Things to Do in New Orleans in April

The late-April opening weekend tends to draw more locals and fewer tourists than the May closing weekend. You can often get within 6 meters (20 feet) of a stage that would be packed four deep the following week. The smaller stages host the most authentic New Orleans sounds, from brass ensembles to traditional chants.

Booking tipBuy single-day tickets as soon as the lineup drops, typically in mid-January. Multi-day passes sell out weeks before the festival.

Walk the riverfront stages and eat your way through the local restaurant booths without spending a cent on admission. The less-trafficked stages near the Old U.S. Mint tend to have the best sightlines and shortest food lines.

Booking tipNo tickets needed. Make dinner reservations early, as nearby restaurants fill up by the Thursday before.

April is peak boiling season, and the Bywater neighborhood's bars and yards host casual boils nearly every weekend. The smell of cayenne and garlic carries a full block. You sit at newspaper-covered tables, peel hot crawfish, and drink cold beer. That is the whole experience.

The oak-lined blocks between Jackson Avenue and Louisiana Avenue are at their most photogenic in April. Spring color fills the yards of the antebellum houses along Prytania Street. Magazine Street runs parallel, one block toward the river, with shops and cafes the whole length.

One of the country's oldest 10K road races, typically drawing 20,000+ runners from the French Quarter through Mid-City to City Park. The post-race party in City Park is open to non-runners and has live music and food vendors.

Booking tipRace registration opens months in advance and the field fills. Register by February if you want to run.

Three blocks of live music clubs in the Faubourg Marigny that locals consider the city's real music district. On April evenings, doors and windows stay open, and you can stand on the sidewalk and hear 4 or 5 different bands within a 2-minute walk. Brass, jazz, funk, soul, and sometimes zydeco.

Booking tipMost clubs skip the cover charge on weeknight early sets. The venues are small, and weekends fill quickly after 11pm.

The 540-hectare (1,300-acre) park, larger than Central Park, peaks visually in April. The botanical garden's spring displays reach full color, and the live oak alleys along Big Lake create deep shade for morning walks.

Booking tipThe sculpture garden adjacent to the museum is free. The botanical garden charges a small admission and is quieter on weekday mornings.

The oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world runs 13 km (8 miles) from Canal Street through the Garden District and Uptown to the Carrollton bend. The oaks arching over the tracks are fully leafed out in April, forming a green tunnel that filters the afternoon light.

Booking tipBuy a transit day pass for unlimited rides on all streetcar and bus routes. Board early in the morning for empty cars and the best light through the oaks.