Our Neighborhood: The Bywater Arts District

Just down river (east) from the French Quarter - stretching from Press Street to the Industrial Canal - is Bywater, where the mood and pace shift as you enter into the heart of an edgier yet still welcoming neighborhood. The St. Claude Arts District, centered around St. Claude Avenue, is home to more than thirty locations exhibiting visual and performance art, along with an array of artisan crafts. Down Piety Street, the fun continues with restaurants, thrift stores and more galleries. Even the homes, cafes and restaurants seem to capture Bywater's eclectic appreciation for the arts.

Spend the afternoon at Crescent Park for some impressive views of downtown New Orleans and the Mississippi River. Afterward, you can thrift your way through the neighborhood before stopping in at an exhibition and finally making your way to dinner. The area's restaurants are among the most innovative in the city and are great places to sit with a cocktail and chat with locals.

Above all, the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods illustrate the relationship between the New Orleans arts scene and local life. So whether you're looking for the New Orleans of old, or if you want see where New Orleans culture is headed for the future, the Faubourg Marigny and Bywater will offer you glimpses in either direction.

Local Non-Profits

We encourage our guests to support the same neighborhood non-profits that we do:

• Bywater Neighborhood Association

• KIPP Renaissance High School

• Stallings St. Claude Recreation Center

• Belle Reve New Orleans

Favorite Spots

This map includes our favorite spots within walking distance of the Mazant and the Google Map highlights some other top spots in and around Greater New Orleans.