New Orleans is a fun city, with a lot of music and nightlife, all of which is expensive and can add up for the traveler on a budget. As an alternative, here are five free things to do in New Orleans.
1) Mardi Gras (And Bourbon Street the rest of the Year)
The festival of Mardi Gras is a giant party that anyone and everyone is welcome to attend. The street is filled with street performers and rowdy tourists coming out of bars, or hanging out of the balconies of bars. It is great people watching at all times of day, and has exciting nightlife, with live music that spills out onto the streets.
2) Listen to Live Music
The French Quarter Festival, which is the largest music festival in the south, is held in New Orleans every April. Jazz, gospel, blues, classical and Cajun acts perform on 15 stages for approximately 500,000 visitors. Street vendors serve regional specialties and the festivities end with a giant fireworks display.
3) Take a Ferry
New Orleans has many ferry boats that still float up and down the Mississippi. The Canal Street Ferry takes travelers to Algiers Point, where there is a 19th century neighborhood that survived Hurricane Katrina. You can traverse the Jazz Walk of Fame or take a walking tour while feeling like you're in a Mark Twain novel.
4) Garden District
Visitors can take a walking tour of the Garden District, which is southwest of the French Quarter. It lives up to its name with beautiful homes covered in ivy and gardens. There are many historical homes in the area, such as the Adams House and Buckner Mansion. Magazine Street also has great shopping for housewares if you want to take a piece of the Garden District back to your own home.
5) French Quarter & French Market
The French Quarter is the site of the original New Orleans colony, which was established by the French in 1718, and is the oldest part of the city. The street names are even still listed in French. The French Market, which dates back to 1791, runs the length of several city blocks along the Mississippi River and includes the famous Café du Mond, where you can get the famous beignets (they do charge for those, sorry).The market consists of open air retail stalls and produce stands as well as enclosed stores. It's an excellent spot for window shopping. Visitors can also watch many of the vendors, such as candy makers, work. The market was originally a Native American trading post, where immigrants from Europe and African-Americans traded coffee and other goods and the modern market today carries on that same atmosphere.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
