I had the pleasure of visiting the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Friday, May 29th, 2026. As a…read moreclassical guitarist, I have always been enamored by the improvisational nature of jazz. Classical music traditionally has its roots in European aristocracy as it requires an abundance of leisure time to learn and practice; the essence of classical music in contemporary form is to interpret a piece of music and not deviate from the original piece with some exceptions; I will often alter a piece of music by including repeats and changing the positions and phrasing on the guitar to bring out all its qualities. As a result, classical and jazz music are often juxtaposed to each other. It is important to note that jazz is not synonymous with big band; whereas jazz has its roots in African rhythms and has an improvisational nature, big band music is reliant on written compositions similar to classical music. Big band is sometimes viewed as a sub-genre of jazz but not always. My efforts to define jazz would be in vain according to the jazz legend, Louis Armstrong: "if you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know." Nevertheless, I thought it should be mentioned in my review to put it into context as there is much confusion regarding the differences between the two in the general public. If you are visiting New Orleans with the intention of indulging in a few libations and strolling down Bourbon Street, do not neglect the culture the city provides. The architecture of the streets and buildings evoke images of the French colonial past. The New Orleans Jazz Museum should be on your itinerary as you visit this historic city, especially if you have an interest in music.

Informative, engaging, and pretty comprehensive. Talks about different artists and their…read moreinfluences...along with different music styles and how they evolved into what we consider modern day jazz. An homage to musicians and their creations with a nod to modern performers as well. It's not a huge exhibit but it's nice to see the effort made to inform the public of jazz's historical importance. Not too pricey but not a full-day's worth experience. Prob could cover the entire museum in about 2-3 hours.

Last spring, wifey and I were lucky enough to spend a week in New Orleans. One of the most…read morememorable nights of our trip was spent on a Wednesday at the Candlelight Lounge. I'd like to share our story. My friend Gil B comes to NOLA multiple times a year and has a strong connection with the Crescent City. This was on his short-list of places he recommended to experience something off the beaten path. We arrived by Uber at 10:30 for a 10 o'clock show, thinking we were late, but this place runs on New Orleans time--the lights were all up in this funky little cinder-block building, and there were only a handful of folks sitting at the bar and along the walls. We saw a table in the corner with pots covered in foil sitting on a hot plate, and a paper sign: "Don't Touch Call Gladys" At Gil's recommendation, we took advantage of their bottle service and requested a half-pint bottle of Seagrams gin at the bar. It is served with a luke-warm bottle of soda (we went for ginger ale), and a big red plastic bowl of ice and limes. It was perfect and refreshing on this warm night. We found a tiny table near the front and settled in. The next big group to walk in the door was a group of senior Japanese tourists, which all sat on the same side of a big long table. They seemed out of place, sitting all on one side of a big long table. Half the men in the group promptly fell asleep. Not the first time that night, we wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into. Gladys, it turns out, is the lively hostess for the night. She came by to make sure we felt welcome, and told us about the red beans and rice in case we were hungry. Slowly the musicians and additional guests streamed in, and after another half hour or so, the band started to warm up and get ready for the show. We were shocked and gleefully surprised, when one of the Japanese businessmen walks up to the stage with a trumpet case. He introduced himself to the band and asked if he could sit in, they were maybe more surprised than we were, but proceed to pull up a chair for him. When the brass band finally starts up, the tables are full, and a few folks are dancing, and the music is excellent. Wifey and I were thrilled to see that the older tourist was a genius on trumpet, kept up with the band perfectly, and rocked the house. The smile in his eyes as he was playing beamed through the room, he was clearly in his happy place, and he even stood up for a solo in the second song. For the third song, the band paused so Gladys could make an announcement: "In case y'all don't know, this is the third song, which means everybody dances. I'm on my feet all night, so I get to sit down, and the rest of all y'all get up. Everybody dances for the 3rd song." And so we did. And it was great. We danced for the song after that, and a few more as well. The band was on fire, and the whole room was feeling the music. I am sure that not every Wednesday night is as amazing as what we witnessed last April, but I'll sure as heck be back here if I'm every lucky enough to be in the Crescent City again.

Service was fun. History and "feel" of the place are awesome. Music was wonderful - cuz I love…read morebrass.

New Orleans Dance Academy is located on magazine street. Different dance artists use this studio…read morefor rehearsals. Mostly ballet classes and rehearsals. Komenka Ethnic Dance and Music Ensemble practices here We learn choreography from all around the world There is a main studio and a back studio Lots of mirrors. Small changing room and only one small bathroom.

