Garden District

The Garden District is the mansion-and-oak-tree showpiece of Uptown New Orleans — ride the 24-hour St. Charles streetcar ($1.25) past antebellum houses, then lunch at Commander's Palace with 25-cent martinis. A friend would send you for the easiest half-day in the city. Honest caveat: Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 remains closed to visitors, with no reopening date.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Is the Garden District safe?

It's one of the calmer neighborhoods tourists visit, especially by day. Usual city sense applies after dark — the residential blocks get very quiet at night, so do your wandering in daylight and stick to St. Charles and Magazine in the evening.

How long does the Garden District take?

Two to three hours covers the mansion loop and a Magazine Street coffee. Add lunch at Commander's Palace or a proper Magazine shopping crawl and it's a satisfying half day. It pairs perfectly with continuing the streetcar Uptown to Audubon Park.

Can I visit Lafayette Cemetery No. 1?

Not currently — it's been closed to the public since 2019 for repairs, and as of mid-2026 there's still no reopening date. Only families of the interred are admitted. You can peer through the gates on Washington Avenue; if a tour company promises to take you inside, be skeptical.

Can I go inside the Garden District mansions?

Mostly no — they're private homes, including celebrity-owned ones. You admire from the sidewalk. A guided walking tour (about 2 hours) adds the gossip and history; self-guided works fine too with the classic loop bounded by St. Charles, Magazine, Jackson, and Louisiana.

What's on Magazine Street?

Six miles of the city's best shopping and casual eating — boutiques, antique shops, coffee, po-boys — and the Garden District stretch is the prettiest chunk. Walk Washington Avenue from the streetcar toward the river and you'll hit it in ten minutes.

Garden District or Uptown — what's the difference?

The Garden District is a compact, formally defined historic district of grand homes (roughly Jackson to Louisiana, St. Charles to Magazine); Uptown is the much larger swath continuing upriver, looser and more lived-in, ending around Audubon Park and the universities. The streetcar strings them together — do both in one ride.

How do I get to the Garden District from the French Quarter?

The St. Charles streetcar is the whole point: catch it on Canal or Carondelet, pay $1.25 (exact change or the Le Pass app), and ride 20-ish minutes under the oaks to the Washington Avenue stop. It runs 24/7. The ride itself is one of the best cheap experiences in America.

Is the 25-cent martini at Commander's Palace real?

Yes — with a lunch entrée on weekday lunch days (currently Wednesday through Friday), martinis are 25 cents, limit is officially three. Lunch is also the affordable way into one of America's great restaurants. Book well ahead and mind the dress code: business casual, no shorts, jackets appreciated at dinner.

Nearby in Ask New Orleans

• Commander's PalaceRestaurant0.08 km · 1 min walk
• Coliseum Square ParkPark1.27 km · 16 min walk
• Hansen's Sno-BlizCafé1.62 km · 20 min walk
• Domilise's Po-BoysRestaurant1.96 km · 25 min walk
• Ogden Museum of Southern ArtMuseum2.06 km · 26 min walk