The Beautiful Garden District of New Orleans

The day that we had lunch at Commander’s Palace, we took the St. Charles Streetcar early to walk a bit of New Orleans’ Garden District before our reservation. You can wander a bit yourself or take a guided tour. However, the Lonely Planet guide to New Orleans has a wonderful self-guided walking tour, which the girls and I took the last time I was in New Orleans. Why not walk it again so that we knew what we were seeing?

The first stop was the Lafayette Cemetery #1. I didn’t get any cemetery photos this trip, but I did the last time I was in New Orleans. This included Marie Laveau‘s tomb {the voodoo queen} at the St. Louis Cementary #1, just outside the French Quarter. Here are some pages of my 2003 scrapbook:

The cemeteries in New Orleans remind me very much of some of those in Europe – above ground tombs made of stone. The reason for above-ground burials in New Orleans is a combination of flooding and historical epidemics, as well as stylistic preferences around when they were first built.

Throughout the Garden District are some very impressive, beautiful homes with ornate porches and balconies.

I want a little ornate balcony off my bedroom, like you see on the side of this house.

I’m not into pink houses, but I love this style of architecture:

Then there is author, Anne Rice’s home:

I never did read any of her books; but I can appreciate that her home and the city of New Orleans were inspirations for several of her novels.

And who knew a home at 1448 Fourth St. with this historic cornstalk fence…

…could go for $6.5 million?

Perhaps the history has something to do with it?

I’m sure the vast size and the ornamentation throughout the home doesn’t hurt either.

We passed one home where a dog immediately started barking and greeted me at the fence.

He had a friend that joined him later near the corner of their yard…

It may appear that he is barking evilly at me. However, what he has is a stick in his mouth. He used his mouth to throw it outside the fence. I threw it back in and he ran for it. He wanted to play fetch!

There are some giant, old trees in the Garden District as well.

Just check out this old root structure!

And although you want to keep your head up to look at all of your beautiful surroundings, you really have to watch where you are walking; or you will trip.

A lot of the sidewalks are in disrepair. I am sure part of that is from the old trees and the uplifting of roots. But perhaps it could be from storms and hurricanes, too.

But there is no shortage of charm…