While Bourbon Street can be avoided (unless it’s your first visit to New Orleans - you have to experience it), the French Quarter is always a must-do, any time of year. As the city’s oldest neighborhood, the Vieux Carre is packed with gorgeous architecture, loads of history, a wealth of food and music, and a cast of characters including long-time residents, chatty tour guides, and talented street performers.

Marigny, the neighborhood adjacent to the French Quarter, is one of the city’s top spots for music. Here you’ll find a string of live music venues like Spotted Cat and dba offering jazz, blues, reggae, and rock. There’s often a brass band performing on a corner. Restaurants offering pub grub, Egyptian fare, pizza, and more will fuel you up for an energetic, music-filled stroll around the neighborhood.

The National WWII Museum is a world-class complex with award-winning exhibits showcasing the stories of those who served in WWII and on the homefront. Highlights include actual planes, jeeps, and Higgins Boats, a theater with WWII-era musical performances, a restaurant, and a fantastic gift shop with 1940s-inspired gifts and clothing.

City Park is a beautifully-landscaped, 1,300-acre green space filled with moss-drenched oaks, peaceful walking paths, and native birds. Head to the Big Lake and rent a swan boat, take the kids (or embrace your inner child) at Storyland and the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. Don’t miss the Couturie Forest, a diverse nature trail that features New Orleans’ highest point: Laborde Mountain, at a whopping 43 feet above sea level.

Within City Park, at the edge of the Big Lake, sits the city’s preeminent art museum. NOMA houses more than 40,000 pieces featuring pieces from the Italian Renaissance to modern works. Browse works from Monet, Degas, Rodin and O’Keefe as well as glass, ceramics, pre-Columbian art, and an extensive photography collection. Save time for the adjacent Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden, a beautifully-landscaped showcase of the Museum’s sculpture collection.

This French Quarter fixture since 1862 serves the the best cafe au lait alongside hot, fresh beignets at all hours. Take a peek in the window to see the magic happen, then dive in to your order of three. If you make it out without powdered sugar on your shirt, you're doing it wrong.

Stretching from City Park to the edge of the French Quarter, this 2.6-mile linear park is a green oasis in the middle of the city. The bike and pedestrian path takes you past playgrounds, native landscaping, art, and sports fields, and is in close proximity to breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions. Stop by the Crescent City Farmers market on the Greenway on Thursday afternoons, or check out one of the many outdoor fitness classes offered throughout the week.

Explore a different side of the South at New Orleans' newest museum. The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MSJE) tells the unique story of Jews in thirteen Southern states from Colonial times to the present. Learn how Jews in the South were influenced by the culture of their new communities, and how they shared their own culture with these communities (which were primarily Christian) through heritage and traditions.

At the foot of Canal Street, hop aboard the Algiers Ferry to feel the power of the Mississippi firsthand. The short ride on this commuter ferry will give you an amazing view of the city and a few minutes to be one with the river. On the other side, spend some time wandering the petite neighborhood of Algiers Point: cute homes, oak-lined streets, and a few cafes and bars.

This huge warehouse in Bywater welcomes visitors with a massive, colorful mural on its front. It houses the work of BMike — local artist Brandon Odums. He is known for his large-scale murals depicting Black culture in the city, and his studio showcases his floor-to-ceiling portraits of Black leaders and icons.

While in Bywater, stroll the mile-and-a-half Crescent Park along the river. Climb the “rusty rainbow” (a huge steel arch that takes you over railroad tracks) and catch a breeze, have a picnic, watch roller skaters at the Mandeville Wharf, or just chill and watch as huge ships pass by.

At the far end of Crescent Park sits Bacchanal. While it’s no longer a locals’ secret, this wine shop/hangout retains its unique local charm and funky hideaway feel. The lush back patio is the perfect spot to enjoy a bottle of wine and a cheese plate. Live music makes a visit here even more special.

In a city full of iconic music venues, Tipitina’s stands out. The Uptown joint on Napoleon Avenue was founded in 1977 and is still going strong. For a good dose of New Orleans funk (the venue is now owned by the band Galactic, who continue the tradition of hosting the likes of Professor Longhair, Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, and more), check out the lineup at this local institution.

It's only logical for New Orleans to be home to a jazz museum, for this is the city where the musical genre was born. At this comprehensive repository of artifacts from the very beginning of the 20th century, you'll see and hear the history of jazz. The museum also presents more than 365 concerts a year and hosts educational programs for kids (and adults, too) aspiring to play jazz like the city's legends, from Louis Armstrong to Al Hirt, Louis Prima and more.

Spend an afternoon at one of the top zoos in the country. The Audubon Zoo has world-class exhibits featuring animals from Asia, Africa, and South America. You’ll also see seals, reptiles, and a glimpse of the Louisiana swamp. Located behind Audubon Park, the zoo is dotted with majestic oak trees (keep an eye out for resident peacocks). In the summer, the Cool Zoo water park offers a respite from the heat.

NOLA Brewing Co. is just one of the fantastic local breweries on offer in New Orleans (if the most famous). In addition to longtime favorites, New Orleans has welcomed a slew of new breweries and beer gardens over the past few years. Enjoy a pint or two outside at breweries like Second Line and Zony Mash, or head to Wrong Iron or Tchoup Yard and find a spot in their sprawling outdoor patios. All offer live music on occasion, so check those calendars.

Blaine Kern has been building Mardi Gras floats for the various krewes (social groups) that roll through parades in the weeks leading up to and on Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday). He's known as "Mr. Mardi Gras" for a good reason, as his designs have delighted the city for over 50 years. Once across the river in Algiers, now the store is near the Convention Center and offers tours that take you into the real heart of the Mardi Gras parade experience.

Upriver from the French Quarter lies the Garden District. Take a tour of this neighborhood’s grand mansions and historic cemeteries or just stroll around on your own. The houses and history are a draw, but the neighborhood also offers a wealth of shops and cafes, as well as Commander’s Palace, one of New Orleans’ best restaurants.

This 350-acre park Uptown stretches between St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street. The 2-plus-mile paved loop is a favorite of bikers and joggers. Walk under the shade of massive oak trees, watch ducks and swans paddle around, or pick a spot to have a picnic or play some frisbee. The park is adjacent to the fabulous Audubon Zoo and The Fly - a stretch of park along the riverfront behind the zoo (take a walk back here and you may hear the monkeys or see a giraffe peeking out from its enclosure).