French Quarter,Jackson Square

Most visitors to New Orleans have some common stops on their agendas: Bourbon Street, the Aquarium of the America, great jazz clubs, unique shopping venues, and of course the greatest eateries in the world. But some of the finest attractions in the Crescent City are those that stand in one place, sometimes for centuries. They don't speak or sing or change. They are the majestic and elegant statues of New Orleans, some dating back centuries, and others reflecting the most contemporary values and issues facing the city. Among all of the fine statuary of the city are the common themes of history, culture and a way of life known only in one place in the universe - New Orleans.

Vieux Carre Heroes Morning comes early in Jackson Square, the world- renowned courtyard that counts St. Louis Cathedral as it's backdrop.
Centered in the square a lone horseman tries valiantly to tame his rearing animal. He is Andrew Jackson, as depicted by Clark Mills in the 19th century.
Mill' 14- foot lifelike bronze may be the city's most well known statue. Thousands of people pass by daily, dwarfed beneath it's majesty.
The French Quarter is virtually framed in fine statuary, most depicting individuals whose lives either touched or altered life in the city.
Near the entrance to the French Quarter is a grand statue of Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the 18th century fonder of New Orleans. Bienville was roundly criticized in his day for even imagining that a swampy netherland such as this one could ever become he center of commerce, art and culture that he envisioned, but of course his foresight won out.
Today, his statue is prominently displayed in one of the French Quarter's most highly traveled areas.

At the opposite end of the French Quarter is another famous figure depicted on horseback, this one gleaming under Southern sunlight. Joan of Arc, atop her horse in full military garb is finished in shiny gold leaf, near the entrance of the centuries old French Market. The statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of New Orleans.

Just outside the French Quarter is Armstrong Park, home of one of the city's most beloved statues, " Louis Armstrong." Armstrong, a New Orleans native who went onto become an international treasure in the music world, now reigns supreme in his own park, among quiet bicycle and walking waterways, wildflowers, paths and the Mahalia Jackson Theatre.