Balconies draped with ferns, gas lamps flickering at dusk, a saxophone drifting out of an open doorway — the French Quarter is not a museum of old New Orleans, it is old New Orleans, still dancing.
This 13-block National Historic Landmark district has been the city’s beating heart since 1718. Spanish colonial townhouses with their famous cast-iron balconies line streets with French names, and every corner seems to hold a courtyard garden, a live band or a second line parade rolling past.
The Quarter is perfect for walkers and explorers of all ages: it is flat, compact and endlessly surprising. History buffs will love the architecture, music lovers will never want to leave, and kids get a kick out of the street performers and horse-drawn carriages.
Practical tip: start at the Mississippi riverfront in the morning, wander toward Jackson Square, and let the day unfold on foot — the best discoveries here are the unplanned ones.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Infrogmation
