Cultural authenticity on full display
When you step out of the plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) the experience of getting your bearings post-landing is about the same as any other. As you head toward your respective mode of transportation, be it Uber, Taxi or shuttle—maybe you even stop to grab a coffee or snack—a faint sound runs just past your ears.
The volume of the noise increases as you get closer to MSY’s main entrance. Just before you head down to the main floor, you see it, just beyond the top of the escalator entrance: A jazz band standing on a two-foot-high podium, playing to their heart’s content, and that’s when it hits you: This is New Orleans.
Meet
New Orleans’ downtown area and nearby Canal St. are full of plenty of locations to meet. One of street’s largest properties, Sheraton New Orleans, greets guests with a spacious, airy lobby that features floor-to-ceiling windows throughout. With the exception of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, this 1,110-room property features the largest exhibition space in the city, the 22,551-square-foot Napoleon Ballroom, included in its total event space of 105,000 sq. ft.
Nearby Sheraton New Orleans is a place that once served as a warehouse in the 1800s made anew: New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District, which features 24,751 sq. ft. of event space and 332 guest rooms. Cocktails, local brews and small bites are available at the property’s Greatroom Restaurant and Bar. In need of more space beyond what’s offered here? Well, it’s right across from New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Lucky you.
Read More: New Orleans Celebrated GMID by Illustrating Why Meetings Matter
Previously a Catholic church and school, Hotel Peter and Paul is a four-year restoration project that created a hotel property unlike any other in the city. From a mixture of lofts, bunk rooms and more compact rooms across the hotel’s four sections—The School House, The Rectory, The Church and The Convent—no two of its 71 rooms are alike. In its Church venue, groups will find 4,950 sq. ft. of space for gatherings.
In 1815, nearly 15 years before becoming the seventh president of the United States, then Major General Andrew Jackson fought the British in New Orleans, ending the War of 1812. Named after the winner of that battle and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Andrew Jackson Hotel offers up a quaint and cozy 21 guest rooms and suites. Although the property lacks event space, the entire property can be bought out, which comes with the use of its courtyard.
Eat
When you think of New Orleans, you’re likely to think about the Cajun and Creole delights that you’d find here. And I’d say that’s exactly right. Whether po-boy or beignet, jambalaya or etouffee, New Orleans has more than 1,400 restaurants that’ll give you a taste of the city and leave you loosening up your belt.
Do
on Bourbon St.
As the intro indicates, you’re met with music before you even leave the airport. But it doesn’t stop there. Live music is an integral part of the city and can be found in a large number of properties, including Harrah’s New Orleans, Ace Hotel New Orleans and The Windsor Court. A visit to these properties, and more, will place you in front of the city’s local musical artists.
Read More: Hear the Event
On the topic of music, festivals are like the blood that keeps New Orleans’ heart pumping. A true experience isn’t complete without attending at least one of the city’s more than 130 festivals throughout the year, such as French Quarter Festival in mid-April; the two-weekend Jazz & Heritage Festival, which comes right after; and Essence Festival, held over Fourth of July weekend at Caesars Superdome.
This article appears in the July 2023 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
