Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square
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The area
Neighbourhood: Central Business District
Compared to the more evocative monikers of some other parts of New Orleans, the downtown’s humdrum title might suggest that this area is all about business and little else. But don’t let the bland name keep you away from the Central Business District. The CBD offers a wide range of fun things to do that would be touted as exceptional in less jubilant corners of the world. Bordered by the French Quarter, the Arts District and Tremé, with the river at its eastern extreme, this hub for sports, gaming, shopping, theatre, family-friendly activities, and amazing regional cuisine makes a smart base wherever your interests lie.
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4.0
179 reviews
Excellent
66
Very good
77
Average
32
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Jake23
New Jersey6,846 contributions
Apr 2022
Nice square in the center of New Orleans. When you are surrounded by buildings a nice green park with statues and trees is perfect.
Written 12 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CdnGoldy
Kitchener, Canada987 contributions
Nov 2019 • Family
In the early and mid morning this park is not as attractive due to the homeless population sleeping there. Later in the day it is a great location for walking, enjoying the fresh air, yoga or whatever your preference.
Written 4 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RLarok
Gatineau, Canada186 contributions
Oct 2019
Walked by Lafayette Square... Literally walked by it until we realized we were there. Don't get me wrong it's a nice square but there is not a whole lot more there. Not really worth a detour, if you walk by it, look at it, then keep going.
Written 20 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greg E
Belton, TX103 contributions
Jan 2015 • Business
We have become very familiar with this park during the last couple years, as we always travel with our pet and stay nearby. Therefore, this is the only place to walk a dog. This trip the square was infested with RATS. You may not notice them during the day (although I did see one DEAD one on the sidewalk), but take a walk at 5:00am like I did (dog needed to go out!), and you will see them running all over. They live in the four corners in the shrubs so beware. One rat actually ran towards my small dog, and I had to pick her up quickly as it looked like it was going to attack (no kidding). I hope the city can put out some traps soon.
Written 13 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James H
Pittsburgh, PA51 contributions
Dec 2019
"Luna Fete" in New Orleans's Lafayette Square is a projection light and laser show projected across Gallier Hall. It's free.
The park has many arts and crafts booths with wares of local artists along with food stands.
The show lasts approximately twenty minutes. There is no seating.
If you are coming from the Riverwalk side of the square, trundle down Lafayette St. as there are many artworks embellishing the trek.
"Luna Fete" is sponsored by Arts Council New Orleans. Check the websight for each year's dates.
The park has many arts and crafts booths with wares of local artists along with food stands.
The show lasts approximately twenty minutes. There is no seating.
If you are coming from the Riverwalk side of the square, trundle down Lafayette St. as there are many artworks embellishing the trek.
"Luna Fete" is sponsored by Arts Council New Orleans. Check the websight for each year's dates.
Written 19 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wilsongirl
Withernsea, UK439 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
We were lucky enough to visit the park in the run up to Christmas and saw the luna fete.
Lots of stalls from local artists and food vendors.
A great place to get into the holiday spirit.
Lots of stalls from local artists and food vendors.
A great place to get into the holiday spirit.
Written 15 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DonnaWebber
Toronto, Canada302 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
We were lucky enough to be visiting New Orleans when Luna Fete Light show was on at Lafayette Square. It is only offered for a few nights in December and is a free event that is truly spectacular. We were able to walk there from our hotel. The square was set up with some food and drink booths and artist and craft booths. The square was alive with activity with folk of all ages there. The light show is shown in the evening every hour on the hour. The main show was spectacular. It was followed by 2 shows that I think were student productions which were both excellent but not of the same calibre as the main first show. The entire show was probably about 20 minutes long.
Written 14 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rowena A
Essex, VT14 contributions
Apr 2019
Our guide was excellent; he was knowledgeable, interesting and very pleasant. Although you can tour Lafayette Square and the Garden District self-guided, I suggest joining an organized tour to get the full story.
Written 8 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vincent M
New Orleans, LA2,256 contributions
July 2015 • Family
Lafayette Square is New Orleans’ second public square, located in the CBD and popular for its free music concerts. If you enjoy history you’ll like this square. If you’re walking from the Inner Garden to the French Quarter, this is a great place to set a spell, catch your breath and cool down. Last Bastille Day, it was 90 degrees on park benches in the shade, but that was still blessed relief from the heat. Other than that, it’s not really worth going out of your way to get here, unless you’re going for a concert or parade.
The square was initially called place Gravier, (as in “your roast beef po’boy is even gravier than my shrimp and grits”), in honor of a Creole whose land extended to here. In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited New Orleans. As a revolutionary hero in both the United States and France, Lafayette’s reception in New Orleans, where the gentry still spoke French as their first language, was absolutely incredible. He was put up in the Cabildo and feted like a superstar. After this visit, place Gravier was renamed Lafayette Square.
