Crowne Plaza New Orleans French Quarter – Astor

Since its founding in 1950, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum has been acquiring, preserving and interpreting an extensive collection of artifacts and resources documenting the history of pharmacy and medicine in the 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, with a particular focus on New Orleans and Louisiana. The building that the museum occupies is itself a historic landmark – a classic creole townhouse in the French Quarter constructed in 1822-1823 that served as the apothecary and residence of Louis J. Dulfilho, Jr., the first licensed pharmacist in the United States, until 1855.

Caesars New Orleans, formerly Harrah's New Orleans, is a casino in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, near the foot of Canal Street a block away from the Mississippi River. It is a 115,000 square feet casino with approximately 2,100 slot machines, over 90 table games and a poker room.

Situated on the edge of the historic French Quarter, Canal Place is New Orleans' premier shopping destination. Anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, this world class shopping center boasts a superb mix of stores including Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch, MCM, lululemon, Anne Fontaine, Anthropologie, Tiffany & Co., J Crew, Brooks Brothers, and vineyard vines, to name a few. Visit Canal Place and wander through its lush atrium, where their famous"With Love From NOLA" moss wall is located. Be sure to snap a photo in front of this picturesque wall and experience the most exclusive shopping New Orleans has to offer. Canal Place is your place for luxury fashion and beauty brands, boutique clothing stores, home goods and much more.

Audubon Insectarium is one of the most unique interactive museums in America. Discover up close a leaf cutter ant colony marching in the walls, see exotic and colorful beetles, and be immersed in our butterfly garden.

Audubon Aquarium is consistently ranked as one of the best in the country, and we're not surprised. Its immersive, awe-inspiring exhibits transport visitors to the underwater worlds of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the tropical environs of the Amazon Rainforest. Home to more than 250 species and 3600 animals, including endangered ones like African penguins, the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans delivers a one-of-a-kind experience that you won't find anywhere else.

A one of a kind indoor and outdoor observatory and cultural experience, featuring the only 360 degree panoramic riverfront views of New Orleans. We also operate a one of a kind event space on the 33rd floor.

The Old Ursuline Convent is the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. Completed in 1752, it is also the oldest surviving example of the French colonial period in the United States. Often referred to as the Archbishop Antoine Blanc Memorial Complex, the Old Ursuline Convent also houses the Archdiocesan archives. The building is known as the "treasure of the archdiocese." Tours begin at the Chartres Street Gatehouse and continue through the beautifully manicured formal garden. Once inside the main building, the first thing to catch the visitor's eye is the original hand-crafted cypress staircase. The main lodge is filled with dozens of oil paintings of past archbishops, bishops, religious statues and bronze busts. Smaller rooms remind the visitors of the building's many functions over the years: a convent, an orphanage, a makeshift hospital and later a residence hall for local bishops. Most of the structures were restored and repaired in the 1970s during a $3 million restoration. Behind the main building, there is a peaceful walled courtyard. Here the visitor finds statues that pay homage to founding Ursuline Sisters, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini and Father Francis Xavier Seelos. This area is ideal for prayer and reflection.

Historic Jackson Square, originally known in the 18th century as "Place d'Armes," and later renamed in honor of the Battle of New Orleans hero Andrew Jackson, is a timeless attraction in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. This famous landmark facing the Mississippi River is surrounded by historic buildings, including the St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere and Cabildo (Louisiana State Museums), not to mention the Lower and Upper Pontalba Apartments, the oldest apartment buildings in the United States. The Pontalba Apartments offer retail shops, museums, galleries and restaurants on the ground level; their second and third floors still house a selection of prestigious apartments. For well over a half-century, there has been an open-air artist colony at Jackson Square. Local artists paint, draw, create portraits, caricatures, and display their work on the square's iron fence. Jackson Square is a favorite site for visitors and locals. The artists, restaurants, museums, merchants and the square itself make Jackson Square one of the French Quarter's most popular destinations.

The Presbytère is an architecturally important building in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It stands facing Jackson Square, adjacent to the St. Louis Cathedral. Built in 1813 as a matching structure for the Cabildo, which flanks the cathedral on the other side, it is one of the nation's best examples of formal colonial Spanish architecture (with many neo-Renaissance elements).[3] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, and is now a property of the Louisiana State Museum.

