Mid-City is a portion of New Orleans in the center of the metropolitan area, about midway between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. It is less visited by tourists than more famous areas like the French Quarter, but has impressive attractions of its own.

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.