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TheFrench Quarterand Lower Garden Districts towering Creole townhouses are decorated in ornate Spanish balconies.
The Marigny and Bywater blocks are prime for afternoon architecture strolls, with Caribbean-hued ornate cottages.
Credit:SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images
New Orleansis a place where color meets spice, music meets mischief, and the sacred meets the profane.
We have the ultimate guide for the Crescent City, aSouthern cityunlike any other.
Multiple shows per day run 360 nights per year.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.Credit:Camille Barnett
A nonprofit called the Airlift Foundation built shacks from largely discarded materials.
While the site is currently closed to the public, check the monthly calendar for upcoming events.
Theres a great back patio too, for when you need a little fresh air.
Credit:Courtesy of Arnaud’s Restaurant
Twenty years on, its still one of the coolest hangouts in the whole city.
However, there is something special about private dining here.
The options are opulent.
CURE Nola.Credit:Courtesy of CURE Nola
Her restaurant, in a historic cottage Uptown, originally started as a pop-up dinner series.
That sense of supper club remains, with coursed seatings offered from September until July.
The courtyard is Sylvains most romantic respite, bathed in candlelight and scrolls of jasmine along stone walls.
Credit:Courtesy of The Columns
A few times per week, the “Here Comes the Chuckwagon” experience rolls throughquite literally.
Waiters serve from traditional dim sum carts, painted brilliant blue, with die-cut detailing.
If you want the prime-time seatingSundays at 2 p.m.its best to reserve weeks ahead.
Credit:Zack Smith Photography/NewOrleans.com
Milkshakes are a classic here and you’re free to request them regular, thick, or double-thick.
Opt for their famous classicThe Orange Freeze.
Its a frothy combo of fresh orange juice, simple syrup, and vanilla ice cream.
Credit:Courtesy of New Orleans Tourism
Sticking your hand in the paper bag too soon can burn your fingers.
Yet, you want them hot and very fresh.
Les Baguette Bahn Mi Cafe serves some of the best Vietnamese food in town in a small house Uptown.
Don’t miss the Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi with cucumber, shredded daikon, cilantro, and spicy aioli.
The Thai food scene is equally explosive, particularly in the Marigny.
Budsi Thai sells Bangkoks street foods at affordable prices.
Make your way past the racks of chips and drink coolers.
Shareable plates might include house-cured pastrami or Salt & Pepper Celery Root with crispy rice noodles.
Today, it remains one of the best choices for a craft beverage, both modern and classic.
Unless you head to Cane & Table in the French Quarter.
On a busy weekend, this dive bar serves hundreds from a repurposed Daiquiri machine.
The top is sprinkled with coffee grounds and the whole thing is heavily spiked with brandy.
Is there whiskey in there too?Probably.
It’s listed in every city brochure and every stop on every passing carriage tour.
Belly up to the bar, chat with dapper barkeeps, and request their most popular callthe Pimms Cup.
Its an effervescent combination of Pimms herbal liqueur, lemonade, soda, cucumbers, and lots of ice.
We love Imperial Woodpecker on Magazine (an outstanding Pineapple-Cilantro flavor) and also Chance in Hell Snoballs.
At once, madly.
Sometimes I think it was predestined.
Through their veil of Spanish moss, The Columns Hotel peeks out.
Architect Thomas Sully completed the house in 1883, as a private residence for a well-to-do tobacco merchant.
The rooms are spacious, with crisp linens, thick robes, and great views of the CBD.
The 75 rooms feature cherry-red velvet headboards, soaking tubs, and Murano-glass chandeliers.
Downstairs, guests enjoy three bar/restaurant concepts, a boutique gift shop, and a swoon-worthy courtyard swimming pool.
Pale pink walls, fainting couches, and several chandeliers make for a dreamy backdrop.
Rau is worth visiting if just to ogle the massive chandeliers, four-poster beds, and marble fireplaces.
Want old-world European furnishings and prices poised for haggling?
Check out Dop Antiques off Jefferson Highway, about 20 minutes from downtown.
Consign Consign and Merchant House are closer in, on Magazine, right next to each other.
Both are great for mid-century furnishings and smaller items, like art, books, rugs, and jewelry.
Their consignment pieces drop in price every 30 days.
Then, wander a few blocks to the Jam Factory.
Dont forget your cellphone.
There are prime Instagram opportunities here.
Its cultural diversity is woven into the food, the music, the architectureeven the local superstitions.
Its a sensory experience on all levels and theres a story lurking around every corner.
Kinfolk is one option with turnkey booking.
For $850, they supply a five-piece brass marching band for a 30-minute parade.
The Road to Tokyo is thought-provoking and emotional, retracing the days pre-and-post Pearl Harbor.
One of the museum’s newer additions isBeyond All Boundariesa 4-D film and sensory experience produced by Tom Hanks.
It was designated as the official drink of New Orleans back in 2008.
They are equally marvelous to enjoy ambling by, from a patio with a good novel.
For the later moment, we suggest The Chloe.
This revamped Victorian hotels front porch provides shade and sight lines right out to the St. Charles line.
Theres a Jaguar Jungle and Monkey Hill, impressive architecture, and even a water park.
A pass costs $30 on weekdays and includes a towel.
The Country Club, in the Bywater, is a big yellow mansion with excellent brunch.
Behind the house is a backyard pool, flanked by sun loungers and cafe tables.
Its also home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, where globally touring exhibits arrive every few months.
Louis Joseph Dufilho Jr. became Americas first licensed pharmacist, opening his shop on this site in 1823. pharmacymuseum.org; 514 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70130
