New Orleans city, Louisiana

New Orleans is one of the must-see destinations in the U.S. Recently making headlines for the disaster of Hurricane Katrina a few years ago, New Orleans Louisiana has made an amazing comeback and made Travel & Leisure magazine’s destination of the year in 2007. A historic city full of nightlife, excellent restaurants, fun things to do and great jazz music, you will fall in love with this old city on the Mississippi River. New Orleans tourism is the primary source of income for this city. That means this town is full of fun things to do from morning to night.

The city is divided into sections. The French Quarter, the Convention Center, The Arts District, the Garden District and the Business District. You can find something of interest in each of these sections, but the good news is, the majority of the city was built in European layout, so you can walk to most of the premiere destinations with needing to rent a car.

New Orleans Louisiana has a varied and interesting history, because it was founded as the first port city for trade on the Mississippi in the mid to late 1700s. In the 1800s it grew to be known as the Paris of the New World and its mix of cultures and people made for an unusual ambience. In the 1900’s he saw the birth of jazz music and grew into one of the premiere tourist destinations in the world. Home to many events and festivals, there isn’t a person on the planet that hasn’t heard the words "Mardi Gras" and thought of New Orleans.

For a nice and informative look at New Orleans and all of its unique neighborhoods, check out this New Orleans virtual tour.

The city was also the birthplace of jazz music, so you shouldn’t be far from experiencing the local flavor of New Orleans jazz music being played on the street corner by young kids and by the professional inside the famous Preservation Hall. There is even an annual Jazzfest that brings hundreds of musicians to town to celebrate the distinct sounds of New Orleans jazz music.

The French Quarter is probably the best known and most interesting of all the sections in New Orleans. Home to the world famous Bourbon Street, one of the best known New Orleans attractions, where you can find all the exciting nightlife. The French Quarter also has some of the city’s best shopping, and the best New Orleans dining as well as the famous French Market with the nearby Café du Monde where you should not miss a taste of the delicious beignets powdered donuts. It is also close to the day trip providers that will take you on swamp tours, walking tours and riverboat cruises and the many New Orleans attractions like the Aquarium of the Americas and the Cabildo Museum. Catch some of the haunted New Orleans day trips or the trolley car to view the historic homes in the Garden district. New Orleans tourism is serious business, so you will never run out of fun things to do in New Orleans!

You can also find the famous Harrah’s Casino to try your luck at cards and roulette, then schedule a massage to soothe your aching feet after walking through the streets of this exotic, eclectic and interesting historic city.

Just outside the city you can visit plantation homes or just tour some old French Quarter hotels and bed and breakfasts to see what the people of the Old South lived like before the Civil War. New Orleans tourism provides plenty of guided day trips to these old Southern beauties, so put it on the top of your to-do list the next time you visit New Orleans.

No trip to New Orleans is complete without sampling the famous local food! New Orleans dining is one of the best attractions the city offers, from local dives with po-boys to candy shops with pralines, to the elegant five star Brennan’s Sunday New Orleans Jazz brunch, tasting this luscious food is an experience you won’t soon forget!

Try to book yourself in one of the historic French Quarter hotels so after a long day of taking in the many New Orleans attractions you can wander back to the courtyard, eat a nice Cajun or Creole meal, sip on a mint julep and listen to some music before heading out on the town at night! Now that’s the ultimate New Orleans vacation!