Nola Crawfish Fest
Photo courtesy of NOLA Crawfish Festival
Taking place between the two Jazz Fest weekends, the fourth annual NOLA Crawfish Fest features three days of live music, beer, and some 6,000 pounds of boiled crawfish conjured by the NOLA Crawfish King himself, Chris “Shaggy” Davis. The fest will take place at Central City BBQ (1201 South Rampart Street) starting on Monday, April 29, through Wednesday, May 1 (3-10 p.m.) The timing might seem unusual, as most New Orleans festivals take place over the weekend, but with all the Jazz Fest fans in town looking to celebrate local culture between the two Jazz Fest-filled weekends this in fact seems perfect.
The venue, Central City BBQ, is a compound that stretches for half a block, containing a smokehouse, a BBQ restaurant, and an event space with a large yard and picnic tables. Besides a stellar lineup of live music the fest also features a crawfish cookoff and an eating contest. The 4th Annual Louisiana Fish Fry Ultimate Cook-off takes place on Wednesday, May 1 and the 2nd Annual Crawifsh Eatin’ Competition takes place on Tuesday April 30th.
The Cookoff
The annual cookoff will start at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and anyone is invited to sign up for a chance to boil their best sack of crawfish with their choice of fixings. About 20 two-person teams are expected to compete in front of the local celebrity judges, who will pick a winner based on taste, fixings, and spice level. The judging begins at 5 p.m. with the winning team will being announced at 6 p.m. If you plan to compete you’ll need another person for your team, your own boiling rig, the recipe, and the fixings; 40 pounds of fresh Louisiana crawfish will be provided. The entrance fee is $50 per team.
The Eating Contest
The eating contest is coming back after its inaugural year to give you a chance to eat as much crawfish as you can in the allotted 7 minutes. The winner gets $100 and bragging rights, and all participants who sign up gain free admission to the festival on the day of the contest.
The Music Lineup
NOLA Crawfish Fest focuses on featuring local musicians, so this is a great chance to see them jam outside of the Fair Grounds and in a much smaller, more intimate setting. On Monday, George Porter, Jr, Dave Malone, Billy Iuso and Terrence Higgins are banding together to perform as the NOLA Crawfish Allstars. Neville Jacobs will perform with Cris Jacobs, Ivan Neville, Tony Hall, and Brady Blade. The ever popular Soul Brass Band is also scheduled to perform on Monday. On Tuesday, you’ll get to enjoy the Mike Dillon Band and Eric Krasno and Friends; while Wednesday will bring out Anders Osborne and Papa Mali, among others.
What Else Do You Need to Know?
The NOLA Crawfish Fest tickets are available for each day and in three-day VIP packages. General admission per day is $40 ($50 with a single order of crawfish included, which will get you 2 to 3 pounds). VIP packages start at $150.
There will be other kinds of food besides crawfish available for purchase, as well as drinks. The organizers ask that you don’t bring festival chairs as there’s plenty of seating around the stage and in the food area.
In terms of getting there and parking, Jazz Fest is always a very busy time in New Orleans, so expect traffic but a rideshare or a cab are both good transportation options. So is biking, and there is bike parking at the venue. If you plan to drive to the fest street parking is limited.
Finally, NOLA Crawfish Fest is rain or shine (so no refunds). You can get updates on the event here.
We hope you enjoy this chance to celebrate the Louisiana crawfish season!
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Don’t Play Parking Russian Roulette in the French Quarter!
Photo by Bryan Dorrough
For the most part, parking on the streets of the French Quarter is a very bad proposition for visitors. Stringent parking control measures are in effect and meter limits are strictly enforced by dour and determined meter maids. Tow trucks are always on the streets, even at night – especially at night – and many a visitor’s trip has been ruined by an expensive detour to the City Pound to retrieve a car illegally left in a no-parking zone, too close to a corner or in a protected zone. Here are a few tips to help you skip the fuss and find trouble-free parking in the French Quarter.
Photo: Lonesome Yellow Bike by Theodore Lee
Navigate Parking Like the Locals
In the back of the Quarter, a residential parking program gives local registered parkers an advantage and a pass, but even registered parkers have to play a tricky game of hopscotch parking to stay ahead of street cleaning and time limits. Many residents arrange to park their vehicles in private lots or parking buildings nearby, at significant cost, we might add. Savvy Quarterites walk, bike, scoot and generally take advantage of the historic district’s appealing scale.
