New Orleans Beyond Bourbon Street

Ask most people to picture New Orleans, and the images they associate with the Big Easy are generally limited to one enduring scene: the raucous bars and strip clubs and debauchery of Bourbon Street, the infamous section of the city’s historic French Quarter.

But there’s so much more to New Orleans than the Bourbon Street that caters to — and is largely frequented by — tourists. New Orleans is a culture- and history-rich city, with layers upon layers to discover.

For nightlife, head to Frenchmen Street, just outside the Quarter. Here, established clubs like d.b.a, the Spotted Cat and Snug Harbor offer some of the best live music in the city, any night of the week. Or head to the Bywater neighborhood to The Joint for barbeque and Bacchanal for wine and more live music on the outdoor patio.

Take a walk through New Orleans’ two outstanding parks, Audubon Park and City Park, both enormous and full of ancient live oak trees. Stop for po-boys and Abita beer at Parkway Tavern and Bakery, one of the city’s best shop for these New Orleans-made sandwiches.

Stroll past the enormous, palatial plantation-style homes of Uptown, where New Orleans’ rich and famous live. Make a reservation at Commander’s Palace for a jazz brunch and walk through the eerie Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 across the street, one of the best examples of New Orleans’ “Cities of the Dead.” End the day on the porch of The Columns with a mint julep, watching the streetcars rumble past.