01

Day 01

The French Quarter, River & Views

Jackson Square, a state history museum, a riverboat cruise, and an observation deck.

1. Morning

   Jackson Square & St. Louis Cathedral

   Open your visit at Jackson Square, where St. Louis Cathedral anchors the plaza and street artists set up along the iron fence. Early light keeps crowds down and gives you clean photographs before the day heats up.

2. Late Morning

   The Cabildo, Louisiana State Museum

   Spend an hour or two in the Cabildo, the Spanish colonial building on the square where the Louisiana Purchase was transferred. Its galleries trace the city's layered French, Spanish, and Creole history.

3. Lunch

   French Market

   Lunch at the French Market along Decatur Street, where vendors serve everything from po'boys and gumbo to jambalaya in a market district that has operated for more than two centuries.

4. Afternoon

   Steamboat Natchez river cruise

   Board the Steamboat Natchez from the Toulouse Street wharf. The paddlewheeler's narration and calliope turn the Mississippi into a story, the best crash course in the city's river history.

5. Late Afternoon

   Vue Orleans observation deck

   Ride to the observation deck atop the Four Seasons and take in the 360-degree view. Late-afternoon light gilds the river's crescent bend, the Quarter, and the bridges downriver.

6. Evening

   Creole dinner in the Quarter

   Cap day one with a classic Creole dinner, whether gumbo and shrimp remoulade at an old-line room or a lively bistro. Order a table early, then toast the Quarter you spent all day exploring.

02

Day 02

The Warehouse Arts District & Uptown

The WWII Museum, Ogden, and Contemporary Arts Center, then a streetcar to the Garden District.

1. Morning

   The National WWII Museum

   Start at the National WWII Museum, consistently ranked among the country's best. Arrive at opening to work through the immersive campaign galleries and the Boeing Center's aircraft before the crowds build.

2. Late Morning

   Ogden Museum of Southern Art

   A block away, the Ogden holds the largest collection of Southern art in the world, from self-taught folk pieces to contemporary work. A focused visit pairs naturally with the morning's museum.

3. Lunch

   Cochon Butcher

   Grab lunch at Cochon Butcher, a Warehouse District sandwich shop and salumeria whose muffuletta and house-cured meats have a devoted local following.

4. Afternoon

   Contemporary Arts Center

   Walk over to the Contemporary Arts Center on Camp Street for rotating exhibitions and performances in a converted warehouse, the creative heart of the district.

5. Late Afternoon

   St. Charles Avenue Streetcar

   Catch the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, the oldest continuously operating line in the world, and ride the oak-shaded route uptown past mansions and Audubon Park.

6. Evening

   Garden District & Magazine Street dinner

   Finish in the Garden District, where you can stroll the mansion-lined streets before dinner on Magazine Street, a corridor of acclaimed independent restaurants a short walk from the streetcar.

03

Day 03

Faubourg Marigny & Bywater

A riverfront park, street murals, and standout dining downriver from the Quarter.

1. Morning

   Crescent Park

   Start with a walk on Crescent Park, the linear riverfront park stretching through Bywater with its landmark 'rusty rainbow' bridge, wide Mississippi views, and quiet lawns.

2. Late Morning

   Studio Be & Bywater murals

   Visit Studio Be, Brandan Odums' warehouse gallery of large-scale murals, then hunt for the ever-changing street art along St. Claude Avenue and the side streets around it.

3. Lunch

   Bacchanal or a Bywater cafe

   Grab lunch at Bacchanal, a Bywater wine garden known for its backyard, cheese boards, and live music, or pick from the many acclaimed casual spots nearby.

4. Afternoon

   St. Claude & Marigny browsing

   Continue back toward the Marigny through its boutiques, record stores, and design shops, a relaxed afternoon of browsing in one of the city's most creative corridors.

5. Evening

   Frenchmen Street dining

   Head to Frenchmen Street for dinner in the Marigny, home to some of the city's most beloved live-music clubs and neighborhood restaurants.

6. Evening

   Live jazz on Frenchmen

   End with a nightcap and a set of live jazz at a Frenchmen Street club. The street's low-key, local energy is a fitting finale to your neighborhood day.