Surprisingly, Lafayette Square does not contain a statue of Lafayette. Instead, the statue in the center is of Henry Clay (see photo Clay in the Square). In 1852, a grand funeral procession was held in New Orleans for Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Their three burial urns were reverently placed in a grand Cenotaph in Lafayette Square. Actually the urns were empty and the three worthies had already been buried in their home states, but the thought was nice. Hence the Clay statue. Lafayette Square also has a statue of Ben Franklin, on the river side. I suspect that Franklin’s there because when he was the first United States Ambassador to France, he and Lafayette worked together in Paris to convince Louis XVI to dispatch French troops and ships to aid the American cause (see photo Franklin in the Square). The third statue in the square is a bust of John McDonough, a merchant who transplanted from Baltimore to New Orleans, and whose will set up a trust to fund free public education in both cities.
Lafayette Square is surrounded by historic buildings, including Gallier Hall, the former city hall, though if you’re actually in the square, the trees tend to block them. I also love to use Lafayette Square as a good place to find empty parking spaces when I drive to the French Quarter at night; but because of the current crime wave in New Orleans, I wouldn’t recommend that unless you’re driving in with several other people. If you do, park and the walk straight to the Quarter on St Charles, and strongly consider taking a taxi back to your car if it’s late at night.
When I was in Lafayette Square two weeks ago, new plantings were being done, temporarily detracting from its appearance. Planting in mid-summer, rather than spring, makes sense since Lafayette Square hosts free concerts in the spring and fall. The last series ended in June, and the next concerts won’t be till October, but if you’re in town when a concert is on, that’s the best time to visit this square. The second best is during Mardi Gras; most (but not all) parade routes go down St Charles, and Lafayette Square one of the better places to check out the floats and catch some throws.
For TripAdvisor I am rating this as “Very Good” but there’s a catch. Normally it’s barely an average attraction (3 stars), but it jumps up to very good (4 stars) if a Mardi Gras parade is passing, and to excellent (5 stars) any time there’s a free concert. Obviously, that’s when to go.
The square was initially called place Gravier, (as in “your roast beef po’boy is even gravier than my shrimp and grits”), in honor of a Creole whose land extended to here. In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited New Orleans. As a revolutionary hero in both the United States and France, Lafayette’s reception in New Orleans, where the gentry still spoke French as their first language, was absolutely incredible. He was put up in the Cabildo and feted like a superstar. After this visit, place Gravier was renamed Lafayette Square.
Surprisingly, Lafayette Square does not contain a statue of Lafayette. Instead, the statue in the center is of Henry Clay (see photo Clay in the Square). In 1852, a grand funeral procession was held in New Orleans for Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Their three burial urns were reverently placed in a grand Cenotaph in Lafayette Square. Actually the urns were empty and the three worthies had already been buried in their home states, but the thought was nice. Hence the Clay statue. Lafayette Square also has a statue of Ben Franklin, on the river side. I suspect that Franklin’s there because when he was the first United States Ambassador to France, he and Lafayette worked together in Paris to convince Louis XVI to dispatch French troops and ships to aid the American cause (see photo Franklin in the Square). The third statue in the square is a bust of John McDonough, a merchant who transplanted from Baltimore to New Orleans, and whose will set up a trust to fund free public education in both cities.
Lafayette Square is surrounded by historic buildings, including Gallier Hall, the former city hall, though if you’re actually in the square, the trees tend to block them. I also love to use Lafayette Square as a good place to find empty parking spaces when I drive to the French Quarter at night; but because of the current crime wave in New Orleans, I wouldn’t recommend that unless you’re driving in with several other people. If you do, park and the walk straight to the Quarter on St Charles, and strongly consider taking a taxi back to your car if it’s late at night.
When I was in Lafayette Square two weeks ago, new plantings were being done, temporarily detracting from its appearance. Planting in mid-summer, rather than spring, makes sense since Lafayette Square hosts free concerts in the spring and fall. The last series ended in June, and the next concerts won’t be till October, but if you’re in town when a concert is on, that’s the best time to visit this square. The second best is during Mardi Gras; most (but not all) parade routes go down St Charles, and Lafayette Square one of the better places to check out the floats and catch some throws.
For TripAdvisor I am rating this as “Very Good” but there’s a catch. Normally it’s barely an average attraction (3 stars), but it jumps up to very good (4 stars) if a Mardi Gras parade is passing, and to excellent (5 stars) any time there’s a free concert. Obviously, that’s when to go.
Written 29 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JNYCwriter
New York City, NY7,517 contributions
Dec 2019 • Friends
This is a Square near the intersection of downtown and close to the warehouse district. There is history in this square. The downside is that there are a number of homeless and others around the park. Probably best to be aware of your surroundings when walking around particularly at night.
Written 27 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is the Wednesday at the Square Concert Series appropriate for small children? Visiting in early March.
Written 16 January 2024
Hi, is their a viewing balcony or stand with amenities to view parade in Lafayette square? thank you
Written 17 January 2019
YLC Wednesday in the Square series started 3/16 with an awesome performance by Irma Thomas, with the Jamal Batiste Band. Irma is one of the brightest diamonds of New Orleans music and culture. Her voice is still strong and beautiful and her stage banter is sharp, funny, yet always kind and from the heart. Next Wed, it's Amanda Shaw. See ylcnola [period] org for the full story and join/contribute to the Young Leadership Council, if you can. Great service organization.
Written 17 March 2017
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