Overview   New Orleans is proud of its well-known nickname, "Big Easy", because it so aptly describes the attitude of this lovely city, steeped in history and intertwining cultures. The glamorous city of New Orleans had quite an inauspicious beginning. Though founded by French Creoles, she actually began as a crude settlement beset by hurricanes, floods and hostile Indians. By 1762, Louisiana had been transferred from French to Spanish hands. Thus, New Orleans was in the hands of the Spanish at the time the New England colonies revolted against George III. Following the Louisiana Purchase, more and more Americans came downriver to make their fortunes in New Orleans. During the War of 1812, General Andrew Jackson arrived on the scene and defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans - the last battle of the last war ever fought between the U.S. and Great Britain. Today, New Orleans continues to flourish. It is one of the largest ports in the United States and in the world. Millions of dollars are being spent in development and renovation. Yet, with all the modern innovations, the city retains its Old World aura, carefully preserving its history, its reputation for world-famous jazz and cuisine, and its romantic Creole heritage. From art galleries and museums to professional sports, from the high life on Bourbon Street to enchanting riverboat cruises, New Orleans offers every visitor hundreds of entertaining and enjoyable destinations. No wonder it's known throughout the world as a city where hospitality never ends!            Attractions           1239 1st St This 19th-century Greek Revival-Italian mansion is the home of famous author Anne Rice. Fans of the author gather outside, as tours are not available. 1850 House 523 St. Ann St 504-568-6968 Hours: Tues.-Sun. 9-5 This house is one of the loveliest old homes in New Orleans. The well-preserved town house and courtyard features lovely ironwork on the balconies, a gift shop and a bookstore. Aquarium of the Americas Foot of Canal St 504-581-4629 Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 9:30-6, Fri.-Sat. 9:30-7 More than 7,000 aquatic creatures swim in 60 displays in this world-class aquarium. There are four major exhibit areas: the Amazon River Basin, the Caribbean Reef, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf Coast, each with fish and animals native to that environment.More Info< Woldenberg Riverfront Park Foot of Canal St This park surrounds the aquarium, and it is a great spot for viewing the active Mississippi. Water tours leave from the park frequently. Audubon Park Once a plantation, the park is now one of the largest (340 acres) and most acclaimed metropolitan parks in the United States. It has a world-class zoo, picnic and play areas, a golf course, a miniature train, riding stables, a tennis court, and a river view. Audubon Zoo 6500 Magazine St 504-581-4629 Daily 9:30-5, summer weekends til 6 pm This wonderful zoo is a great place for families to visit. The zoo has a tremendous number of exhibits, including a Louisiana Swamp, tropical-bird house, butterfly exhibit, flamingo pond, sea lions, and white tigers.More Info Beauregard-Keyes House 1113 Chartres St 504-523-7257 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-3 This grand 19th-century mansion was once the home of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard. The famous novelist Frances Keyes wrote 40 novels here. A beautiful walled garden is another feature of the home. Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World 233 Newton St 504-361-7821 Hours: Daily 9:30-4:30 As the name suggests, this attraction is dedicated to the most famous party in America, Mardi Gras. Visitors can watch floats being made, view a film about Mardi Gras, and buy Carnival memorabilia in the gift shop. Kids will enjoy trying on a trunk full of costumes. Bourbon Street This famous street takes you past some of the typical bars, restaurants, music clubs, and novelty shops that have given this strip its world-famous reputation. Families will enjoy the street during the day, while revelers will enjoy the night scene. Carousel Gardens City Park 504-483-9356 Hours: Hrs may vary by season; closed in winter except for Christmas season The carousel was built in 1906 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the park is just as good. The park includes a roller coaster, tilt-a-whirl, Ferris wheel, bumper cars, and other rides. Brennan House 2507 Prytania St Built in 1852, this house is a wonderful example of the Greek Revival style. Magnificent columns support the outside structure, and the inside features a magnificent gold ballroom. Brown House 4717 St. Charles Ave The Brown House was