French Quarter History
We cover a lot of local festivals and other events, as well as attractions and things to see, do, eat, and experience in the French Quarter and nearby. But, with the city's 300-year-plus history, how did we get here? What transpired in those years, and who were the people who shaped the...
Read MorePhoto courtesy of Antoine's Restaurant on FacebookA lot of towns have dinner theater, but in New Orleans dinner is theater. This is especially true in the old-line Creole restaurants where locals and visitors partake in dining experiences as cultural and theatrical as they are culinary. In these...
Read MoreWhen most bread goes stale it gets tossed in the trash or fed to the birds. But for some lucky loaves, going stale is just the beginning of a transformation into bread pudding — the ambrosial dessert that is a mainstay finale at many restaurants across New Orleans. A Quick History of Bread...
Read MoreBananas Foster, a type of dessert made with bananas and vanilla ice cream, was made famous by way of New Orleans. Today, this decadent dessert remains a staple, impressively served flambéed tableside as it was intended, or in many delicious variations (as a pie, ice cream, or French toast) in...
Read MoreBy: Ian McNultyNew Orleans Pralines, photo courtesy of Southern Candymakers on FacebookWhen the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar comes to its rattling, end-of-the-line halt at the edge of the French Quarter, visitors step out of one city icon and immediately encounter another — New...
Read MorePhoto courtesy of French QuarTour Kids on FacebookWhile "child-friendly" or "family-friendly" may not automatically come to mind when, say, Bourbon Street is mentioned, New Orleans is packed with things you can do as a family, for kids of all ages. Here are our favorite family-friendly...
Read MoreBy: Sally ReevesBaroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba. Photo courtesy of the Louisiana State Museum.Micaela Almonester Pontalba was the wealthiest woman in New Orleans, but her biographer called her a frump for her lamentable everyday wardrobe. Like most Creoles, she married a cousin, but her...
Read MorePhoto courtesy of Mardi Gras World on FacebookThe magic of the Carnival is perpetually captured by these museums listed below, even outside of the season, which falls between January 6 (Twelfth Night, or Epiphany) and ends on Fat Tuesday, followed by the Lenten season starting on Ash Wednesday....
Read MorePhoto courtesy of New Orleans Pharmacy Museum on FacebookNew Orleans tends to be known more for its food, music and nightlife than its museums, but this city actually excels at visitor-friendly educational institutions. Our museums tend to focus on local knowledge subjects that exist close to...
Read MoreBy: Sally Reeves Secluded in the muddle of the French Quarter's raucous street life linger elements that still impart a kind of stately antiquity. They are Spanish and French-era pieces. Some are rightly celebrated for their survival of the epochs; others, dressed in garish costumes at the shop...
Read MoreFrench Quarter History
French Quarter History consists of over 200 years of characters, chaos, and intrigue. From the Faubourg Marigny and Treme to the Mississippi River any history buff will be fulfulled here. Take a walking history tour or a Haunted New Orleans tour to find out much about the Historic French Quarter. Make sure to educate yourself on the Cabildo and the Spanish Quarter and of course, stop in St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square and see the original Louisiana Purchase. While you are here, take a moment to remember the devastation of Katrina. Take a Katrina Education Tour. And then round your trip out with some great jazz music and listen to the greats like Louis Armstrong or some of the new cats like The Marsalis family, Trombone Shorty and Kermit Ruffins to name a few.