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New Orleans is not your boring textbook historical place. New Orleans is the most European city in North American due to its French and Spanish history and cultural influence. Step back in time by visiting a planation or grand uptown mansion. Relive the Battle of New Orleans or visit the National D-Day Museum honoring then veterans of WW II.
New Orleans has inspired writers and artists such as Edgar Degas, Tennessee Williams, Anne Rice and many more from around the world. The French Quarter
The heart of New Orleans. The atmosphere of the twelve block area is so diverse that every street and every corner has something different to offer. Filled with mystical winds, musical sounds and delightful culinary aromas, the French Quarter has drawn visitors for centuries. Many have tried to express in writing the charm and spell of the French Quarter but to truly grasp its magic, you have to experience it in person.
Many major airlines fly into the Armstrong International Airport located 11 miles from downtown New Orleans. Bus, taxis, shuttle service and limousines can bring you to local hotels. In New Orleans fairs and festival take place year round. New Orleans has its legendary carnival season, Mardi Gras, a celebration of life before the Catholic Lenten season, and countless festival honoring Louisiana’s best such as jazz, strawberries, the French Quarter, wooden boats and even mudbugs better known as crawfish.
If Sports Are Your Thing
New Orleans is home to several major sporting events. New Orleans’ premiere annual sporting event, the Nokia Sugar Bowl, is a true New Orleans staple, matching up two top college football teams. New Orleans is home to the Saints NFL Football Team, The Hornets NBA Basketball Team, the Zephyrs AAA Baseball Team, the Crescent City 10 K Race, the Bayou Classic and a variety of Collegiate sports.
It's not food, it's cuisine. It's not cooking, it's creating a masterpiece. Whatever you tastes. New Orleans will satisfy them and will dazzle your taste buds. No visit would be complete without sampling some of the specialties of the city, such as jambalaya, gumbo, oysters, crawfish, etouffee, pralines, red beans and rice, and beignets. In New Orleans we live to eat! Picking our best restaurant would be impossible..... Many major airlines fly into the Armstrong International Airport located 11 miles from downtown New Orleans. Bus, taxis, shuttle service and limousines can bring you to local hotels. Mosaic Treasures of the Vatican 1/28-6/1/07, Mardi Gras Parades 2/16-20/07, Femme, Femme, Femme French Painting Exhibit 3/3-6/2, French Quarter Festival 4/13-15/07, Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/27-29 and 5/4-6, Satchmo Summerfest 8/2-5/07, COOLinary New Orleans 8/1-31/07, Christmas New Orleans Style 12/1-30/07, New Year's Eve 12/30-Jan1, 08. For more events visit www.neworleansinfo.com. What to do? The answer is simple yet resounding. Do as the New Orleanians do: indulge, savor and celebrate. Indulge your senses, savor New Orleans’ rich cultural experience and celebrate everything that – even after 203 years of the greatest achievements and the steepest challenges – still makes New Orleans America’s most unique, authentic and enthralling destination.
Today, New Orleans is undergoing a creative renaissance and reclaiming that title. The city boasts world-class museums, including Smithsonian affiliates The National World War II Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Artist studios and galleries line the streets of the French Quarter/Marigny, Warehouse/Arts District and Magazine Street. Performing arts groups, their shows, and the venues that host them speckle the map. All around the city, historic neighborhoods are being revitalized by architectural restoration and gentrification
Charles Bernard once said, “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.�
Whether or not you agree with Mr. Bernard, it is an indisputable fact that no place loves its food quite as sincerely – or as indulgently – as New Orleans. Some people eat to live, but New Orleanians live to eat. As a result, the city offers one of the most incredible – and incredibly diverse – concentrations of exceptional dining and unforgettable cuisine in the world.
More than 1,000 restaurants in are open in the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area as of November 2006. This includes most of the city's culinary treasures, including such renowned restaurants as Galatoire's, Emeril's, Arnaud's, Commander's Palace, Delmonicos, Bayona, Herbsaint, Restaurant August, G.W. Fin's, Bacco, Peristyle, Palace Cafe, Lilette, Brigsten's, K-Paul's, Cuvee, NOLA, Bourbon House, Broussard's and Antoine's.
