tears of enslaved Africans and their descendents.
Though the Whitney Plantation is located in the….... CONTINUE
Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes has often glimpsed his future in dreams, and as a boy growing up in Arkansas, he frequently dreamed in an unfamiliar language.
“I had lots of dreams in Creole,” recalls Barnes. “I didn’t know what it was until I moved to New Orleans, and….... CONTINUE
If you get a little overwhelmed at Voodoo this year and want a break from City Park, consider this: one of the loveliest neighborhoods in New Orleans is within spitting distance. Take a walk down to Esplanade Ave, grab some fried chicken (or falafel. Or Italian sausage.….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
Fall festival season rolls on, as folks fill the streets for Gretna Heritage Fest, Gentilly Fest, the first Beignet Fest and more. Rounding out the weekend are Fleur de Tease’s Halloween Revue and concerts by Electric Six, Kenny Rogers, and How to….... CONTINUE
Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Marvel, and DC. These iconic franchises, set in very different universes, all have one thing in common: enthusiastic fans. And many of those folks can be found in our swampy neighborhood.
Last year, more than 167,000 costumed individuals crowded….... CONTINUE
About 90 minutes north of New Orleans, Bogalusa, LA is a mill town on the Mississippi that churns along in quiet obscurity for most the year. We don’t mean any offense to the good citizens of Bogalusa; just pointing out your town isn’t on many folks’ radar….... CONTINUE
New Orleans’ upcoming Fried Chicken Festival claims to be the first of its kind in the city. But investigating what to expect from the inaugural yard-bird celebration brought me to a Facebook page for a previous “New Orleans Fried Chicken Festival.” I messaged the page’s anonymous owner.….... CONTINUE
It’s not so easy to drag a full orchestra around, even to the places it may be most needed. Luckily, 2016 is the inaugural year of the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, featuring the Manhattan Chamber Players performing at 14 unique venues throughout New Orleans.
The MCP’s….... CONTINUE
The sound of accordions pumping zydeco music waft down to the Contemporary Arts Center’s gallery from the classrooms upstairs. It’s the first day of summer camp in New Orleans.
Per normal, this first day of camp is hectic. Still, Mariana Sheppard, the CAC’s director of camps, took….... CONTINUE
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know” – Louis Armstrong
New Orleans native and jazz legend Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong once famously said, “Never play anything the same way twice.” Well, this year, organizers of the annual Satchmo Summerfest have taken that advice to….... CONTINUE
New Orleans’ French heritage is so ubiquitous it is occasionally taken for granted. Everyone is aware of it, but many people don’t stop to visit the sites that help give New Orleans its unique French flavor. As Bastille Day draws close, here are some sights and tastes….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
Celebrate the 4th by rubbing shoulders with the fabulous folks in their finery at Essence Fest, listening to live music all around town, and gawking at fireworks in the sky.
This weekend
Dress to the nines for Essence Festival’s evening concerts, featuring….... CONTINUE
Yesterday marked the first official day of summer, which gives many local kids reason to cheer, and many local adults reason to sigh. Let’s be honest: it gets hot (and humid) in this town. We won’t soft peddle the fact that summer in this city can be….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
Nostalgia reigns, with Saturday bar crawls celebrating cult classics “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Wet Hot American Summer,” capped off by a Sunday night concert with Weezer and Panic at the Disco.
This weekend
New this year at the French Market’s Creole….... CONTINUE
For over 53 years, the legend of Dr. Who has captivated international audiences by exploring the popular theme of time travel. New Orleans has not been exempt.
“Back in the 80s I was part of the Dr. Who fan club in New Orleans,” admits Lewis D’Aubin of….... CONTINUE
A pound of lamb, a bottle of retsina and thou. Opa!
Bayou St. John may be thousands of miles from the Aegean Sea, where I once spent an idyllic few months on the island of Paros. But it’s a beautiful, romantic setting for one of the crown….... CONTINUE
On the east side of the Mississippi, there’s a misconception that the architectural beauty of New Orleans ends at the far border of Algiers Point. But the incorporated City of Gretna is another one of the region’s historical gems.
