Things to do nearEsplanade Avenue

Esplanade Avenue has served as a defining spine of New Orleans since the early nineteenth century. Developed as the grand residential boulevard of the Creole upper class, it stands in counterpoint to St. Charles Avenue uptown, reflecting a distinctly French and Spanish Creole heritage rooted in the city's colonial past.

The avenue's architecture is among the finest in New Orleans. Greek Revival, Italianate, and Creole cottage styles sit side by side, many still used as private residences or intimate bed-and-breakfasts. The neutral ground, the local term for a median, is lined with mature live oaks that form a cathedral-like canopy overhead.

At its lower end, Esplanade Avenue borders the French Quarter and the historic Tremé, one of the oldest African American communities in the United States and a cradle of jazz culture. At its upper end, the avenue opens onto City Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, home to centuries-old oaks, a botanical garden, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Esplanade Avenue rewards visitors who take time to walk its full length, offering a layered portrait of New Orleans history, architecture, and neighborhood life that few other streets in the city can match.