Parking at Your Hotel
Visitors with reservations at French Quarter hotels can park their vehicles with the hotel but should be aware that it is an extra charge and can be as much as $30 to $45 a day. Don’t even think of bringing an oversized vehicle onto the streets of the Quarter without some good and defensible reason, prior permissions and permits from the Police Department. Anything bigger than an SUV is likely to get jammed at the corners and stymied on the narrow streets that were originally laid out for horse-drawn vehicles.
New Orleans, LA (French Quarter) by Jason Paris
Parking Lots and Garages in the French Quarter
But don’t despair, there is ample and convenient parking available all along the riverfront side of the French Quarter. Download a pdf of French Quarter Riverside Parking Lots.
- Beginning at the Canal Street upriver border of the district near the Aquarium, Canal Place and Custom House there is multi-story covered parking in the Canal Place Garage. The entrance is at the end of Iberville and the River.
- Moving downriver along North Peters there are large lighted lots at Iberville and North Peters, Conti and North Peters, and Toulouse and Decatur, all convenient to the Jax and Millhouse developments and Jackson Square. These lots extend to the levee wall and streetcar tracks running along the riverfront and are much bigger than they appear from the street.
- At St. Peter and Decatur is the entrance to the French Market parking lot that is between the Market and the Moonwalk and extends all the way to Barracks Street and the Old U.S. Mint.
- Just at the downriver border of the Quarter is another French Market lot at the corner of Decatur and Elysian Fields.
Here’s some good advice: park anywhere in these riverfront lots and enjoy the French Quarter without risking the nasty loss that accompanies the street-side game of parking roulette.
To reserve French Quarter parking in advance, click here.
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The Best Barbecue in New Orleans
Photo courtesy of McClure’s Barbecue on Facebook
Barbecue is probably the most famous sub-genre of Southern cooking, and New Orleans is the best food city in the South (if not the country), but ironically, our city isn’t known as a traditional barbecue stronghold. Our cuisine has always skewed more towards seafood and rich, buttery dishes that sit at the intersection of French and West African cooking influences. But this situation has been changing rapidly in the years following Hurricane Katrina, as a plethora of barbecue spots have opened across the city. Here are some of our favorite places in town to score some smoked goodness.
Central City BBQ
(1201 S Rampart Street)
Central City BBQ is blowing up the smoked meat scene in the city from their CBD location near the Union Passenger Terminal. Guests rave about the huge regional beer menu, clean, contemporary interior, and of courses, the locally sourced meat, prepared by a pit team that includes stalwart veterans of the city’s’ culinary scene. One of the few spots in town to grab some burnt ends – save us a spot at the table.
The Joint
(701 Mazant Street)
A beloved Bywater spot with a sly sense of humor (The Joint’s long time motto is “Always Smokin’”), this low-slung smokehouse gets packed during lunch times and weekends as the crowds pack in for groaning trays of ‘que. We’re big fans of the brisket, which has an impossibly rich ‘bark’ (the outer crust of the meat), and the sides, which includes a salad that would almost make us consider giving up meat, if it weren’t for the fact the meat here is so good. There’s a good bar on site that mixes some surprisingly delicious cocktails. The look of The Joint is reason enough to visit – the spot looks like a ramshackle folk art project dunked in lemon paint. Bring the kids.
Brügger’s Barbecüe
(2831 St Claude Avenue)
Located inside of the St Roch market, Brugger’s is the brainchild of Texas native Damian Brugger, who used to smoke his meat the Black Label Icehouse. This outpost of his barbecue dreams serves excellent sausages and small mountains of juicy brisket. Or try some of the pork shoulder, a smoked, juicy revelation that has our mouths watering as we type.
McClure’s Barbecue
(3001 Tchoupitoulas Street)
The best thing about McClure’s is its location. Not that it has a great view of anything (“Come see scenic Tchoupitoulas and Seventh St. The shipping containers are gorgeous this time of year!”), but it’s located within NOLA Brewing, which means you get to supplement all of that delicious barbeque with a bunch of locally brewed, delicious suds. Life doesn’t get much better. Oh yeah: they’ve got a brisket cheesesteak on the menu. Brisket. Cheesesteak.
Blue Oak
(900 N Carrollton Avenue)
For years, Blue Oak doled out its barbecue plates from a window in Chickie Wah Wah, one of the great music clubs of New Orleans. As the spot grew in popularity, they carved out a brick and mortar outpost for themselves on N Carrollton, near the edge of City Park and Bayou St John. There’s a lot of good things about Blue Oak, but we especially contend that they serve some of the best chicken wings and smoked chicken in the city. They’re quite family friendly as well.
