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4 FRENCH QUARTER: WHERE HISTORY MEETS FUN

BOUNDARIES: Iberville St., Bourbon St., St. Ann St., Decatur St.

DISTANCE: 1.66 miles

PARKING: Several garages and lots along N. Peters St.

PUBLIC TRANSIT: Riverfront Streetcar, St. Charles Ave. Streetcar

To much of the outside world, the French Quarter is synonymous with Bourbon Street, that often sleazy yet strangely magical playground where you can let loose with a Hurricane or a Hand Grenade, go crazy for a pair of beads, or party so hard that when you wake up the next day, you just might wonder who you are and where you’ve been.

But the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré, as it’s known in French, is a hotbed of fascinating history, culinary artistry, and mesmerizing music. It’s the antiques shops of Royal Street, the artists of Jackson Square, and the jazz musicians of Preservation Hall. It’s Friday lunch at Galatoire’s or late-night drinks at the Napoleon House.

The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, developed after the city’s founding in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Most of the historic buildings in the Quarter were built in the late 18th century, after two devastating fires destroyed most of the old French Colonial architecture. At the time, New Orleans was under Spanish rule, so much of what you’ll see—from wrought-iron balconies to common-wall brick houses—reflects that period.

There’s so much to do and see in the Quarter that just one walking tour wouldn’t do it justice. Therefore, we offer three separate walks: this one, along with the Back of the Quarter (Walk 5) and French Market/Riverfront (Walk 6).

 Begin at North Peters and Iberville Streets. Walk four blocks down Iberville. In the fourth block, you’ll pass two classic seafood eateries: Acme Oyster House to your left and Felix’s to your right. Both places have bars where you can take in the art of oyster shucking. Also on this block are the higher-end Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse and Bourbon House, both run by restaurateur Dickie Brennan, who with other members of the Brennan family owns some of the city’s top restaurants.

 Turn right on Bourbon and brace yourself for the adult-themed playground that lies ahead. Ironically, one of the city’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, the legendary Galatoire’s, is among the first places you’ll pass. Galatoire’s dates back to 1905, when Jean Galatoire brought his culinary talents to New Orleans from the village of Pardies, France. Known for its French Creole cooking, Galatoire’s boasts such dishes as crabmeat Sardou, chicken Clemenceau, oysters Rockefeller, and shrimp rémoulade. Eating at Galatoire’s is the ultimate fine-dining experience, with tuxedoed waiters tending to your every need. If you’re a regular, you likely have your own waiter. Although reservations are taken for the second floor, waiting in line for the more festive first floor—especially on Fridays—is the way to have a true Galatoire’s experience.

 Continue down Bourbon, where you’ll pass strip joints, T-shirt shops, daiquiri shops, and the like. At the end of the block is Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House, which opened its doors in 1807. Legend has it that the pirate Jean Lafitte and Andrew Jackson met on the second floor to plan the victory of the Battle of New Orleans. Over the years, the tavern has hosted such celebrities as Frank Sinatra, Mark Twain, and Liza Minnelli. Its interior features antique chandeliers and the jerseys of football legends hanging from the exposed cypress beams.

 In the next block, the Royal Sonesta Hotel is to the right. The Sonesta has long been one of the Crescent City’s finest hotels. It’s home to Restaurant R’evolution, the latest restaurant of chef John Folse, and Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, the jazz club of Grammy Award–winning trumpeter and bandleader Irvin Mayfield. One of the city’s musical treasures, Mayfield is an amazing talent who also teaches, composes, and travels the world spreading the gospel of New Orleans jazz. He and his New Orleans Jazz Orchestra perform at the club on Wednesday nights in a show billed as Irvin Mayfield’s NOJO Jam; other regulars include the James Rivers Movement, Glen David Andrews, and Shannon Powell. One of the most famous traditions associated with the Sonesta occurs every Mardi Gras, when those lucky enough to book balcony rooms arm themselves with beads to toss to the raucous revelers below. The celebrating begins the Friday before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) with the annual “Greasing of the Poles,” a Sonesta-sponsored event in which celebrity greasers spread petroleum jelly on the hotel’s supporting poles to prevent partiers from climbing up to the balcony.

