New Orleans Sightseeing Attractions & Things to Do

Introduction

New Orleans occupies an 8-mile stretch between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, covering roughly 365 square mi of flat, swamp-drained land. The heart of the city, downtown, includes the famous old area called the Vieux Carré (Old Square), or the French Quarter; the historic African-American district of Tremé; the Central Business District (CBD); and the Warehouse District.

Across the river from downtown is an extension of New Orleans known as the Westbank, which includes the neighborhood of Algiers Point. Downriver from the sights-packed French Quarter are the Faubourg Marigny and the Bywater districts, neighborhoods developed in the early 1800s. The mainly residential area is also home to eateries, cafés, music clubs, and collectibles shops. Across Rampart Street, next to the French Quarter, lies Tremé. A couple of small museums add to the allure of this mainly residential area, of which parts were badly flooded during the Hurricane Katrina. Canal Street divides the French Quarter from the "American Sector," as it was designated in the early days following the Louisiana Purchase. Americans built their homes in increasing extravagance as they began to make money in the city and moved farther upriver. Eventually, a business district overtook what had been the residential blocks just uptown from Canal, and now the lawyers and artists of the CBD and Warehouse District share the area, taking advantage of the bars, clubs, and loft apartment buildings in this burgeoning neighborhood. Canal Street was undergoing a revival before the storm, and while a few stores are open, quite a few remain shuttered. However, the historic streetcar continues to run down the center of the street.

The foot of Canal Street, where the French Quarter, the CBD, the Warehouse District, and the Mississippi River converge, is the site of major attractions such as the Aquarium of the Americas, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Harrah's New Orleans casino, and the Riverwalk shopping-and-entertainment complex. The St. Charles Avenue streetcar parallels the Mississippi River on a route several blocks inland along St. Charles Avenue, home to antebellum mansions, the Garden District, and the university sector uptown. It is usually the best way to get to these areas.

Metairie, as well as hurricane-damaged Mid-City and the lakefront are accessible primarily by automobile. City Park, within Mid-City, covers a vast area that includes the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Garden, and Storyland, an entertainment area for children, plus miles of lagoons, golf courses, and recreation areas. The Mississippi River dominates New Orleans, even passing through one corner of it. The corner across the river from downtown is called Algiers, which was settled in the late 1800s and remained fairly isolated until a modern bridge and regularly scheduled ferries connected it with the east bank in the 1960s. Algiers continues to maintain a small-town flavor, with pocket parks surrounded by Victorian cottages and oak-canopied streets. Outlying areas include such attractions as the Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery some 5 miles south of New Orleans are in heavily damaged St. Bernard Parish, but are open to visitors.

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