Voodoo has been a significant part of New Orleans culture since the city was first established in the 1700s. The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum strives to preserve this aspect of NOLA history through education and entertainment. The museum explores the mysteries, legends, and traditions of voodoo, and educates visitors on the influence voodoo has had throughout the city's history. Located in the heart of the French Quarter between Bourbon and Royal Streets, visitors can explore inside the museum or participate in haunted cemetery walking tours through downtown. The museum is open daily and is a great place to visit with families or friends to learn about the rich culture that shapes this unique city.

The Original Cafe Du Monde Coffee Stand was established in 1862 in the New Orleans French Market. The Cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It closes only on Christmas Day and on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans. The Original Cafe Du Monde is a traditional coffee shop. Its menu consists of dark roasted Coffee and Chicory, Beignets, White and Chocolate Milk, and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. The coffee is served Black or Au Lait. Au Lait means that it is mixed half and half with hot milk. Beignets are square French -style doughnuts, lavishly covered with powdered sugar. In 1988 Iced Coffee was introduced to the cafe. Soft drinks also made their debut that year.

The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk is a premier first-to-market outlet shopping center located in the heart of downtown New Orleans. Featuring over 75 retailers and restaurants on the bank of the majestic Mississippi River, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk offers shoppers and diners an experience like no other. Guests enjoy discounts every day at these beloved designer brands.

Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art and is recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature and culinary heritage to provide a comprehensive story of the South. Established in 1999, and in Stephen Goldring Hall at 925 Camp Street since 2003, the Museum welcomes almost 85,000 visitors annually, and attracts diverse audiences through its broad range of programming including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, and concerts which are all part of its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

Located in the heart of the New Orleans, the Caesars Superdome has captivated audiences from all over the world hosting Super Bowls, Final Fours, major concerts, Monster Jam, and festivals of all kinds. And with a stunning spot on the New Orleans skyline and its iconic design, the Superdome is one of America’s most recognizable landmarks. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).

The National WWII Museum is the top-rated tourist destination in New Orleans and #2 in the U.S., and an unforgettable way to experience World War II—from industrial efforts on the home front to the combat experience of the American servicemember abroad. Offering a compelling blend of sweeping narrative and poignant personal detail, the Museum features immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories to take visitors inside the story of the war: why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. Beyond the galleries, the Museum offers unique access to experiential history, including an opportunity to tour and ride on an authentically restored PT-boat, tours behind the scenes to handle artifacts alongside Museum curators, and an impressive collection of restored and working macro-artifacts to discover.

The Smoothie King Center has taken its place as the number one entertainment and sports venue in the region. Adjacent to the iconic Mercedes-Benz Superdome and within close proximity to downtown, the French Quarter, and thousands of first class hotel rooms, the Smoothie King Center is New Orleans’ premier facility for a wide variety of events. The building is home to the NBA Pelicans, and has hosted multiple NBA All-Star Games and NCAA Women’s Final Fours. Numerous special events and general sessions have been held with outstanding results, within the same walls where champions have been crowned and world-class performers have thrilled thousands of fans.

With 1.1 million square feet of prime, contiguous exhibit space, the award winning New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is the sixth largest convention facility in the nation, and it consistently ranks in the country’s top ten of facilities that hold the most conventions and tradeshows annually. The Astor Crowne Plaza New Orleans is just a short ride from the center.

The French Market District, established in 1791, spanning six blocks in the historic French Quarter and includes Crescent Park, a 1.4 mile urban park, nestled along the Mississippi River. Open daily, visitors can find boutique shopping, restaurants and eateries, and the Farmers and Flea Markets boasting an international community of vendors offering wares from around the globe.

To get the feeling of Mardi Gras year-round, visit Mardi Gras World, the largest float designing and building facility in the world. Here more than 80 percent of the floats that journey down New Orleans' streets during the Carnival season are designed and built. Begun in 1947 by float designer and builder Blaine Kern, Mardi Gras World provides visitors with the opportunity to don authentic Mardi Gras costumes and tour enormous warehouses filled with floats. The tour includes a short video and guide who is quite knowledgeable about Mardi Gras history and customs. And for a taste of Mardi Gras, king cake and piping hot New Orleans coffee are served. During the tour, visitors learn about the many traditions surrounding Mardi Gras parades, balls and music, as well as the intricacies of float designing and building. Mardi Gras floats began rumbling down New Orleans streets in 1837 with mule-drawn carriages. Today the tradition continues with sophisticated mega-floats, which hold more than 200 masked riders and are lit with fiber optic cables and laser lights.

