All that jazz
Jazz, voodoo, Creole cooking and Mardi Gras.
New Orleans is a city that is alive and swinging 365 days a year.
Beverly Gianna, vice president of public affairs at the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, “It never gets too terribly cold, but it does get seasonably warm.”
With a tourist-friendly climate, the city offers a year-round travel destination, she said.
In addition to the festivals and celebrations, the city also hosts many conventions each year, Gianna said.
Most tourists visit the city between January and September.
“Summer time is best for students,” she said.
It is during these times that the rates are lower and visitors can still experience the whole experience the city offers.
“It isn’t any one moment,” she said. “You experience the clip clop of the horses and buggies while you hear the music wafting through the streets.”
According to a press release, the city sits on the site of a much-older township first settled in the 1760s. The city was founded by Sieur de Bienville, a French-Canadian, and John Law, the Scottish Minister of Finance for France. The city was destroyed by fire on March 21, 1788.
According to www.neworleanscvb.com, the city was then rebuilt keeping the ideas of the original city with a Spanish architectural flare, including the French Quarter which was also rebuilt.
“It’s [the French Quarter] a step back in history,” Gianna said. “It’s living history.”
Following the fire, the city was returned to France and remained a French city until Napoleon sold it to the United States in 1803. The country paid $15 million for the Louisiana Purchase which included the city.
By 1860, the city was the wealthiest one in the country. According to the release, this was due to the large amount of trade going through it.
In the 1900s, the jazz movement took control of the city.
In a press release, New Orleans artist Ernie K-Doe said, “I’m not sure, but I’m almost positive that all music came from New Orleans.”
The annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival attracts more than 500,000 people and brings about $200 million into the city.
According to the Web site, the festival draws music luminaries and spectators who pay homage to the craft of Jazz.
But music is not the only draw to the city.
“You want to experience our food and you want to experience our music,” Gianna said.
The Web site lists many of the attractions available to tourists. Among them is the National D-Day Museum.
“It’s the only museum of its kind,” Gianna said.
Other attractions include: Jackson Square in the French Quarter, the St. Louis Cathedral, Preservation Hall (a jazz club), Jazzland Amusement Park and tours of the nearby swamps.
For more information about New Orleans call the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-672-6124 or visit their Web Site at www.neworleanscvb.com.