The history, culture, and people of New Orleans have created a city with a deep and varied background. From small local facts to centuries of art and commerce, getting to know New Orleans can be a lifelong educational experience.New Orleans is one of America's oldest and most culturally interesting cities. Founded as La Nouvelle Orléans in 1718, New Orleans has served as one of the country's major ports, witnessed key military and political struggles, and transformed itself into a must-visit tourist destination.
The New Orleans arts scene has become one of the most vital and innovative in the nation. Here, monthly art openings have become public celebrations, attracting thousands, a pattern now repeated in dozens of urban centers across the country.New Orleans is the second city in the USA, after New York City, where the arts have driven a major neighborhood revival. The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) opened in 1975 in an empty warehouse, surrounded by a skid row atmosphere and other empty warehouses. Now, the CAC happily finds itself surrounded by dozens of newly converted warehouses filled with several thousand new residents of all ages. There are new hotels and condominiums, restaurants, shops and a prize-winning National World War II museum.
The city has a reputation for historical roots, hot and muggy weather, great food, great music, and great times. Despite being hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in late 2005, New Orleans is still the tourist hot-spot it always has been. Jazz music still rules the city's streets and there's still a bit of Mardi Gras all year round.
Mardi Gras or Carnival Time is the biggest celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana. The yearly festival includes numerous events throughout the city, and is known as the biggest free party on earth. Wearing a mask or costume on Mardi Gras Day is highly recommended by Mardi Gras veterans; one becomes part of the party, rather than just watching it. Veterans also start the party on Mardi Gras morning, even if you aren't usually a morning person. Mardi Gras officially ends promptly at midnight Tuesday. The next day is Ash Wednesday (nicknamed locally "Trash Wednesday" from the debris left in the streets from the parties), the start of Lent. Wearing Mardi Gras beads during Lent will mark you as a tourist; time to take them off.
New Orleans is known for a host of attributes like its famous Creole food, abundant alcohol, music of many styles, nearby swamps and plantations, 18th & 19th century architecture, antiques, gay pride, streetcars, museums. Nicknamed the Big Easy, New Orleans has long had a reputation as an adult oriented city. However, the city also offers many attractions for families with children and those interested in culture and the arts. It is a city with a majority Roman Catholic population owing to its European origins.
Famous festivals like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest bring in tourists by the millions, and are the two times of the year when one needs to be sure to book well in advance to be sure of a room. The city also hosts numerous smaller festivals and gatherings like the French Quarter Festival, Creole Tomato Festival, Satchmo SummerFest, the Essence Festival hosted by the magazine, Halloween parading and costume balls, Saint Patrick's Day and Saint Joseph's Day parading, Southern Decadence, and so many more. The city takes almost any occasion for an excuse for a parade, a party, and live music, and in New Orleans most events often have a touch of Mardi Gras year round.