Hi! Welcome to a glimpse of New Orleans, Louisiana.
I'm Melissa, and as a native of Louisiana I would be remiss to mention the People and Culture of Louisiana as a whole. The State has a variety of "subcultures" and each part of the state has something distinct to offer visitors. I love my state and I have lived and spent time with people from Shreveport to New Orleans. This series will highlight parts of the state not only New Orleans. But today we're going to start with New Orleans since so many industries world wide, have chosen this vibrant, dynamic city for their venues and conferences.
The first thing you'll notice about the city is the layout, tourists are often confused and have a difficult time understanding the city, and the street names like "Tchoupitoulas"- which is a Chapitoulas Indian word meaning River People. It becomes overwhelming when there are more townhouses standing next to cottages side by side smack up against the sidewalk. Not to mention it's a city that never sleeps, people can be seen all hours of the night, out and about, with music pulsating almost everywhere.
The people are friendly and talk "funny" but their accent is not really what you'd call "southern". Our food is spicy and we do love to eat. Where I'm from when you meet an older person the third question is "Aw cha have ya eat'n yet? Let me fix ya sometin" (The first is- "Where you live?" and the second is- "Who's ya daddy?").
New Orleans truly is a melting pot of diversity, someone from a northern city might see something familiar things like Italian fresh produce dealers, or some century old Lutheran, Greek Orthodox Churches or Jewish Temples. Or maybe Soul Food Restaurants that bring back African American familiarity. Then a Southern visitor may see familiar architecture in the homes or the smell of southern food. However overall visitors would admit that New Orleans feels more like a foreign place or more like a European city than and American city.
The roots of the people span back from it's founding in 1718, free and slaved Africans, American Indians, and European settlers coming to live together and later Anglo-Saxon and Spaniards- resulted in an inter-twining of culture, language, and tradition.
I could go on and on about how these influences made the festivals what they are today as well as the language, but that being said here are a few picks of mine and some that are voted #1 by tourists...
Activities and Attractions:
Café du MondeCarriage rides at Jackson Square throughout the French Quarter
Louisiana State Museum
National World War II Museum
Oak Alley Plantation Tour
Riverwalk Marketplace
Swamp Tours and Airboat tours
Trolley ride from Canal Street down to St Charles through the Garden District to Audubon Park and Zoo
Walk to the Historic French Market.
Dining:
Some fine restaurants have been featured on television shows like Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Man Vs Food and many others. This website has compiled, a list check it out!
Budget conscious:
So if you're coming to New Orleans or any part of our great state for your job or conference give us a call, and we'll laissez les bon temps roulez!
