Must-see attractions in New Orleans

  • City Park, New Orleans

    City Park

    New Orleans

    Live oaks, Spanish moss and lazy bayous frame this masterpiece of urban planning. Three miles long and 1 mile wide, dotted with gardens, waterways and…

  • Old above-ground graves in Lafayette Cemetery Number 1, Garden District.

    Lafayette Cemetery No 1

    New Orleans

    Of all the cemeteries in New Orleans, Lafayette exudes the strongest sense of subtropical Southern Gothic. The stark contrast of moldering crypts and…

  • Civil War Museum & Ogden Museum of Southern Art

    Ogden Museum of Southern Art

    New Orleans

    The South has one of the most distinctive aesthetic cultures in the US artistic universe, a creative vision indelibly influenced by the region's…

  • "The Sun" sculpture by Ugo Rondinone, located in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in New Orleans.

    Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

    New Orleans

    The sculpture garden that sits just outside the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park is a wooded quilt of streams, pathways, lovers' benches and, of…

  • Douglas C-47 Dakota, transport glidertowning aircraft in D-Day markings at the National WWII Museum.

    National WWII Museum

    New Orleans

    One of New Orleans’ most distinctive tourism attractions has nothing to do with food, music, or having a good time. Rather, it is a museum dedicated to the…

  • Giant head statues at Mardi Gras World. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

    Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World

    New Orleans

    Mardi Gras World offers a behind the scenes peek into the weird, wonderful backstage of carnival season float making.

  • Entrance to Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University.

    Newcomb Art Museum

    New Orleans

    Part of Tulane University and flanked by beautiful Tiffany stained-glass triptychs, the Newcomb Art Museum is a great spot to soak up some art, with works…

  • Tulane University

    New Orleans

    The campus of Tulane, a premier Southern university, is an attractive tableau of live oaks, red-brick buildings and green quads spread across 110 acres…

  • Log Bench On Shore Of Bayou St. John, New Orleans.

    Bayou St John

    New Orleans

    Back in the day, this was a true bayou – an overgrown morass of Spanish moss and prowling alligators. Native Americans, fur trappers and smugglers would…

  • NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JULY 12:  The New Orleans Museum Of Art, July 12, 2012, in New Orleans, La.  Celebrating 100 years, NOMA is now featuring the "Ralston Crawford And Jazz" exhibition.; Shutterstock ID 107506952; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    New Orleans Museum of Art

    New Orleans

    Inside City Park, this elegant museum was opened in 1911 and is well worth a visit for its special exhibitions, gorgeous marble atrium and top-floor…

  • Statuary in New Orleans' Metairie Cemetery.

    Metairie Cemetery

    New Orleans

    Established in 1872 on a former racetrack (the grounds, you’ll notice, still follow the oval layout), this is the most American of New Orleans’ cities of…

  • NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 28: Artist Charles Gillam works on a wood carving at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds Race Course on April 28, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (Photo by Josh Brasted/WireImage)

    Algiers Folk Art Zone

    New Orleans

    Self taught artist Charles Gillam is a regular at Jazz Fest, where he exhibits woodcarvings and mixed media work that is fairly bursting with New Orleans…

  • Historic home on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    Esplanade Avenue

    New Orleans

    Esplanade is one of the most beautiful streets in New Orleans, yet barely recognized by visitors as such. Because of the abundance of historical homes,…

  • Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans

    Contemporary Arts Center

    New Orleans

    From the outside, the CAC is pretty unassuming. But once inside, with the grand modernist entrance, an airy, spacious vault with soaring ceilings and…

  • TB2MD0 New Orleans, Louisiana - A Vietnamese farmers market, held for a few hours early Saturday mornings in a parking lot in the city's Vietnamese community

    Vietnamese Farmers' Market

    New Orleans

    The closest you'll come to witnessing Saigon on a Saturday morning (by the way, lots of local Vietnamese, being southern refugees, still call it 'Saigon')…

  • Insectarium

    New Orleans

    We'll be honest: if you're not a fan of bugs and creepy-crawlies, you may be happier elsewhere, because at this lively museum, you'll do more than stare…

  • The entrance to Audubon Zoo in New Orleans.

    Audubon Zoo

    New Orleans

    This wonderful zoo contains African, Asian and South American landscapes and fauna, as well as the ultra-cool Louisiana Swamp exhibit, full of alligators,…

  • Audubon Park in New Orleans.

