Louisiana Travel Guide
New Orleans
Jazz is formal or improvised, big and brassy or small and smoky. Jazz is hot and dangerous but it can be cool. Jazz can be traditional or it can be modern. This is what New Orleans is. It is a jazz town.
French Canadians exiled from the north made their home here in 1718 when the area was little more than swamp. It was the location of New Orleans, at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River, which allowed it to grow. A great deal of the early growth was on the back of the slave trade; this began to give the city its unique ethnic flavour. As with the rest of the state in the mid 1700's it enjoyed Spanish influence. Its position at the far end of the USA made it a haven for those escaping the American Revolution whilst its French flavour made it attractive to those fleeing the terror of post revolutionary France. Its location at the edge of the Caribbean made it an obvious bolthole for Pirates and those escaping the slave revolts on Caribbean Islands.
Then Louisiana became a State and the Americans began to arrive. The relationship between the Creoles (as the pre Statehood people became known) and the Americans was an uneasy one that is best summed up by the Battle of New Orleans in 1812. Stonewall Jackson led an army drawn from every part, pirates, slaves, Anglo Americans, everyone played their part in the defeat of the British, thereby proving that they could live and work together. This heady melting pot of races, colours and creeds continues to this day. After the Civil War New Orleans fell into decay and was only rescued by the coming of the petro-chemical industry. This particular industry is somewhat volatile and heavy reliance on it has seen New Orleans experience the highs and the lows of the oil rollercoaster since the middle of the 20th century.
New Orleans now is a varied city, vital and lively, cultured and wild with a faint whiff of decayed decadence hanging over everything like early morning swamp mist.
Where to Go and What to See
Louisiana State Museum
This is in fact four separate buildings. Situated on Jackson Square in the French Quarter is the Cabildo, this is the former seat of power in the city. It served as centre of Spanish Government and as City Hall and State Supreme Court before becoming a museum. Today it houses collections that reflect the varied nature of New Orleans past. There are sections on slavery, disease and death and the Battle of New Orleans amongst others.
The Presbytere was finished in 1813 and was intended for use as rectory however it became a courthouse and now contains a fantastic Mardis Gras museum. This even includes a dressing up area where visitors are encouraged to put on clown's outfits.
The third part of the State Museum is the '1850 House'. This restored, period building gives an insight into the lifestyle of well to do Creole families.
The final part of the museum is the Old US Mint. This houses the Jazz Museum, which traces the history of the musical style New Orleans claims for its own.
Visiting each of these fine old buildings gives any visitor a real feel for the disparate influences that have shaped New Orleans.
This is just one of many fine museums in the city. Others range from the fairly normal (New Orleans Museum of Art) to the eccentrically curious (Pharmacy Museum) to the positively Gothic (Historic Voodoo Museum).
Confederate Museum
The oldest museum in the State. This is an understated place with a slightly melancholic atmosphere to it. Opened in 1891 it is hard not to be moved by the photos, letters and artefacts that reflect the hopes and fears of the people involved in this sad chapter in the State's past.
Jazz and other Music
The origins of Jazz are shrouded in the mists of time. Undoubtedly Jazz is a fusion of many different musical elements. Work songs and spirituals came from the plantations, Spanish music from the Caribbean, church music, brass band martial music and many others can all claim to have contributed to Jazz. Wherever it came from who knows? But one thing is certain, it began at the start of the 20th century in New Orleans and although originally sneered at by the 'white' establishment it soon became popular the world over.
New Orleans boasts Louis Armstrong Park and a Louis Armstrong Airport as a testimony to the esteem in which the city holds its music and its most revered exponent. Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Apart from the Jazz Museum and a planned Jazz National Historical Park the best way to soak up the Jazz vibe is to experience it live (mmm, nice). There are many venues where jazz in all its forms can be enjoyed and New Orleans manages to pull in some of the world's top performers. Jazz can also still be found where it started out, on the streets in the open air. Satchmo would approve.
The French Quarter
If New Orleans had a heartbeat, this would be it. The architecture is stunning and the area is great for just wandering in and soaking up the atmosphere. The shops, cafes and bars are a joy. Famous Bourbon Street lies here but many may find its wild exuberance a little off putting.
Audubon Park
Escape from the hurly-burly of the city with a visit to this island of tranquillity. Named for the famous French American artist and naturalist John James Audubon the park has many trees elegantly draped in Spanish moss. The main attraction of the park is the Audubon Zoo. The most notable thing about the many excellent features of the zoo is the recreation of a Cajun Louisiana swamp.
Mardis Gras
Think of New Orleans and you immediately think of Mardis Gras. This outsized party, as with so much in New Orleans, is a fusion of many of the diverse elements that comprise the city itself.
Mardis Gras begins on Twelfth Night and goes rampaging on for six weeks until Ash Wednesday. The Carnival is essentially a rites of spring festival, done Cajun style. It began with the French in the 1740's when they began to celebrate the post Christmas, pre-Easter period with feasts and celebrations. Grafted onto this were seasonal festivals from the Caribbean and Africa. From the onset, the carnival was noted for its riotous nature and this has not faded with the years.
The first carnival in its present form was in the mid 19th century, the main event was a street procession that had been organised by a 'krewe'. These closed societies, now numbering around 60, are responsible for organising the floats and processions that are the culminating events of the carnival. As Mardis Gras reaches its conclusion the celebrations become ever more intense and the partying is non-stop. For a booze fuelled Dionysian event Mardis Gras is hard to beat. One thing worth realising is that whilst all-comers are welcome this is a New Orleans event that would continue with or without the addition of the tourist dollar.
Eating, Drinking and Sleeping
The people of New Orleans, as one might expect with such a heavy French influence, take their food very seriously. Jambalya and Gumbo are the two big local dishes and they reflect the mixed ethnic make up of the State. Food has influences of Spain (Jambalaya is a kind of Paella) France and the Caribbean; it is spicy and delicious. The seafood is stunning; the Crawfish is especially good in season.
As a renowned party town, the bars and clubs are lively and numerous and many have a 24-hour licence. No Californian Puritanism about alcohol here!
As a jazz city, the live music scene is also in rude health and it is possible to catch all sorts of live acts across the city.
There are some marvellous places to stay in New Orleans but, during Mardis Gras prices go through the roof. The same applies to Jazz Fest and many places are booked months in advance.
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