 Over the next few blocks you’ll pass several more bars and lounges, among them Rick’s Cabaret, one of Bourbon Street’s fancier strip clubs; the Famous Door, where pianist, actor, and American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr. played his first gig at 13 years old; and the Chris Owens Club, a burlesque joint whose ageless namesake is a French Quarter nightlife legend.The Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter, at 541 Bourbon, occupies the one-time site of the legendary French Opera House, which served as the center of the city’s social and cultural life, especially among the Creoles. The Opera House opened in 1859, and New Orleans quickly became known as “The Opera Capital of North America.” It remained that way until 1919, when a fire destroyed the building.At the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse Streets is Tropical Isle, known for a drink called the Hand Grenade, a melon-flavored concoction that, with its mixture of “liqueurs and other secret ingredients,” is billed as “New Orleans’s most powerful drink.” Farther down the block, to the left, is Channing Tatum’s Saints and Sinners, the bordello-themed restaurant and bar that Tatum, a regular visitor to New Orleans, opened with a business partner in 2012.

 From Toulouse, walk one block to St. Peter Street and turn right. On this block, you’ll pass two of the city’s most beloved landmarks: Preservation Hall and Pat O’Brien’s. Preservation Hall opened in 1961 to honor traditional New Orleans jazz. Nightly performances feature bands made up of such musicians as Greg Stafford, Charlie Gabriel, and Ernie Elly. All ages are welcome, so if you have children in tow, bring them along for this one-of-a-kind learning experience.Pat O’Brien’s, or Pat O’s for short, is a playground within itself, an entertainment mecca since 1933, when, at the end of Prohibition, Pat O’Brien converted his speakeasy to a legal drinking establishment. Pat O’s features several bars, among them a patio bar and a piano bar, where dueling entertainers lead sing-alongs from two copper-topped baby grand pianos. The signature drink is the Hurricane, a rum-based libation served in a 26-ounce souvenir glass.

 Walk one block to Royal Street and turn right. Royal is the antithesis of Bourbon: a ritzy shopping stretch lined with antiques shops, art galleries, jewelry stores, and boutiques. Among them are M. S. Rau Antiques, Ida Manheim Antiques, Sutton Gallery, and Vincent Mann Gallery.At 533 Royal, between St. Louis and Toulouse Streets, is the Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum and research center dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region. The museum’s holdings include more than 35,000 library items; more than 2 miles of documents and manuscripts; and about 350,000 photographs, prints, drawings, paintings, and other artifacts. The updated and interactive Louisiana History Galleries comprises 13 galleries tracing Louisiana’s fascinating past. The latest additions to the permanent display are exhibits on Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 BP oil spill.

 Walk one block to 400 Royal. The stunning Beaux Arts structure to the left is the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court. The state’s highest court moved into the building in 1910, where it remained for nearly 50 years. After the court moved to the more contemporary Central Business District, the building fell into disrepair, but it saw new life in 2004 when, after a major renovation, the Supreme Court returned to its Royal Street address.Across the street, at 417 Royal, is Brennan’s, the old-line restaurant renowned for its sumptuous breakfasts, world-famous bananas Foster, and romantic courtyard. To the dismay of foodies everywhere, Brennan’s shut down in the summer of 2013 after its owners declared bankruptcy, but a cousin, New Orleans restaurateur Ralph Brennan, came to the rescue: He purchased the property at auction, bought back the Brennan’s name, and reopened the French Quarter institution in November 2014. Meanwhile, Brennan’s former owners were planning to open a new eatery, Ted Brennan’s Decatur, on nearby Decatur Street in 2015.In the next block, at 334 Royal St., is the headquarters of the New Orleans Police Department’s Eighth District. Erected in 1826 as the Old Bank of Louisiana, the building served as Louisiana’s state capitol from 1868 to 1869, and later the Royal Street Auction Exchange and the Mortgage and Conveyance Office. This block of Royal also contains lots of fun shops, including Vintage 329, which specializes in autographed memorabilia, rare books, and other historical items.If you need a break—or even if you don’t—stop in at the venerable Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St.), which boasts live entertainment and one of the most popular hotel bars in New Orleans. The Carousel Bar & Lounge features a 25-seat revolving bar with a carousel top, antiqued mirrors, and hand-painted chairs. The lounge, with its circular glass chandeliers and expansive windows along Royal Street, is equally inviting.