At the center of this small town of….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
The Bayou Boogaloo draws a crowd to Mid-City for the 11th annual fete.
This weekend
Bayou Boogaloo grooves all weekend along Bayou St. John, with headlining sets by the Wailers (Fri), Lowrider Band (Sat), and Anders Osborne (Sun).
Lisa Wolpe brings her….... CONTINUE
This year marks the fifth anniversary of New Orleans’ Birdfoot Festival, celebrating chamber music and bringing performers to the city from around the world.
Birdfoot works to engage listeners unfamiliar with classical works, as well as provide space and opportunity for artists to rehearse and perform together.….... CONTINUE
When John Burns’ long-scheduled Jack and Jake’s market in Central City languished and never actually opened, many wrote the project off. But chef Dan Esses — formerly of Three Muses, among many other quality eating establishments — has helped resurrect the project as Dryades Market, which is….... CONTINUE
Central City joins the bustling events calendar of free activities in New Orleans this week with First Fridays on the Boulevard. The coming out party kicks off on May 6, with continuing dates scheduled on the first Friday of the month through the end of 2016.
Hosted….... CONTINUE
We haven’t had a good festival in New Orleans in…what, three days? So clearly, it’s time for another party that celebrates the city’s food, culture and musical heritage.
Enter Jazz in the Park’s Treme Art & Music Festival. No, really, enter the festival, which marks the 5th….... CONTINUE
New Orleans drama aficionados can once again enjoy theater under the stars with the NOLA Project’s production of Don Quixote, running from May 4-22 in the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
Directed by Jessica Podewell and written by Pete McElliott, this year’s production is….... CONTINUE
Springtime is known as festival season in New Orleans, and this is why: we’re barely into starting in on French Quarter Fest when the folks at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo go ahead and announce their lineup.
To be fair, I don’t think the timing of the announcement has….... CONTINUE
It’s so close we can smell the food frying in the stalls that line the French Market.
It’s so nearby we can imagine the music rebounding off of the alleyways of Royal Street.
There’s a crackling in the air. It’s not just spring that’s infusing the oxygen.….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
Break out your green for St. Patrick’s Day parades, mingle with millennials at BUKU Fest, and check out the beautiful suits at NOLA Global Youth Festival’s Super Sunday celebration.
This weekend
Fetty Wap, Future, Earl Sweatshirt and more turn up at BUKU….... CONTINUE
How do we make a new generation of Louisiana residents feel passionately about the wetlands, especially if they live in the cities? How can one feel passion for a place they’ve never been, never depended on?
With their newest collaborative book, Louisiana Swamps and Marshes: Easy-Access Hikes….... CONTINUE
An exhibit of beautifully crafted silk sculptures arrived in City Park at the end of February via Zigong, China. China Lights tells stories of Chinese culture and heritage through large, silk covered structures in the park’s botanical gardens as well as nightly entertainment and a menu fusing….... CONTINUE
Thanks to the musings of Julius Caesar, later amended by Pope Gregory XIII, you can relish in the fact that we get a full extra day of 2016.
Trivia time: Did you know that in America, the leap year always coincides with an election year? Well, it….... CONTINUE
As we look towards the weekend, we’d be remiss not to mention that on Saturday, Feb 20, you can visit the excellent Southern Food & Beverage Museum for free. What’s the occasion? The last day of their fascinating exhibition, The Photography of Modernist Cuisine.
The intersection of….... CONTINUE
As mentioned previously, we’ve just lived through the shortest carnival period until 2027. But for the small size of the carnival window, plenty of magical moments were seen, and sometimes, captured on the interwebs.
The Edna Karr High Marching Band popping off under the I-10 overpass
The….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
It’s time to drink in the streets. No matter how you like to do Carnival, we’ve got something for you.
This weekend
If you’re looking for extra music along the route, Carnival in the Square presents free concerts in Lafayette Square, and….... CONTINUE
This weekend’s big event was the Krewe du Vieux parade, otherwise known as the march of papier maiche phallic satirical floats. Traditionally, Krewe du Vieux has assumed the role of High Jester of carnival, satirizing the powerful from business owners to government members, both local and federal.….... CONTINUE
For 37 years, even on the muggiest of Louisiana days, it has been Christmas inside Santa’s Quarters in the French Quarter.
