The area of Mid-City around the Fairgrounds and the nearby portion of Esplanade Avenue is often called the Bayou St. John neighborhood. The old Bayou itself can be seen when you cross the bridge over it at the tail of Esplanade in front of City Park; it is a calm long finger of water constrained by grassy levees as it winds through the old urban neighborhood.

Mid-City is filled with visitors each year for the week and a half of the New Orleans Jazz Festival. The rest of the year the neighborhood is often comparatively neglected by travelers.

Attractions

 • City Park. The park large park has winding lanes through old trees for walking or driving through, and includes such attractions as an outdoor sculpture garden, a botanical garden, and a children's playground ""Storybook Land"". During nights of the Christmas season there is an elaborate celebration with lights and rides in the park called ""Celebration in the Oaks"".
 • New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), (just in the park from the Carrollton & Esplanade entrance). Worth a visit for art lovers. Highlights from the permanent collection include a fine collection of Fabergeggs and jewelry, and paintings from France and Latin America. Open till 8:30 pm Thursday nights. Louisiana residents get in free after 5pm with ID.
 • Degas House, 2306 Esplanade. French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas lived with relatives in this house on Esplanade Avenue during 1872-1873; it is now a museum. The building also offers a bed & breakfast.
 • Fairgrounds. Has horse-racing and, once a year, the Jazz Festival.
 • Pitot House Museum and Gardens, 1440 Moss Street (at Bayou St. John). Historic house of a former mayor from the era of the Louisiana Purchase at the start of the 19th century.

Cemeteries

Go to the cemetery? Yes, many visitors do, leaving alive and well with an interesting experience. Due to the high water table, most New Orleans tombs are in above ground crypts. Traditionally, many of the well to do adorned their tombs with marble or bronze decoration and statuary, and many of the city's less affluent joined fraternal organizations which built elaborate group crypts.

 • Saint Louis Cemetery #3, (on Esplanade Avenue a couple of blocks from City Park). 19th-century above ground tombs. Safe to walk around in during the day, this is popular with visitors.
 • The Cemeteries is the informal name for a group of separate but adjoining or nearby cemeteries concentrated around the inland end of Canal Street. These include Odd Fellows Rest and Greenwood Cemetery. Some interesting monuments, but cemetery connoisseurs agree your time is best spent a little further on:
 • Metairie Cemetery, on Metairie Road up from City Park, is just outside of Mid-City by most definitions, but is short drive from this neighborhood, or a 15 minute hike from the end of the ""Cemeteries"" branch of the Canal streetcar line (Walking directions: from the end of the line go to City Park Avenue, take a left past Greenwood Cemetery, continue under the Interstate overpass, then take a right to get to the entrance). Metairie is the city's most elaborate cemetery, with many interesting 19th century grand tombs and monuments.

Dining

Mid-City restaurants are loved by locals, and the visitor can easily find out why. Those annoyed with tourist traps of the French Quarter and Central Business District can get away to Mid-City and enjoy some of New Orleans best and most distinctive food surrounded by locals.

As mentioned above, the one time of year when visitors flock here is during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. At busy Jazz Fest time it's best to either make reservations well in advance, or expect to wait in lines, or plan to eat in another part of town.

Budget

 • Betsy's Pancake House, 2542 Canal. Pancakes & such for breakfast and lunch.
 • Cafe Hola!, 137 N. Carrollton. Cheap decent Mexican.
 • Fellini's Cafe, 900 N. Carrollton. artsy cafe with good food.
 • Garces, 4200 D'Hemecourt (2 blocks up from Carrollton near the Rock & Bowl). Good Cuban food at a great price.
 • Liuzzas, 3636 Bienville. New Orleans-style down-home Italian with a Creole touch.
 • Liuzza's By The Track, 1518 N. Lopez (at Ponce de Leon, a block off Esplanade towards the Track). ""The other Liuzza's"" is also a neighborhood favorite, known for Creole gumbo, seafood, and garlic roast beef po'boys. Reasonably priced lunches, also open for dinner weekdays.
 • Mandina's, 3800 Canal Street. Neighborhood New Orleans, seafood & Italian. May be crowded with locals. No reservations, cash only.
 • Michael's Mid City, 4139 Canal (a block back from Carrollton Avenue). With a menu ranging from steak to catfish, a good example of an every day New Orleans restaurant loved by locals. They also offer a couple of items for those on a ""splurge"" budget, like the special order hamburger with caviar.
 • Mona's Cafe, 3901 Banks. Middle Eastern. Mona's also has restaurants in Marigny and uptown, but this one has a fair sized Middle Eastern grocery attached as well, in case you need to buy a bag of loose tea leaves, a bucket of hummus, or a hookah.
 • Union Grocery, 4100 block of N. Carrollton (downstairs from the Rock & Bowl). Latin American grocery has a counter that makes Cuban sandwiches and similar items to go.