 Turn left on Iberville Street, walk one block to Chartres Street, and turn left. Like Royal, Chartres offers a lot in the way of shopping, but it also has much to offer in the way of eating. Over the last few years, Chartres has become something of a culinary corridor, with several new restaurants—SoBou, Doris Metropolitan, Kingfish, Sylvain, Tableau, and a French Quarter outpost of Carrollton’s Camellia Grill—joining K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen and Pierre Maspero’s in the five blocks between Iberville and St. Peters Streets.Of course, you may just opt for the Napoleon House (500 Chartres St.), which has been serving up its famous Pimm’s Cups and muffulettas since 1914. The Napoleon House—one of the best bars in America, according to Esquire magazine—is housed in a 200-year-old building that belonged to Nicolas Girod, mayor of New Orleans from 1812 to 1815. Girod offered his residence to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1821 as a refuge during his exile; alas, Napoleon died before he could make it to New Orleans.A few doors down from the Napoleon House is the Pharmacy Museum (514 Chartres St.), the one-time apothecary shop of Louis Joseph Dufilho Jr., who in the early 19th century became America’s first licensed pharmacist. On display are old patent medicines, books, and pharmaceutical equipment dating back as far as the early 1800s, as well as surgical instruments used in the Civil War. Other exhibits include a re-created 19th-century physician’s study and a spectacle collection illustrating the historical development of eyewear and other antique vision aids from around the world.

For many New Orleanians, the French Quarter is home. This is an example of a balconied apartment building that can be found throughout the neighborhood.

 Continue walking to the corner of Chartres and St. Peter Streets. To your left is Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, one of the oldest community theaters in the country. Originally organized in 1916 as the New Orleans Chapter of the Drama League of America, the company began performing in this space in 1922. In 2012 and 2013, the theater underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation that added Tableau, a Dickie Brennan restaurant specializing in Louisiana Creole fare.

 Continue walking on Chartres straight into Jackson Square, the highlight of which is the triple-spired St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in North America and easily the city’s most recognizable landmark. The church features a Rococo-style gilded altar along with magnificent stained-glass windows and paintings. In the rear of the cathedral is the St. Anthony Garden, where a statue of Jesus stands with arms upraised. Stop in for Mass or a tour; the cathedral is open daily after the 7:30 a.m. Mass until 4 p.m., and self-guided tours are available for a $1 donation.The cathedral is flanked by the Cabildo and the Presbytère, two of several museums under the Louisiana State Museum umbrella. Facing the cathedral, the Cabildo is to your left. Built in the late 18th century, the Cabildo served as the seat of government in New Orleans during the Spanish Colonial period and is where the Louisiana Purchase—which nearly doubled the size of the United States—was signed in 1803. To your right is the Presbytère, a one-time courthouse that now houses an exquisite collection of Mardi Gras artifacts and memorabilia. Through an interactive exhibit titled “Mardi Gras: It’s Carnival Time in Louisiana,” visitors can learn the history of Mardi Gras, from its 19th-century beginnings to the modern-day celebration that attracts millions of tourists every year.Take your time strolling around the square and enjoy the vibrancy of the artists, musicians, and other street performers at work. The redbrick buildings on either side of the square are the Lower and Upper Pontalba Buildings, the oldest apartments in the United States. The apartments take up the top three stories, while shops and restaurants occupy the first. One of the best is Stanley, at the corner of St. Ann and Chartres, a casual eatery known for its all-day breakfast fare. Another restaurant worth checking out is Muriel’s Jackson Square, just across St. Ann from Stanley. Muriel’s serves contemporary Creole fare and boasts one of the best dining balconies in town.If you have a few extra minutes to spare, walk through the square, named in honor of General Andrew Jackson, the hero of the Battle of New Orleans. Known in the 18th century as the Place d’Armes, the historic park is a popular site for television broadcasts and music festivals, including the French Quarter Festival and Caroling in the Square.

