Preservation Hall

Yes, it's in the Quarter; yes, it's a tourist trap; yes, it's not the cheapest ticket in town. It doesn't matter -- one foot in this storied corridor and you won't be able to wipe the smile from your face.

Obviously, the music is as important as the setting in this case, the authenticity of both will banish the nearby Bourbon Street crapshow from your brain. The floorboards pulse and creak, the walls ooze history, the musicians (top-notch and largely traditional) play their hearts out within sneezing distance (a good thing, trust) -- the place just "feels" different, doubtless because of all that history and all that music.

In a word: magical. If you weren't in love with New Orleans already, this may be the thing to do it.

I would give this a higher rating since band was amazing..the place is all about the music but it was expensive (it's kid friendly so they came along) and they only played for about 30 minutes..give me another 30 and I will give this five stars.....it's still a must see since its the real deal home grown jazz and it don't get any realer

Amazing show!  Very small hall (non air conditioned, dress comfortably!) so you are up close and personal with the musicians.  No drinks / food / restrooms.  They have shows at 8:15, 9:15 and 10:15. This is definitely a New Orleans must if you are in town.

We did the VIP option which was $30/ticket and you can just walk to the front of the line at show time and get right in, plus reserved seats.  Otherwise, you have to line up before the show - depending on where you are in line, there are benches, seats on the floor and standing room in the back.  I thought the VIP option was worth it depending on your party.

The only thing that made me take away a star is that the musician counted his tips from the previous show while one of his bandmates had a solo, which I thought was tacky.

179/365