New Orleans is the city of jazz and home to brass bands that play in Jackson Square in the shadow of St. Louis Cathedral. It's also where you’ll also find endless charming cafés, art galleries, and boutiques. Join the party on the neon-lit Bourbon Street, shop the antique stores on Royal Street, or wander down to the banks of the Mississippi River. Buildings that date back two and three centuries can be seen in the city's beautiful and historic French Quarter—the beating heart of New Orleans.

From simple red beans and rice to high-end tasting menus, no city loves its food like New Orleans. Creole and Cajun dishes are the most popular, and you’ll find gumbo and jambalaya everywhere. Stop at Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait, grab a muffuletta sandwich from Central Grocery, or find a crawfish boil at a neighborhood bar. Oysters, po’boys, and turtle soup are local classics—consider taking a cooking class to learn how to make them.

See world-class musicians every night at the jazz clubs along Frenchmen Street, where it’s easy to bounce between venues. Two recommends? Fritzel’s European Jazz Bar and Preservation Hall, both famous music hot spots in the French Quarter. Good to know: the city’s incredible brass bands often take to the streets but look out for them in the clubs, too.

Bourbon Street is a world-famous party center where you can find cheap drinks, karaoke, live music, and adult entertainment. Join the locals by exploring beyond the neon signs along Saint Claude Avenue, home to lively spots with some outstanding local talent. The AllWays Lounge and HiHo Lounge put on exciting burlesque, drag, variety and comedy shows, and Siberia showcases all kinds of bands. You can also catch touring Broadway shows at the historic Saenger Theater.

New Orleans is best known for its iconic Mardi Gras celebrations, many of which make their way through the French Quarter. From the first week in January until the start of Lent, parades take over the city. However, there are festivals year-round in New Orleans. In spring, Jazz Fest attracts world-famous musicians, or, you can join the locals for food and live music at French Quarter Fest. The city also goes all in for Halloween as New Orleans is known to be haunted.

The colorful street murals in the Marigny hint at the incredible artistic talent that resides in NOLA. New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) holds its own against any big city gallery, with a collection that includes works by Degas, Picasso, and Renoir. The museum has an outstanding outdoor sculpture garden, too. Discover regional artistic highlights at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center.

Exploring downtown New Orleans is easy to do on foot or with a sightseeing bus tour. Also worth exploring is the Marigny neighborhood, filled with cute coffee shops, impressive art at Studio Be, and the tranquil riverside greenery of Crescent Park. And Treme is one of the country’s most historic African-American neighborhoods. Jazz evolved right there in Congo Square, and here you can find authentic Creole restaurants after a relaxing stroll through Louis Armstrong Park.

City Park is a sprawling green space, 50% bigger than Central Park in New York. Its most famous attractions are the centuries-old mature live oak trees, including the Dueling Oaks, where men would settle disputes back in the 19th century. You can also enjoy rolling along the Mississippi River on an old-fashioned steamboat cruise for beautiful views and live jazz.

New Orleans is home to the National World War II Museum, largely due to the fact that the vital Higgins Landing Craft was built here. The museum houses an array of comprehensive exhibits, including actual aircraft and weaponry. If you want to travel even further back in time, visit Chalmette Battlefield where you can see canons and monuments to the War of 1812.

New Orleans is built on bayous and swampland, and the natural wetlands just outside the city are easy to explore. The best way to do this is with an expert guide on a Honey Island Swamp tour. You're likely to see a variety of wading birds, turtles, nutria, and of course, the resident alligators. Don’t worry, bayou gators are relatively docile, and your guide can get you up close for the best photo opportunities.