A very fun Burlesque show in New Orleans. We only decided to go about an hour before it started and…read moreall the formal tickets were already sold out. They meet Fridays at one of the hotels downtown. No sweat, the hotel clerk told us to just come get a drink at the bar and enjoy the show. My wife and I had a lot of fun! The show was fun and elegant. If you're able to, it's not a bad idea to pay the $25 for the ticket to reserve a table, but if they are all already reserved - just coming to the bar to enjoy the show is perfectly fine too (and easier in some ways since you can leave at your leisure). Great group in NOLA! Highly recommended if you like burlesque.

So excited to see this show back in New Orleans! The cast was spectacular!! Bring tons of dollars…read moreto show these stunning, talented performers your gratitude for the best night you will have in the French Quarter Great date night, girls night, boys night, I need to see boobies... just because

Louis Armstrong Park hosts Jazz in the Park each spring…read more Check out all my photos of the free bands from 4 to 8 every Thursday night. Various local vendors sell food, drinks and art pieces at reasonable prices. The Treme art and music festival is also held annually in Armstrong Park. Nola (New Orleans French Quarter) is renowned for it's live music offerings. THE DEAL: It's free, fun entertainment for the whole family!

Best ever idea. Community spirit…read more I love it. Local food stalls are brilliant. Better than 90% of the restaurants ! Really fine music last night. All for one brass = enthusiastic and a great pleasure. Followed by Little Freddie King iconic local BLUES fixture. Did I mention Jazz in the park is still a FREE event? Get out and support it. Every Thursday for the next coupla months. Wonderful. Highest recommendation community spirit lives!

Good people. great spot. A hidden neighborhood gem!!!read more

You hear a lot of talk in this town about what is or is not "real" New Orleans. Well this is as…read morereal as it gets. A small house that has been converted to a live theater. The Mudlark seats about 20. It can get a bit hot but you are suffering right along with the actors. Get there a bit early to snag one of the few uncomfortable chairs. But it's totally worth it for the intimate experience of a New Orleans tradition. This is a must do for any tourist that wants to actually experience life in the Big Easy

Hello, old timey theater of my dreams. The Saenger is everything, from its lavish environs to state…read moreof the art sound. I want to only see shows here from now on. The interior of the theater is ornate, with a beguiling ceiling of stars, lending itself to a feeling of endless night, which was the perfect backdrop to the Tori Amos concert I saw the other night. I felt practically spellbound in my seat (made for people of the past, of a smaller statue, so perfect for yours, truly). I appreciate bathrooms on every level (you exit the theater to a hallway, so sound is protected) and they are spotless. I didn't use the concessions, but these are on every level as well. Getting in was a breeze, and staff is polite and respectful so you don't feel like you're getting frisked or reprimanded. I loved it here so much, I feel compelled to return sooner rather than later, even though I don't go to shows a lot. Now I'm inspired!

Rating: 8.5/10 The…read moretheater is a beautiful restored building and is a great space for productions. The staff is helpful and The cons are that the seating in the theater are dated and not comfortable. Also the limited food/drink menu left a lot to be desired.

I can't believe this museum is free. I only had time for the exhibit on The Revolutionary War, and…read moreit was remarkably well done. The interactive virtual experience provided a lot of interesting information and insight to the battles and events of this time period. I especially enjoy that you could see what the historical sites look like in the present time and how some of them are preserved. I really enjoyed this exhibit and learned quite a lot. The staff was helpful and it was easy to check in at the front desk.

At some point during my research for an upcoming trip to New Orleans I started getting ads for this…read moreplace. I was a little annoyed, but figured I might want to keep in mind this free museum about New Orleans. While there is so much to do in New Orleans, its nice to have something to do if you are feeling like you won't want to spend a lot of money or might want to leave quickly if you don't like. This is much bigger than it looks like from the outside. It also really nice on the inside, everyone I talked to here was really friendly. There are a variety of exhibits to check out. Some held my interest more than others, but this was definitely a good way to spend a couple hours. Even if you don't want to check out the museum there is a super cute coffee shop and courtyard on site which looks like a nice place to spend some time sitting. There's a store too, but I did not have time to check this out. I enjoyed learning that this used to be a rich person's residence and that he was the owner of the organ. We did watch the organ presentation and I found it very interesting. The ipad interactive American Revolution exhibit did not hold my interest as much, but I am sure many people enjoyed it. You do have to get a free ticket for this exhibit, which I assume is so they don't run out of ipads. Looks like this was just starting and we must have been one of the first people to check this out. I found the current Civil Rights and French Quarter parts to be much more interesting to me. The 18 minute video is a little hard to watch with images appearing on all 4 walls, but it is a good place to sit down and take a break. Looks like the exhibits change regularly and there are many other tours available at different times (some do cost money). I would certainly stop here on my next trip, especially if I just had a couple hours to kill and was feeling like I had not checked out enough museums. Its nice to have free educational things to round out a vacation. There were some kids doing a scavenger hunt who seemed to be enjoying themselves.