Frey Smoked Meat Co.
(4141 Bienville Street)
Family friendly Frey’s delivers big plates of tasty, smoky, messy barbecue, but it does so in a clean, polished setting within the semi-suburban Mid-City Marketplace. That means this is a convenient spot if you need easy parking and space for the little ones to run around, although the atmosphere isn’t as charmingly chaotic as you might find in other places on this list. Platters include pork belly, sausage, and a cave man worthy beef rib; order a side of pimento mac n’ cheese and go to town.
Walker’s BBQ
(10828 Hayne Boulevard)
Walker’s is most famous for its cochon de lait po’boy, which is a staple of Jazz Fest menus. This is basically slow cooked pork, soft enough to tear apart with your hands and delicious enough to enjoy any time of year, festival season or no. Everything else on the menu is wonderful too. Walker’s is located out in New Orleans East, so it’s a bit of a hike to get out here, but to be fair, we’d trek much further than the East for some cochon de lait.
Smokin’ Hot Butts
(500 S Telemachus Street)
This Mid-City spot is notable for its rubs, its ribs, and its location – within Twelve Mile Limit, one of the best neighborhood bars in a city that has some very fine neighborhood bars. Enjoy an Old-Fashioned, play a little pool, then settle down for a barbecue plate that ought to include the loaded tots – swimming in cheese, meat and all sorts of other goodies.
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Round Up the Girls and Come To FestiGals in New Orleans
It seems like a day doesn’t go by without a celebration of some sort in the Big Easy! FestiGals is a decadent New Orleans festival that praises women from all walks of life, and takes place this year on June 21-24, 2018. This empowering festival provides a fun and exciting environment for women from all over to have a memorable time with friends. FestiGals is part girls’ weekend, part business trip, and part giving opportunity, featuring a variety of events for every kind of woman. If you are visiting the city this summer and looking for exciting New Orleans attractions and events to partake in, grab your gals and experience this one-of-a-kind festival!
Finding New Orleans Attractions and Festivals
There is never a dull moment in this dynamic city. Between all of the exciting New Orleans attractions, festivals, events, and celebrations, you will barely have enough time to catch your breath! While staying in the city, be sure to check out some of the famous New Orleans attractions like the St. Louis Cathedral, the mighty Mississippi River, The Aquarium of the Americas, the National World War II Museum, historic Jackson Square, and delicious Cafe Du Monde, just to name a few. If you and your girls plan on staying in the city this summer, you will not regret partaking in all the fun at FestiGals in New Orleans! This weekend-long festival starts with check-in on Thursday, followed by the New Orleans Women’s Conference on Friday. This premiere female-centric conference features talks from multiple local and nationally-successful business women, sponsored by female-friendly causes and businesses.
A Festival Fighting For Good Causes
FestiGals girls not only have fun, but they fight for good causes. Past beneficiaries include American Heart, Breastoration, Cancer Associations of Greater New Orleans, Dress for Success, Heart N Hands, Metropolitan Center for Women and Children, New Orleans Family Justice Center, and New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter.
FestiGal Traditions in New Orleans
Partake in the largest all women second-line parade at FestiGals in New Orleans! This festival is full of traditions, and this particular one is loved by festival participants. Join your friends and strut your stuff down the streets surrounded by New Orleans brass bands and female marching troupes. After the parade, enjoy delicious food and drinks donated by local restaurants and jam out to music by Groovy 7! FestiGals attendees are also given entry to FestiTalks, a brand new addition to this diverse conference. During FestiTalks, women from various industries with different roles in their communities will give brief talks on subjects of interest.
Finding the Perfect New Orleans Hotel This Summer
Planning a trip to New Orleans this summer? Check out all of the great New Orleans attractions, festivals, and events in the Big Easy, and be sure to reserve your spot at one of the Valentino Hotels close to all the action. Book your stay at the Place d’Armes Hotel on Jackson Square, Prince Conti and Hotel St. Marie just off of Bourbon Street, French Market Inn overlooking Decatur Street and the Mississippi River, or the classic Lafayette Hotel on the historic St. Charles Avenue in the Central Business District. Experience the quality and charm offered at all of these historic New Orleans hotels!
