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First-time visitors are often struck by the European flavor of New Orleans, and little wonder. Louisiana was claimed for Louis XIV in 1699 and is the only state that was once a French royal colony. La Nouvelle Orleans was founded in 1718 and ruled by France and then Spain for nearly 100 years. It is the only U.S. city where French was the predominant language for over a century.
The city has more than 35,000 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, more than other U.S. city. Washington, D.C., the closest contender, has just over 20,000. Many are located in the 10-square-block area known as the French Quarter. St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest active cathedral in the United States, was originally built in 1724 and rebuilt twice after a hurricane and a fire. The present church overlooking Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter was dedicated in 1794. The Old Ursuline Convent, also in the Quarter, dates to 1745 and is the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley.
As Americans settled here, they built beautiful antebellum mansions in the Garden District and Uptown, and a streetcar line that is the oldest continuously operating rail system in the world.
New Orleans is also known as the birthplace of jazz. Early jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver got their start in the nightclubs of Storyville, a red-light district that flourished from 1897 to 1917. The city?EUR??,,????'?????<
The city has a well-deserved reputation for food as well. Chefs at the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
The French Quarter is one of the most unique neighborhoods in the United States. This six by 13 block area is filled with America?EUR??,,????'?????<
You can visit the historic Napoleon House, 500 Chartres Street. This wonderful example of the French architectural tradition was offered to Napoleon as a refuge from his exile on St. Helena. Unfortunately the emperor passed away before getting a chance to visit.
Take in a quick history lesson at one of the many museums in the Quarter, such as the Old U.S. Mint, the Cabildo (where the Louisiana Purchase was signed), The Voodoo Museum, the Pharmacy Museum (the nation?EUR??,,????'?????<
New Orleans has many walking tours, but if you get tired of walking you can hitch a ride on a moving landmark, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line?EUR??,,????'?????<
The St. Charles route has been a major avenue of public transit since 1835. Horses drew the early cars but the current electrified line began service in 1893. Many of the cars used today date as far back as 1923, which is one of the reasons the streetcars have made their way onto the National Register of Historic Places.
A streetcar tour begins on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street on the edge of the historic French Quarter. Make sure to have exactly $1.25 because the drivers have no way of making change. The best time to begin your tour is usually mid-afternoon. During morning and evening rush hours the cars are often packed with business commuters and children on the way to and from school.
The first historic site on the line is Lafayette Square, the oldest public square in the city. It is located on the left between stops #3 and #4 and ironically contains no monument to its namesake. To the immediate right are the massive columns of Gallier Hall, formerly City Hall. The Greek revival building, dedicated in 1853, has received many U.S. presidents and other notable figures.
Although the St. Charles and Riverfront lines are the only two streetcar lines left in operation, the Canal Line is being restored after a 35-year absence. The addition of another line will be completed by 2004 and allow access to such attractions as City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art.
The Garden District officially begins at Jackson Avenue. There are numerous self-guided tours available for anyone who wants to wander through the historic neighborhood. Most of the prominent sites are featured in any New Orleans tour book and information is also available at any visitor?EUR??,,????'?????<
To the immediate left are the beautiful grounds of Audubon Park. The park extends all the way to the Mississippi River and is the perfect spot for a jog or an afternoon picnic.
Farther down and to the right are the Loyola and Tulane University campuses. Loyola is the largest Catholic University in the South and has been at this site since 1904. Tulane ranks among the top universities in the country, and its structures date back to 1834.
Once the site of Allard Plantation, facing Bayou St. John, City Park?EUR??,,????'?????<
Longue Vue was the home of late philanthropists Edgar Bloom Stern, a New Orleans cotton broker, and his wife Edith, an heir to the Sears Roebuck fortune. The gardens are among the largest and last remaining public gardens designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman, the dean of American landscape design. Later modified by William Platt, the gardens complement the grand Spanish Court, which was inspired by the 14th-century Generalife Gardens of the Alhambra in Spain.
Longue Vue House and Gardens is located at #7 Bamboo Road and is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. $10 for adults, $5 for young people 5-17, and free for children under five. For more information call 504-488-5488 or visit http://www.longuevue.com.
