New Orleans attractions

The oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley, the Old Ursuline Convent in New Orleans' French Quarter also once functioned as a school for girls, a hospital, and an orphanage. Today, it houses a museum, whose rich collection of devotional art and artifacts makes it a treasure of the city's Catholic community. Ghost hunters also routinely investigate the historic site for reports of paranormal activity.

New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebrations are as much a part of the city as jazz and the Mississippi River. Get a taste of the magic year-round at this colorful museum, with a dazzling collection of floats and costumes from the oldest, biggest parade in Louisiana. Visitors can even see artists building each year’s floats and props.

While its rich history includes stints as a mint and then a federal prison, today the Old U.S. Mint houses the New Orleans Jazz Museum, the Louisiana Historical Center, and a small exhibition that explores its past in coin production. A staple on any tour of New Orleans, the Jazz Museum celebrates the city’s history as the birthplace of jazz and also hosts live music performances; if you can, align your visit to catch one.

With picturesque stone bridges, botanical gardens, museums, a theme park, hundreds of centuries-old oak trees, and numerous waterways, City Park in New Orleans offers a myriad of reasons to spend a day outside. Join locals on the trails, visit the New Orleans Museum of Art, take a ride on a 100-year-old carved wooden carousel, or simply find a spot for a picnic and enjoy the park’s vast green spaces.

The Presbytère is a must-visit historic museum situated next to St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The museum’s striking Spanish colonial-style building, which flanks Jackson Square, is the former residence of Capuchin monks that has been owned by the museum since 1911. Visit to explore two compelling sides of Louisiana’s heritage: the lively spectacle of Mardi Gras and the emotional resilience of life after Hurricane Katrina

With interactive exhibits, plus an extensive selection of weaponry and other objects from major battles including the D-Day landings, New Orleans’ National WWII Museum offers deep insights into the role of the US in the Second World War. The museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, and currently spans seven pavilions and 7 acres (3 hectares). Its exhibitions cover topics from wartime aircraft to the Pacific Theater.

Lafayette Square is a pleasant place to rest during a walk around New Orleans’ Central Business District. The urban park features statues of the city's forefathers, including Benjamin Franklin and Southern statesman Henry Clay, whose bronze likeness is the park’s focal point. Most visitors flock to the square during spring for the free Wednesday at the Square concert series. The Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival is also held at Lafayette Square each fall.

One of New Orleans' most notable historic buildings—right on Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter—the Cabildo served as the seat of the New Orleans government during the Spanish colonial period, and was the signing site of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Today, it's home to a museum showcasing Louisiana's early history through original artifacts, photos, and exhibits.

A hotbed of musical talent, this historic New Orleans neighborhood is one of the best spots in the city to catch a live show. Anchored by Frenchmen Street, it’s popular with locals for its jazz and blues scene without the French Quarter crowds—at top-rated music venues such as the Spotted Cat, Blue Nile, Three Muses, and the Maison.

Known for its galleries, restaurants, and curio shops, Royal Street in New Orleans is just a block away from the bar-fueled bustle and grit of Bourbon Street. But while it's less well-known, it still oozes historic French Quarter character. The iron-lace balconies of French and Spanish colonial buildings overlook upscale stores and courtyard cafés along this charming street, which was made for wandering.

The most visited of the three St. Louis Cemeteries, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is New Orleans’ oldest and most famous resting place. Among the grand 18th- and 19th-century burial sites are the graves of civil rights activist Homer Plessy, voodoo queen Marie Laveau, and other prominent New Orleanians, whose ghosts are said to be a presence in the cemetery. Unsurprisingly, this landmark is revered as one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States.

One of the city’s most popular spots for live music, Preservation Hall in the French Quarter is known for its resident Preservation Brass, Legacy, and All Stars bands. Dating back to 1961, the hall has been a New Orleans jazz destination for decades, and boasts a festive and intimate atmosphere. Performances are hosted daily, with multiple concerts every evening.

Bourbon Street may steal the spotlight, but the real party is just around the corner on Frenchmen Street. A short walk from the French Quarter, this vibrant stretch is packed with live music venues, bars, and late-night bites. Do as the locals do—grab a drink to go and hop between venues to take in the area’s incredible live music scene, from jazz and funk to blues.

Oak Alley Plantation is one of the New Orleans area’s most significant historic landmarks. Located along the Mississippi River, and featuring a historic house flanked by 300-year-old live oak trees and acres of leafy grounds, the plantation’s idyllic setting belies its dark history. Guided tours shed more light on topics from enslavement to the Civil War, and are a great way for visiting history lovers to learn more.

