French Quarter Sightseeing Featured Stories

Photo by Trevor MarkYes, New Orleans is a drinking city with a thriving bar scene, but its allure goes way beyond the wild partying on Bourbon Street. It's still easy to take in all the city has to offer — while completely foregoing the drinking aspect. Plus, the vibrant culture and over 300...

Photo courtesy of Hotel St. MarieThere’s no shortage of grand courtyards in the Quarter. Many of these are, obviously, located on private property, but some are open to the public. Le Monde Creole walking tour is an excellent introduction to New Orleans buildings, including some of the...

Photo by Cheryl Gerber for FrenchQuarter.comNew Orleans is hands down one of the most photogenic places in the world. Its wrought-iron balconies and lush tropical courtyards, not to mention the craziness of Bourbon Street or the magical riverboats on the Mississippi River, would enhance anyone's...

By: 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...

Image courtesy of Onasill - Bill BadzoBy: Sally Reeves Jackson Square, and the land around it, was always for the use of the public, or so it seemed. There was the church (St. Louis Cathedral), the priests' house (The Presbytere), and the town hall with the prison (The Cabildo). There was...

By: Jyl Benson Throughout its history, the French Quarter has all but sounded a siren’s call to extreme personalities. Depending upon what drives them, they may lob off the heads of chickens and invoke mysterious spirits while chanting and dancing around a burning fire like Marie Laveau or...

By: Sally Reeves A keen eye and quick list can unveil the salient patterns of French Quarter building types. Most antebellum sorts come in "Creole," "American," and a mix of the two. Those built after the Civil War and later are generally "Eastlake," or sometimes "Craftsman" cottages.There are...

Photo courtesy of Cemetery Tour New Orleans at Basin St. Station on FacebookFormer New Orleanian William Faulker famously wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. It’s not even past.” Nowhere is this truth more evident than in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. In this storied “city of the...

Photo by Cheryl GerberThe French Quarter is without a doubt the most touristy neighborhood in New Orleans — but is it also a place where locals hang out? Are there even French Quarter locals?Yes and yes. To be fair, the Quarter isn’t the residential neighborhood it once was. Well into the...

Photo by Antrell Williams on FlickrBy some counts, there are as many as 73 neighborhoods in New Orleans. They are divided by the lakes, bayous, and the Mississippi River; by the railroad and streetcar tracks; and, sometimes, by arbitrary geographical boundaries.The city is a culturally rich...