The third oldest track in the country offers a wide selection of seating options, ranging from ultra-modern dining facilities in a glass-enclosed clubhouse – complete with video monitors at each table – to no-frills grandstand seating outdoors along with an oyster bar. The Fair Grounds is also the location of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest).

Louisiana's culture often seems to have sprung from its fertile soil. Out of the rich Louisiana sugar fields, New Orleans received a gift of lasting culture in early 1910, when sugar broker Isaac Delgado offered the city $150,000 to build a “temple of art for rich and poor alike” in City Park. The neo-classical, Beaux Arts-style Isaac Delgado Museum of Art opened in December 1911, but sadly, Delgado was too ill to attend. He died weeks later, and left yet another generous gift, an art collection gathered by his late aunt. Delgado’s 25,000-square-foot “temple” is still at the center of the now much larger New Orleans Museum of Art. The Museum's collection includes more than 40,000 objects, spanning 5,000 years of art and is noted for its extraordinary strengths in French and American art, photography, glass, and African and Japanese works, and it continues to expand and grow. Examples of the collection include: European painting and sculpture from the 16th through 20th centuries; American painting and sculpture from the 18th and 19th centuries; European and American prints and drawings; Asian, African, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian, and Native American art; photography; and European and American decorative arts. NOMA’s Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden has become the latest cultural destination for locals and a must-see for visitors to the Crescent City. The world-class collection of more than 90 modern and contemporary sculptures is presented in an incredible, eleven-acre natural setting with delights at every turn. The Museum ranks among the top 25 percent of the nation’s largest and most significant museums, and is the premier art museum in the Gulf South region. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have passed through its doors to see landmark international exhibitions.

Serving as New Orleans' largest outdoor attraction since 1854, City Park is one of the oldest parks in the country. With its iconic oak trees and picturesque moss canopies, this 1,300 acre green space brings in millions of visitors each year. People come from near and far to enjoy the beautiful trails and scenery, as well as the endless amount of vendors, museums and activities within the park itself. With multiple themed gardens, biking and walking paths, live concerts, an amusement park and the World's largest grove of mature live oak trees, City Park has something for everyone!

Audubon Zoo is a New Orleans landmark and a living museum filled with some of the rarest and most beautiful creatures of nature. There have been animals at this site since the 1884 World Exposition in Audubon Park. Today, Audubon Zoo is 58 acres of animals in their natural habitats. The Zoo consistently ranks among this country’s best. Visitors are enchanted to find a unique wildlife haven full of New Orleans flavor, impressive 100-year old oak trees and a cast of animal characters. Animal favorites include elephants Jean and Panya, the Komodo dragon and a rare white tiger from California, named King Zulu. But also look for bears, monkeys, snakes, orangutans, elks and more exotic animals than you can imagine! Much of the zoo dates from early in the 20th century. The sea lion pool was constructed in 1928. Its graceful columns mark one of Audubon Zoo’s most romantic spots. Monkey Hill was built by Works Progress Administration workers to show the children of New Orleans what a hill looks like! At 28 feet, it’s the legendary “highest topographical point in New Orleans.” Today it boasts wading pools, a rope bridge and a safari trail. At the Audubon Zoo, visitors can stroll through a real swamp right in the middle of uptown New Orleans. A Cajun houseboat on a lagoon full of 14-foot alligators faces a pair of playful black bears. A raccoon defies the laws of physics by snoozing on a narrow twig at the top of a tree. At the baby animal nursery, naturalists show visitors baby nutria, explaining why that innocent-looking fuzzy creature is jeopardizing the very existence of the swamps. Further on, the world-famous white alligators float in an exhibit constructed especially for them. Rocking chairs throughout the swamp exhibit invite visitors to slow down and take in the ambiance of the swamp. An air-conditioned restaurant provides a welcome venue for a sit-down snack and drink.