NEW ORLEANS, LA

Locals say that the South ends fifty miles north of New Orleans. In many ways, this is true. This city is home to a diverse music culture, world-renowned cuisine, voodoo, and Mardi Gras, one of the world's largest parties. New Orleans is a relatively small city which had little concern for what went on outside of it until Hurricane Katrina devastated the city 2005. Parts of New Orleans are still recovering from this disaster but the city's vibrant culture is back in full swing.

French Quarter

The French Quarter, or Vieux Carre in French, is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. It lies in the crescent of the Mississippi River and consists of fairly narrow streets, reminiscent of European city planning, that reveal hidden courtyards and look up to wrought iron balconies. The architecture in the Quarter typically dates to the late 18th- and early 19th-centuries, and draws on French and Spanish influences. In the daytime, the French Quarter, especially the area around Jackson Square, is filled with tourists,... more