Uptown and Carrollton-Riverbend

Uptown encompasses the area upriver from Louisiana Avenue between Tchoupitoulas Street and S. Claiborne Avenue, on the west side of the Garden District. The neighborhood has as many sumptuous mansions as its neighbor, as well as Loyola and Tulane universities and the large urban park named for John James Audubon. The area is more family and student populated, versus the old-money feel of the Garden District.

The architecture is incredibly diverse throughout Uptown and the Carrollton-Riverbend, with examples ranging from Colonial Revival to long single-story family homes known locally as "shotgun" houses. Traveling along the avenue from downtown to uptown provides something of a historical narrative: the city's development unfolded upriver, and the houses grow more modern the farther uptown you go.

Magazine Street, the main artery of Uptown, stretches for miles with antiques and home decor shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and cafés. Several other shopping strips have developed throughout the area, most notably on Prytania Street and Freret Street. Casual cafés, bars, and shops abound. Meander along the side streets between St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street, which are lined with small, brightly painted family homes, decorated with fading Mardi Gras beads year-round. Breathe in the alluring fragrance of the sweet olive plants that grow in abundance throughout the neighborhood.

Farther northwest, Carrollton-Riverbend technically begins where the streetcar curves from St. Charles Avenue onto S. Carrollton Avenue. Carrollton was once a resort town where New Orleanians could retreat from the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter and relax by the river. Annexed in 1874, The Carrollton-Riverbend is now home to many university students, and still serves as a respite from tourist overload. The retail stretch along Oak Street has become widely known as the setting of the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. The stretch also has two incredibly popular bars, the Maple Leaf and Jacques-Imo's Café, that draw locals and visitors alike with live music and delicious local cuisine. Nearby Maple Street is another popular destination for the college crowd with bustling bars, bookshops, and restaurants stretching the length from Broadway to S. Carrollton Avenue.

The river winds its way around the southern edge of Uptown around Carrollton providing a gorgeous setting for picnics and family outings. Walk the stretch of the levee from the Riverbend back downtown along the river and relax at "The Fly," a popular hangout on the other side of Audubon Zoo, where locals enjoy views of the river while setting up picnics or team sports.