New Orleans

Preservation Hall

Established in 1961 to preserve Traditional New Orleans jazz. Talk about atmosphere! Listen to real jazz and nothing else (no booze, no bathrooms). You'll have to stand in line, and most people will stand through the set (accommodations will be made for those who can't stand that long; call +1 504-522-2841, or email [email protected] in advance). Sets each night from 5PM, Sa and Su from 2:30PM. Arrive at least 15 minutes before the set starts.

Mo-Su 17:00-22:00 · 45-minute set: front row $50, seated $40, standing room $25 for advance online purchase seats (cash purchase at the door is no longer available)

Palm Court Jazz Cafe

Those who prefer their old style New Orleans jazz in a somewhat more upscale atmosphere where dinner and drinks are served should be sure to visit this place in the lower Quarter. Some of the same musicians who play Preservation Hall play here on other nights, along with other top local classic style jazz greats. The owner's husband runs the Jazzology record company, featuring the world's largest independent label catalogue of trad jazz, so you can pick up CDs by your favorites from Bunk Johnson to current Dixielanders while you're here.

Wed-Sun 7-11PM · Wheelchair accessible

Chickie Wah Wah

Eclectic schedule of local artists. Music venue in a comfortable bar, easy parking as well as right on the Canal Streetcar line. The kitchen serves a limited menu significantly better than average bar food. +1 504 304-4714.

Maison Bourbon

Sometimes has decent bands (though as often doesn't), as many good local Dixieland players lacking a better gig for the moment often wind up here. As the doors are open to the street, you can listen a bit from outside, judge for yourself whether they have a band you'd enjoy, and walk on by or go on in as appropriate.

Howlin' Wolf

They host a good variety of local and visiting acts; definitely get a hold of their schedule in The Gambit, a weekly paper. (If you visited here before Katrina, they are now a block up the street from their former location.)

Candlelight Lounge

This is one of New Orleans' truly great neighborhood bars/jazz clubs. The famous Tremé Brass Band play here virtually every Wednesday, and it's quite the party! Any night with live music will be great here, though, and there are fewer non-locals when it's not Wednesday. Ignore people who tell you the neighborhood is not safe (taxi drivers) and go roll with the good times.

8PM-very late

Vaughan's Lounge

Bywater's most famous music venue. Thursday nights when righteous-trumpter/bandleader Kermit Ruffins is in town, he and his BBQ swingers play here; Thursday with Kermit as Vaughan's is a New Orleans favorite. 8:30 PM they say; don't expect shows to start at their clock time in New Orleans, but now that Kermit is a family man, things here tend to start a bit more punctually than they did years ago. Expect crowds and good times. Boiled crawfish or shrimp every Friday. Free Food during Saints games. Following glowing attention in David Simon's series Treme, this place has indeed been discovered by the tourists, but the locals and old-timers don't really care and still show up each Thursdays for some dancing and general fun. Thursdays see free steaming pots of red beans and rice all night long.

noon-close daily

Carousel Gardens Amusement Park

located in New Orleans

Fritzels

Good house bands in the evenings, and is often a venue for out-of-town and international musicians versed in the New Orleans style.

Caesars New Orleans

The state's only land-based casino (there are riverboat gambling venues in the suburbs).

New Orleans Jazz Park

Actually in "Dutch Alley", the French Market pedestrian alley on the river side of Decatur between Dumaine and St. Philip Streets. Often has free live music weekend afternoons and sometimes other times.

Free, some park programs have a fee

Banks Street Bar & Grill

Local less well known live music acts, ranging from rock to all types of jazz, often at no cover; if they're good (often they are) put a buck or so in the tip jar.

Cafe Istanbul

Named after a legendary Frenchmen Street venue of a generation ago, the new Cafe Istanbul is theater space with a bar in the New Orleans Healing Center, a renovated old warehouse building now a community center. Live theater, music, dance, film, and other performances.

Longue Vue House and Gardens

Elegant mansion set in lush gardens is pretty and historic. In Western central New Orleans off Metairie Road, a short drive from Metarie Cemetery and Mid-City.

9ː30AM-5PM, daily

Tour Tremé

Walking tour of Tremé. Explore this vibrant neighborhood with an informative and entertaining, licensed guide. See where Jazz was born. View film locations from HBO's Tremé. Reservations required.

