New Orleans Activities: Jazz and the River
The best hour of a New Orleans day can cost $1.25. That is the single fare on an RTA streetcar, and the green St. Charles line rolls under live oaks past Loyola and Tulane universities and a long run of Garden District mansions. Start there, then build the rest of the day around music, the river and a few good museums.
Getting around cheaply
A single streetcar or bus ride is $1.25. If you plan several rides, the Jazzy Pass is better value: $3 for 1 day, $8 for 3 days, $15 for 7 days and $45 for 31 days. You can pay with the Le Pass app, exact change or a pass, and the RTA fares page on norta.com lists every option. The red Canal Street line and the Canal Street ferry to Algiers Point (about $2 for a pedestrian) are covered in the same system.
Live music, two ways
Preservation Hall, at 726 St Peter Street, is a small acoustic room where the band plays without amplification. Tickets are sold online in advance only, each ticket covers one 45-minute set, all ages are welcome and photography is not allowed. Prices start from about $25, and the Preservation Hall calendar shows which sets still have seats.
For a looser evening, walk the 500 block of Frenchmen Street in the Marigny. The Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor (shows at about 20:00 and 22:00) and the Blue Nile all have live sets, some bars charge no cover, and tipping the band is expected. The Frenchmen Art Market sets up nightly from about 18:00 to 01:00.
On the river
The Steamboat Natchez leaves from the Toulouse Street Wharf and runs daily. Choose a daytime sightseeing cruise, a Sunday brunch sailing or an evening dinner cruise with the Dukes of Dixieland. Daytime fares for adults start around $43, and brunch and dinner cost more. You can compare Mississippi river cruises on GetYourGuide or read the schedule on steamboatnatchez.com .
Museums worth the ticket
The National WWII Museum in the Warehouse District charges from about $37 for adult general admission, with the theaters and guided packages priced extra, so check the options on nationalww2museum.org . Mardi Gras World, where Blaine Kern Studios build the floats, charges about $22 for adults and $14 for children, and is open daily 9:00 to 17:30 with last entry at 16:30. The Cabildo and the Presbytère on Jackson Square are about $11 each for adults.
Eating and staying alert
Cafe du Monde on Decatur Street opens at 07:15 and closes at 23:00 Sunday to Thursday and at midnight on Friday and Saturday. It takes cash only, and beignets cost $3.60 to $5.50 for an order of three. Petty theft and street scams are the realistic risk on Bourbon Street, around Jackson Square and on Canal Street. A common line is a stranger betting $20 that he can name where you bought your shoes; keep walking. In the heavily patrolled Quarter, violent crime against visitors is uncommon, but skip empty side streets in the lower Quarter and Treme late at night. Prices are in US dollars, tips run 18 to 20 percent and tax is added at the till.
Dates for 2027
Mardi Gras Day is Tuesday 9 February 2027, and the big float parades roll along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, never Bourbon Street. French Quarter Festival runs 8 to 11 April 2027 and is free. Jazz Fest is held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in Mid-City on 22 to 25 April and 29 April to 2 May 2027. Hurricane season peaks from mid-August to mid-October, so book flexible fares for those months. For neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood ideas, see the sightseeing guide .
Buy the 1-day Jazzy Pass on your first morning and ride the St. Charles line to the end and back; it costs less than a coffee and shows you more of the city than most tours.