Taking in New Orleans: a tour of the Crescent City

Shooting Industry, Dec, 1991 by Scott Farrell

Think of New Orleans and what comes to mind? A steaming bowl of jambalaya? Shady, backstreet images of 1800s voodoo? A glistening paddlewheeler steaming up the Mississippi? Hunting or fishing in the premier city of Louisiana's "Sportsman's Paradise"? The soulful rhythms of real Southern jazz?

Or do you think of the newest sensation to hit the streets of New Orleans the 1992 SHOT Show?

Nearly 26,000 shooting trade professionals will be in attendance at the 1992 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show to meet with their colleagues, contact new suppliers, compare current inventory with other items, and just take a look at 1992's technology.

Amidst four days of meetings, dinners, and seminars, most of you will find some time to sneak away and visit the famous city of New Orleans. For some, SHOT Show even doubles as a vacation, and that means that the spouse and kids may be looking for something to do while you're at the show.

So, whether you want the best restaurant in the French Quarter for dinner on Saturday, a cozy nightclub where you can spend the evening listening to New Orleans jazz, or a fabulous shopping district where you can send the family while you're at the show, here's Shooting Industry's guide to the sights, sounds, and activities of the Crescent City.

N'Awlins History

The city of New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste le Moyne, who established his new French colony in what is today the French Quarter. Two disastrous fires occurred during the Spanish Colonial period, leaving little of the original colony standing. The only structure from Bienville's settlement is the Old Ursuline Convent at 1114 Chartres Street, which is worth a visit.

For years New Orleans served as the playground for European settlers and "Creoles," a term which came to mean anyone born in the New World with a European, Negro or Native American background (or any combination thereof). The French and Spanish explorers and pirates charted the region's bayous, and the slaves, the Chickasaw, and the Choctaw Indians mixed their energetic cultures to create the style and flare of New Orleans until, in 1803, Louisiana became a part of the United States.

In 1856, the parade grounds in the center of the French Quarter were renamed in honor of Andrew Jackson, the hero of The Battle of New Orleans. Jackson Square, bordered by Chartres, St. Ann, St. Peter, and Decatur Streets and surrounded by historic 18th and 19th Century buildings, is the heart of today's French Quarter.

Touring the Crescent City

The term "Crescent City" comes from New Orleans' situation on a bend of the Mississippi River. In fact, bodies of water, like Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi, numerous bayous, and the Gulf of Mexico 110 miles to the south, help make up the face of this cultural mixing ground.

There are several points of interest which shouldn't be missed while in the Crescent City, and many of them are within walking distance of the SHOT Show at the New Orleans Convention Center.

For family members and friends who may want to spend a day strolling and shopping, Chartres and Royal Streets are filled with antique shops of all sizes. Specifically, tell them to head for Cohen & Sons, Inc., at 437 Royal Street specializing in antique weapons and coins. For more contemporary shopping, send them to The French Market at 1008 North Peters Street. There they'll find five blocks of shops and restaurants -- enough to keep them busy all day.

Hardly three blocks from the SHOT Show at One Canal Street is the Aquarium of the Americas where visitors can see 10,000 specimens of aquatic life from around the world. Also of interest to animal lovers will be the Audubon Zoological Garden at 6500 Magazine Street. The zoo displays the famed white tiger and several rare white alligators in their Louisana Swamp exhibit. The Audubon Zoo has been rated one of the top five zoos in the country.

Even if you can only get away from the SHOT Show for a few minutes, hop on the bus and take a quick trip to the St. Louis Cathedral across from Jackson Square on Chartres Street. This is the oldest cathedral in the U.S., dedicated on Christmas Eve, 1794. The Cathedral, along with the Presbytere and the Cabildo which stand alongside it, are official parts of the Louisana State Museum.

One final landmark you may want to visit is the LaLaurie House at the corner of Royal Street and Gov. Nicholls. Also known simply as "The Haunted House," this landmark was once the site of terrible activities by a wealthy New Orleans socialite in 1834. According to local legend, the sounds of screams can still be heard some nights.

Of course, don't forget that Louisiana's state motto is: Sportsman's Paradise. If you plan to arrive early for the show, take advantage of New Orleans' several sport fishing facilities and golf courses. Outdoor enthusiasts will also be excited at the prospect of visiting the Global Wildlife Center. Covering 900 acres of Louisiana swampland it is home to hundreds of species of endangered animals.