• How the Horses in City Park’s Famous Carousel Learned to Fly

    How the Horses in City Park’s Famous Carousel Learned to Fly

    As the weather cools down, New Orleanians everywhere can finally return to outdoor activities! City Park is a favorite with more than 16 Million visits annually. The 20th most visited park in America has tons to do. A walk through the peaceful Couturie Forest. A kayak on beautiful Bayou Metairie. A round or two of mini-golf…

  • Madame X: The New Orleans Mona Lisa Who Created Scandal in Paris

    Madame X: The New Orleans Mona Lisa Who Created Scandal in Paris

    Surely there are loads of New Orleanians counted among New York City’s 8.5 million residents. But I’d bet few, if any, are so scandalous as Madame X. To be fair, she doesn’t live in New York. She doesn’t live anywhere, actually. She passed away on July 25 of 1915. But a painting of the controversial…

  • Discovering Relics from the 1884 World’s Fair Inside and Outside New Orleans

    Discovering Relics from the 1884 World’s Fair Inside and Outside New Orleans

    Recently, we wrote a blog post about the 1984 New Orleans World’s Fair, known more formally as the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. If you talk to New Orleanians who were in the city during that time, the six-month-long event was a memorable one. In fact, you can still find relics — both in New Orleans…

  • Demourelles Island: The Story of New Orleans’ Little-Known Island on Bayou St. John

    Demourelles Island: The Story of New Orleans’ Little-Known Island on Bayou St. John

    You most definitely know about Bayou St. John. It’s one of New Orleans’ treasures, a sanctuary along which you can sit with friends for a drink, jog, or — if the season’s right — maybe even boil some crawfish. But did you know Bayou St. John is also home to an island, called Demourelles Island,…

  • Rediscover the 1984 World’s Fair in Present Day New Orleans

    Rediscover the 1984 World’s Fair in Present Day New Orleans

    For a long time, hosting a World’s Fair was an extremely big deal. People would travel across the globe to a host city to experience the newest, cutting edge technologies and learn about different cultures.  New Orleans hosted its first World’s Fair in 1884, mostly in what is now Audubon Park. But our fair city…

  • The New Orleans Streetcar Through the Years: Part 2

    The New Orleans Streetcar Through the Years: Part 2

    We’re talking about the history of streetcars and public transportation in New Orleans! In Part 1, we charted its course from the first days of the local rail era, through the founding of the oldest continuously active streetcar line IN THE WORLD, and all the way to the vast network that eventually connected those early,…

  • Piazza d’Italia: A Hidden New Orleans Landmark

    Piazza d’Italia: A Hidden New Orleans Landmark

    As summer approaches, maybe you’re daydreaming about the Italian vacation you’ve always wanted: the vibrant culture, the people, and the charming piazzas to sit in as you eat your Italian food and sip on your Italian wine. But guess what? If it’s an Italian piazza you’re after, there’s no need to fly across an ocean.…

  • The New Orleans Streetcar Through the Years: Part 1

    The New Orleans Streetcar Through the Years: Part 1

    When the sun is shining, there’s hardly an image more iconic in New Orleans than that of a streetcar rumbling down St. Charles Avenue. Tennesee Williams knew it when he wrote his 20th century masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire. By then, railway technology had already been spreading across the globe for a hundred years —…

  • Boeuf Gras: Get Your Carnival Fill Before Lent

    Boeuf Gras: Get Your Carnival Fill Before Lent

    If you’ve seen the Rex parade on Fat Tuesday it’s likely you’ve noticed the enormous white bull sitting atop one of the iconic parade’s signature floats. And you’re not alone. Decades of New Orleanians have seen the same bewildering sight. Welcome to Boeuf Gras. The massive creature is known as Boeuf Gras and is one…

  • King Cake’s Cousins Around the Globe

    King Cake’s Cousins Around the Globe

    When you ask most Americans where king cake is eaten, the most frequent answers you’ll hear are Louisiana or New Orleans. But, to the surprise of many, king cake is enjoyed all across Europe and North America.  This is because the king cake tradition began thousands of years ago in Ancient Rome. Mardi Gras (or…