My Fabulous Vino con Vista Weekend in the French Quarter of New Orleans: Legendary Home of Mardi Gras Parades and Jazz Fest | Vino Con Vista Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Wino

New Orleans: Mardi Gras revelers at Jackson Square, French Quarter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana (28) (Photo credit: Ken Lund)

First Street, Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana (5) (Photo credit: Ken Lund)

New Orleans – Garden District: Commander’s Palace (Photo credit: wallyg)

English: Statue of Andrew Jackson, sculpted by Clark Mills, in French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Français : Statue d’Andrew Jackson dans le quartier français de la Nouvelle Orléans, Louisiane. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St. Louis Cathedral at Night (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis serves as mother church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

New Orleans (Photo credit: gnalnad)

New Orleans / Garden District – Lafayette Cemetary #1 “At rest with my broken tombstone…Grrrrr!” (Photo credit: David Paul Ohmer)

St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans

English: French Quarter – New Orleans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

City of New Orleans montage composed of photos already freely available on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons. From top to bottom left to right: Derrielle Home on St. Charles Avenue at Rosa Park, depicting typical New Orleans architecture. A streetcar passing by Loyola University New Orleans and Tulane University The New Orleans city skyline Jackson Square, New Orleans The French Quarter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The picturesque Vieux Carre in New Orleans is the delightfully historic French Quarter. Get a hotel room in this little slice of heaven that can be found from the banks of the Mississippi River to Rampart Street. There are plenty of fantastic restaurants, antique shops and tourist attractions in this area.

New Orleans was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi Company. It was ceded to Spain in 1763. Many of the historic in the French Quarter were built during the Spanish occupation.

English: The Battle of New Orleans. General Andrew Jackson stands on the parapet of his makeshift defenses as his troops repulse attacking Highlanders. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The USS New Orleans (LPD-18) passes by downtown New Orleans on the Mississippi River (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Napoleon eventually sold the land to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. You can also visit the Chalmette Battlefield; site of the Battle of New Orleans between the United States and Great Britain. I also liked the plantation tour at Destrehan Plantation.

New Orleans Cafe du Monde

Photo of Decatur Street, New Orleans, with Lower Pontalba Building to left and center, part of the awning of Cafe du Monde on right, Lower Pontabla building on Jackson Square in background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: French Quarter – New Orleans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I love St. Louis Cathedral behind Jackson Square. It is North America’s oldest cathedral (1720). www.stlouiscathedral.org

The equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson sculpted by Clark Mills was erected in 1856. There are four identical statues in the US. I think I saw one of them is in Jacksonville Florida.

New Orleans St. Louis Cathedral 2014

After you visit the Cathedral, stop at Cafe du Monde www.cafedumonde.com. Then, take a carriage ride around Jackson Square with a bag of pralines to snack on. I think the horses get their energy from the pralines.

New Orleans Carriage Ride

St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans 2014

You can visit the Mardi Gras museum or check out the charming of artwork and make reservations for some Louisiana specialties like: Cajun fried-turkey sandwiches, grilled crawfish sausages, red beans and rice and king cake.

New Orleans Music Scene

New Orleans has world-class restaurants, historic architecture and outstanding Jazz musicians!

Historic New Orleans

New Orleans Restaurants

New Orleans Restaurant Reservations are required at the top places

At the Acme Oyster Bar, New Orleans. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

New Orleans Mardi Gras Museum

New Orleans Jazz

New Orleans Oyster Bar

Mardi Gras day in the French Quarter of New Orleans. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, LA, at night. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Jackson Square – New Orleans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Order some Cafe au Lait and hot beignets at Cafe du Monde. These fried doughnuts are brimming with powdered sugar.

The busiest time in the French Quarter is during festivals: JazzFest and

Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras is a four day celebration in New Orleans that culminates on Fat Tuesday. Watch this video and get ready to join the parade through the Faubourg Marigny and French Quarter. You can reserve a private balcony on Bourbon Street for the Mardi Gras extravaganza:

In New Orleans go to the revolving Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in The French Quarter at 214 Royal Street

New Orleans in the USA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTYcgnqAzqE

Go to Bourbon Street and find notorious bars where you can order a delightful hurricane cocktail including: Old Absinthe House, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, Johnny White’s Bar and Pat O’Brien’s.

Check out the art in New Orleans near Jackson Square

Hop on the City Sightseeing Bus (www.citysightseeingneworleans.com), for a hop-on hop-off experience, or take the historic cable car that runs along St. Charles Avenue and visit the New Orleans’ Garden District. There are hitorical antebellum mansions with porches and verandas, lush gardens and magnolia trees. The Garden District is bounded by St. Charles Ave., First Street, Magazine Street and Toledano Streets.