The Big Easy. NOLA. Despite what you call it, the city of New Orleans should be your travel destination. Located in southern Louisiana, this city is filled with history, culture, attractions, and hospitality that capture the interest of hundreds of tourists daily. New Orleans, Louisiana is not like many big American cities. There is no beach, no extravagant skyscrapers, and no theme parks. However, there are festivities, amazing food, and great fun that give the city its popularity.
New Orleans is a city that is always looking for a reason to party and have fun. The most popular time to party is Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a celebration in the spring right before Easter. During the season, the streets of New Orleans are flooded with people watching marching bands and extravagant floats tour the city tossing beads and other items into the crowd. Schools and businesses close so that everyone can participate in this carnival-like experience. The city’s fun does not end there. In the late spring, New Orleans hosts their annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. During this two weekend event, people gather in the major parts of the city to watch live performances from minor artists at the time. There are rides, food, and beverages to entertain everyone throughout the day. In July, Essence Fest makes its annual return. Much like Jazz fest, this is an opportunity to watch performances. However, the event is not a picnic, but more of a night time concert with huge celebrities.
Even if you can’t make it to one of these events, the city is booming with things to do year round. The most popular area in the city is The French Quarter. It is filled with shops, restaurants, hotels, and friendly people all desiring a good time. The area contains reminders of New Orleans’ French culture and enticing history. The restaurants hold some of the most famous Cajun cuisine of New Orleans, such as gumbo, crawfish, red beans, jambalaya, praline candies, and beignets. Beignets, fried dough covered in powered sugar, are a favorite dessert of New Olreanians. The best place to find these treats is Café Du Monde located in the heart of The French Quarter. New Orleans is also home of the frozen treat, snowballs. Another exciting place is Mardi Gras World, a warehouse where all the Mardi Gras floats are assembled. The entire building is filled with beautiful and artistic floats for visitors to view. New Orleans is also home to many museums such as the popular World War II museum. This museum honors those who fought in the war and contains many valuable artifacts and photographs of the war. Veterans of WWII come to the museum to share their story with others. To learn more about the history of this city, swamp tours and haunted tours are available to anyone. The swamp tours ride through the swamp area of the city and shares facts about the history that the urbanization tends to hide. The haunted ghost tours give insights to some of the city’s darker history and where the haunted sites are located. Of course, the city’s famous streetcars are still traveling throughout the city providing everyone with transportation to major areas.
New Orleans is filled with people who share the same positive and welcoming energy. The hospitality of the citizens and the care free and fun atmosphere provides an “easy” life style, granting New Orleans, Louisiana, its title as “The Big Easy”! From the historic French Quarters to the art work that lines the streets, New Orleans has something for everyone to enjoy.
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