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New Orleans’ Tricentennial Celebration
Happy birthday to New Orleans, 300 years in the making! The year 2018 marks the city of New Orleans’s 300th anniversary, and the city is going all out on the monthslong celebration of its illustrious history, diverse culture and unique traditions. The extensive program, put forth by city officials and the 2018 NOLA Commission formed by Mayor Landrieu, includes concerts, exhibitions, citywide celebratory events, and, of course, fireworks (twice). Several major infrastructure projects are also slated for completion in 2018 as part of marking the anniversary.
To celebrate the historic ties between New Orleans and France a delegation of local business, cultural, civic, and government leaders, helmed by the Mayor, traveled to France in November 2017. And The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com teamed up on a series “300 for 300” since January 2017, publishing special features on the 300 events that shaped the city and the 300 people who have defined it.
So, stay tuned for updates of the tricentennial projects, buy some merch, and get out there to celebrate during the end of 2017, and into the new year. Here are some highlights on the related improvement projects and special events.
Gallier Hall Legacy Restoration Project
The tricentennial legacy project is the large-scale restoration of historic Gallier Hall, directed by the Gallier Hall Preservation Committee. The Greek Revival building was erected between 1845 and 1853 and served as City Hall until 1956. Restoration plans include interior painting and repair, rewiring, and restoration of the period furniture, the decor like mirrors and chandeliers; paintings; and even the Steinway pianos.
Large-Scale Improvement Projects
Other improvements include the New Orleans riverfront, with the completion of Crescent Park, a dog-friendly public green space along the river that connects Bywater and the French Market. Another large-scale green-space renovation, the Lafitte Greenway, is a 2.6-mile stretch of pedestrian and bike paths, from Bayou St. John in Mid-City to the French Quarter.
The recent expansion of the N. Rampart/St. Claude streetcar line eases the navigation of the city’s widespread areas. Another notable projects are the $360 million redevelopment of the long-vacant World Trade Center into a Four Seasons hotel, and the makeover of Bourbon Street. This most-visited street in the city hasn’t had an extensive upgrade since 1928, so the $6 million repair project, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017, will replace drain and water lines, repair and upgrade gas pipes, and will lay eight inches of concrete.
Scheduled to open in February 2019, the new, 972,000 sq. feet North Terminal facility at the Louis Armstrong airport will have two concourses, 35 gates, and a parking garage for more than 2,000 cars. And, last but not least, the New Orleans Recreation Development Committee (NORDC) announced the opening of five remodeled recreation centers: the St. Bernard Center, Sanchez Center, Lyons Center, Joe W. Brown Recreation Center, Cut-Off Recreation Center, and the Milne Center.
Tricentennial Events Through February 2018
Although the celebration goes well into 2018, here are just some of the highlights of how New Orleans will be celebrating its 300th birthday through the winter of 2018.
Exhibitions:
What: Solidary & Solitary: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection
When: 09/30/2017 – 01/21/2018
Where: The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
What: The Church in the Crescent: Three Hundred Years of Catholicism in New Orleans
When: 10/13/2017 – 06/30/2018
Where: Old Ursuline Convent Museum
What: Women of New Orleans: Builders and Rebuilders
When: Times and dates vary
Where: Various venues, presented by Nola4Women
What: New Orleans, the Founding Era
When: 02/27/2018 – 05/27/2018
Where: The Historic New Orleans Collection
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Long Form Exposure: PhotoNOLA
Photo courtesy of PhotoNola on Facebook
In December, New Orleans celebrates its vibrant community of photographers and welcomes artists from around the world to PhotoNOLA, a series of gallery openings, lectures, and workshops held annually between the first and second weekends of December (Dec 7-10 this year).
Events provide photographers invaluable opportunities to acquire new skills, experience new art, and meet others artists. For the general public, gallery openings, largely coinciding with the second Saturday arts walk on St Claude Ave, spotlight the city’s best artists as well as larger trends in the art world.
PhotoNOLA grew from brainstorming sessions Don Marshall (of the Jazz and Heritage Foundation) held to work on economic recovery post-Hurricane Katrina. Those sessions led to the development of the New Orleans Photo Alliance, which serves photographers living in the Gulf Coast, and presents PhotoNOLA each year to highlight photographic arts and continue to spur economic recovery in the city.
Events begin Thursday (Dec 7), and include a 6-10pm opening gala at the New Orleans Museum of Art where contemporary artist and photographer Xaviera Simmons will give the keynote address for the week.
Workshops for photographers kick off on Friday (Dec 8), including a two day workshop with Ashley Gilbertson at the International House. The day culminates when participants in the PhotoNOLA Portfolio Review display their work for an evening portfolio walk at the Ogden Museum of Art’s Patrick F. Taylor Library. This event is free and open to the public and lasts from 7-9pm.
