New Orleans is a great place to live because of its value. It's all free in the city that gave the USA carnival season, a place where spectacle and performances are always on offer.
In New Orleans, you can save your money with free experiences.
Make the most out of every adventure with help from our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.The way in which New Orleans is defined by an event is very rare. The greatest free show on Earth takes place in February or March, and it's an explosion of color, costumes and revelry. The annual celebration is geared towards families.
If you can't make the main event, there's still a party in town during the two and a half weeks preceding Carnival.
Ancient live oak trees with Spanish moss beards, slow waterways, Greek-style pavilions, and walking trails can be found at New Orleans City Park.
The French Quarter is home to some of the best Caribbean-style architecture in the country.
In the middle of the day, the sectioned-off area becomes pedestrian only.
The site of Congo Square, the place where enslaved African were allowed to perform their Old World music, was once the location of this park. New Orleans has helped give the world a wide range of sonic genres. The park hosts free festivals and concerts throughout the year.
A living forest of magnolia and live oak trees can be seen through a series of shady walking trails. One of the best marriages of public art and outdoors activity can be found at the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. It is open every day of the week.
People have to pick their jaw up off the floor to cross St Charles Ave. This is classic overgrown, lush and fecund New Orleans, a wide avenue cut through by a streetcar flanked on either side by enormous live oak trees and some of the South's most stately mansions.
The streetcar is a good value at just $3 for an all-day pass.
Jackson Square is the heart of the French Quarter and fronts the gorgeous St Louis Cathedral, as well as the historic Pontalba apartment buildings, a state history museum, and the Presbytere, a museum dedicated to Fat Tuesday.
The area is constantly filled with street performers, tarot card readers, artists and general non-stop pageantry so it will be buzzing when you stop by.
There is an art market on Frenchmen Street, a sort of weird bazaar of some of the city's most creative people. Weird T-shirts, quirky crafts, handmade jewelry, and occasionally jacket detailing/bedazzling are some of the things that make up the art market. Next to the Art Garden market is a small market.
A second line is a New Orleans street parade led by a local brass band and followed by hundreds of citizens carrying on because life is short. The real deal parades that occur in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Central City and Treme have deep community significance.
Local radio station WWOZ has online schedules for Sundays, which is a planning tip.
The oldest Black Catholic church in the country is located in the lovely tree lined corner of the Treme neighborhood and is an important place in Black American history. The Tomb of the Unknown Slave is located at the site of a church that preaches for civil rights and social justice.
The Mississippi River is so important to the city of New Orleans that many visitors are surprised at how difficult it is to find it. This isn't the case at Crescent Park, which runs alongside the banks of the famed river next to the candy colored charm of neighborhoods like Faubourg Marigny and Bywater.
Bourbon St is a multi-block procession of bars, strip clubs, bachelor/ette parties and bad decisions. That is Bourbon close to Canal St. The other side of Bourbon is more low-key and caters to travelers from the gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer community.
The best live music clubs in the city are located here. You can listen to music after 6pm on any given night.
Several free festivals and concerts are put on by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. The music department at the University of New Orleans has a lot of shows that are free.
Locals pride themselves on being good tippers, and if a tip hat or jar is passed around, you should always kick in some money.
The natural watery highway of historic New Orleans used to be called Bayou St John. This waterway is located in the middle of the city. On hot days, it forms a pleasant natural cooling agent by being surrounded by grassy walkways.
The arts market is held at Palmer Park on the fourth Sunday of the month. Some of the city's local creative talent as well as kid-friendly music and activities can be found there.
Most visitors to New Orleans have heard of Bourbon St and St Charles Ave, but it is rare for a tourist to mention Esplanade Ave. The street is lined with French-Creole style mansions and has a bicycle lane that goes from the French Quarter to the fields of City Park.
New Orleans has a lot of raised mausoleums that keep local corpses from washing away during the city's fabled rainstorms. One of the most pathos-drenched examples of the Gothic cemetery genre is Lafayette, located in the Garden District and filled with creeping vines, gnarled tree roots and faded statuary.
While repairs and improvements are being made, the cemetery is closed to the public. You can call or visit the website to find out what's happening.
Magazine St is a great place to go shopping, or both. The best shops, galleries, restaurants and bars can be found in the city blocks. Some blocks cater to students while others are for families.
Audubon is smaller than City Park and is surrounded by mansions and handsome neighborhoods.
The article was published in August of 2019.
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