New Orleans

===Tourism===
{{see also|Culture of New Orleans#Museums and other attractions}}New Orleans has many visitor attractions, from the world-renowned French Quarter to [[St. Charles Avenue]], (home of Tulane and Loyola universities, the historic [[Pontchartrain Hotel]] and many 19th-century mansions) to [[Magazine Street]] with its boutique stores and antique shops.
[[File:French Quarter03 New Orleans.JPG|alt=|thumb|[[French Quarter]] in 2009]]
[[File:New-Orleans-Street-Artist-1988-205.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.05|[[Street artist]] in the French Quarter (1988)]]

According to current travel guides, New Orleans is one of the top ten most-visited cities in the United States; 10.1 million visitors came to New Orleans in 2004.<ref name="0607marketing">{{cite web |url=http://www.crt.state.la.us/downloads/Appendix_E.pdf |title=2006–07 Marketing Plan |publisher=Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism |access-date=March 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409095933/http://www.crt.state.la.us/downloads/Appendix_E.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2001-45-561/index.html? |title=Overseas visitors to select U.S. cities/Hawaiian Islands 2001–2000 |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries |access-date=November 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917122511/http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2001-45-561/index.html |archive-date=September 17, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Prior to Katrina, 265 hotels with 38,338 rooms operated in the Greater New Orleans Area. In May 2007, that had declined to some 140 hotels and motels with over 31,000 rooms.<ref name="New Orleans' Recovery as of May 2007">{{Cite web |url=https://www.neworleans.com/press-media/press-releases/ |title=New Orleans Media Information &#124; Press Releases |website=www.neworleans.com |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904104805/https://www.neworleans.com/press-media/press-releases/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A 2009 ''[[Travel + Leisure]]'' poll of "America's Favorite Cities" ranked New Orleans first in ten categories, the most first-place rankings of the 30 cities included. According to the poll, New Orleans was the best U.S. city as a spring break destination and for "wild weekends", stylish boutique hotels, cocktail hours, singles/bar scenes, live music/concerts and bands, antique and vintage shops, cafés/coffee bars, neighborhood restaurants, and [[people watching]]. The city ranked second for: friendliness (behind [[Charleston, South Carolina]]), [[gay]]-friendliness (behind San Francisco), [[bed and breakfast]] hotels/inns, and ethnic food. However, the city placed near the bottom in cleanliness, safety and as a family destination.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2009 |title=America's Favorite Cities |magazine=Travel + Leisure |date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=June 30, 2010 |archive-date=July 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701051016/http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2007/10/travel_leisure_says_new_orlean.html |title=Travel + Leisure says New Orleans is tops for live music, cocktails and cheap eats |access-date=October 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117211911/http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2007/10/travel_leisure_says_new_orlean.html |archive-date=January 17, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The French Quarter (known locally as "the Quarter" or ''Vieux Carré''), which was the colonial-era city and is bounded by the Mississippi River, Rampart Street, [[Canal Street, New Orleans|Canal Street]], and [[Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans|Esplanade Avenue]], contains popular hotels, bars and nightclubs. Notable tourist attractions in the Quarter include Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the [[French Market]] (including [[Café du Monde]], famous for [[café au lait]] and [[beignet]]s) and [[Preservation Hall]]. Also in the French Quarter is the old [[New Orleans Mint]], a former branch of the [[United States Mint]] which now operates as a museum, and [[The Historic New Orleans Collection]], a museum and research center housing art and artifacts relating to the [[history of New Orleans|history]] and the [[Gulf South]].

Close to the Quarter is the [[Tremé]] community, which contains the [[New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park]] and the [[New Orleans African American Museum]]—a site which is listed on the [[Louisiana African American Heritage Trail]].

The ''[[Natchez (boat)|Natchez]]'' is an authentic [[steamboat]] with a [[Calliope (music)|calliope]] that cruises the length of the city twice daily. Unlike most other places in the United States, New Orleans has become widely known for its [[elegant decay]]. The city's [[Historic Cemeteries of New Orleans|historic cemeteries]] and their distinct above-ground [[tomb]]s are attractions in themselves, the oldest and most famous of which, [[Saint Louis Cemetery]], greatly resembles [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] in Paris.

[[File:NOMAReopeningDayDelgadoFascade.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|right|The [[New Orleans Museum of Art]] (NOMA) located in [[City Park, New Orleans|City Park]]]]
[[The National WWII Museum]] offers a multi-building odyssey through the history of the Pacific and European theaters. Nearby, [[Confederate Memorial Hall Museum]], the oldest continually operating museum in Louisiana (although under renovation since Hurricane Katrina), contains the second-largest collection of [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] memorabilia. Art museums include the [[Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans)|Contemporary Arts Center]], the [[New Orleans Museum of Art]] (NOMA) in [[City Park (New Orleans)|City Park]], and the [[Ogden Museum of Southern Art]].

New Orleans is home to the [[Audubon Nature Institute]] (which consists of [[Audubon Park (New Orleans)|Audubon Park]], the [[Audubon Zoo]], the [[Aquarium of the Americas]] and the [[Audubon Insectarium]]), and home to gardens which include [[Longue Vue House and Gardens]] and the [[New Orleans Botanical Garden]]. [[City Park (New Orleans)|City Park]], one of the country's most expansive and visited [[urban park]]s, has one of the largest stands of [[Southern live oak|oak trees]] in the world.

Other points of interest can be found in the surrounding areas. Many wetlands are found nearby, including [[Honey Island Swamp]] and [[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve#Barataria Preserve|Barataria Preserve]]. [[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve#Chalmette unit|Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery]], located just south of the city, is the site of the 1815 [[Battle of New Orleans]].