PhotoNOLA culminates Saturday (Dec 9) night, when galleries and alternative venues across the city will host dozens of photographers. This is a night where it is impossible to see everything, but fun to try. Determined souls might start in the CBD and explore around Julia Street, then make a few stops in the Quarter on Royal before finally heading to the St. Claude corridor, but even that route misses some outlying venues.
On Sunday, December 10th, events are all free and open to the public, and include a screening of the film My Louisiana Love by Monique Verdin at 12:30 p.m. at The Historic New Orleans Collection, and a presentation by photographer Priya Kambli at the Old U.S. Mint at 10 a.m. A full listing of PhotoNOLA events can be found here.
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Fun New Orleans Sightseeing with the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
With a city as robust and cultured as New Orleans, you can imagine the overwhelming number of attractions, restaurants, shops and much more. We found ourselves asking – What neighborhoods are must-sees? Which museums are worth the price of admission? How will we get there? What do the locals do for fun? I am certain even locals who’ve lived here for decades haven’t seen every concert, shopped at every boutique, enjoyed each delicious restaurant or even attended every festival. So, where to begin?
We decided to start with a broad overview of the city—which is just what the Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour offers! Chances are, you’ve noticed the BIG RED, double-decker buses rolling around New Orleans (they’re hard to miss). But, what you may not know is why they’re an excellent way to start exploring the magic of New Orleans. Hop-On Hop-Off gave us a great big southern welcome to the Big Easy!
What is the Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour?
Simply put, the tour consists of an Open-Top fun bus navigated by a SAINTED driver and hosted by a TALENTED tour guide, who describes the sites and history you encounter along the way. You’ll learn more than you ever imagined, from the iron-laced historic buildings to the above-ground cemeteries. We discovered New Orleans’ Jazz, its unique cuisine, antique street cars, Mardi Gras traditions and the romance pulsating throughout the soul of the city. Few cities can boast so rich a heritage!
But here’s the real beauty of the Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour: you will see landmarks and local hangouts you would have otherwise overlooked. With a local tour guide showing you the ropes, you can’t miss a thing! We left the city with such a wealth of knowledge and a true overview of New Orleans!
The bus makes a total of 18 stops along its 2-hour loop, and you can start your tour wherever most convenient – Jackson Square, the Garden District, or even at the Basin St. Station Visitor Center. You’ll cruise down Canal Street and through the Central Business District; then head straight up Magazine Street into the Garden District. This is where we decided to Hop-Off. The streets were filled with locals, and spicy aromas – on every corner, there was another unique boutique or shop, not your run-of-the-mill selections. After our fill… Food, Shopping and Local Beer… we hopped back on the bus and continued down the historic St. Charles Avenue. This is where you discover a true sense of New Orleans Mardi Gras. We learned about the strong French and Catholic roots. But, even better, saw what they call “BEAD trees” first hand! Next stop: the heart of the French Quarter. You’ll travel around the Marigny then pass by Tremé and Louis Armstrong Park. All the while, your Top-Deck Tour Guide portrays the culture and describes the city’s unique characters with you!
How does ticketing work?
It’s very simple – you can Hop-On at any stop and buy a ticket! A one-day ticket of unlimited rides is $39, but the best value is found in the three-day ticket. For $10 additional dollars, ride the bus for 2 more days and take advantage of the two free guided walking tours: French Quarter and Garden District. Another great bonus, we were able to get our bearings, ride the two-hour loop, and then really plan where we wanted to get off the next day to discover the unique treasures of New Orleans.
With your Hop-On Hop-Off ticket, you also have tremendous savings on other attractions. All along the route there are city deal offers. Our absolute favorite was the St. Louis #1 Cemetery Tour! You save $5 dollars and get to walk through the tombs of Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau and even get to see the future home of Nicolas Cage (a gleaming, nine-foot pyramid).
Much more than just a bus
The Hop-On Hop-Off Tour is an unbelievable bargain – both City Tour and Transportation. Every stop on the tour, from Jackson Square to Mardi Gras World, is a world-class destination. You aren’t just getting shuffled around from point A to point B: you’re getting a curated experience.
When we considered the cost of other tours, or added up the price of Ubers and taxis for three days, we felt like we saved a ton.
Plus, riding in the open-air bus is fun! There’s nothing like sitting on the breezy top deck, beneath a red-and-yellow awning, at the height of a Mardi Gras float, and passing under the oaks on St. Charles Avenue, inches away from the leftover beads glittering in their branches. If you need a break from New Orleans’ humid, subtropical climate, just go downstairs and soak up the air conditioning on the bus’s lower level.
