French Quarter: The Vieux Carre - New Orleans, Louisiana

Often called the Crown Jewel of New Orleans, the French Quarter is one of NOLA's most historic neighborhoods. But you'll find plenty of new mixed in with the old. There’s a reimagined French Market, modern boutiques and artisan cocktails mix with beloved antique stores and old restaurants.  (Antoine’s. Arnaud’s. Galatoire’s. Brennan’s – the world would be far less flavorful without you!)

Like the Creole aristocrats lining the galleries of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the French Quarter is a timeless portrait – especially come dusk when swallows glide above the fortunetellers on Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral’s butter-crème-colored walls reflect the fiery sunset. Ghost tours troop past mad Madame LaLaurie’s mansion while neon signs stutter to life on Bourbon Street where syrupy red Hurricanes, slosh in famed ‘go cups’– those plastic tumblers responsible for uncountable curbside parties. Night falls. Horse hooves clop, music throbs and gaslights flicker in a place full of long-told legends and those waiting to be born. Create one of your own.