I recently returned to New Orleans where I was able attend my third Jazz and Heritage Festival. The festival had been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember having a bucket list. I used to check out the musical line-up every January and drool over all the blues and jazz legends that were on the list.

I finally made it the festival in 2022 at the encouragement of my dad. We had been talking about going to the festival before the pandemic, but then COVID threw a wrench in the works.

Actually, we had talked about doing a father-son road trip to Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans. When I finally made it to the Jazz and Heritage Festival, I took hundreds of photos and videos to show dad when I got back and he sat through every one of them. Unfortunately, he ended up passing away just over a month later.

When I went in 2022, I was blown away by both the festival and the city. New Orleans is unlike any other city you will ever visit. The fact that you will find more live music on Bourbon Street alone than any other city in North America should be reason enough to visit the city, but then you have the food – crawfish, jambalaya, gumbo, shrimp and grits, fried chicken, po’boy sandwiches, muffaletta, Bananas Foster, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, pecan pie, pralines... the list just goes on and on.

If you’re a fan of the blues or jazz you absolutely have to make a pilgrimage to the Big Easy. Among the legendary clubs where you will find top-notch live music are the Blue Nile, Fritzel’s, the Spotted Cat, the Snug Harbour Jazz Bistro, Vaughan’s Lounge, Chickie Wah Wah, Tipitina’s, the Howlin’ Wolf, the Maple Leaf Bar and the House of Blues.

And then there’s at least a dozen live music venues on Bourbon Street, each with an excellent cover band.

New Orleans is also one of the friendliest cities in America, if not the friendliest. Everyone you pass will wish you a blessed day. It’s also a place where it’s not uncommon for a checkout girl or server to call you darling, baby or honey.

After my return, I binged watched the HBO series “Treme”, which portrays New Orleans during the first two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina. Make no mistake, it was a violent place, but the violence was born out of the chaos left behind by Katrina.

Today, New Orleans is no more dangerous than Toronto or Montreal. I walked through the Treme neighbourhood before and after the festival every day and never felt unsafe, even after it got dark, and everyone I passed asked “How ya’ doing?”, or “Have a great day”.

If you do go to New Orleans, be sure to bring a good pair of walking shoes with you unless you plan to take Uber everywhere.

As for some tips, here are the top 13 things you should do if you visit New Orleans:

1) Take the St. Charles street car to the end of the line and back.
2) Have a po’boy sandwich at either the Parkway Bakery and Tavern in Bayou St. John or Liuzza’s by the Track.
3) Take a sightseeing ride on the famous Natchez paddle wheel riverboat. Better yet, take the brunch cruise.
4) Take a walk along the waterfront.
5) Visit the National WWII Museum on
Magazine Street, which is the top rated tourist attraction in New Orleans.
6) Stroll through the Garden District.
7) Order a bowl of the Crawfish Etoufée at the Gumbo Shop on Saint Peter St.
8) Order beignets and coffee at either the Café du Monde or the Café Beignet.
9) Visit the French Market and the New Orléans Jazz Museum.
10) Take the street car to City Park where you will find the New Orleans Botanical Garden and the Museum of Art, and many more attractions.
11) Stroll through one of the city’s many cemeteries.
12) Go to Frenchman Street after dark and enjoy some live music.
13) And if you’re feeling brave enough, have a beer in one of the city’s many dive bar.There are more dive bars in New Orleans than any other place in the world.

I also strongly suggest that if you visit New Orleans, you go during the Jazz and Heritage Festival, which takes place during the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May.

I can honestly say that it’s the most eclectic music festival you will ever go to. Besides great jazz and blues music, the festival also features fantastic cajun and zydeco music, bluegrass, country and world beat music. There’s New Orleans bounce music delivered by the iconic Big Freedia, who has to be seen to be believed and some of the best gospel music anywhere. This year’s festival featured the likes of the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Bonnie Rait, the Foo Fighters and Heart.

One of my favourite things about the festival is that it starts at 11 a.m. every morning and ends at 7 p.m., which means you have time to go to dinner in the French Quarter afterwards, or take a nap before hitting the town.

My other favourite thing about the festival is the after party just outside the gates on North Lopez, Mystery and Sauvage where there’s a live band on every block and you can buy beers out of coolers for $5 bucks.

So what are you waiting for? Next year’s Jazz and Heritage Festival is only 11 months away.

(If you wish to comment on this or any other View Point column please write to Fred Sherwin at fsherwin@orleansstar.ca)