The Ultimate Guide To New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans is mostly known for its Mardi Gras celebrations, jazz music, and Cajun cuisine. It’s a melting pot of different cultures with a rich history and is home to some major tourist attractions, including the French Quarter, the Garden District, Jackson Square, and a lot more.
The Best Way To Explore New Orleans
There are plenty of things to see and explore in New Orleans, but it becomes quite challenging to find parking at some of these attractions. I highly recommend using the City Sightseeing New Orleans, a narrated, hop-on hop-off bus service. This is not a paid article, and I am recommending the tour company purely based on my experience with the company. While there are around twenty stops, below are my favorite and must-see in New Orleans.
French Quarter
The French Quarter, a top-rated tourist attraction, also called the Vieux Carré (Old Square) and Barrio Francés (“Barrio,” the Spanish word for “quarter” or “neighborhood.”), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. The entire region is designated as a National Historic Landmark, with numerous historically significant buildings contributing to its status. It’s a melting pot of different cultures always lively due to the music, dancing, shopping, horse-drawn carriage, and of course, the food.
St. Louis Cemetery
Might sound strange, but yes, the St. Louis Cemetery draws millions of visitors every year. This unique, above-ground graves cemetery, was built to address a practical problem of the City. Due to the city’s high water table, the coffins buried underground would simply float back up to the top. So the cemetery was designed as a tombs stack gravesites, filing cabinet style, one above the other. The famous and living actor Nicolas Cage wishes to be buried here and has purchased a nine-foot-tall pyramid-shaped tomb, inscribed with the Latin phrase “Omnia Ab Uno,” meaning “All from One.” The only way to visit the cemetery is via a guided tour ticket starting at $20.
Jackson Square & St. Louis Cathedral
Jackson Square is a public park with a historical significance in the French Quarter area of New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the site where Louisiana was declared to be the part of the United States territory, in 1803, following the Louisiana Purchase. Later in 1960, Jackson Square was designated as a National Historic Landmark. On the north side of Jackson Square is the St Louis Cathedral, a landmark structure in New Orleans. It was built in 1794 on the site of two earlier churches and is known for being the United States’ oldest cathedral in continuous use.
National WWII Museum
The National WWII Museum, also sometimes referred to as The National D-Day Museum, is a military history museum located in New Orleans. The museum has some very engaging exhibits, divided into three major sections, one section devoted to the war in the Pacific, second devoted to the war in Europe, and the third building that houses WWII aircraft.
Garden District
The Garden District is a neighborhood in New Orleans lined with oak trees, lush gardens, old trees, and lovely mansions. You would also find some boutiques and coffee shops in the area. Overall it’s a treat for your eyes, and the City Sightseeing New Orleans tour guide would highlight buildings with special interest and many of the French architectural features.
Mardi Gras World
I highly recommend that once in your lifetime, you experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It’s really a unique and lively event. However, it becomes quite difficult to find flights, accommodation, and everything becomes quite expensive during Mardi Gras. But the good news, you could still get a sense of Mardi Gras at the Madi Gras World. Mardi Gras World gives you an authentic Mardi Gras experience all year round. You get a chance to explore and see up close, some spectacular floats, costumes, and props used in the Mardi Gras parade and see artists create them.
Other Louisiana Attractions & Related Posts
I hope you enjoyed reading the post, The Ultimate Guide To New Orleans, and I expect this will help you plan your trip to New Orleans.
Happy feeding your soul!
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