8 Hotels in New Orleans With a Ton of History
With properties dating back to early settlements of French and Spanish explorers, terrible dark corners of slavery, fires and floods, flourishings of artwork, novels, and plays, and hideaways for famed politicians, a stay at any of the following New Orleans hotels uncovers layers and layers of colorful stories—often mixed with legend and embellishment, but always entertaining. These are the best historic hotels in New Orleans.
The Quisby
Why it made the list
Sailors and ship captains, prostitutes, Frito-Lay heiresses, punk rockers, and ne'er-do-wells all make up The Quisby's past. Formerly, this property was the Audubon Hotel, first a boarding house for sailors in the 1930s, definitely a brothel at some point, and later a hangout and residence for creative types and home to two notorious clubs, the Bamboo Dance Club and Audubon Club. Now recreated as a chic, modern hostel, former residents and employees still drop in now and again to entertain staff and guests with wild tales of the property’s former days.
The Cornstalk Hotel
Why it made the list
This mansion-turned-inn was built in 1816 by Louisiana’s first Attorney General (and longtime Supreme Court Justice) Francois Xavier-Martin. The home’s second owner added the iconic cornstalk fence around 1840, a gift to his Midwestern wife, and the hotel is still owned and managed by their granddaughter. Harriet Beecher Stowe was known to have conceptualized Uncle Tom’s Cabin during a long stay here and after visits to the nearby slave markets. Both Elvis Presley and Bill Clinton have had extended stays here. The property is part of the National Register of Historic Places.
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