 • Angelo Brocato's, 214 N. Carrollton. Italian ice cream, pastries, and sweets, a century old tradition.
 • La Boulogerie, 3143 Ponce de Leon (just off Esplanade beside the Whole Food Market). Tu-Sa 7AM-6PM, Su 8AM-2PM. French-style fresh-baked breads and pastries.

Mid-range

 • Cafe Degas, 3127 Esplanade. Very good French.
 • Gabrielle, 3201 Esplanade (at Mystery Street). Highly-regarded Creole and Cajun cuisine.
 • Lola's, 3312 Esplanade. Mediterranean and Spanish, including paella and romescu lamb.
 • Sun Ray Grill 3700 Orleans Avenue (in the old Cannery Building near Bayou St. John) Seafood and South-Western. 247-0091
 • Venizia, 134 N. Carrollton. Italian.

Splurge

 • Christian's, 3835 Iberville. A fine New Orleans Creole restaurant in a building that was formerly a church. Reservations recommended.
 • Ralph's On The Park, 900 City Park Ave (across from City Park). Highly regarded Louisiana French cuisine in a recently renovated 1860s tavern building.
 • Ruth's Chris Steak House, 711 N. Broad (7 blocks from Canal Street). Now a world-wide chain, the original first location is still in business here. Make a reservation and take a car or cab; this part of North Broad may not be pedestrian friendly for unwary visitors.

Drink

 • Banks Street Bar & Grill, 4401 Banks Street. Also has live music.
 • Brewhouse Grill, 201 N. Carrollton. Microbrew beer.
 • Dixie Taverne, 3340 Canal Street.

Lodging

Budget

 • India House, 124 South Lopez (just off the Canal streetcar line).

Mid-range

 • Block-Keller House, 3620 Canal St (on the streetcar line). Bed & Breakfast in ornate Victorian house.
 • Degas House, 2306 Esplanade. Bed & Breakfast in historic 1850s building. As this block of Esplanade is a fair distance from most of Mid-City's concentration of attractions, this might be a better option for visitors with a car than those without one.

 • New Orleans Overview

Getting in & around

Mid-City is a portion of the city that is easy to get around in either with or without a car.

The recently restored red Canal Streetcar line starts at the riverfront of the French Quarter (at Esplanade Avenue and the levee), turns on to Canal Street to go through the Central Business District, and continues into the heart of Mid-City. Once at the intersection of Canal Street and Carrollton Avenue in the center of Mid-City, the Canal streetcar branches into two lines. Cars marked ""City Park"" turn on to Carrollton Avenue, with the line ending at City Park in front of the NOMA Museum, a short walk from the Fairgrounds. Cars marked ""Cemeteries"" continue to the end of Canal Street at the far edge of Mid-City where a number of the city's old cemeteries are located.

Live music

 • Banks Street Bar & Grill, 4401 Banks Street. Local less well known live music acts, ranging from rock to all types of jazz, often at no cover; if they're good (often they are) put a buck or so in the tip jar.
 • MidCity Rock-n-Bowl, 4133 S. Carrollton (at Tulane Avenue). Dance, or drink, or bowl (!) while listening to great live local music. A great place to experience traditional Zydeco music or Cajun music, if you bowl or not. Rhythm & Blues legend Snooks Eaglin also plays here regularly. There is also swing dancing.

Internet

Coffee houses with bring-your-own-computer Internet access.

 • CC's 2820 Esplanade. M-Th 6:30AM-10PM, F-Sa 6:30AM-11PM, Su 7AM-10PM. Wireless throughout the building and at the outdoor tables; plug ins in one room.
 • Fair Grinds 3133 Ponce de Leon Street (1/2 block off Esplanade). M-Sa 6:30AM-11PM, Su 7AM-11PM. Wireless.

Get out

Mid-City's central location allows easy access to other parts of town. Take the Canal Streetcar to the French Quarter and the Central Business District. Drive or take the bus to the other end of beautiful Esplanade Avenue to arrive at the lower edge of the Quarter and the hip Faubourg Marigny neighborhood (alternatively reached by taking the Canal Streetcar to the far end at Esplanade and the river levee). Lakeview and Lakefront neighborhoods are a short drive away. The Carrollton neighborhood at the upper end of Uptown can be driven to by taking Carrollton Avenue to the other end. While there is bus service along Carrollton Avenue from Mid-City to the Old Carrollton neighborhood, those relying on public transit may wish to consider getting to Uptown and Carrollton by a more indirect route: take the Canal Streetcar to the Central Business District, then the green St. Charles Streetcar up. While this route is longer, it may be less aggravating and is certainly much more picturesque.