In addition, many of the city's favorite neighborhood hotspots such as Mother's, Casamento's, Ralph's on the Park, Clancy's, Jacques-Imo's, Upperline, Acme Oyster House, Gumbo Shop, Cafe du Monde, Muriel's, Tujague's, Tommy's and Pascal's Manale are also welcoming diners.
Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Susan Spicer, Donald Link and 2006 James Beard winner John Besh have returned to their kitchens. Chefs are celebrities here, their dishes considered works of art and their restaurants nothing short of revered. And for every culinary passion you can imagine, New Orleans has an inspired menu to match.
Here, you’ll find famed classic French, Italian and Spanish restaurants that remain unceasingly faithful to their roots. You’ll also find some of the industry’s brightest and most innovative rising stars, serving their own unique versions of what is collectively known as New Orleans Fusion. And of course, you’ll be tempted at every turn by New Orleans’ signature Cajun and Creole dishes. While exploring New Orleans’ culinary wonders, don’t forget the surprising selection of other exotic cuisines, including exceptional Latin, Mediterranean and Asian variations that make their own delicious contributions to this gourmet’s paradise.
Wherever you choose to eat in New Orleans, prepare your palate to fall in love; there's never been a better time to dine in New Orleans, and your table awaits. | One of the true icons of the convention and meetings industry, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is regularly chosen as a key anchor in the rotation of major association and corporate meetings and has become a tremendously popular location for mid- and small-size conventions and meetings as well. The Center partially reopened in February 2006. With approximately $60 million in restoration work and several million more in renovation upgrades, the majority of the Center reopened the week of June 19, with 741,257 square feet of exhibit space, 99 meeting rooms, the 4,000-seat auditorium, and a 36.000 square foot ballroom. The remaining part of portions of the Center – 4 halls, 41 meeting rooms and a 32,000-plus square foot ballroom, opened at the end of Nov 2006.
Meetings, conventions and special events have a number of other distinct non-hotel convention facilities currently available, including the world-renowned Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans Arena, Pontchartrain Center and John A. Alario Sr. Event Center. With such fabulous and flexible choices, you are guaranteed to find the perfect venue for your successful event. Accommodations & Hotel Meeting FacilitiesLooking for a world class corporate hotel? A Carribean-influenced boutique property? A mid-size with European flair, French Quarter courtyards and lush balconies? A city-wide complement of 60 hotels of different sizes and price points? An ultra-luxury environment? A family atmosphere? New Orleans offers an abundance of great choices throughout every part of the city. Currently, there are more than 28,000 hotel rooms open and welcoming guests in New Orleans, ranging from quaint bed and breakfasts to elegantly appointed high-rises. Almost 90 percent of those rooms are conveniently located in the beautiful, very walkable downtown area; but every corner of the city offers unique character and benefits. The meeting, convention and event spaces inside are just as diverse as the hotels that house them. Choose from superbly designed hotel ballrooms, breakout rooms of every size, ample yet flexible exhibit space, elegant board rooms, high-tech corporate facilities or unique subtropical venues; wherever you hold your event, you and your clients will know they are somewhere special. And the food and beverage departments of our hotels are the envy of the nation; they do, after all, make up part of the finest restaurant community on the planet. Enjoying a memorable meal at a New Orleans hotel, you will no doubt think you are in a five star restaurant (and in some cases, you actually will be). For mega-meetings, the NOMCVB convention staff can help you put together housing packages that include three, four or more hotels, all convenient for your delegates and affordable for their budgets. For smaller affairs, there is no city that offers more diversity, flexibility and sublime service. Your event can be whatever you want it to be in the Crescent City.