What can I expect from the tour?
We wouldn’t want to give everything away (and there’s hardly enough room to share all the information here), but below are a few highlights from our favorite stops!
Stop 1: Jackson Square
Grab a beignet and café au lait from Café du Monde, which sits at the start of this large open-air market. Relax and take in the views of the river and the Iconic Cathedral. This is perfect photo opportunity!
Stop 2: French Market
Hop-Off here and join the French Quarter walking tour. Be sure to check out the French Market; it is the oldest of its kind in the U.S. and, originally was founded as an American trading post. Today, you can shop with local artists, jewelry makers, and grab a bite to eat along the way.
Stop 4: Treme
Willie Mae’s Scotch House, Dooky Chase and Ernie K-Doe’s lounge are just a few must-sees in this historic neighborhood, which is named for real estate developer Claude Treme. Be sure to double check business hours, as many are rather erratic.
Stop 5: Basin St. Station Visitor Center
At this former site of the historic Southern Railway/New Orleans Terminal Company, you’ll find restrooms, a gift shop, cold drinks and souvenirs for sale, an educational exhibit and 7-minute film. Also, an easy and affordable parking option sits right next door for those in need. This is also where you would hop-off to join the St. Louis #1 Cemetery walking tour.
Stop 7: Riverfront Harrah’s Casino
Enjoy a signature drink and take advantage of the $5 FREE slot play. Fulton Street is also packed with lots of great places to check out, from Fulton Alley to do a little bowling to having a beer at Manning’s.
Stop 10: The National World War II Museum
This museum opened in 2000 and honors Andrew Higgins, who owned Higgins boatyards here in New Orleans. President Eisenhower called these “the boats that won the war.” The Museum features immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories to take visitors inside the story of the war.
Stop 11-12-13: Magazine Street
Welcome to miles of fantastic shopping, restaurants, bars, and boutiques! There are 3 stops along this mile-long stretch of Magazine Street (at Jackson, at Washington, and at Louisiana) – convenient for Hopping-Off, Strolling along, and Hopping-On down the block! Don’t miss the Garden District Walking Tour that leaves from Stop 12.
Stop 14 & 15: St. Charles Avenue
You’ll find a piece of the original Eiffel Tower on this street. It was disassembled into 11,000 pieces and rebuilt on St. Charles Avenue, where it now serves as a club and events venue.
Stop 16: Mardi Gras World
These warehouses contain floats and décor made by Blaine Kern for 48 prominent Mardi Gras krewes. It’s most definitely worth a tour and Hop-On Hop-Off ticket holders are afforded a discounted admission!
We made our way around the city, hopping-on and off at our leisure. This city tour was flexible, at our own pace, convenient and overall, a lot of FUN. We left New Orleans feeling like a local! The Hop-On Hop-Off is an absolute must-do.
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Ghost Tours in the French Quarter
Photo courtesy of Cemetery Tour New Orleans at Basin St. Station on Facebook
Halloween in New Orleans has grown into an extremely popular party holiday for pleasure seekers, with its active nightlife, dining scene and seasonal festivals booming this time of year.
But the city holds a much more nuanced appeal for those interested in the supernatural and macabre, and when Halloween rolls around there is no better place to test the boundaries of reality and mysticism.
Indeed, if ever there was a town where claims of ghosts and hauntings gain currency, it is New Orleans. The child of hot blooded French and Spanish colonial parents, heavily influenced by African traditions and draped in Southern gothic ambiance, the city’s history is rife with the sort of intrigue, lore and clouded uncertainties that provide fertile ground for tales of restless spirits and obsessions that reach beyond the grave.
The history of the French Quarter in particular is teeming with ghost stories, and their veracity is greatly aided by the darkly romantic architecture, opened-minded denizens and the well-rooted attitude that anything can happen here.
Ghosts and Their Guides
Strolling the streets of the Vieux Carre, the past seems close at hand and it’s easy to imagine a compelling story behind each old cypress door. Chapters from American history do indeed wait behind some, from the plotting of the Battle of New Orleans to the conspiracies around the JFK assassination. Behind others, however, lurk much more chilling tales, which are naturally told with greatest effect after dark.
