New Orleans Attractions - Search for Cheap Airline Tickets to New Orleans

>> Cheap airline tickets >> New orleans attractions

New Orleans has been a major tourist destination for many years. Though the flooding that struck the city in 2005 put the good timing on hold, things are now returning to normal (albeit slowly is some areas of the city). Most landmark tourist sites are up and running at full speed and there are a handful of exciting newer additions vying with the old classics for a spot on travelers’ itineraries.

Here are the best attractions in today’s New Orleans.

Budget

The Historic New Orleans Collection (533 Royal Street) is a small museum with rotating exhibits that show different aspects of the city’s history. The museum is an interesting stop, especially when coupled with the historic architecture of Royal Street and nearby Charles Street. The best part about this exhibit hall: admission is absolutely free.

City Park in Mid-City is known for its gigantic oak trees and large outdoor sculpture gardens. There is also a kid-friendly park called Storybook Land and a lights display that will impress all comers during the Christmas holiday season. The nearby Metairie Cemetery is a classic Southern cemetery that works as a tourist destination for those looking for some spooky thrills and those who want to see an authentic 19th century New Orleans graveyard.

Value

The French Quarter is the number one tourism neighborhood in New Orleans. Bourbon Street, with its jazz bars, and Jackson Square, with its colorful array of street performers and specialty shops, are the headliners of the Quarter as far as tourists are concerned.

Faubourg Marigny is the anti-French Quarter. It has a bohemian vibe, a fine collection of cafés and restaurants, and a blossoming fine arts and music scene. The atmosphere is far more laid back and far more “local” than the Quarter.

Splurge

Antique aficionados and curious tourists will be at home on Royal Street in the French Quarter and Magazine Street in Uptown. There are plenty of kitschy, overpriced souvenirs, but also plenty of valuable trinkets for those with enough experience and skill to pick them out.

Mardi Gras is the biggest tourist draw in New Orleans. This early February fete can get quite raucous, especially in the French Quarter, where the crowds of revelers make it nearly impossible to move through the street. But alcohol-fueled rowdiness is not the only celebratory option. Parades in Uptown, along Jackson and St. Charles Aves, are more family friendly and colorful, with floats and bead necklaces. Parades begin a week before Mardi Gras and continue until the clock strikes midnight on Fat Tuesday.