finished in 1902 after five years of construction. It is the largest mansion on St. Charles Avenue, and it is a model of Romanesque Revival architecture. City Park Bordered by City Park Ave, Robert E Lee Blvd, Marconi Dr, and Bayou St. John City Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country. Within its 1,500 acres, the Casino, Botanical Garden, Storyland, Carousel Gardens, New Orleans Museum of Art, tennis courts, and a golf course attract and entertain visitors.More Info Confederate Museum 929 Camp St 504-523-4522 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-4 This imposing building, covered in ivy, houses an extensive collection of artifacts and records from the Civil War. This museum is the oldest in Louisiana. Contemporary Arts Center 900 Camp St 504-523-1216 Hours: Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-5 Admission: Varies with event The center has won prizes for its own good looks, and the art inside is even better. The center also hosts concerts, films, theatrical and dance performances, and art-related workshops and seminars. Custom House 423 Canal St Built in 1849, this staunch structure occupies the whole block and is a major city landmark. The building has identical entrances on all four sides, and visitors are welcome to look around. Elms Mansion 3029 St. Charles Ave 504-895-5493 Hours: Weekdays 9:30-5 Built in 1869, this magnificent home features marble fireplaces and stained-glass windows. The house has been carefully restored and furnished with period pieces. Energy IMAX Theater Foot of Canal St 504-581-4629 Hours: Shows daily With a screen 5-1/2 stories tall, this is one of the most thrilling cinema experiences around. The theater shows breathtaking nature films related to the sea, Earth, and outer space that are meant for the whole family to enjoy.More Info French Market Ursulines St The French Market contains shops, offices, and eating places, and it is an important part of the life of New Orleans. Street performers enliven the marketplace, and visitors can choose from the best of New Orleans delicacies. Hermann-Grima House 820 St. Louis St 504-525-5661 Hours: Tours Mon.-Sat. 10-3:30 This house is one of the French Quarter's largest and best examples of American architecture. Cooking demonstrations, held in the city's only open Creole kitchen, delight visitors all day long. Jackson Square Hours: Daily 8-6 Occupying the heart of the French Quarter, the square was built in 1718. A statue of Andrew Jackson commemorates his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Artists hang their paintings on the park fence and set up outdoor studios, as do musicians, dancers, and magicians. Louisiana Children's Museum 428 Julia St 504-523-1357 Hours: Tues-Sat 9:30-4:30, Sun noon-4:30; in summer open daily One of the best children's museums in the country, the Louisiana Children's Museum has lots of hands-on activities. It also features a playscape for very young children, and lots to do for the whole family. Musee Conti Wax Museum 917 Conti St 504-525-2605 Hours: Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun noon-5:30 This wax museum features famous residents and natives of Louisiana. More than 100 wax figures are featured. More Info New Orleans Botanical Garden City Park 504-483-9386 Hours: Tues-Sun 10-4:30 While the garden may be relatively small (10 acres), it is a lovely spot to visit and has lots to offer. The gardens include a tropical conservatory, a water-lily pond, a formal rose garden, azalea and camellia gardens, and horticultural gardens. Fountains and sculpture are found throughout, and everything can be seen during a guided tour. More Info New Orleans Museum of Art City Park 504-488-2631 Hours: Tues-Sun 10-5 One of the best museums in the country, the NOMA has a large permanent collection that specializes in pre-Columbian, African, and local art. World-class traveling exhibits also come frequently to the museum. More Info Robinson House 1415 3rd St The house was built in the 1850s, and it is one of the largest and most elegant in New Orleans. The architecture is styled after an Italian villa, and it may have been the first house in New Orleans with indoor plumbing. Storyland City Park 504-483-9381 Hours: Hrs vary by season This theme park is designed almost exclusively for children. It features 26 storybook exhibits built around fairy-tale characters. Child Magazine has rated Storyland one of the ten best playgrounds in the country. The Casino City Park 504-483-9371 Hours: Daily 8-4 Built to be a casino, this Spanish-style building is now an enlarged concession stand selling New Orleans delicacies, including the world-famous po'boys. A band stand has frequent performances, kids enjoy the playground, and paddle boats are available for rent in the lagoon. Woldenberg Riverfront Park Hours: Weekdays 6 am-10 pm, weekends 6 am-midnight Offering an incredible view of the Mississippi, the park has a wooden promenade and many stores and restaurants. It is easily one of the best river front developments in the nation.              