Those who have never ventured into the store can’t help but wonder, How do they stay in business year-round? What is it a front for?
But….... CONTINUE
The conversations that obsess New Orleans these days tend to revolve around Old versus New New Orleans, a heated discussion in a city that is built and branded on her traditions.
When it comes to the holidays, one particular tradition that seems as if it will always….... CONTINUE
Last week, The National World War II Museum opened its latest exhibition, The Road to Tokyo. The exhibit integrates the Pacific campaign against the Empire of Japan into the museum’s collection, giving visitors an interactive glimpse of the hardships, ennui, privations and combat endured by the airmen,….... CONTINUE
The day is almost upon us! In less than a week, we will finally be able to see Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Diehard fans have been waiting for more than three years, since LucasFilm sold the franchise rights to Disney, to see if the….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
Enjoy seasonal bonfires, a celebration of photography, running Santas and reindeer, an arm wrestling brawl and more.
This weekend
Lutcher’s 25th annual Festival of the Bonfires features a nightly bonfire lighting, music, food and more.
PhotoNOLA’s annual celebration highlights photography with more….... CONTINUE
No southern city in America can rival the New Orleans literary scene. The Tennessee Williams Festival is becoming one of the premiere literary festivals in the country, and a wide variety of independent book shops (Octavia, Blue Cypress, Garden District Book Shop and Tubby & Coo’s, to….... CONTINUE
Next week marks the beginning of Hanukkah, and several events are on tap aimed at making the most of the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah, after all, goes on for eights days and nights (we’ll give you the history refresher on why this is in a minute), which….... CONTINUE
Andy Williams was pretty clear on his calendar priorities: Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. That sentiment rings true in New Orleans, too. For children, adults, and families alike, the Crescent offers a variety of activities to add a little magic to your holiday….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
Entice a fair maiden to split a turkey leg with you at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, jam with Rick Ross and Li’l Boosie, and hit up a house party with VICE.
This weekend
The 16th annual Louisiana Renaissance Festival presents more than….... CONTINUE
As we all prepare to travel home to family – or for family to travel home to us – let us not forget what makes Thanksgiving in New Orleans so special. Friendship. Camaraderie. Good fellowship.
A turkey stuffed with a bunch of other birds.
Thanksgiving is upon….... CONTINUE
Few sandwiches define a city as swiftly as New Orleans’ beloved po-boy. The simple combination of meat served on baguette-esque French Bread with a crisp crust and fluffy center was first dished out to striking streetcar workers in 1929, and has proliferated the region ever since.
And….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans
A slew of fall festivals are matched against a forecast of thunderstorms, so check to make sure the event is still going on before you leave the house with your foul-weather festival gear. Luckily, the weekend offers plenty of indoor options, too:….... CONTINUE
If you aren’t from New Orleans, you might have no idea what a mirliton is, but you probably have figured out that in this town, there is a festival for everything, including noteworthy food. So everyone together now: say it like “mel-a-tonn,” because the “r” just rolls….... CONTINUE
The beloved story and fantastical journey of James and the Giant Peach, Jr hits the stage with a special preview performance by the Theatre Kids! program of the Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) for a three-day run kicking off on Friday.
The play is the newest theater….... CONTINUE
Local bibliophiles can look forward to two big book festivals sitting around the corner. First up: this weekend the Louisiana Book Festival comes to Baton Rouge. On Halloween, you can celebrate literature and Louisiana in front of the State Capitol building from 10am-5pm.
But hey, maybe one….... CONTINUE
This weekend in New Orleans Fill up on blues and barbecue in Lafayette Square, check out Chewbacchus’ Burning-Man-inspired festival, and dance through the streets with the Black Men of Labor. Also gracing local stages: Hurray for the Riff Raff, Riff Raff, the Drive-By Truckers and more.
