One of the best things about New Orleans is that not only is it one of the most culturally rewarding cities in the USA, it’s also one of the most affordable destinations in North America. Here are five things you can do for free in the Crescent city.

1. Listen to the Beat

One of the best things about New Orleans is the music. Most gigs will set you back less then ten dollars, but there are also an incredible number of buskers and street performers who play on the streets of the French Quarter for chump change. If you find a brass band playing and walking in the street, be sure to stroll along behind- you’ve just stumbled up on one of New Orleans’ great musical traditions- the Second Line.

2. Visit the City of the Dead.

New Orleans is built below the water table, and for centuries the city’s dead have been buried above ground in ornate family crypts scattered throughout the city. One of the city’s best tourist haunts, the St Louis Cemetery #1 is popular with tourists who seek out the graves of a supposed voodoo queen and have their picture taken where scenes from the film Easy Rider were shot. Much nicer is Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District, where you should seek out the tomb of orphaned boys, where visitors regularly leave small to trinkets and candy for the lost boys.

3. Smell the roses in the Garden District

Lafayette Cemetery is located smack bang in the middle of the Garden District, New Orleans’ most beautiful and wealthy neighbourhood. The district is made up of meticulously landscaped gardens that frame white-columned, century old mansions. A stroll through the neighbourhood is a chance to see how the other live (and you’ll see they’ll live very well). See if you can pick out vampire-scribe Anne Rice’s historic mansion- it takes up an entire block.

4. Get your Huck on.

Indulge your inner Huckleberry Finn by taking to the Mississippi. Skip the touristy paddleboat dinner show and instead take the free Canal Street Ferry, which transports visitors from Canal Street across the Mississippi to the residential neighbourhood of Algiers. To be fair, the Mississippi isn’t that pretty, as most of its banks are covered in industrial plants, but it is an awe-inspiring, powerful body of water that deserves a few minutes contemplation.

5. Check the calendar

New Orleans is a city that celebrates year round, and most of the parties spill onto the streets without costing you a dime. Mardi Gras processions around the city are free and fabulous, but, there’s also the Running of the Bulls in July (think roller-derby girls with horns whacking runners with soft paddles); the Satcho Summerfest offering four days of music and parties throughout the quarter, The Tennessee Williams Literary fest has a ‘STELLLLLLLLLAAA’ shouting contest and Halloween sees Frenchmen street transformed into the city’s biggest outdoor dress-up dance party.

And…

The New Orleans Tourist office is a great resource for festivals and things to do: neworleansonline.com

Disclosure: The writer travelled with the assistance of the New Orleans Tourism and Visitor Bureau.