Explore New Orleans: Self-Guided Audio Tour

There are many marvellous exhibits in the museum which include a Higgins boat, which was the landing craft that took allied troops ashore during the Normandy landings, a British Spitfire aircraft and a German Sherman tank.

The Aquarium is recognised as one of the leading aquariums in America hosting over 10,000 animals from both North and South America. The four main exhibits here are the Mississippi, which is the river that runs through New Orleans, The Amazon, featuring the feared piranha fish, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico exhibit features ‘Life beneath an Oil Rig’, which since the BP oil disaster has become a popular educational exhibit. The Audubon Institute was also involved with coordinating the clean-up efforts after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the aquarium acted as a base for the many volunteers involved.

The city of New Orleans is home to a multitude of top class eateries and so it is no surprise to find a museum dedicated to the gastric delights that are on offer in the southern states of America. There are an eclectic mix of exhibitions such as an exhibit dedicated solely to Elvis’ love of food. The museum also runs food and beverage courses such as beer and wine making and sometimes hosts guest chef demonstrations.

Dominating the skyline over Jackson Square in the French Quarter is St Louis Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral that is now the oldest of its kind in the United States. Since the area around New Orleans was first colonised, three Roman Catholic churches have sat on the site of the current cathedral. The final incarnation was completed in 1850.

Slavery in the southern states of America was a huge issue and one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the American Civil War. Madame LaLaurie as she was known in New Orleans, was a socialite who was known for her torture of black slaves. During a fire at the mansion, evidence of abuse came to light when heroic residents went to rescue the slaves. Word spread around town of the discovery and a mob then descended on the mansion destroying much of it. It is thought that after the fire, LaLaurie fled to Paris where she later died but this has never been verified. The house remained in a state of ruin until restoration from an unknown source in 1888 and since then it has been used as several local service facilities, including a school and a library.

Possibly the most famous street in New Orleans, Bourbon Street spans the entire French Quarter acting as a magnet for visitors to the city. Upper Bourbon Street is the most popular section of the street for tourists because of the volume of famous bars, restaurants and gift shops.

In the town where traditional jazz music was born, Preservation Hall embodies the very essence of this music genre in New Orleans and aims to preserve this music genre for future generations. The Preservation Jazz Band which is based at the Hall often tours around America and takes traditional jazz music to a wider audience. The band regularly sells out venues and performances in New Orleans are always sold out, proof that New Orleans jazz is a musical genre worth preserving.