Events             Top seasonal events in New Orleans include the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, Mardi Gras celebrations, the Spring Fiesta in April, the Jazz & Heritage Festival in late April and early May, and a New Orleans Christmas throughout the month of December.   Summer   June   The Great French Market Tomato Festival (tel. 504/522-2621) includes cooking demonstrations and tastings at the French Market.   July 4 The Fourth of July is celebrated in grand style in Go 4th on the River (tel. 504/522-5730), a daylong series of music, food, and entertainment events along the riverfront and in Woldenberg Park. A spectacular fireworks display completes the day.   Late July   New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (Box 70514, 70172, tel. 504/529-9463) is a weekend of tasting the products of the best local chefs and beverage managers. Held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the event features more than 350 wines and 80 restaurants.   Autumn   First weekend in Sept.   The African Heritage Festival International (1683 N. Claiborne Ave., 70116, tel. 504/949-5610) brings drummers, dancers, craftspeople, and lecturers from across the country to perform in and around Armstrong Park.   Early Oct.   The Swamp Festival means hands-on contact with live Louisiana swamp animals, Cajun food, music, and crafts at Audubon Zoo.   Oct.   Jazz Awareness Month is celebrated by daily concerts throughout the city. Check the local daily newspaper for listings of musicians and lecturers.   Mid-Oct.   Carnaval Latino (tel. 504/872-1021) brings the Latin beat downtown for four glorious days. You'll find national and international entertainment, a golf tournament, a footrace, and lots of food and music.   Late Nov.-Dec.   From Thanksgiving through December, thousands of tree lights surround Storyland and the Carousel Gardens for the evening Celebration in the Oaks at City Park (1 Dreyfous Ave., 70122, tel. 504/483-9415).   Winter   Dec.   A New Orleans Christmas, (French Quarter Festival, 100 Conti St., 70130, tel. 504/522-5730), held December 5-January 5, includes tree lighting, teas, caroling, parades, and open houses all month long. Also included are Réveillon (New Year's) celebrations at various restaurants, including Alex Patout's, Arnaud's, Begue's, and the Rib Room, which feature special fixed-price menus for the occasion. Special hotel rates are available December 5-25.   Dec. 24   Christmas Eve Bonfires are lighted on the Mississippi levees in St. James Parish. The bonfires, legend says, originally were lit by the early settlers to help Papa Noel (the Cajun Santa Claus) find his way to their new homes. The natives begin gathering wood for these huge pyres on Thanksgiving. New Orleans Paddlewheels (tel. 504/529-4567) and New Orleans Steamboat (tel. 504/586-8777) run boats up the muddy Mississippi for this blazing festival.   Dec. 31   Countdown is a huge, televised New Year's Eve celebration in Jackson Square, similar to the one in New York's Times Square.   Jan.   The Sugar Bowl Classic (1500 Sugar Bowl Dr., 70112, tel. 504/525-8573), the city's oldest annual sporting event, includes not only one of the biggest college football games of the year but also tennis, basketball, sailing, running, and flag football championship events.   Jan.   The N.O. Film and Video Festival (tel. 504/523-3818) brings a week of the best foreign and domestic films, with visits from directors and writers.   Spring   Late Feb. or early Mar.   Mardi Gras is rollicking, raucous, and ritualistic. Expect street celebrations, parades, and formal masked balls.   Early Mar.   The Black Heritage Festival (Audubon Zoo, Box 4327, 70178, tel. 504/861-2537) includes gospel and jazz performances, art exhibits, and soul food.   Mid-Mar.   The St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at Molly's at the Market Pub (1107 Decatur St., 70116, tel. 504/525-5169) and covers the French Quarter.   Late Mar.   The Tennessee Williams-New Orleans Literary Festival and Writer's Conference (tel. 504/286-6680) features performances of the author's plays and tours of his favorite French Quarter haunts.   Late Mar.   Earth Fest (c/o the Audubon Zoo) is a fun-filled educational celebration with exhibits, shows, and nationally known entertainers, all with an eye on the environment.   Late Mar. or early Apr.   