French Quarter main attraction for tourists in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Millions of tourists head to New Orleans every year and many of them choose to spend some time, if not all of it, in the French Quarter.

It’s the city’s oldest and most wellknown neighborhood brimming with centuries-old history, live jazz, colorful and interesting architecture, charming shops that tempt passersby and plenty of good food from fine restaurants to unpretentious eateries that refuse to let anyone leave hungry.

While it’s easy to walk and explore BY LINDA MILLER

PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE WOODS on your own, a tour – and dozens are available – is a more convenient and thorough way to learn the history, habits, twists and turns of the French Quarter, the original city of New Orleans. It was founded by French Canadian naval officer Jean Baptiste Bienville who sailed down the Mississippi River and settled here in 1718.

The city was under French control, then Spanish and then back to French before being acquired by the United States with the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. The treaty was signed in

24 ion Oklahoma July/August 2022 Paris but in 1803 was transferred and finalized in the Cabildo, built from 1795 to 1799 as the city hall for New Orleans. Today it’s part of the Louisiana State Museum system and houses rare artifacts of Louisiana and American history.

The Cabildo, an elegant Spanish colonial building bordering historic Jackson Square, sits next to its equally impressive neighbor the St. Louis Cathedral which rose from that first cornerstone in 1789 to completion in December 1794. The cathedral is the oldest in continuous use in the United States. With triple steeples, it makes a picturesque backdrop for the square’s bronze statue of Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans.

Jackson Square is in the heart of the French Quarter. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The square, all 2 ½ acres, exudes energy and excitement. It’s a popular site for weddings and many artists gather there to exhibit and sell their work. Most days, musicians entertain with upbeat, distinct sounds that cause

Interior of the St. Louis Cathedral, completed in 1794.

Jackson Square in New Orleans’ French Quarter is a gathering place for artists and visitors. The St. Louis Cathedral anchors the square.

visitors to stop and watch.

At the Mississippi River side of the square, mule-drawn carriages carrying four or more passengers line the block. These tour guides know the French Quarter, everything from interesting tidbits about architecture and history to where to hear the best jazz to the most popular shopping street to the location of famed chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant.

Many of the French Quarter’s original buildings – 856 of 1,100 -- were destroyed by fire in 1788. Six years later a second fire and two hurricanes left more destruction. Monumental changes appeared as rebuilding took place. Cypress shingles were replaced with baked tile and quarried slate. Buildings were made of brick with common firewalls. Spanish-style influences such as vertical, long and narrow townhomes, often accented with iron work and mezzanines, replaced the French-styled wide and shallow hipped roof and galleried townhouses.

Much of that and more is shared during tours. Take your pick of walking, bus or carriage options. Several tours dive into the French Quarter’s dark side, including the story of a socialite who tortured her slaves. When authorities learned of her behavior, the slaves were removed from the home but later after a fire, nude slaves, most of them dead, were found chained in cages or strapped to tables. Many had been tortured and mutilated. People still claim the LaLaurie mansion is cursed.

Ghost, vampire, and voodoo tours take visitors through eerie sites with stories of witchcraft and more. The 1803 Creole townhouse of the first licensed pharmacist in America is now the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum where visitors learn about questionable medical practices in the 19th century. Lafittte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar is the oldest bar in America and is said to be one of the most haunted locations in the city.

Cemetery tours are extremely popular, perhaps because few people have seen such a multitude of above-ground tombs. Certainly, the topography was a main concern for

Much of the architecture features Iron work and mezzanines.

Above-ground tombs, often filled with dozens of family members, fill the cemeteries in New Orleans. Street musicians play throughout the day and evening. Carnival season lasts several weeks in New Orleans, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to watch a parade.

this type of burial since much of New Orleans is below sea level. Before levees, floodwalls and floodgates were fortified, extreme flooding and storms occasionally caused the dearly departed who were buried in ground to depart downstream. One tour guide shared that there’s only so much land for burials and if everyone were buried under ground, New Orleans would be one giant cemetery.

It’s not unusual to see tombs that are the burial place for dozens of family members. Society tombs for those who belonged to different organizations or “societies” are common, too. Tall tombs tend to resemble small houses in a neighborhood, earning cemeteries the name “cities of the dead.” The most visited tomb in all of the New Orleans cemeteries is that of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Her final resting place is in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, established in 1798 and the oldest in the city.

Not into voodoo, ghosts or cemeteries? Food tours at famous eateries may be more enjoyable and often include tastings of Creole brisket, beignets and gumbo. Mississippi River cruises are a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours or hop aboard an airboat for an adventure through the swamp. There are also garden district tours and, if you’re up for a bus ride, several plantations are about an hour away. The impressive National World War II Museum is in the Arts & Warehouse District, about a mile from the French Quarter.

If you visit the during the weeks of Mardi Gras celebration, know that many shops and restaurants close on some days. But if you get the chance to take in one of the many parades, go for it. Everybody loves a parade. And cemeteries, it seems.

For more on New Orleans and the French Quarter, go to

neworleans.com and frenchquarter.com. n