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New Orleans is famous for its fabulous food, annual Mardi Gras, and for being the birthplace of jazz. Straddling the lower Mississippi River, New Orleans has determinedly recovered from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Since it was founded in the early 18th century, the city has been an intersection of numerous ethnicities and cultures – white, black, Creole, Cajun and many more, all of which have left their own mark on the area.

The famous French Quarter hosts Mardi Gras every year, and debauched Bourbon Street, with its many live music clubs, is a hub for revelry every weekend. New Orleans has previously been rated one of the top cities in the USA for people watching – and you’ll soon understand why! Visitors can explore the surrounding swamp areas on a bayou tour and might even spot an alligator or two.

The Creole and Cajun food of Louisiana is world renowned and absolutely lives up to its delicious reputation. Don’t visit New Orleans without sampling local specialties such as gumbo, jambalaya…or the infamous peanut butter and bacon burger! Famous eateries such as Café du Monde also serve beignets and other French-style pastries.

New Orleans is an architectural treasure trove, from the grand Southern mansions of St Charles Avenue, to the colourful buildings of the French Quarter with their elaborate ironwork balconies. Even the cemeteries of New Orleans are well worth a visit; because the city is built on swamp land, bodies have to be buried above ground - resulting in village-like cemeteries filled with ornate stone tombs and mausoleums.

Visitors can combine a trip to New Orleans with a steamboat cruise along the Mississippi, or visit the city as part of a coach tour. Getting there is easy, with numerous connecting flights available to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport from Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, and other major US cities.