Bartenders, shopkeepers and even cast and crew at Le Petit Theatre (616 St. Peter St., 504-522-2081) readily share stories of the spirits they swear to have witnessed in their workplaces, while the right pair of eyes may catch shadows and reflections of an unquiet past in the corridors and bedrooms of the old French Quarter buildings that today house hotels and inns.
Just as there is no shortage of ghost stories in New Orleans, there are plenty of people willing to relate them, often with great theatrics and usually for a price. Some of the more famous chapters from the town’s creepy canon include the story of the Turkish sultan who is said to haunt the imposing Creole mansion at the corner of Dauphine Street and Orleans Avenue where in the 19th century he and his harem were brutally murdered.
Another involves a ghost widely known as Julie or the Creole Lady, who is believed to haunt the roof of 734 Royal St., where she is said to have died from exposure in a futile and fatal attempt to prove her love to a French nobleman she could never marry.
Perhaps the most well-known and ghastly resident of the Quarter’s supernatural menagerie is the fabled haunting of the LaLaurie Mansion at 1140 Royal St., located at the dark and quiet downriver end of the Vieux Carre. It was here, in the antebellum days, that firefighters called to extinguish a blaze discovered a torture chamber in the mansion’s attic where a cruel mistress had practiced unspeakable horrors upon chained slaves. Madame LaLaurie’s legacy is stoked to this day by claimed sightings of a small child wandering the building’s rooftop, as though seeking escape from long-ago brutality, only to plummet towards the ground and vanish.
Numerous walking tours in the Quarter are devoted to this subject matter, often with costumed and highly-animated guides who double as street performers during the stroll. The Haunted History Tour (504-861-2727), Voodoo Bone Lady (504-267-2040) and New Orleans Secret Tours (504-517-5397) all specialize in this genre, while the Historic New Orleans Walking Tours (504-947-2120) provides informative ghost tours along with tours of historic neighborhoods and the city’s cemeteries.
Cities of the Dead
Yes, even the graveyards in New Orleans are major tourist attractions and points of cultural interest. Many secrets have been buried in the Crescent City through the generations, but the same cannot be said for its deceased residents, who more likely are interred in aboveground vaults and tombs.
The city’s famous graveyards are labyrinthine complexes of these masonry structures, often beautifully appointed with funereal statuary and evocative inscriptions. Surrounded by walls that are themselves filled with the remains of deceased New Orleanians, these cemeteries are often referred to as “cities of dead.”
Though deeply historic, the cemeteries are very much functional today. In fact, in some families a well-kept tomb is bragged about as if it were a fat retirement policy waiting at the end of the line, and the jazz funerals for local musicians usually wend their way through these cemeteries to the final gig.
Perhaps the most famous cemetery near the French Quarter is known as St. Louis No. 1, which was established in 1789 and is today operated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Located on Basin Street just outside the Quarter, this densely packed cemetery is the final resting place for many of New Orleans’ historical figures, including Marie Laveau, the famous 19th century voodoo queen.
You can only come here via a tour; contact Cemetery Tour New Orleans at Basin St. Station or Le Monde Creole (504-568-1801) for a tour in French. Several other companies, including Haunted History and Historic New Orleans Tours, can also lead you around this cemetery.
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Jambalaya and a Crawfish Pie and File Gumbo: Louisiana Seafood Festival is Back
Photo courtesy of Louisiana Seafood Festival on Facebook
Fall in New Orleans means milder temps that are perfect for outdoor events, and that usually means a robust October festival lineup. One of the month’s highlights is the annual Louisiana Seafood Festival — three days of food music held Friday through Sunday, October 27-29. The dates this year are new, and so is the location. The festival will be held in Woldenberg Park, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The park is located in downtown New Orleans at 1 Canal Street, along the Mississippi River waterfront.
Louisiana’s rich culinary heritage is worth celebrating over and over, and the state’s relationship with seafood has been a huge part of it for centuries. It’s no wonder that the attendance numbers for this fest had been solid, and some of Louisiana’s best restaurants, food popups and catering businesses count themselves among the vendors year after year.
So, skip breakfast and head to the riverfront: Gulf fish, crab, oysters, crawfish, and shrimp await (with some alligator thrown in), prepared in many authentic, mouth-watering ways. Vendors this year include such top local restaurants as Ajun Cajun, Drago’s, Galatoire’s, Jacques-Imo’s, Luke, Mahony’s, Superior Seafood, and Tujaque’s. The Lafitte, LA-based Voleo’s Seafood Restaurant will also be there.