This….... CONTINUE
Does anything go together better than listening to blues guitar riffs while eating a rack of ribs? The answer is no. And that’s why the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is a can’t miss event on the crowded New Orleans fall calendar. Few free festivals can….... CONTINUE
Guitarist Tab Benoit, known for his hot blend of Cajun blues music, should be just as famous for this quote from the release announcing this year’s Voice of the Wetlands Festival: “I grew up on 300 acres. We have 40 left.”
He goes on to explain, “It’s….... CONTINUE
New Orleans doesn’t lack for festivals, but in the mix of big name shows and crowd-drawing headliners, it’s easy to miss some of the smaller celebrations that form the city’s social cement.
Luckily, one of those events is around the corner – Gentilly Fest, which kicks off….... CONTINUE
The city that gave the world the Mardi Gras Mambo has long boasted a Latin tang among its many flavors. Our musical lineage from Cuba is well documented — bolstered again in the late 50s and early 60s by Cubans fleeing here from Castro. The largest wave….... CONTINUE
We’ve added the latest, and last, of our neighborhood profiles to New Orleans & Me: City Park. It may not technically be a neighborhood, yet our town’s largest park is easily the size of one. It consists of 1300 acres of green space, making it larger than….... CONTINUE
Kid Rock, Bret Michaels, Hank Williams Jr and Aaron Lewis will all be playing at the 21st Gretna Heritage Festival from Friday through Sunday, during this first weekend of October, 1999.
Just kidding. About the year, not the acts! All of those guys really are playing, and….... CONTINUE
About 90 minutes north of New Orleans, Bogalusa, LA is a mill town on the Mississippi that churns along in quiet obscurity for most the year. We don’t mean any offense to the good citizens of Bogalusa; just pointing out your town isn’t on many folks’ radar….... CONTINUE
The Japanese population in New Orleans may be small, but its cultural influence is mighty.
The annual Japan Fest, held every fall at the New Orleans Museum of Art, draws thousands of residents and visitors to the Japan Club’s annual exposition of music and dance. But fans….... CONTINUE
In its 14th year on Royal St., Dirty Linen Night invites New Orleanians and tourists alike to celebrate the city’s French Quarter art galleries and boutiques. My House NOLA, the event’s organizer, conceived it as a way to encourage people to visit Royal St. in the summer,….... CONTINUE
At the junction of Mid-City and Uptown is a neighborhood that. appropriately enough, sits at the crossroads of many of the paths that make up the New Orleans experience: Broadmoor.
A residential area with few obvious tourist attractions, Broadmoor jukes between several identities: commercial development and vehicle….... CONTINUE
One hundred years ago this summer, Louis Armstrong, affectionately referred to by many as Satchmo, or Pops, played his very first gig in New Orleans (he was all of fourteen years old!). To celebrate this centennial, Satchmo Summerfest once again returns to the French Quarter from Friday,….... CONTINUE
Cool off, New Orleans, you are steaming hot. It is time to get wet, and not just from the regular afternoon thunderstorms. Despite a few notable closures on the NOLA swimming scene there are still plenty of options for taking a dip as temperatures rise in the….... CONTINUE
So if you’re not heading to Mississippi this weekend to party with WWOZ – understandable, the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic is about a five and a half hour drive from New Orleans – don’t fret. You’re not lacking for festivals in South Louisiana (because, hey. It’s….... CONTINUE
June is bustin’ out all over! Here in New Orleans, that means biting into a big, fat Creole tomato and letting its succulent juices dribble down your chin.
The signature vegetable of early summer – or fruit, if you will, since that’s what tomatoes technically are –….... CONTINUE
Roller derby veteran Katy Hobgood Ray moved to quiet Algiers Point in 2007 and soon began facilitating a joyful noise via her Confetti Park Players kids chorus.
“I’ve been playing music since I was little and writing songs since I was a teen, and for years I….... CONTINUE
There’s a lot of ambition invested in Jack and Jake’s Public Market, which soon stands to join the businesses along the commercial corridor of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City. Plans for the venture — which will include fresh produce, meat, seafood, groceries, two restaurant concepts,….... CONTINUE
This weekend marks the 9th Annual Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival, which is always a fantastic collusion of food, music, and the soupy heat of June in New Orleans. It’s also a time for outlining just what and zydeco is.