    Audubon Park

    New Orleans

    This lovely spot, riverside of St Charles Ave, is home to Audubon Zoo. A 1.8-mile multi-use paved trail loops around the central golf course, unfurling…

  • Aquarium of the Americas

    New Orleans

    The immense Aquarium of the Americas is loosely regional, with exhibits delving beneath the surface of the Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean…

  • Confederate Memorial Hall Museum

    New Orleans

    Tattered gray uniforms, rebel swords and faded diaries – this collection of Civil War memorabilia pays homage to the Confederacy and locals who fought for…

  • Irish Channel

    New Orleans

    The name Irish Channel is a bit of a misnomer. Although this historic neighborhood, which borders the Garden Districts, was settled by poor Irish…

  • Touro Synagogue

    New Orleans

    Despite the fact that Jews were officially banned from New Orleans under the Code Noir (Black Code), which was in effect from 1724 until the Louisiana…

  • Amistad Research Center

    New Orleans

    Part of Tulane University, the Amistad Research Center is one of the nation’s largest repositories of African American history. The Amistad is not a…

  • Old New Orleans Rum Distillery

    New Orleans

    A short drive north of the Marigny is the Old New Orleans Rum distillery. Founded by local artist James Michalopoulos and his artist-musician friends, the…

  • Steamboat Houses

    New Orleans

    In a city with no shortage of wonderfully different architecture, the Steamboat Houses of the Lower Ninth Ward truly stand out. Built in the early 20th…

  • Gallier Hall

    New Orleans

    Architect James Gallier Sr designed this Greek-Revival structure, dedicated in 1853. It served as New Orleans’ city hall until the 1950s and far…

  • Milton H Latter Memorial Library

    New Orleans

    Poised elegantly above shady stands of palms, the Latter Memorial Library was once a private mansion. The Isaac family – who owned the building from 1907…

  • Louisiana Children's Museum

    New Orleans

    This educational museum is like a high-tech kindergarten where the wee ones can play in interactive bliss till nap time. Lots of corporate sponsorship…

  • Levee Path

    New Orleans

    Part of the Mississippi River Trail, this unique public greenway runs atop the levee space that follows the curves of the Mississippi River all the way…

  • Preservation Resource Center

    New Orleans

    If you're interested in the architecture of New Orleans or a self-guided walking tour, then start here. The welcoming Preservation Resource Center,…

  • House of Broel

    New Orleans

    Built in the 1850s, this historical home is a bit of a fun-house. The entire two-story building was elevated in 1884 – not for fear of floods, but so the…

  • New Orleans Cotton Exchange

    New Orleans

    For much of its history, the economy of New Orleans was built on cotton and slavery. The former industry was largely brokered out of this building, where…

  • Southern Food & Beverage Museum

    New Orleans

    You don't have to be a gourmet or mixologist to enjoy this made-from-scratch museum, which celebrates Southern cooking and cocktails with exhibits – some…

  • Our Lady of the Rosary Rectory

    New Orleans

    Built around 1834 as the home of Evariste Blanc, Our Lady of the Rosary Rectory exhibits a combination of styles characteristic of the region. The high…

  • Goodrich-Stanley House

    New Orleans

    This historic home was built in 1837 by jeweler William M Goodrich. Goodrich sold the house to British-born merchant Henry Hope Stanley, whose adopted son…

  • Lee Circle

    New Orleans

    This traffic circle was called Place du Tivoli until it was renamed to honor Confederate General Robert E Lee after the Civil War. In 2017, after many…

  • Scrap House

    New Orleans

    Built entirely out of found and recycled material, this eye-catching sculpture by artist Sally Heller honors the victims of Hurricane Katrina. A ruined…

  • Ashé Cultural Arts Center

    New Orleans

    An important anchor for the local African American community, Ashé (from a Yoruba word that could loosely be translated as ‘Amen’) regularly showcases…

  • Pitot House

    New Orleans

    The Pitot House, perched prettily beside Bayou St John, is an excellent example of classical French New Orleans architecture. Constructed circa 1799, it's…

  • House of Dance & Feathers

    New Orleans

    Not many museums are run out of the back of someone's house, but not many curators are like Ronald Lewis, a Ninth Ward native who relishes in showing off…