• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

One of seven options available at the Audubon Cottages, tucked away in a quiet stretch of the French Quarter.   (Photo: The Audubon Cottages)

Channel the spirit of John James Audubon at The Audubon Cottages, located in the heart of the French Quarter, where the naturalist lived while completing his Birds of America series in 1820. Tucked into a quiet interior block of the French Quarter, the seven dwellings surround one of New Orleans's oldest private pools. Opt for two-bedroom cottage one (from $379) to sleep where Audubon resided, or go with cottage seven to shack up in his former studio.

Relive the Roaring Twenties at historic hotel The Roosevelt (from $199), a favorite of the city’s elite since the glory days of that decade. Restored to its former gilt-and-marble splendor by Waldorf Astoria in 2009, it’s the crown jewel of what is now called the Central Business District. Tap into the past with a Ramos Gin Fizz ($13), one of New Orleans's most renowned cocktails, in the famous, wood-paneled Sazerac Bar or by the rooftop pool.

Go minimal at Hotel le Marais (from $150), a small boutique hotel opened in the French Quarter last December. Instead of the often heavy and rococo décor of other area hotels, the rooms here feature sleek contemporary design that pays homage to Paris's Marais district and New Orleans's famous swamps with striking black-and-white portraits of local wetlands.

Published on Aug 4, 2011 as a web exclusive.