New Orleans: the Ultimate Jazz Band Travel Destination
The birthplace of jazz, New Orleans is the ultimate jazz band travel destination. Walking through historic neighborhoods like the French Quarter and Tremé, students can explore legendary venues where jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet once performed. Live performances at every corner, workshops, and opportunities to engage with local musicians offer invaluable inspiration and deeper insight into jazz’s evolution and enduring influence.
New Orleans Performance Opportunities
Festivals
New Orleans has multiple festival opportunities that are formative experiences for jazz band students. WorldStrides Heritage Festival in the early spring and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in late spring both open their stages to student performers.
The Crescent City Blues Festival offers ensembles opportunities to perform with New Orleans jazz musicians and attend clinics presented by top jazz professionals. This October festival culminates in public performances and awards in the French Quarter.
Parades
The home of world-famous Mardi Gras parades, New Orleans is the ultimate city for marching jazz bands. Opportunities such as second line parades are open year-round, while some, like the Krewe of Rex Parade, are special opportunities during Mardis Gras celebrations.
Local university workshops and clinics
Local universities, such as Tulane University and the University of New Orleans, allow students to sharpen their skills and widen their jazz knowledge through jazz clinics led by expert faculty and performers.
Performances at museums and historical sites
Unique jazz band performance opportunities are plentiful in New Orleans, simultaneously providing intimate looks at United States history and culture. Play adjacent to a historic steamboat, or accent the stories displayed in The National WWII Museum. Perform under the Spanish moss on the grounds of a plantation, such as Oak Alley Plantation or Destrehan Plantation, before absorbing the powerful stories of men and women enslaved during the Civil War era.
Unique Exposure to Jazz Music
Preservation Hall
Historically significant sites like Preservation Hall are one of the many reasons New Orleans is the ultimate jazz band travel destination. Located in the heart of the French Quarter, Preservation Hall is a legendary music venue dedicated to and instrumental in preserving traditional jazz. This intimate space has been a cultural cornerstone since the 1960s, offering nightly performances by local jazz musicians.
JAMNOLA
Experience the music, art and food of New Orleans through 17 joyful exhibits, created by over 30 local artists.
Jazz Dinner Cruise
Soak in the sights along the river by taking a dinner cruise on a historic steamboat down the Mississippi. Enjoy New Orleans-style cuisine followed by a live jazz performance.
New Orleans Jazz Museum
The New Orleans Jazz Museum, dedicated to the history of jazz in the city, was originally an independent institution. Its collection is now part of the Louisiana State Museum Jazz Collection. The museum features a variety of instruments used by New Orleans jazz legends, including the renowned first cornet of Louis Armstrong.
Jazz brunch at the Court of Two Sisters
Two Creole sisters who originally owned a notions shop opened this appropriately named restaurant. Constructed in 1880, the restaurant stands on the same site as their first establishment. The Court of Two Sisters is enveloped in an ambiance found only in the Vieux Carre. World-renowned food and an equally impressive courtyard make this a dining experience not to be missed. While enjoying the daily jazz brunch, relax and sing along with the jazz trio.
Maison Bourbon Jazz Club
One of the oldest live jazz clubs on Bourbon Street, Maison Bourbon Jazz Club is dedicated to preserving “America’s classical music.” Jazz, one of North America’s most cherished musical genres, has roots stretching back to the early 20th century. This iconic venue is where many renowned jazz musicians, including Harry Connick Jr., honed their craft. As one of only two remaining jazz clubs on Bourbon Street, it draws anyone eager for nonstop, authentic jazz.
Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro
For decades, Snug Harbor has offered top-notch live jazz and delicious regional cuisine. Spanning three rooms in a renovated 1800s storefront in the Faubourg Marigny, Snug’s is just outside the French Quarter. Enjoy dinner, then stay to experience a live jazz performance by professional jazz musicians.
Mulate’s Cajun Restaurant
Recognized as “the King of Cajun Dine and Dance halls,” this restaurant provides authentic Cajun food, dancing and live Cajun music. Mulate’s is the place to go to experience and celebrate Cajun heritage.
