NEW ORLEANS HAS LONG INSPIRED poets, novelists, musicians — and the casual visitor. It’s easy to see why fans wax poetic about the Big Easy, where you seem to encounter romance, history and a good party around every corner.

The city remains a tourism hub, with visitors flocking here for annual events like Jazz Fest, the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras. New Orleans continues to improve its infrastructure for these visitors, with a $993.7 million airport improvement project in progress that includes a new terminal building opening in 2019 at Louis Armstrong International Airport. British Airways added new non-stop flights between New Orleans and London Heathrow, and more airlines are following suit.

New Orleans has several major tourism-focused projects in the works, including an expansion for the National World War II Museum that will add a hotel and conference center. A new Four Seasons hotel is in the works in the former World Trade Center building downtown.

And the city continues to grow as a hub for cruise lines like Norwegian and Carnival, with around 1.5 million passengers boarding ships at the port in 2017. In 2019 and 2020 travelers can reach destinations like Acapulco, Mexico; Belize; Corinto, Nicaragua; Grand Cayman; Key West; and Montego Bay, Jamaica, all by cruise ship from New Orleans.

Cruises also head up the Mississippi River. American Cruise Lines offers seven-day excursions to riverside cities like Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee, while the American Queen Steamboat Co. sails for nine days to and from Memphis. Both use stately paddlewheelers to transport guests in historic style. Most visitors add a few days on either end of their sailing to enjoy all New Orleans has to offer.

Fittingly, New Orleans’ transit system weaves into its charming tapestry. The iconic red streetcars clang along St. Charles Avenue, traveling under arching, ancient oak trees cloaked in Spanish moss. Four other streetcar routes join a wide-ranging bus network that connects major points and neighborhoods around the metro area.

Travel to and from the airport is best arranged with a taxi or via app-based ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft. Taxi booths are located on the first level of the terminal outside of Baggage Claim areas 1 and 14. Cab rides from the airport to the Central Business District and the French Quarter are $36 for up to two passengers. Uber and Lyft passengers will find their rides outside of the Ground Transportation Center on the first level of the Short-Term Parking Garage, accessible from the crosswalk outside of Baggage Claim 6.

Beignets at Café Du Monde © NEW ORLEANS TOURISM AND MARKETING
CORPORATION

New Orleans is renowned worldwide for its food, so it’s easy to wine and dine clients here. Start the day with café au lait and fried doughnuts, called beignets, at Café Du Monde, the open-air French Quarter icon, for a must-have experience. If you need to get an early start, Wakin’ Bakin’ in Mid-City slings breakfast sandwiches and burritos starting at 7 a.m. daily. For something healthier, Satsuma Café features plenty of vegetarian and juice options, plus excellent coffee, in various locations around town.

For lunch or dinner, options range from historic classics to hot newcomers — and you can’t go wrong with either. You’ll make a great impression with classic New Orleans fare at legendary restaurants like Dooky Chase, Cochon, Herbsaint and Commander’s Palace. This city continues to draw national attention with newcomers like Saba, the modern Israeli restaurant from celebrated chef Alon Shaya; Bywater American Bistro, one of the best new restaurants in the country; and Josephine Estelle, which combines New Orleans and classic Italian influences in a smartly decorated space. It’s easy to keep entertaining clients long after dinner in the Big Easy. Maybe you’ll keep things low-key and opt for a cocktail at a classic haunt like the stately Columns Hotel, where a mint julep will set a warm night right. Or settle in at the Sazerac Bar in the grand Roosevelt Hotel, where you’ll feel like Don Draper closing the deal of a lifetime. You’ll certainly wow your clients by taking seats at The Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone, the circus-themed home of the Vieux Carré cocktail.

There’s no shortage of entertainment here. Maybe you’ll find live music along Frenchmen Street, a hub of music clubs drawing some of the best local musicians at dives like The Spotted Cat and d.b.a. You can go highbrow, too, with tickets to a performance of the New Orleans Opera or New Orleans Ballet Association.

Theater thrives in New Orleans, with a robust performing arts community. You might score tickets to a visiting Broadway show at classic venues like the Saenger Theatre or the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Local professional companies, like the Southern Repertory Theatre, are always top-notch, too.