French Quarter

The French Quarter is the oldest and most famous section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, stretching along the Mississippi River from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue (12 blocks) and back from Decatur Street to Rampart Street (7 blocks). The area is also known as the Vieux Carré ("Old Quarter" in French) and the Barrio Latino ("Latin Neighborhood" in Spanish). To many it is simply called "The Quarter."

Other French Quarter sights

Other well known sights in the French Quarter include the French Market; Bourbon Street (some eight blocks of the upper portion of this street are heavily given over to catering to young hard-drinking tourists); and Royal Street (with elegant antique shops and art galleries).

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Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a tavern located on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Phillip Street. The tavern's building, built sometime before 1772, is believed to be the oldest standing structure in New Orleans and the oldest continually occupied bar in the United States. According to legend the structure was once owned by the pirate Jean Lafitte, though as with many things involving Lafitte, no documentation of this exists.

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