As in previous years, top Louisiana chefs will host cooking demonstrations in the Cooking Pavilion so you could see firsthand how some of the most exquisite authentic Louisiana seafood dishes are prepared. The Kids Pavilion will have seafood-themed activities for the little ones. The Art Village will again feature a variety of local vendors selling art, crafts, jewelry, textiles, and more.
There will be live music starting at 11 a.m. on all three days and ending at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 7 p.m. on Sunday. The stellar lineup doesn’t get more Louisiana, and includes Tab Benoit, Bucktown All-Stars, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters, Bonerama, Soul Rebels, and Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue.
Admission at the entrance is $10 for each day; admission for children under 12 is free. You can also buy tickets online, including single-day passes and VIP tickets ($65, comes with a T-shirt). VIP access includes VIP tent, open bar, private restroom, and front-of-stage viewing area. Weekend passes are $25 for one day and $190 for the whole weekend.
The festival will be held rain or shine. Please note that no pets and hard-sided ice chest are allowed on festival grounds, but chairs, blankets and soft-sided coolers are welcome. There will be ATMs on site too but you may want to bring cash to the festival to avoid the fees and the lines. Most food and beverage vendors will accept cash only, with few exceptions.
There will be bike racks at the entrance to the grounds. Since there is no public parking for this festival parking options will be limited to paid lots and street parking, so consider biking or taking public transportation. The festival is produced as an annual fundraiser by Louisiana Hospitality Foundation, a nonprofit that supports education, health and social welfare.
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Over-the-top Gravesites in New Orleans
Italian Benevolent Society Tomb, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA—photo by traveljunction on Flickr
From Ernie K-Doe to the fictional Ignatius P. Reilly, many over-the-top personalities comprise the city of New Orleans. Not surprisingly, these larger-than-life characters often take their showmanship and swagger to the grave. The Crescent City’s above-ground cemeteries offer the perfect vehicle for showing off even after shuffling off the mortal coil. Here are just a few extravagant graves—and where to find them. To schedule a tour at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, visit cemeterytourneworleans.com.
Italian Benevolent Society Tomb, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
At the time of its construction in 1927, this mausoleum was one of the most expensive society tombs ever built. (It cost $40,000, which incidentally is the same price Nicolas Cage paid for his pyramid-shaped tomb in the same cemetery in 2009). The elaborate Baroque tomb features 24 vaults and carved marble statues, and it became the setting for a scandalous scene in the 1969 movie Easy Rider.
Nicolas Cage (1964—), St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Is it the fact that the white, pyramid-shaped tomb contrasts sharply with the surrounding mausoleums and society tombs? Is it the constant presence of red lipstick kisses on its exterior, left by adoring fans? Maybe it’s the Latin phrase inscribed over the entry: “Omnia Ab Uno” (all from one). Or maybe it’s the fact that the celebrity owner of this extravagant tomb isn’t even dead yet. For whatever reason, Nicolas Cage’s future tomb is definitely over the top.
Marie Laveau (1801-1881), St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Voodoo queen Marie Laveau’s Greek Revival tomb is relatively humble compared to others in the St. Louis Cemetery. Its larger-than-life qualities come from the personality of its occupant. Many supplicants believe Laveau continues her healing magic from beyond the grave, and they leave small tokens, often in sets of threes, as entreaties. Others believe her spirit haunts the graveyard. Whatever your belief may be when it comes to the afterlife, Marie Laveau has transcended death—or her reputation has, at the very least.
Chapel, St. Roch Cemetery No. 1
Head to the rear of this active cemetery, where you’ll find a small Gothic Revival chapel with a crumbling, petite side room filled with prosthetic limbs, crutches, glass eyes, votives and thank-you notes to St. Roch, the patron saint of miraculous cures. The collection of cast-off medical artifacts is creepy or inspiring, depending on your perspective.
Not in New Orleans, but close
Al Copeland, 1944-2008, Metairie Cemetery
Many New Orleanians have fond childhood memories of visiting Al Copeland’s Metairie abode, which he decorated extravagantly during the holiday season. Today, the Popeye’s Chicken founder is interred in an opulent family tomb in Metairie Cemetery. Flanked by urns, white marble columns and a stained-glass door, it looks less like a mausoleum than a minor Greek acropolis.
Chapman H. Hyams, 1838-1923, Metairie Cemetery
How can you be sure that your death causes angels themselves to weep? Commission a marble version yourself, as did millionaire stockbroker Chapman H. Hyams. His “Angel of Grief” statue rests inside a granite Greek temple surrounded by Ionic columns. Stained glass windows illuminate the grieving seraph.