Covering 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers), Lake Pontchartrain is one of the largest inland saltwater bodies in the United States. It’s a favorite spot for fishing, sailing, and swimming, and a big draw for wildlife fans—the lake’s shores and waters are home to a diverse ecosystem, including blue crabs, Atlantic stingrays, pelicans, ospreys, and occasionally bull sharks.

The Lower Ninth Ward is a working-class and predominantly African-American neighborhood in New Orleans that was hit especially hard by the floods of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Rebuilding here has been slower than in other parts of the city, and many blocks still contain abandoned homes and empty lots. Despite this, ongoing community efforts continue, and the area stands as a symbol of strength and resilience in the face of disaster.

The Beauregard-Keyes House is a historic home in the French Quarter that reflects multiple chapters of New Orleans history. Visitors can tour the restored rooms and learn about the building’s past residents, including Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard and author Frances Parkinson Keyes. The property also features a formal garden and a collection of antiques that shed light on the city’s changing social and cultural landscape.

A central character in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the mighty Mississippi River has long captured the American imagination. It originates in Minnesota and sweeps south past 10 states, finishing in New Orleans, where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s among the largest rivers in the world, and has gained an almost mythical place in US history.

The Whitney Plantation was one of the most infamous plantation estates in Louisiana; more than 350 people were enslaved there during the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the historic landmark serves as one of the only slavery memorial museums in the United States. Through original period buildings, art exhibits, and first-person narratives, visitors can learn more about the lives and experiences of people who endured slavery in America.

Located just outside New Orleans, the Laura Plantation was founded in 1804 by a French naval veteran of the American Revolution. This former sugar plantation now serves as a powerful historical site, sharing the stories of the enslaved people who lived and worked there. Visitors can explore a permanent exhibition featuring personal narratives and gain rare access to the original slave cabins, as well as galleries, parlors, and common rooms.

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) boasts one of the biggest art collections in the Southern US, with an impressive collection of almost 50,000 items spanning French, Japanese, American, and African art, as well as the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Here you can spot pieces by Picasso and Degas in the permanent collection, see a temporary exhibit, and wander among 90 artworks in the sculpture gardens.

Once a massive plantation, Audubon Park is now, at 350 acres (142 hectares), a treasured source of open land in New Orleans. Home to sports fields, picnic and playground facilities, a golf course, biking tracks, lagoons, and other facilities, Audubon Park is where locals and tourists head when they need a breath of fresh air or time to stretch their legs.

Established in the late 19th century as New Orleans' official red-light district, Storyville was once the city's most notorious neighborhood, known for its brothels, saloons, and other houses of ill repute (more positively, it's also considered the birthplace of jazz). The area, adjacent to Tremé, was shuttered by the US government at the outset of World War I. Today it's the site of a number of housing developments, though a few historic landmarks remain.

Set in a small French Quarter townhouse, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum consists of just two compact rooms—but it’s packed with atmosphere and interesting trinkets. Explore the history, mysteries, and enduring legends of voodoo through a mix of altars, dolls, masks, paintings, and ritual objects. Equal parts museum and shrine, it’s a must for curious travelers drawn to the spiritual roots of New Orleans.

Located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) upriver from New Orleans, Destrehan Plantation is one of the oldest documented plantation houses in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Visit to learn about life in the antebellum South through walking tours led by costumed guides, who share the stories of both the Destrehan family and the enslaved people who lived and worked on the plantation.

The 1850 House museum offers a snapshot into the life of an upper middle class family in mid-19th-century New Orleans. Housed in an antebellum row home, its rooms have been meticulously furnished with New Orleans silver, Old Paris porcelain, and period antiques. Visitors can walk around the exhibits and learn the stories of past residents, and influential locals, including Baroness de Pontalba.

Part of the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is home to more than 90 works by renowned artists. The sculptures are set among magnolia trees and live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and visitors come to enjoy the art and the beauty of the surroundings. A pathway meanders through the garden, making it a lovely spot for a leisurely, art-filled stroll.

Focusing on the processional traditions of New Orleans and the cultural history of the city’s African-American community, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is a fantastic place to see costumes, photos, and other festive folk memorabilia. Located in the vibrant Tremé neighborhood, the museum also hosts periodic tours and other events, which offer an immersive way to experience some of the city’s living traditions.

Degas House is the former home and studio of the influential French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building now operates as a museum dedicated to Degas’ life and works. In addition to exhibitions, the site also hosts private events such as weddings, and even offers visitors the chance to stay overnight, as it’s also a bed and breakfast.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Houmas House was once one of southern Louisiana’s most significant sugarcane plantations. It was home to more than 750 enslaved people and formed part of the transatlantic sugar industry’s brutal legacy. Today, the grand house and gardens are open to visitors, offering guided tours that reveal the stories of its complex past and serve as a reminder of a dark chapter in American history.