Zydeco has always been a tough genre of music….... CONTINUE
Starting June 10, Wednesdays On the Point return to…well, the Point. Which is sort of the point (OK, OK, we’ll stop).
The free concert series has a lot going for it. First, as you may have gleaned from the previous phrase, it’s free. So we got that….... CONTINUE
This weekend marks the beginning of Greek Fest, which is the city’s excuse to hang out some blue and white, drink a little retsina, enjoy some lamb and shout opa a lot.
Of course, Greek Fest is the above but also much more: it’s a fundraiser for….... CONTINUE
There’s an old saw that the best restaurants in New Orleans are hidden, tucked away in residential neighborhoods, unseen and passed up even by locals, let alone the average tourist.
While I love and am slightly enamored of this charming cliche, it’s pretty demonstrably untrue. Some of….... CONTINUE
Of the many festivals that pack the New Orleans calendar, perhaps none so completely nails the neighborhood that gave it birth like the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo.
By dint of its creativity, diversity, chilled vibe and of course, location on the banks of Bayou St John, the Boogaloo….... CONTINUE
Coastal Louisiana loses about a football field’s worth of land every hour, the highest rate of coastal land loss in the world. But despite the urgency of the issue, it’s not front and center for many New Orleanians, and the multitudes of people who visit the city….... CONTINUE
The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus held a parade yesterday to celebrate May 4, otherwise known as Star Wars day (i.e. ‘May the Fourth be with you,’ and if you don’t get the reference, there’s not enough time to explain here anyways). The procession wound up Frenchmen St….... CONTINUE
For many, the upcoming New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is as much about the food as it is about the music. Okay, maybe not quite is much, but a Jazz Fest without sampling one of the many food options available is unthinkable. It’s impossible to cover….... CONTINUE
Built in 1875, the St. Roch Market on St Claude Avenue sold fried seafood plates and poboys plus boiled shrimp, crabs and crawfish. Even then, its dingy exterior made it look haunted.
After it flooded from Katrina, it sat vacant for nine years. But this weekend, The….... CONTINUE
Easter weekend is an interesting time in New Orleans, a city that is simultaneously deeply Catholic and deeply celebratory. For some, it is a time of worship and reverence; for others, it’s a time to party and feast following the conclusion of Lenten fasting. For many, the….... CONTINUE
Most tourists have never heard of Gentilly, On the flip side, many New Orleanians grew up or went to school here. By measures of race and income, Gentilly is one of the most mixed neighborhoods in the city, and one of the most important residential areas of….... CONTINUE
This weekend, the hot scent of BBQ will once again mix with the twang of electric guitars in City Park, as Hogs for the Cause returns for its 7th annual celebration of whole hog roasts and Southern Rock.
Becker Hall, co-founder of the event, has been cooking….... CONTINUE
While New Orleans is a great city, she also often feels like an intimate, small town. And as such, it can be easy to forget that our cosmopolitan port is home to (wait for it) a veritable gumbo of communities that extend beyond the obvious (Creole, Irish,….... CONTINUE
Spring in New Orleans is intimately connected to the beginning of what is locally known as festival season, a string of seemingly unending celebrations of local culture, art, music and life that happens to coincide with some of the sweetest weather in the world. (Seriously, there’s a….... CONTINUE
No sooner has Mardi Gras passed from our calendars then another celebration rears its festive head. Starting today, New Orleans celebrates Tet Nguyen Dan, or the Lunar New Year.
It’s a party that sweeps across Asia and Asian immigrant enclaves. In most of the USA, Chinese-Americans dominate….... CONTINUE
My favorite Mardi Gras is the walking parades, the processions that stem from the neighborhoods. I much prefer making a crazy costume to watching floats. That said, I also get the appeal of the big krewe parades. As a new father, I can see how all of….... CONTINUE
It’s fair to say that Muses is one of the most anticipated parades of Carnival season. The all women krewe has earned a deserved reputation for beautiful, topical floats where the decor is only matched by a biting sense of satire.