 Continue walking around the square along Decatur Street, across from Café Du Monde, the famous coffee-and-beignets stand. This block of Decatur is an assembly spot for horse-drawn-carriage tours.

 Walk to St. Peter Street, turn right, and head one more block back to Chartres Street. The tour ends here, but be sure to check out the Back of the Quarter and the French Market/Riverfront area, each covered in the next two walks.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Acme Oyster House acmeoyster.com, 724 Iberville St., 504-522-5973

Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com, 716 Iberville St., 504-522-2467

Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar felixs.com, 739 Iberville St., 504-522-4440

Bourbon House bourbonhouse.com, 144 Bourbon St., 504-522-0111

Galatoire’s galatoires.com, 209 Bourbon St., 504-525-2021

Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House ruebourbon.com/oldabsinthehouse, 240 Bourbon St., 504-523-3181

Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans sonesta.com/royalneworleans, 300 Bourbon St., 504-586-0300

Restaurant R’evolution revolutionnola.com, 777 Bienville St., 504-553-2277

Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse irvinmayfield.com, 300 Bourbon St., 504-553-2299

Famous Door 339 Bourbon St., 504-598-4334

Chris Owens Club chrisowensclub.net, 500 Bourbon St., 504-523-6400

Tropical Isle tropicalisle.com, 600 Bourbon St., 504-529-1702

Saints and Sinners saintsandsinnersnola.com, 627 Bourbon St., 504-528-9307

Preservation Hall preservationhall.com, 726 St. Peter St., 504-522-2841

Pat O’Brien’s patobriens.com, 718 St. Peter St., 504-525-4823

Historic New Orleans Collection hnoc.org, 522 Royal St., 504-523-4662

Louisiana Supreme Court lasc.org, 400 Royal St., 504-310-2300

Brennan’s brennansneworleans.com, 417 Royal St., 504-525-9711

New Orleans Police Department, Eighth District nola.gov/nopd, 334 Royal St., 504-658-6080

Vintage 329 vintage329.com, 329 Royal St., 504-525-2262

Carousel Bar & Lounge, Hotel Monteleone hotelmonteleone.com, 214 Royal St., 504-523-3341

SoBou sobounola.com, 310 Chartres St., 504-552-4095

Kingfish cocktailbarneworleans.com, 337 Chartres St., 504-598-5005

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen chefpaul.com/kpaul, 416 Chartres St., 504-596-2530

Napoleon House napoleonhouse.com, 500 Chartres St., 504-524-9752

Pharmacy Museum pharmacymuseum.org, 514 Chartres St., 504-565-8027

Doris Metropolitan dorismetropolitan.com, 620 Chartres St., 504-267-3500

Sylvain sylvainnola.com, 625 Chartres St., 504-265-8123

Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré lepetittheatre.com, 616 St. Peter St., 504-522-2081

Tableau tableaufrenchquarter.com, 616 St. Peter St., 504-934-3463

The Cabildo crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-museum, 701 Chartres St., 504-568-6968

St. Louis Cathedral stlouiscathedral.org, Jackson Square, 504-525-9585

The Presbytère crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-museum, 751 Chartres St., 504-568-6968

Jackson Square nola.gov/parks-and-parkways/parks-squares/jackson-square, bounded by St. Ann, St. Peter, Decatur, and Chartres Streets; 504-658-3200

Stanley stanleyrestaurant.com, 547 St. Ann St., 504-587-0093

Muriel’s Jackson Square muriels.com, 801 Chartres St., 504-568-1885

ROUTE SUMMARY

1 Begin walk at Iberville and North Peters Street.

2 Walk four blocks to Bourbon Street and turn right.

3 Walk five blocks to St. Peter Street and turn right.

4 Walk one block to Royal Street and turn right.

5 Walk five blocks to Iberville and turn left.

6 Walk one block to Chartres Street and turn left.

7 Walk five blocks to St. Peter at Jackson Square.

8 Walk around the square back to Chartres Street.

The Louisiana Supreme Court Building is a Beaux Arts structure that dates back to the early 1900s.