Unique Venues & Special Event Facilities
These uniquely New Orleans venues can help bolster your conference attendance and serve as a reward to those who have helped make your meeting a success. They can also offer the perfect environment in which to wrap the goals and objectives of your meeting while allowing attendees to enjoy the New Orleans experience. Located at: 315 Garden Ave. – Mandeville, LA 70471 / telephone 504.343.0574 / website: www.RomanceinNewOrleans.com / email: don@RomanceinNewOrleans.com
Destination Weddings in New Orleans. We offer a complete guide to getting married in The Big Easy. Offering wedding packages for every budget, we specialize in cruise ship, pre-cruise, courtyard, outdoor and festival weddings. If you are eloping, or planning a lavish ceremony, we can help you with making your special day one you'll always remember with love! Located at: 527 Decatur St. - New Orleans, LA 70130 / telephone: (504) 522-0571 / fax: (504) 522-0577 / website: www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com / email: groupsales@crescentcitybrewhouse.com
The Crescent City Brewhouse is one of New Orleans' premier restaurants located in the heart of the historic French Quarter, with an inviting view of the Mighty Mississippi River. Exposed cypress beams, rustic brick walls, and glistening copper kettles greet you as you enter the French Quarter's only award winning Brewpub. We feature live jazz performances nightly. Enjoy yourself, as you slip into the nostalgia that makes New Orleans what it is; great food and an unforgettable city. Located at: P.O. Box 9015 - Metairie, Louisiana 70055 / telephone: 504 833 4405 / fax: 504 834 6508 / website: www.mikemarinojrinperson.com / email: marinojr@bellsouth.net
What matters most is how you see yourself! Treat your people to an instant “pick me up�™, a dose of laughter spend 20 minutes, an hour, or half day with Mike Marino, Jr. In Person, Distinguished Toastmaster, Author, Human Resource Consultant and licensed New Orleans Tour Guide. Topic: The love of knowledge is the root of all good! Fall in love with learning. The entertaining Keynote Speaker Are you having enough fun? How much happiness can you stand? Sub Topics: 1. Excellent customer service. What matters most! 2. Language is the dance of life! Conversation for conversation (no leader in the dance) Conversation for possibilities Conversation for action. Only a request creates action. 3. The room for improvement is still the greatest room in the world. You can change without improving; however you cannot improve without changing how you think. 4. The Law of sales. Nothing happens until a sale takes place. Selling keeps production lines humming and the economy rolling. 5. A fun filled presentation: All about Way down yonder in New Orleans, in the land of those dreamy scenes, there is a garden of Eden, Ah-you know what I mean! A few of my clients since 1984. are listed on my web site: mikemarinojrinperson.com Proud member of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. Located at: 615 Baronne St. - Suite 303 - New Orleans, LA 70113 / telephone: 504-524-1227 / fax: 504-524-1229 / website: www.accentoca.com / email: dlyons@accentoca.com
ACCENT is Celebrating our 16th year of Amazing Events!! ACCENT on Arrangements, provides customized event services, including special events, meetings, conventions, tours, shuttles, meet and greets, dine-arounds, wedding planning, VIP amenities and on-site children’s programs worldwide. The ACCENT team is committed to meeting clients’ needs and exceeding their expectations. ACCENT CREATES CHILDREN'S EVENTS WORLDWIDE!! For more information on ACCENT, please visit our website at www.accentoca.com Located at: 40136 Hwy 942 – Darrow, LA 70725 / telephone: 225 473 9380 / fax: 225 473 7891 / website: www.HoumasHouse.com / email: kk@houmashouse.com
Houmas House Plantation and Gardens is a historic architectural gem that is home to what was once the largest Plantation in history. "The Sugar Palace", as it was once called is the "Crown Jewel of Louisiana's Great River Road. Recently restored to reflect the grandeur and wealth of the owners in the early 1800's, Houmas House today is a place of luxury and offers its guest a glimpse of the way life was in the 1800's. Gre! at Louisiana Artwork and Antiques and the most beautiful gardens in the South. We offer two restaurants. One is a cafe for lunch daily between 11AM and 2PM and the other is our award winning Latil's Landing Restaurant. Named as one of the top 20 best new restaurants in America by Esquire Magazine. Plan on spending at least three hours. Antique and decorator shop on site. Located at: 820 St. Louis Street - New Orleans, LA 70112 / telephone: 504-525-5661 / fax: 504-568-9735 / website: www.hgghh.org / email: hgrimagallier@aol.com
