Where to stay

Music is king in New Orleans. Hotels in the Bourbon Street neighborhood are in the heart of the action of New Orleans nightlife, where live jazz, blues, rock and folk music boom out of bars that stay open until early morning. The French District and Warehouse District are great places to stay to visit some of their more than 30 museums, with spots dedicated to World War II, Mardi Gras history and voodoo. If sport is your interest, book a hotel in the Central Business District to be close to the venues for Saints football and Pelicans basketball.

The New Orleans dining scene offers so many great choices that deciding where to eat may be difficult. Stay in the French Quarter for food favorites from morning to night: beignets and café au lait for breakfast, and gumbo, crawfish etouffee or shrimp and grits for dinner. Set in old Victorian homes, hotels in the Garden District are near unique restaurants, ranging from hole-in-the-wall Creole joints to grand restaurants run by top-name chefs. Alternatively, find a hotel along Canal Street and sample Cajun food, Creole dishes, Italian specialties and Gulf of Mexico oysters. Wherever you stay, make reservations to be sure to get into your favorite NOLA restaurants.

Book a family-friendly hotel in Metairie, far from the rowdiness of downtown, but close to the Baby Cakes baseball venue and the walking trails of pretty Lafreniere Park and City Park. If you stay in the peaceful Garden District, ride the old-fashioned streetcar to get between your hotel and activities across the city's neighborhoods. Accommodations in the heart of the French Quarter or Warehouse District allow easy access to New Orleans excitement that's great for the whole family, from Mardi Gras parades to early evening street musicians to a steamboat ride on the Mississippi River.