French Quarter History
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...
Read MoreHappy 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...
Read MorePhoto 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...
Read MoreItalian 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...
Read MorePostcard showing view of Storyville courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection Many know Storyville as the red light district where prostitution and jazz music flourished in New Orleans from 1895 to 1917. A lineage of musical geniuses, including Jelly Roll Morton, Buddy Bolden and Pops...
Read MoreEven on the muggiest of Louisiana days, it's always Christmas inside Santa’s Quarters in the French Quarter. Those who have never ventured into the store can’t help but wonder, How do they stay in business year-round? What is it a front for? But Santa’s Quarters (1025 Dectatur St) owner...
Read MoreBy: Katy Reckdahl Every year now, The Voodoo Experience, with its taglines “join the ritual,” and “worship the music,” pegs its calendar to Halloween. This has become a tradition in New Orleans, much like All Saints’ Day, when families head to the graveyards of the French Quarter and...
Read MoreBy: Sally Reeves Detail, Ignace Broutin, Plan de la Nouvelle Orléans telle qu'elle estoit le premier janvier mil sept cent trente-deux. French Centre des archives d'outre-mer 04DFC 90A. Broutin's plan of the garden and the Capuchin complex in 1732. Several drainage features seem to be...
Read MoreBy: Sally Reeves Every quarter-hour, the thin peal of bells at St. Louis Cathedral calls saints and sinners, mostly the latter. They clang out a slightly off-key sound, as if they well know the offbeat rhythms of the neighborhood below them. The pulse of a circus atmosphere around the church...
Read MoreBy: Sally Reeves If "the seed must die to generate new life," it was the post Civil War demise of the old Creole society in the New Orleans French Quarter that gave rise to a world of romantic reminiscences about it. Those enigmatic Creoles-- be they private, penurious, prideful in their...
Read MoreFrench Quarter History
French Quarter History consists of over 200 years of characters, chaos, and intrigue. From the Faubourg Marigny and Treme to the Mississippi River any history buff will be fulfulled here. Take a walking history tour or a Haunted New Orleans tour to find out much about the Historic French Quarter. Make sure to educate yourself on the Cabildo and the Spanish Quarter and of course, stop in St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square and see the original Louisiana Purchase. While you are here, take a moment to remember the devastation of Katrina. Take a Katrina Education Tour. And then round your trip out with some great jazz music and listen to the greats like Louis Armstrong or some of the new cats like The Marsalis family, Trombone Shorty and Kermit Ruffins to name a few.