Tremé and Mid-City lie inland from the French Quarter, between Rampart Street and City Park. Come for the city's Black history, brass bands in neighborhood bars, and Creole soul food that locals happily line up for.
Tremé and Mid-City lie inland from the French Quarter, between Rampart Street and City Park. Come for the city's Black history, brass bands in neighborhood bars, and Creole soul food that locals happily line up for.Tremé starts right across Rampart and is often called the oldest Black neighborhood in the country: free people of color were buying property here as early as the 1700s. It's home to Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square, and to St. Augustine Church, founded in 1841. Beyond it, Mid-City is a residential area stretching along Canal Street and Bayou St. John out to City Park.City Park and NOMA, Parkway Bakery and The Broadside are covered on the main New Orleans page. Conditions can change from one block to the next; for current safety guidance, see the UK FCDO Travel Advice.
Sights in Tremé and Mid-City
Discover the most important sights and attractions
Park
1Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square
The approximately 13-hectare park is located opposite the French Quarter on Rampart Street, its entrance a large arch with lettering. At the front is Congo Square, where enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays for market, drumming, and dance. The park features a statue of Louis Armstrong by Elizabeth Catlett and busts of Sidney Bechet and Buddy Bolden. Concerts are held in spring and autumn; visit the park during the day.
This small museum, housed in a former funeral home, displays the splendidly embroidered feather costumes of the Mardi Gras Indians, along with objects related to Jazz Funerals, Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Baby Dolls, and the Skull and Bone Gangs. Admission approximately 10 US dollars. Opening hours are irregular, so call ahead (504-522-4806).
The 1799 country house, in West Indian style with a wrap-around gallery, stands on the bank of Bayou St. John at 1440 Moss Street, not far from the entrance to City Park. Tours Wednesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 3 PM, last tour 2:15 PM; adults pay 10 US dollars. Afterwards, a stroll along the Bayou is worthwhile.
The cemetery at 3421 Esplanade Avenue, just before Bayou St. John, features the typical above-ground tombs of New Orleans in whitewashed rows. Unlike the older St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, you can enter here during the day without a tour. Easily combined with Pitot House and City Park.
The Creole restaurant at 2301 Orleans Avenue has been open since 1941. Chef Leah Chase made it a gathering place for the Civil Rights Movement, and her collection of African American art hangs on the walls. For lunch Tuesday to Friday, there's a buffet for around $25 featuring Fried Chicken, Gumbo, and Red Beans. On weekdays, a reservation is advisable, but not always necessary.
Neighborhood spot at 1518 North Lopez Street, one block from Fair Grounds Race Course. Known for Gumbo and the Garlic Roast Beef Po'Boy, plus fried seafood. Simple decor and loud; it's predictably packed during Jazz Fest.
The Sicilian ice cream parlor and patisserie has existed for over a hundred years and is now located at 214 North Carrollton Avenue in Mid-City, near the Canal Streetcar. Order lemon granita, spumoni, or freshly filled cannoli. A perfect finish after an afternoon in City Park.
In the 1700s and 1800s, enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays in Congo Square, now part of Louis Armstrong Park, to trade, drum and dance. Many trace the roots of jazz to this spot, and the very first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was held in the park in 1970.Tremé is the neighborhood of second lines, the Sunday parades thrown by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, and of jazz funerals. The Mardi Gras Indians, with their hand-beaded feathered suits, have deep roots here; the Backstreet Cultural Museum documents these traditions.Mid-City grew after 1900, once drainage pumps made the swampland livable. On Bayou St. John, an old trade route to Lake Pontchartrain, the 1799 Pitot House is one of the last colonial-era country houses left in the city.
Opened in 1994 by R&B singer Ernie K-Doe (named after his hit “Mother-in-Law”), the bar at 1500 North Claiborne Avenue has a fully painted facade. Today, trumpeter Kermit Ruffins leads it, regularly performing and often grilling himself. Program and hours vary, so check the bar's social media.
Small neighborhood bar at 925 North Robertson Street, in Tremé, with live music six nights a week. Wednesdays are most popular, when the Treme Brass Band plays; low admission includes a bowl of Red Beans and Rice. WWOZ (90.7 FM) announces the current program. Best to go there and back by taxi or rideshare.
Neighborhood bar at 949 North Rendon Street near Bayou St. John, featuring a mixed crowd of locals, an air hockey table, and well-made simple cocktails. No live music, but a relaxed place for a drink after an evening at the Bayou or before a nearby concert.
Tremé is walkable from the French Quarter: Louis Armstrong Park sits just across Rampart Street. For Mid-City, take the streetcar.Canal streetcar: It runs from the riverfront up Canal Street into Mid-City and splits at Carrollton Avenue. Cars marked "City Park/Museum" end in front of NOMA; "Cemeteries" cars continue to the cemeteries at the end of Canal. Fare is $1.25.Rampart-St. Claude line: Runs along the border between the Quarter and Tremé.Driving: Parking is far easier in Mid-City than downtown, and Esplanade Avenue gets you back to the Quarter quickly.At night: Take a cab or rideshare to bars like the Candlelight Lounge.During Jazz Fest, in late April and early May, the streets around the Fair Grounds jam up; book restaurants ahead.