Sat Sun Mon 10AM

Sweet Lorraine's Jazz Club

Noted neighborhood jazz venue, just a few blocks from the Frenchmen Street music strip in Marigny. Local modern jazz; they also serve dinners of Creole and soul food 5PM-10PM.

Aquarium of the Americas

The only aquarium in New Orleans. In the French Quarter. Features an IMAX theatre. 10AM-5PM daily.

Cajun Encounters

Heading eastbound Highway 90 from the intersection with Highway 190, it is beside the first bridge that you reach (about 1 km east of the intersection)

A two hour flat boat tour involving seeing the swamp, wildlife (e.g. alligators, birds, raccoons), and houses of people living in the swamp lands.

$32.75 for adults without transportation to swamp, $59.75 for adult including transportation from New Orleans

Le Bon Temps Roule

Local acts, good beer and burgers. Soul Rebels Brass Band play every Thursday night, it is standing room only and usually packed to the brim so get there early or expect to push your way through a crowd.

The Columns

Old mansion converted into a small hotel. One side of the downstairs front has a bar, the other side a live music venue. Cool jazz and gypsy swing in an elegant setting.

Tipitina's

Legendary Uptown music club with great local and national talent. Take bus, cab, or car, but well worth the trouble. "Tip's" has a 2nd location in the French Quarter too, but this is the famous one.

Mulate's

At Convention Center Boulevard. Cajun music.

Su-Th 11:00-22:00;Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00

Creole Queen Sightseeing Cruise

A diesel-powered paddlewheel boat. A one-hour shore excursion at the battlefield features a guided tour and talk by National Park Rangers. Boarding 30 min before departure.

Daily: daytime cruise 10AM and 2PM, evening cruise with jazz band 7PM · Daytime: adult $34, child (6-12) $14, child under 6 free; buffet $19 per person, or available à la carte. Evening with dinner/without: adult $79/48, child (6-12) $36/24, child (3-5) $12/free

New Orleans Pedal Barge

Pedal a stationary bike around a communal bar that powers a paddlewheel. Up to 18 participants.

Cruises and tours start at 10am and occur every 2 hours

Old New Orleans Rum Distillery

What a cool thing to do in the city that no one has heard of! For a measly ten bucks, you get to tour a rum distillery and have a rum tasting. The guides, who work there, are extremely knowledgeable and ready to impart any information related to the rum process (or simply field questions on what type of rum you should be drinking). The rums are quite high quality too, with several bottles winning international awards yearly. Free van ride from the French Quarter M-F by reservation.

Tours: Mon-Fri noon, 2PM, 4PM; Sat 2PM, 4PM · $10

Steamboat Natchez Riverboat Harbor Jazz Sightseeing Cruise

Two-hour cruise on a stream-powered paddlewheel boat. Boarding 30 min before departure (1 hour before dinner cruise). Live narration of historical facts and highlights of the port. Bar and gift shop. Snacks and light meals available for purchase if you're not buying a meal.

Daytime cruise daily 11:30AM and 2:30PM, Mon-Sat evening cruise 7PM · Adult/child 6-13/child under 6: daytime cruise $34/13.50/free; M-Sa cruise with lunch $46/23/9.50; Sunday brunch with cruise $51/27.50/17.50; evening cruise $48/24/free; cruise with dinner $83/38/18.25

Alombrados Oasis

This temple of the Ordo Templi Orientis hosts performances of The Gnostic Mass, conducts initiatory ceremonies, seasonal mystery plays, frequent classes on Thelema, Magick, Yoga, Gnosticism, QBL, Hermetic and Rosicrucian Science, and intensive training programs of Scientific Illuminism. The Oasis also hosts occasional art shows featuring local artists. Contact by phone to attend events..

Audubon Insectarium

In the historic Old Customs House Building. The Audubon Institute, which also runs the nearby Aquarium and the Zoo up in the Audubon District, opened the Insectarium in 2008. 10a-5p daily.

Chazfest

Annual one day music festival held the first Wednesday in April, between the Jazz Fest weekends. (The name is a pun on "Jazz Fest" and popular local bandleader "Washboard Chaz".) 10 hours of great local music on 2 outdoor stages.

$25 in advance; $30 at the gate

Essence Festival

Big music festival in the Superdome and Convention Center in early July featuring top R&B, Gospel, and Hip-Hop artists, and a general celebration of contemporary African-American music and culture.