Top Experiences in New Orleans

Food

The city of New Orleans has long been a cultural melting pot, and that goes for her cooking pots as well. There's a stunning variety of homegrown cuisines and styles here—everything from traditional Creole to fresh-caught seafood, from slow-cooked soul food to upscale urban fusions, from gorgeous French-styled five course meals to corner store po'boys. For the upscale connoisseurs, this is a city where chefs come to make a name for themselves. Internationally recognized stars like John Besh, Paul Prudhomme, and Emeril Lagasse are joined by inventive culinary masterminds such as Susan Spicer (Bayona), Donald Link (Herbsaint) and Scott Boswell (Stella!). This is also a place that places a high premium on simple pleasures, and it's the unsung cooks and chefs of the corner shops, pubs, late-night grills, and even taco stands that deliver some of the best eats.

Cocktails

New Orleans is home to several of the world's oldest and most popular cocktails, dating back to the turn of the 19th century. It's no surprise that an old guard of traditional New Orleans bartenders have kept the sacred flame alight over the centuries, honing their skills on such homegrown classics as the Sazerac, the Ramos gin fizz, or the ever-popular Hurricane. But a new generation of innovative mixologists is combining their prowess with some of the most venerable cocktail traditions and settings, bringing new recipes, fresh ingredients, hand-squeezed juices and homemade syrups, mixers, and reductions. Hotspots like Cure, Bouligny, Capdeville, Bar Tonique, and Twleve Mile Limit are leading the cocktail renaissance and helping New Orleans become not only one of the most popular but also one of the most sophisticated drinking destinations of the world.

Music

Music is so organic to New Orleans that it's almost like humidity—hanging in the air, drifting down the street, working its way between clapboards on the sides of houses and clubs. When you follow those strains a little closer though, you'll realize that every style of music, every band and every musician have their own unique energy that they pour into the city, from the gritty, voodoo-inflected blues of an artist like Coco Robicheaux to the high-energy brass jams of the world-renowned Rebirth Brass Band. Old-school kings of rhythm and blues like Walter Wolfman Washington or Little Freddie King still keep people half their age (and less) dancing into the wee hours of the night. Meanwhile young hipsters in the New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings play swing jazz standards that are old enough to be their grandparents' (and then some).

Festivals

To many people, a festival is an event that arrives once a year, spans a few days, and then fades to nice memories. In New Orleans, however, the term "festival" has transcended any single event and has become a lifestyle, a state of mind, and possibly even an obsession. Regardless of the time of year you might be visiting, there's likely something happening—from the large-scaled, musical mega-events like Jazz Fest (jazz and heritage), Essence Fest (hip hop and R&B) and the Voodoo Experience (rock and electronic) to the funky neighborhood celebrations like Boogaloo on the Bayou or Festivus. Neighborhoods like the French Quarter throw self-named celebrations. Legendary figures like Louis Armstrong and Tennessee Williams have events thrown in their honor. So pack your sunscreen and a hat, slip into some dancing shoes, and get ready to plunge into the festival state of mind.