The Club & Music Scene

Jazz & Blues Clubs

This being New Orleans, jazz and blues are everywhere -- though not all of it is worth hearing. Not that any of it is bad, per se. It's just that there is world-class stuff out there competing with tourist traps for your ears, so don't just settle for the first sight (or sound) of brass instruments you find. Seek out the really good stuff and you'll be rewarded. It's hard to predict opening/closing hours of New Orleans's nightlife. Many bars are open all the time, and because many clubs are in many bars (bars that have stages on which live bands play), there are no set opening and closing hours. In general, know that most clubs' hours both start and end late, if they ever end at all.

Outside the French Quarter -- Worth keeping in mind is the unreliable but well-booked Chickie Wah-Wah (2828 Canal St.; tel. 504/304-4714). The owner seems to open only when he feels like it (though he has promised to turn his club into a po' boy shop during the day), which is both good -- he only books acts of some significance, like Jazz Fest 2008's Sousapolooza, the first all-sousaphone jam session ever (at least that any of the big horn players could recall) -- and bad -- it means this small but excellent facility is only open erratically. It also tends to have high cover charges (around $20, though the later you go, the more likely it is you could get a discount). It's an easy streetcar ride from the Quarter, so if something is cooking there, consider attending.

Rhythm, Rock & the Rest of the Music Scene

Throughout this guide, we keep nagging you to leave the Quarter. This advice is most important at night. It's not that there aren't some worthwhile, memorable clubs in the Quarter or at the fringes. It's just that there are so many terrific (and, in some cases, outright better) ones elsewhere. They aren't hard to find -- any cabdriver knows where they are. And not only do they feature some of the best music in town (if not, on some nights, in the country), they also aren't designed as tourist destinations, so your experience will be that much more legitimate.

Cajun & Zydeco Joints

Most of the so-called Cajun joints in New Orleans are really Cajun for tourists, in both sound and setting. If you want the real thing, you are better off going out to bayou country. Which is not to say some of the finest Cajun bands don't play in New Orleans -- it's just that you are likely to find, say, the world-renowned Beausoleil at the Maple Leaf, or the up-and-coming Pine Leaf Boys at Tipitina's, neither of which is a Cajun club. None of this should be taken to mean that terrific and authentic Cajun bands don't play at the places listed below -- it's just that it's hit-or-miss in terms of true quality. What these spots do offer, however, is a place to learn to Cajun dance, which is not only a skill that comes in handy in New Orleans (trust us, when crowds start to two-step, you'll want to join in) and a dandy way to burn off calories, but it's also just darn fun.