Today Canal Street is served along its entire length by a newly restored streetcar system that makes frequent stops near major downtown hotels and at all key cross streets. The street runs from the historic ' Cities of the Dead' above-ground cemeteries to the Mississippi River, where a ferry ride takes you over to historic Algiers Point. It is also the starting point for all the major avenues that run from Downtown to Uptown and the street that divides north from south in the city street designations. Traveling by Canal StreetĬanal Street is one block away from the upriver boundary of the French Quarter and the starting point for every major street that runs the length of the French Quarter. This white marble exterior of Egyptian and Greek revival styles hosts the world's largest museum dedicated to all things that that walk, crawl or fly. What used to be a Customs House on the port of New Orleans, from the early 1840s to 1881, now stands as the Audubon Insectarium.

Theaters like the Saenger bring in live touring Broadway shows while the Joy and the Orpheum host famous performers and shows that come from all over the world.

New Orleans has some of the oldest theaters in the country, with the most famous venues right on Canal Street. There is now also a Christmas parade in December and during the holiday season the colorful and imaginative lighting displays along Canal Street downtown have become a major attraction. Up to a million people crowd into every square inch of the parade route to enjoy the festivities for which New Orleans is international renowned. ParadesĪ hot spot for fun and action during Mardi Gras, Canal Street has been hosting parades since the very beginning of the local celebration in the mid-1800s. Pulsing with life, Canal Street is New Orleans in all its grit and glory. Hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Marriott and Sheraton have found purchase and visitors can even encounter six-legged critters at the Audubon Nature Institute’s Insectarium. Holmes – are gone, but retail continues to thrive on Canal Street with One Canal Place as well as many small stores and boutiques. Canal Street serves as a place for parading, shopping, and seeing shows at the city's newly restored theaters. The street once served as a “neutral ground” between the old families of Spanish and French descent living in the Vieux Carre and the newly arriving Americans, who preferred to settle the American Sector (today’s Central Business and Warehouse districts.) The streets opulent department stores – Godchaux’s, the Maison Blanche and D.H.

Casino in new orleans on canal street