Cigar FestivalNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANAMake your festival weekend a chance to discover the landmarks, living traditions, and local businesses that shape the Crescent City.
Founded in 1718, New Orleans grew at the meeting point of the Mississippi River and global trade. Indigenous, African, French, Spanish, Caribbean, and other communities shaped its food, music, architecture, and traditions. Its beauty sits alongside difficult histories of slavery and inequality; exploring both deepens the experience.
Read New Orleans’ historyThe city’s original colonial core grew from the French settlement founded in 1718. Much of its familiar architecture reflects rebuilding after major fires during Spanish rule. Walk its courtyards, balconies, and historic streets.
Learn More & Plan a VisitOverlooking the Mississippi River, this historic square anchors the French Quarter. Its surrounding landmarks, artists, and public spaces offer an introduction to the city’s layered past.
Learn More & Plan a VisitA church has occupied this site since the colonial era. The cathedral’s towers remain a defining feature of Jackson Square; visit respectfully around worship services.
Learn More & Plan a VisitThis former seat of colonial government hosted the Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremonies in 1803. Today it is a Louisiana State Museum exploring the state’s history and culture.
Learn More & Plan a VisitEnslaved Africans gathered here on Sundays to trade, socialize, dance, and make music. The square’s cultural legacy is central to understanding African American influence on American music.
Learn More & Plan a VisitNamed for the New Orleans-born jazz legend, the park includes Congo Square and spaces honoring the city’s musical heritage. Take time to connect its landmarks with the surrounding Tremé community.
Learn More & Plan a VisitOne of the nation’s oldest Black neighborhoods, Tremé is deeply connected to jazz, civil rights, and community traditions. Explore its cultural institutions with respect for the people who live here.
Learn More & Plan a VisitA centuries-old trading place, the market reflects the city’s long exchange of food, goods, and cultures. Today visitors can browse stalls and explore the surrounding French Quarter streets.
Learn More & Plan a VisitThe neighborhood’s grand nineteenth-century homes reflect New Orleans’ expansion and wealth, much of it connected to a plantation economy built on enslaved labor. Explore its architecture with that history in mind.
Learn More & Plan a VisitNew Orleans’ streetcar lines connect neighborhoods and generations of city life. Ride the St. Charles line to see Uptown or the Canal line toward City Park; check current routes before traveling.
Learn More & Plan a VisitDeclared a public park in 1854 on land formerly used as a plantation, City Park is now a major green space with mature oaks, gardens, and cultural attractions.
Learn More & Plan a VisitOpened in 1911, NOMA adds another chapter to the city’s cultural story. Pair a museum visit with time outdoors in City Park and its sculpture garden.
Learn More & Plan a VisitOpened in 2000 as the National D-Day Museum, this institution explores the American experience of World War II through artifacts, exhibitions, and personal accounts.
Learn More & Plan a VisitLocated in Tremé, the museum preserves and shares the history, art, and communities of African Americans in New Orleans and the African diaspora.
Learn More & Plan a VisitExplore the artistry and traditions of Black Masking Indians, second lines, and jazz funerals. Its collections offer a window into living community culture.
Learn More & Plan a VisitSupport the entrepreneurs and cultural spaces that help keep New Orleans distinctive. These are places to explore independently; festival discounts will be listed on the Attendee Perks page when confirmed.
Creole dining with a powerful community legacy. Chef Leah Chase helped make this restaurant a gathering place for civil rights leaders and a landmark of New Orleans hospitality.
Learn More & Plan a VisitA Black-owned bookstore and coffee destination named for James Baldwin. Browse books and look for author events that bring literature and community together.
Learn More & Plan a VisitA Black-owned coffee stop for a pause between neighborhood explorations. Make it part of a day focused on local culture and food.
Learn More & Plan a VisitA Black-owned dining destination rooted in New Orleans Creole cooking. Explore its current menu and plan a meal around your festival schedule.
Learn More & Plan a VisitChef Serigne Mbaye’s Senegalese dining experience connects West African culinary traditions with New Orleans. Check reservation availability before visiting.
Learn More & Plan a VisitChef Kaitlin Guerin’s pastry destination in Central City offers an opportunity to experience local creativity through baking and café culture.
Learn More & Plan a VisitA longtime Bayou Road bookstore known for African-centered literature, gifts, and community connections. Add it to a neighborhood shopping day.
Learn More & Plan a VisitStart with the French Quarter and riverfront, explore Tremé’s heritage, or spend a slower afternoon Uptown and in City Park. Confirm hours, reservations, admission, and transportation directly before visiting.