French Quarter Highlights Self-Guided Walking Tour of New Orleans

Welcome to New Orleans! This 2-mile stroll through the French Quarter will take you on a journey back in time through the history of the Crescent City. So, as the French say, allons-y!

The plaza at the top of this platform is Washington Artillery Park. Established in 1976, this small park honors the many militaries which have used this land as a defensive fortification, from the French to the Spanish, the Confederates, and the United States. Strange bedfellows, for sure!

There’s a fantastic view straight ahead of St. Louis Cathedral. It’s the oldest continuously used cathedral in America. Originally built in 1720, it burned down in 1788 and was rebuilt immediately within a year. We’ll walk right by the Cathedral later in the tour and get a chance to visit.

To our left is the popular Decatur Street! With it’s horse-drawn carriage rides, restaurants, and clubs, I’m sure you’ll find yourself spending lots of time walking up and down Decatur for the rest of your visit here in New Orleans. There’s always something to do!

This building straight ahead is the ever-popular Cafe Du Monde French Market. First established in 1862, Cafe Du Monde became famous for its chicory coffee. Chicory is the root of a blue-flowered perennial plant first used in ancient Egypt. Before it was ground and mixed with coffee in France, Egyptians used chicory in tea to heal various ailments. But the chicory coffee here wasn’t just made for its flavor – it was born out of necessity.

Do you see a steamboat straight ahead? That’s the Natchez, the last authentic steamboat on the mighty Mississippi. You’re looking back in time at the early 1800s, when boats like this one revolutionized trade and travel up and down this river. They’re also the inspiration for riverboats, which Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn famously rode on. Plus, if you want to experience some jazz on the river, this boat is the place to be! Note: This tour is 1.9 miles long and covers all its essentials in 1-2 hours.

Look up and to the left. See that balcony with all the plants up ahead? That’s the birthplace of game-changing jazz musician Danny Barker! Pause in front. Barker’s own family, the Barbarins, were musical legends in their own right. His grandfather played with Louis Armstrong!

This is it: The LaLaurie Mansion. So what exactly happened here? Delphine LaLaurie had a disturbing appetite for violence, which she inflicted upon her enslaved servants. She beat them, underfed them, and seemed to take pleasure in their suffering. It became an open secret in town, but authorities didn’t really care. That is, until Delphine chased an enslaved girl off the edge of the roof with a whip and the girl fell to her death. Authorities then forced the LaLaurie’s to surrender their nine remaining servants.

We’re walking toward Bourbon Street, New Orleans’s party central. But this street wasn’t named after liquor. It got its name from the French royal family at the time, the House of Bourbon! In the early 1800s, Bourbon Street was mostly residential. In 1859, the sleepy neighborhood did get a bit of excitement. That’s when the French Opera House arrived. Clever entrepreneurs saw this as an opportunity. Soon, restaurants, bars, and other diversions popped up around the opera house. The sleepy street started to wake up!

On our right, directly on the corner, stands Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. On chilly nights in the 1770s, legend has it that the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte held meetings at this bar! He and his fellow privateers housed illegal contraband as they discussed which ship to hit next. Back then, a blacksmith shop stood next to the bar, hence the name.

This monument honors Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France. Joan is known for her military might. In 1428, acting under what she believed to be divine guidance, she disguised herself as a man and fought alongside the French army. One of her most famous feats was defending the city of Orleans from the English during a brutal siege. So it seems only fitting she receive a statue in New Orleans!

Look ahead a few houses on the left. Do you see a yellow house with a triangular roof and a balcony? That’s the former home of famous American playwright Tennessee Williams! Head over there and pause in front.

Directly ahead of us is Louis Armstrong Park. I’m sure you can guess who it’s named for! Cross the street toward the park when it’s safe, then continue straight into the park. Born in the early 1900s, Louis Armstrong grew up in a rough neighborhood here in New Orleans. But he wouldn’t have traded it for anything. He once said: “We were poor and everything like that, but music was all around. Music kept you rolling."

This 12-foot statue depicts none other than Louis Armstrong himself. It honors the jazz musician’s life and legacy. And what a legacy that is! Armstrong lives on throughout New Orleans. The airport carries his name, as do countless other landmarks. But not everything bearing Armstrong’s name is in New Orleans. Some of it isn’t even on this planet! In 1991, NASA named an asteroid after Armstrong! They called it 9179 Satchmo.

Mardi Gras has become synonymous with New Orleans’s culture. Loosely translated into “Fat Tuesday,” Mardi Gras season begins on Three Kings Day, or January 6th. The full-blown celebration you’re probably familiar with takes place before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

The tall pink mansion diagonally to the right is the Gardette-LePretre Mansion. Known as “The Sultan’s House” and dating back to 1836, this is one of the most photographed properties in the city.

The orange mansion across the street is the LaBranche House. The LaBranche family designed the home in the Creole style back in the 1830s. They frequently held lavish parties where party revelers spread out on the three balconies. If you look closely, each balcony has cast iron grillwork with oak leaf and acorn detailing.

The green garden to our left is St. Anthony’s Garden, dating back to the founding of the city. Over the years, this has been used as a shelter for fire victims, a dueling ground, and a home for Capuchin monks.

In 1817, the mayor of New Orleans decreed that enslaved Africans could only gather in one place: Congo Square. Here, enslaved people came together on Sundays to worship, buy and sell goods, and catch up. Women weaved through the crowds selling baskets of calas, which are deep-fried rice cakes covered in sugar. Congo Square buzzed with singing, dancing, and live music. Since several states had suppressed African music, visitors flocked here to marvel at the African-style dancing. The beat of the bamboulas and banzas fused with the sound of drums, gourds, marimbas, violins, and tambourines.