Sightseeing
IconicFrench Quarter
No admission feeWrought-iron balconies, jazz spilling out of doorways, and 300 years of history in one walkable grid.
Transit: reachable by public transit
City guide · Louisiana, USA
Things to do in New Orleans
Jazz in the streets, beignets at midnight, history in every courtyard
- Sightseeing
- Attractions
- Museums
- Tours
Start here
Three to see first in New Orleans
Attractions
IconicJackson Square
No admission feeStreet artists, tarot readers, and brass bands surround this landmark square in front of St. Louis Cathedral.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Museums
History BuffThe National WWII Museum
$25–$50A Smithsonian-affiliated campus of pavilions, oral histories, and a 4D film narrated by Tom Hanks.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Top picks
In New Orleans
Filter by the kind of day you want. Tap a card to open the place, or a dot on the map to find it in the list.
Sightseeing
IconicFrench Quarter
No admission feeWrought-iron balconies, jazz spilling out of doorways, and 300 years of history in one walkable grid.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Attractions
IconicJackson Square
No admission feeStreet artists, tarot readers, and brass bands surround this landmark square in front of St. Louis Cathedral.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Museums
History BuffThe National WWII Museum
$25–$50A Smithsonian-affiliated campus of pavilions, oral histories, and a 4D film narrated by Tom Hanks.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Sightseeing
History BuffGarden District
No admission feeLive oaks and antebellum mansions line the streets of this historic Uptown neighborhood.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Tours
IconicSt. Charles Avenue Streetcar
Under $25The oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world rattles past mansions and oak canopies.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Eat & Drink
IconicCafe du Monde
Under $25Order the beignets and a cafe au lait, then join generations of visitors dusted in powdered sugar.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Theater & Events
IconicPreservation Hall
Under $25A no-frills French Quarter room where traditional New Orleans jazz has played nightly since 1961.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Tours
IconicSteamboat Natchez
$25–$50A real steam-powered paddle wheeler cruises the Mississippi with a live jazz band on board.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Attractions
Family FavoriteAudubon Zoo
$25–$50A shaded Uptown zoo built around a Louisiana swamp exhibit and a white alligator named Spots.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Attractions
Family FavoriteAudubon Aquarium of the Americas
$25–$50A Mississippi riverfront aquarium with a walk-through Caribbean reef tunnel and rescued sea otters.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Sightseeing
IconicSt. Louis Cathedral
No admission feeThe oldest continuously active Catholic cathedral in the United States anchors Jackson Square.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Nightlife
IconicBourbon Street
No admission feeNeon signs, brass bands, and go-cups fill this French Quarter strip once the sun goes down.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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Day trips
Day trips from New Orleans
Tours
Outdoor AdventureHoney Island Swamp Tour
$50+Flat-bottom boats glide through cypress swamp on the lookout for alligators, herons, and wild hogs.
Slidell, LA
Attractions
Local GemNOLA Zydeco Fest
Under $25An annual Zydeco music and Louisiana Creole culture festival near New Orleans, with live music, dance and food.
Slidell, LA
Sightseeing
Local GemHouma Area
No admission feeLouisiana's official Bayou Country visitor bureau, promoting Cajun culture, swamp tours and the Bayou Country Crawfish Trail.
Houma, LATransit: reachable by public transit
Shopping
Local GemLodge Cast Iron Factory Store
No admission feeLouisiana's first Lodge Cast Iron factory store, carrying the full cookware lineup.
Slidell, LA
Tours
Local GemCajun Pride Swamp Tours
$25–$50Narrated boat tours through the Manchac Swamp to see alligators and Louisiana wetlands wildlife.
LaPlace, LA
Museums
History BuffOak Alley Plantation
$25–$50Historic Mississippi River plantation famous for its quarter-mile canopy of live oaks and Big House tours.
Vacherie, LA
Tours
Outdoor AdventureAirboat Adventures
$25–$50Airboat and pontoon boat swamp tours through Louisiana bayous near New Orleans, spotting alligators and birds.
Lafitte, LA
Sightseeing
Local GemGretna
No admission feeHistoric river town across from New Orleans with a walkable downtown and a free pedestrian ferry.
Gretna, LATransit: reachable by public transit
Sightseeing
Local GemJefferson Parish
No admission feeThe tourism office for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, covering suburbs and swamps just outside New Orleans.
New Orleans, LATransit: reachable by public transit
Sightseeing
History BuffSt. Bernard Parish
No admission feeLouisiana parish just outside New Orleans with historic battlefields, waterways, and local festivals.
St. Bernard Parish, LATransit: reachable by public transit
Attractions
History BuffLaura Plantation
$25–$50Creole plantation complex offering guided tours of an 1805 Big House and original slave cabins.
Vacherie, LA
Sightseeing
IconicLake Pontchartrain Causeway
Under $25Drive nearly 24 miles straight across Lake Pontchartrain on twin low bridges linking Mandeville and Metairie.
Mandeville, LA
Museums in New Orleans
- The National WWII Museum
- Ogden Museum of Southern Art
- Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
- New Orleans Storyville Museum
- Sazerac House
- New Orleans Museum of Art
- Old Ursuline Convent Museum
- Confederate Memorial Hall
- New Orleans African American Museum
- New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
- Newcomb Art Museum
- Madame John's Legacy
- Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie
- Whitney Plantation, Wallace
- Abita Mystery House, Abita Springs
- INFINITY Science Center, Pearlington
Sightseeing in New Orleans
- French Quarter
- Garden District
- St. Louis Cathedral
- Caesars Superdome
- Louis Armstrong Park
- St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
- Oak Street
- Longue Vue House and Gardens
- Houma Area, Houma
- Gretna, Gretna
- Jefferson Parish
- St. Bernard Parish, St. Bernard Parish
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Mandeville
- Godchaux–Reserve Plantation, Reserve
Tours in New Orleans
- St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
- Steamboat Natchez
- Cajun Encounters Swamp Tours
- New Orleans Native Tours
- Cemetery Tours NOLA
- New Orleans City Sightseeing
- New Orleans Airboat Tours, Marrero
- French Quarter Phantoms
- Friends of the Cabildo Walking Tours
- Gray Line New Orleans
- Haunted History Tours
- Louisiana Tour Company, Marrero
- New Orleans School of Cooking
- Unique NOLA Tours
- Wild Louisiana Tours
- Southern Style Tours
- Honey Island Swamp Tour, Slidell
- Cajun Pride Swamp Tours, LaPlace
- Airboat Adventures, Lafitte
More places in New Orleans
More guides in Louisiana
Maps
Visitor maps for New Orleans
About
About New Orleans
New Orleans is America's most distinct city and knows it: brass bands that start parades on a Tuesday, Creole cottages and iron-lace balconies, gumbo arguments taken seriously. Ride the St. Charles streetcar, walk the French Quarter early before the trumpet players claim their corners, and never skip the powdered sugar.
Visitor info
Nearest help
Hospital with an emergency room · 0.9 mi from the center
University Medical Center New Orleans
2000 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
Police · 0.2 mi from the center
US Marshals Services
500 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA 70113
Fire station · 0.2 mi from the center
NOFD 2nd District
New Orleans, LA
In an emergency, call 911.