New Orleans Neighborhoods
From Bywater to the Garden District - explore the iconic New Orleans neighborhoods which contain some of the most interesting architecture, history, art, food, culture, and entertainment in the world!
French Quarter
No doubt, the French Quarter is the beating heart of New Orleans. From its Old World spirit to its infinitely varied architecture and faded elegance, this one-mile square neighborhood is a place where people live, not just a place for tourists to gather. Defined by a mash up of French and Spanish architecture, the Quarter is home to Creole townhouses, ramshackle shotguns, eclectic boutiques and dozens of restaurants and bars.
Visit Royal Street for dining, art galleries and street buskers, then head to Bourbon Street for party central and honkytonking.
Mid-City
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is the main reason out-of-towners visit the Bayou St. John area of Mid-City, home to the historic Fairgrounds that hosts the popular music event. With its colorful mix of architectural styles, from single shotguns to epic Victorian mansions, this neighborhood attracts a mix of artists, single professionals and families. Mid-City isn’t far from the French Quarter at all – about 2.5 miles, to be exact.
Visit City Park, at the end of Esplanade Ridge, where you’ll find scads of locals enjoying the great outdoors. Dine at restaurants including Cafe Degas, Katie's, Liuzza’s by the Track, Toup’s Meatery and Angelo Brocato.
Treme'
Tremé, notable for its 32-acre Louis Armstrong Park, is considered the oldest black neighborhood in America, important to the Southern Civil Rights Movement and the birthplace of jazz. Tremé is home to Congo Square, the place enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays throughout the 18th and 19th centuries to drum dance and trade.
Visit Armstrong Park for festivals year-round and free music on Thursdays in the spring and fall. Also check the Backstreet Cultural Museum to learn about Mardi Gras Indian culture.
Faubourg Marigny
Developed as New Orleans’ second suburb (or Faubourg) in 1806, the Marigny is a pretty neighborhood of Creole and Classic Revival cottages adjacent to the French Quarter.
Visit Frenchmen Street to hear great live music in an authentic, historic neighborhood.
Bywater
This colorful area by the river is home to a mix of long-time locals and recent boho transplants. Architecturally intriguing, Bywater is a residential haven of small, locally owned restaurants and businesses that thrum with New Orleans vitality.
Visit Crescent Park for walking by the river. Check out the funky collection of restaurants and bars that includes The Joint, Bacchanal Wine, Bywater American Bistro and Bar Redux.
CBD/ Warehouse Arts District
Canal Street, which runs from the river to the lake, historically divided the French from the more affluent American sector. Today Canal is the gateway to the Central Business District, home to office buildings and hotels, restaurants and event venues including the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King Center. The Warehouse Arts District, once storage for the bounty that made New Orleans the richest city in America, now houses a concentration of arts organizations and museums, loft residences, film production companies and sound stages.
Visit the CBD for theaters and restaurants, the Warehouse Arts District for galleries and museums including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and The National WWII Museum.
Garden District
Known for its gorgeous St. Charles Avenue manses, the Garden District was first plotted in 1832 as a way for affluent Americans to avoid the overcrowded French Quarter. Dotted with Greek Revival and Italianate style mansions, this is a neighborhood meant for strolling. It is easily accessible by the St. Charles Avenue streetcar.
Visit Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and then have lunch or dinner at Commander’s Palace across the street. Shop Magazine Street for antiques, housewares and vintage clothing.
Uptown
The up river section of town that begins at Louisiana Avenue and stretches to Carrollton is a vibrant series of largely residential blocks that stretch from the Garden District all the way to Audubon Park and Riverbend. Home to a cluster of the city’s famous universities, Uptown is also a trove of architectural splendor and upscale abodes, fine dining establishments and fun bars.
Visit Freret Street, once a downtrodden avenue now buzzes with restaurants, entertainment venues and shops.