The Crescent City Classic (8200 Hampson St., Suite 217, 70118, tel. 504/861-8686) is a very popular 10-kilometer footrace culminating in a huge party in Audubon Park.   Apr.   The French Quarter Festival (100 Conti St., 70130, tel. 504/522-5730) is a weekend of free music and entertainment for all ages throughout the Quarter. It includes fireworks as well as the world's largest jazz brunch.   Early to mid-Apr.   The Spring Fiesta (826 St. Ann St., 70112, tel. 504/581-1367) spotlights the French Quarter's historic homes and includes a parade and the coronation of a queen.   Late Apr-early May.   The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2200 Royal St., 70117, tel. 504/522-4786) at the Fair Grounds involves more than 4,000 musicians.   Late May   The Greek Festival (1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd., 70122, tel. 504/282-0259) fills the Hellenic Cultural Center with Greek music, food, and crafts. Ouzo and baklava are plentiful.              Shopping           Shopping Centers/Malls  Central Business District The fashionable CANAL PLACE (1 Canal Pl., PHONE: 504/587-0739) has Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, Williams-Sonoma, the Pottery Barn, Polo/Ralph Lauren, and Brooks Brothers. The NEW ORLEANS CENTRE (1400 Poydras St., PHONE: 504/568-0000), a shopping complex between the Superdome and the Hyatt Regency hotel, houses Macy's and Lord & Taylor. RIVERWALK (1 Poydras St., PHONE: 504/522-1555), a development along the riverfront, has a ½-mi-long marketplace with many local and nationally known shops, restaurants, and cafés. French Quarter JACKSON BREWERY CORPORATION (600 Decatur St., PHONE: 504/586-8015) operates three indoor malls that house a mix of local shops and national chains. The Brewhouse, on Decatur Street, across from Jackson Square, occupies a historic building in which Jax beer was once brewed. Adjacent to it, and connected by indoor and outdoor walkways, is the Millhouse. Two blocks toward Canal Street, the Marketplace is in the 400 block of North Peters Street. Planet Hollywood occupies considerable square footage in the Brewhouse. Shopping Neighborhoods  The main shopping areas in the city are the French Quarter, with its narrow streets lined with specialty, gift, and antiques shops and art galleries; the Central Business District (CBD), including Canal Street, which has department stores and clothing and jewelry shops; Magazine Street, known for its antiques shops and galleries; the Warehouse District, popular for Julia Street's contemporary arts galleries; and Uptown, with its neighborhood and specialty shops in several fashionable shopping areas.            Dining   New Orleans is the home of Cajun cuisine, spicy, strong and distinctive, as well as classic French-influenced Creole cooking. Seafood is very much the order of the day - those who feel adventurous might try fried crawfish tails, crab chops, shrimp bisque or the famous gumbo. If that doesn’t appeal, other possibilities include traditional American cooking and a variety of international styles. We have listed several recommended restaurants below.   The Veranda Restaurant (International) Hotel Inter-Continental New Orleans, 444 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 525 5566   Courtyard Restaurant (American) Hyatt Regency New Orleans, Poydras Plaza at Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 Tel: +1 504 561 1234   Bistro at Maison de Ville (Avant-Garde) Maison de Ville, 727 Rue Toulouse, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 528 9206   Grill Room (Avant-Garde) Windsor Court Hotel, 2nd level, 300 Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 522 1992   Bayona (Avant-Garde) 430 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 Tel: +1 504 525 4455   Commander's Palace (Contemporary Creole) 1403 Washington Avenue, Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 899 8221   Ruth's Chris Steak House (Steaks) 711 North Broad Street, Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 Tel: +1 504 486 0810   Emeril's (Contemporary Creole) 800 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 528 9393   Brigsten's (Contemporary Creole) 723 Dante Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 Tel: +1 504 861 7610   K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen (Cajun) 416 Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 524 7394   Gabrielle (Contemporary Creole) 3201 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 Tel: +1 504 948 6233   Brennan's (Cajun/Creole/French) 417 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 525 9711   Louis XVI (French) 730 Bienville Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Tel: +1 504 581 7000