New Orleans Sightseeing
Haunted History Tours
New Orleans abounds with spooky haunts. Explore sights of documented supernatural activity, visit venues in the old French Quarter with a sinister past and learn the ghostly secrets of the legendary Vieux Carre. Take a cemetery tour to learn about above-ground burial practices dating back centuries and witness the architectural grandeur of family and society tombs.
Mardi Gras World
Walk through a maze of incredible parade creations at Mardi Gras World. Learn about the history and culture behind Mardi Gras and watch artists and sculptors in action as they craft showstopping parade floats. Attend the mask-making workshop to create some Mardi Gras magic to take home.
Swamp Boat Tour
Adventure along Louisiana’s swamps and bayous to learn the history of the Cajun people who settled along the banks. The nesting grounds of the creatures of the Louisiana Wetlands, egrets, raccoons, ducks and water snakes abound. Come within a few feet of American alligators — and maybe have a personal encounter!
The National WWII Museum
The National WWII Museum narrates the story of the American experience in the war that reshaped the world. explaining why it was fought, how it was won and its significance today. The museum aims to help all generations appreciate the cost of freedom and find inspiration in the lessons of history.
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
Uncover the birthplace of jazz at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, nestled in the heart of the French Quarter. This park offers live performances, interactive exhibits and special programs that pay tribute to the rich legacy of America’s unique musical genre.
French Quarter
Narrow streets, quaint dwellings with iron-trellised balconies, old shops and cafes make the French Quarter the city’s most famous area. Its beautiful 18th-century buildings are protected by law and can only be repaired or remodeled by special permit.
Vue Orleans
At Vue Orleans, visitors can enjoy stunning 360° indoor and outdoor observation decks and a multi-level interactive cultural experience. They can explore the history, music and culture of New Orleans 34 floors above the city’s storied streets. Using state-of-the-art technology, guests can journey through time to meet the visionaries who shaped the city.
Audubon Aquarium
Stroll beneath the Caribbean Reef, admire the lush Amazon Rainforest and explore the Mississippi River at Audubon Aquarium. While there, pay a visit to sea otters, penguins, stingrays, sharks and other deep-sea creatures.
Café Du Monde
Established in the New Orleans French Market in 1862, Café Du Monde is a New Orleans staple. Originally a coffee stand, multiple locations now exist throughout New Orleans, offering authentic beignets and café au lait.
Saint Louis Cathedral
The St. Louis Cathedral is one of New Orleans’ most iconic landmarks, making the city instantly recognizable. This historic building, with its three towering steeples, stands proudly between the Cabildo and the Presbytere and gazes down upon Jackson Square. This cathedral truly embodies the heart of old New Orleans.
The Cabildo
The Cabildo’s tumultuous past alone makes it worth a visit, but the historical treasures inside make it a must-see. Cabildo served as the seat of government during the Spanish colonial period. In 1803, the building hosted the ceremony commemorating the Louisiana Purchase. Today, overseen by the Louisiana State Museum, the Cabildo offers a rich exploration of New Orleans and Louisiana’s unique place in American history through permanent and rotating exhibits. The museum houses over five hundred artifacts and original works of art, including Eugene Louis Lami’s expansive 1839 painting, The Battle of New Orleans, depicting the final battle of the War of 1812, and the mold for Napoleon’s death mask.
Armstrong Park
In a city renowned for its musical heritage, few places hold as much cultural and historical significance as Louis Armstrong Park. Dedicated to one of New Orleans’ most celebrated native sons and the city’s rich jazz tradition, the park is located in the Tremé neighborhood, the birthplace of many of New Orleans’ most famous jazz musicians. Within the park lies Congo Square, a historic gathering place where both enslaved and free people of color met throughout the 19th century to play music, dance and preserve their cultural traditions, making it a cornerstone in the development of jazz.
Other Jazz Band Opportunities
Looking for more jazz band opportunities? From the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival in New York City to the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago, click here to learn about other formative U.S. jazz destinations from a Bennett Travel travel designer.