Two National Historic Landmark historic house museums in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Hermann-Grima House, built in 1831 (820 St. Louis Street) and the Gallier House, built in 1857 (1132 Royal Street) are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Together, they give the attendee an idea of life in New Orleans during the "Golden Age" of the city from 1830 to 1880. It gives the audience the feeling! of stepping back in time to the 19th century. The buildings include a working 1830s kitchen, original slave quarters, and elegantly furnish interiors. Recently rated by the Zagat Guide as one of the best museums in New Orleans. Located at: 828 N. Rampart St. - New Orleans, LA 70116 / telephone: 504-522-9627 / fax: 504-522-9992 / website: www.voodoospiritualtemple.org / email: voodoospiritualtemple@hotmail.com
Priestess Miriam is a world renown Voodoo Mambo who specializes in spiritual guidance, readings, counseling, legal weddings, love blessings, mojo bags, healing, protection, rituals, etc. We also have a Cultural Center which is a retail store specializing in African art, dolls, masks, jewelry, incense, perfumes, oils, books, etc. Open Mon - Sat 11am to 6pm. Located at: 2237 Audubon Street - New Orleans, LA 70125 / telephone: 504-309-3864 / fax: 504-218-8280 / website: www.pizazzplanning.com / email: sable@pizazzplanning.com
Pizazz Planning based in New Orleans, LA is a full-service event planning firm providing the most innovative event services with the greatest attention to detail. Pizazz Planning We believe that hosting an event, meeting or social gathering should be hassle-free and worry-free. From corporate meetings, business events, fundraisers, celebrations, weddings and holiday parties to event consulting and more! Add a little Pizazz! to your next event! Located at: 304 Chartres St. - New Orleans, LA 70130 / telephone: 504-581-1348 / website: www.earthodysseynola.com / email: earthodyssey@bellsouth.net
At Earth Odyssey - A Nature Store, we feature fine Gold & Silver jewelry designs by both local & international artists, mineral & fossil specimens from around the world, & natural home decor. We also offer custom design & jewelry repair. Located at: P.O. Box 51941 - New Orleans, LA 70151 / telephone: (504) 525-2743 / fax: (504) 525-2774 / website: www.weddingsmagazines.com / email: info@weddingsmagazines.com
Weddings In Style Magazine offers the most comprehensive resource for planning for the perfect wedding in New Orleans. Log onto to our website receive a complimentary issue. Located at: 4516 Magazine Street - New Orleans, LA 70115 / telephone: 5048992975 / website: www.GeorgeLong.com / email: george@georgelong.com
Fine art photography gallery featuring images of New Orleans and the World. Located at: 3645 Hwy. 18 – Vacherie, LA 70090 / telephone: 1-800-442-5539 / fax: 225-265-7035 / website: www.OakAlleyPlantation.com / email: contactus@oakalleyplantation.com
The story of this National Historic Landmark begins with the trees. In the early1700’s an unknown settler planted twenty-eight evenly spaced oak trees in two rows leading from his humble cottage toward the mighty Mississippi River. In 1839, Jacques Télésphore Roman, a wealthy Creole sugar cane planter, lured his young bride from New Orleans to the plantation by building this spectacular mansion. The opulence of her home has been authentically restored to its original grandeur. Enjoy Oak Alley’s beauty and dream of her rich past while you step back in time as we tell you of Jacques’ struggle between his love for the land and his love for his wife. Located within an hour’s drive of New Orleans or Baton Rouge, Oak Alley Plantation, crowned the “Grande Dame of the Great River Road� is admired as one of the most spectacular antebellum settings in the South. After your thirty minute, climate controlled guided tour of the “Big House�, stroll the grounds in the shade of majestic oak trees, while sipping one of our famous mint juleps. Come early for a plantation planter’ s breakfast, indulge in true Creole/Cajun cuisine for lunch in our Restaurant. Browse our impressive Gift Shop. Spend a tranquil evening in one of our 19th century Bed & Breakfast cottages. Even plan a wedding or special event. There is just so much to experience at Oak Alley! |