The New Orleans museum community offers many important and wonderful cultural attractions, including art museums, history and heritage sites, National Historic Landmarks, and historic houses. The National D-Day Museum is one of the area?EUR??,,????'?????<
New Orleans also has a thriving contemporary arts community that hosts events, performances and exhibitions that continue the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
The city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Other indigenous sounds are also central to New Orleans?EUR??,,????'?????<
Two hundred years ago the United States was a new nation taking its first steps towards growth by attempting to buy the port of New Orleans from France. Those steps quickly turned into giant leaps when the United States instantly doubled in size at a bargain of four cents an acre. New Orleans is where it all began.
The Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial is a chance for us to rediscover the roots of the city as well as a chance for growth in our critically important tourism industry.
There will be a re-enactment of the ceremony that transferred the Louisiana territory from France to the United States on December 20, 1803. The president of the United States, the president of the French Republic, and King Juan Carlos of Spain have all been invited to commemorate this historic moment in world history.
Riding through the Garden District provides a view of one historic home after another. Two notable addresses are homes owned by author Anne Rice at 2301 and 2524 St. Charles Avenue.
The Belfort Mansion, of Real World New Orleans fame, is located to the left at 2618 St. Charles. Yet another familiar building is the Columns Hotel (3811 St. Charles), a former brothel where the film Pretty Baby was filmed. The Columns is a well-known hot spot for early afternoon to late evening cocktails.
Some other interesting homes are the Italianate Mansion at 5120 St. Charles (now a public library), the exact replica of the Gone with the Wind mansion (5705 St. Charles), and the house commonly referred to as the Wedding Cake House at 5809 St. Charles. The reason, as you?EUR??,,????'?????<
No visit to New Orleans is complete without a tour of the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Save Our Cemeteries, Inc., offers authentic, accurate guided tours through two of New Orleans?EUR??,,????'?????<
Lafayette Cemetery No. I is located in the historic Garden District. It is among the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Founded in 1789 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Louis No. I is the burial ground of some of the most illustrious citizens of New Orleans, including Etienne Bor????????(C), pioneer in sugar development; Daniel Clark, financial supporter of the American Revolution; Paul Morphy, world famous chess champion; and other local and national figures. Notable structures include the famed oven wall vaults, the supposed resting place of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, and the magnificent tombs of the French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish societies.
Home of the New Orleans Saints, the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Classic, Tulane University Green Wave Football, the Bayou Classic and the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Prep Classic, the Superdome is recognized as a titan among sporting venues.
The stadium covers 13 acres and reaches 27 stories at its peak, 273 feet above street level. The Dome covers the world?EUR??,,????'?????<
The Louisiana Superdome has also hosted nine Super Bowls, more than any other facility of its kind.
In addition to hosting Superdome sporting events, the Dome excels in producing concerts, family shows, convention and trade shows, stage productions, exhibitions and nearly every type of mega-event. Non-sports activities account for 60 percent of the dates scheduled at the Dome.
A Sampling of New Orleans?EUR??,,????'?????< Beauregard-Keyes House 1113 Chartres Street Open Monday-Saturday, Guided tours on the hour from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and students 504-523-7257
Two famed personalities resided at this nineteenth-century Chartres Street raised cottage. Former Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard lived in the house for a period following the Civil War, and some of his family?EUR??,,????'?????<
This 1852 Esplanade Ridge Mansion was also a one-time home of French impressionist master Edgar Degas for two years in the 1870s. Degas painted over 20 works while residing at the home of his maternal relatives, the Musson family.
It was in 1850 that the Baroness Pontalba first opened the doors of the two magnificent rowhouse structures on what is now Jackson Square.
The Herman-Grima and Gallier Houses are two fully restored architectural masterpieces in the French Quarter. The Herman-Grima House recreates the gracious lifestyle of a prosperous Creole family in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, while the Gallier House was designed as a personal residence by one of the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
The oldest example of French Creole architecture in the Mississippi River Valley, dating to 1788, this Louisiana State Museum facility currently houses exhibits on the site?EUR??,,????'?????<
Located on Bayou St. John near City Park, this late-eighteenth century, West Indies-style plantation home was the country residence of the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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