Preservation Hall
The room that decided traditional New Orleans jazz was worth saving, and saved it.
French Quarter
No drinks, no air conditioning, no microphones, no cell phones — just a 1750s carriage house, wooden benches, and the best traditional jazz musicians in the city playing 45-minute sets three or four times a night. This is not a tourist trap that survived; it is the reason the music survived to be touristed at all.
Standing room tickets are cheap and available at the door if you queue an hour early. Reserved bench seating sells out weeks ahead online and is worth it. The early sets (5pm, 6pm) are less crowded; the 9pm set has more energy.
Forty-five minutes is exactly the right amount of time. You'll want more, which is the point — go for a drink next door if you must, or walk to Frenchmen and let the contrast teach you something.
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