And then, there are the shoes.….... CONTINUE
Barkus, the all canine Carnival procession, is one of my favorite parades of the year. Honestly, if you don’t love dogs dressed up in silly costumes, we can’t be friends. This year, Barkus happened to combine with one of my other favorite things – Star Wars –….... CONTINUE
I understand that to someone from out of town, playing up the weekend before the weekend before Mardi Gras sounds a bit silly. It’s almost two weeks out from the actual holiday of Fat Tuesday – how exciting can things get?
The answer is: very exciting.
But….... CONTINUE
The first movie I saw in New Orleans was at the Prytania Theatre. That is both a statement of fact and a phrase that could likely be repeated by many thousands of this city’s residents.
For years – a century today, actually – this Uptown theater (so….... CONTINUE
Planning the perfect long weekend in New Orleans can be a nerve-racking experience. One look at endless concert listings or a rundown of the best restaurants in town can make a local’s head spin, let alone a tourist’s. On top of having too many options, there’s the….... CONTINUE
Once upon a time, Canal Street in downtown New Orleans bustled with holiday activity come December.
Lynne Owens, who lived in New Orleans all of her life until Hurricane Katrina, remembers going downtown to the Roosevelt Hotel with her mother and father when she was a little….... CONTINUE
Of all the many events that define the holidays in New Orleans, Celebration in the Oaks, the holiday light extravaganza put on by City Park, may be the most iconic and impressive. Hundreds of thousands of lights blanket an incredible 25 acres of park land.
And for….... CONTINUE
It would be remiss to discuss the cultural significance of New Orleans without a mention of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit that, most famously, owns the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. It also provides countless community programs and puts on….... CONTINUE
The first time I loved to New Orleans, I lived in a little pink shotgun on Eleonore St. I arrived at that house late in the evening after a long drive to a jug of lemonade on the table and a string of beads on a lamp.….... CONTINUE
New Orleanians love social gatherings, family and eating, and as a result, Thanksgiving is a popular holiday in the local calendar. But the traditional Turkey Day emphasis on heavy, starchy sides doesn’t fly so well in South Louisiana. This region has developed a distinctive Thanksgiving menu all….... CONTINUE
Jazz Fest rocks the Fairgrounds, while the Voodoo Experience kicks off in City Park. At both events, music abounds, art installations are put in place, and in general, the city flips out (in a good way).
But while visitors may be up on what shows they want….... CONTINUE
When my wife and I rocked up to Dis and Dat for the first time, I knew I should have been thinking of many things: the structure of the eventual review I would write; the qualities of Dat Dog, owned by the same folks who opened Dis….... CONTINUE
As nice weather activities in New Orleans go, it’s hard to beat the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, home to five manicured acres that host some 60 scultprues from across the world. The Besthoff’s location, within City Park and attached to the New Orleans Museum of….... CONTINUE
If you look, there’s a family friendly window into a lot New Orleans’ culture. If you’re a foodie, plenty of our famous restaurants, from roll up your sleeves spots like The Joint to fine dining establishments like Boucherie, (literally) cater to your needs. Into art? You don’t….... CONTINUE
Cafe au lait and beignets top the bucket list for a lot of visitors to New Orleans. These tourists tend to be surprised to learn you can’t just order a coffee and fried donut topped with powdered sugar on every street corner. Indeed; coffee and beignets is….... CONTINUE
We were lucky enough to be present at the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFAB) on Sep 29. Here’s a peak at the museum, dedicated to the cuisine, cookery and gastronomic culture of the American South, and the associated Museum….... CONTINUE
At this website, we’re always looking for ways to A) learn about New Orleans and B) enjoy the best of New Orleans music and culture. I’ll add a C) If all of the above can be done for free, that’s what I call a Hat Trick
This….... CONTINUE
I’ve been craving fried chicken lately, because…well, because I’m a human being with an appetite, and fried chicken is amazing. Also, this is clearly a city that knows how to cook a bird (unless that bird was the Falcons on Sunday. Ouch). Anyways, to this end: my….... CONTINUE
For visitors and locals alike, a hop across the Mississippi into Algiers Point promises an array of lazy and lovely sights and experiences. Threats to the future of the historic Algiers Ferry, which runs from the foot of Canal Street (check www.dotd.la.gov/ferry for times), had New Orleans….... CONTINUE
There are admittedly times when I wonder when it’s not Jazz in the Park in New Orleans. At the very least, it seems like there’s always some jazz going in some park in this city.
Still, there’s jazz in a park and Jazz in the Park, and….... CONTINUE
It’s September. In much of the rest of America, this means leaves start dying, winds take on the crisp edge of autumnal arrival, and lattes get pumpkin spiced.
In New Orleans, it means we get Diet August. The oven goes from broil to high bake. The humidity….... CONTINUE
A little New Orleans moment worth sharing:
My wife and I were walking our dog last night and stopped in Clouet Gardens on Clouet between Royal and Dauphine. If you haven’t been, you’re missing one of the finest bits of grass roots, well, grass, in the city.….... CONTINUE
Of all the ‘low-key’ festivals of festival season, I think I love Bayou Boogaloo best. It doesn’t necessarily have the best musical lineup, and the list of exhibiting artists seems small compared to, say, Jazz Fest (that said, there was plenty of great art present). There was….... CONTINUE
The Arts Council of New Orleans is a private, non-profit organization designated as the City’s official arts agency. The Arts Council serves as one of eight regional distributing agencies for state arts funds and administers available municipal arts grants and the Percent For Art program for the City of New Orleans. The Arts Council works in partnership with the City of New Orleans, community groups, local, state, and national governmental agencies, and other nonprofit arts organizations to meet the arts and cultural needs of the New Orleans community through a diversity of initiatives and services.
WWNO, the NPR member station for New Orleans, serves southeast Louisiana and parts of southwest Mississippi by broadcasting balanced news, thought provoking analysis, classical music, jazz and other musical styles, intelligent entertainment, and unique local content. We broadcast on 89.9 FM, and KTLN 90.5 FM in the Houma-Thibodaux area as a public service of the University of New Orleans. All of WWNO’s programs, including its growing local news coverage, are available online at WWNO.org.
WWOZ 90.7 FM is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Station offering listener-supported, volunteer-programmed community radio. WWOZ covers many events live in and around the city and across the United States, and broadcasts live from the famed New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival annually. WWOZ’s mission is to be the worldwide voice, archive, and flag-bearer of New Orleans culture and musical heritage.
Preservation Resource Center (PRC) has been preserving, restoring, and revitalizing New Orleans’ historic architecture and neighborhoods since 1974. Throughout its history, PRC has acted as an advocacy agent on a local, regional, and national scale, spreading the word about the city’s rich architectural heritage and the economic importance of preserving this heritage. PRC also takes a hands-on approach to preservation, with a history of successfully restoring over 1,400 properties. The center strengthens and revitalizes New Orleans in a way that is forward-looking and sustainable, yet sensitive to the city’s past and its heritage.
As a nexus for the arts in New Orleans, NOMA is committed to preserving, interpreting, and enriching its collections and renowned sculpture garden; offering innovative experiences for learning and interpretation; and uniting, inspiring, and engaging diverse communities and cultures.
The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Its holdings comprise more than one million items from more than three centuries, documenting moments both major and minor. Its four exhibition spaces–the Williams Gallery, the Louisiana History Galleries, the Boyd Cruise Gallery, and the Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art–faithfully depict the multicultural stories of the region, from permanent displays exploring the evolution of Louisiana to rotating exhibitions showcasing history and fine art.
The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is a nonprofit living history organization dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of the food, drink and the related culture of the South. While based in New Orleans, the Museum examines and celebrates all the cultures that have come together through the centuries to create the South’s unique culinary heritage. The Museum is also home to the collections of the Museum of the American Cocktail, the Galerie d’Absinthe, and a demonstration kitchen.
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to all Louisianans.
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ mission is to provide all Louisianans with access to and an appreciation of their own rich, shared and diverse historical, literary and cultural heritage through grant-supported outreach programs, family literacy and adult reading initiatives, teacher professional development institutes, publications, film and radio documentaries, museum exhibitions, cultural tourism, public lectures, library projects, and other public humanities programming.